Tag: blog tours

Review: Rogue’s Pawn by Jeffe Kennedy

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews

Rogue’s Pawn by Jeffe Kennedy is part of an interesting and fascinating sub-branch of urban fantasy. I call it crossover fantasy, where someone from our reality literally “crosses over” to another reality where magic works.

But just because magical powers are made manifest, doesn’t mean that the person suddenly manifesting them has a magically good time in whatever place he or she has found herself in. Magic can be both wondrous and terrible.

As the story opens, we don’t even know her name. But we’re in her head. And we know that she’s finally gotten fed up with her boring fiance and her academic/scientific job in the middle of a party where Clive (the truly boring fiance, she should have ditched him long ago) has belittled her for the last time. But in walking out, she follows a compulsion to go to nearby Devil’s Tower (Wyoming, iconic scene of Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and enact a very strange ritual.

She winds up in Fae, with the ability to wish things into being, and no idea how she got there. Compulsions to enact rituals don’t really figure into her calculations.

She’s attacked by a huge black dog, and captured by the fae. She wakes up in extreme agony, her throat nearly torn out. From there, she discovers that she has terrible magic powers, and zero control.

She truly does think things into being. And she has no mental controls at all. As far as the fae are concerned, she is a dangerous weapon that should be eliminated immediately. But the man who has rescued her wants her trained for war. He believes she is a weapon that can be used, with the proper conditioning.

His name is Rogue. She is chained within his castle. She is his pawn, his property. If he saves her life, she owes him.

Everything in fae is negotiable. Life, death, power, souls. Eternity can be bargained away. A person is only worth the price they can negotiate. Rogue has saved her because he wants something from her, but she doesn’t know what that might be.

She doesn’t know anything. From being an academic with knowledge at her fingertips, she has been thrust into a situation in which she has no information except what she can gain through negotiation.

She doesn’t even have her own name. Rogue calls her Gwynn. It is close, but not quite. And for the damage she caused in her first flush of power and lack of knowledge, he negotiates her use as a weapon in the war. She will be trained by utter sadists, but she cannot be permanently damaged. And she cannot be raped. Because Rogue has the rights to her firstborn child in return for saving her life.

Confused? So is Gwynn. She has lost everything, even her identify. She must remake herself in this strange new place where she has no friends, only enemies. And where she has power she must learn to control. She has to become more than just Rogue’s Pawn.

Escape Rating B: Gwynn’s voice is snarktastically terrific. Which is a great thing, because we see the entire world of Rogue’s Pawn through her first-person viewpoint. We only know what she knows and see what she sees. Her sarcasm is hilarious, but, because Gwynn is such a complete fish-out-of water, her knowledge is limited and adds to the reader’s confusion. I think I might have enjoyed the story more if I’d been less confused.

Gwynn’s lack of information is necessary to the story. I’m less certain that the reader’s total blindness is.

The training Gwynn undergoes to become a sorceress for the war effort is unquestionably torture, and equally unquestionably sadistic. Some desperate measure were definitely required to save Gwynn’s life by training her magic. She absolutely had to learn to make her mind a blank. Whether this was the only way, and how much of a betrayal it was, and how Rogue felt about it, etc., is one of those things that a different form of narration might have helped with.

Rogue’s motives and thoughts are difficult to fathom for a large part of the story. Gwynn simply doesn’t know enough about this world to have any handle on him. And we filter through her. Although we do finally get the big picture at the end. It’s the smaller pictures, like the war (hard to believe that’s the smaller picture, isn’t it?) that I’d love some explanation for.

And I truly wish I understood about Titania. Hopefully, I’ll find out lots more in the next books in the Covenant of Thorns series. Please?

Guest Post: Author Donna Del Oro on Cautionary Tales

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

Today’s special guest at Reading Reality is Donna Del Oro, the author of The Delphi Bloodline, a compelling (see review here) mix of romantic suspense and edge-of-your-seat thriller with just a touch of the paranormal.

Donna is here to tell us a bit about the ways she worked some of the current theories about psychic awareness into her fictional characters in The Delphi Bloodline.

Donna Del Oro: Behind THE DELPHI BLOODLINE; Questions about ESP

Sixty percent of Americans, according to parapsychology studies cited in the book, Psychic Awareness, claim to have had experiences they would call psychic. Those experiences might be: Hunches about your or someone else’s future; physical clues that alert you to danger or wrong decisions; intuitive feelings that guide you correctly through life; and/or receiving information through physical sensations, thoughts, visions or emotions. It could be a prickly sensation at the back of your neck about a particular person, place or thing. Or a warm feeling at the thought of a good decision. If you’ve experienced any of the above, then you’re in touch with your psychic abilities.

My heroine, Athena Butler in THE DELPHI BLOODLINE, has already moved beyond the “I know but I don’t know how I know” psychic awareness, where most of us are at. Through her gifted mother’s instruction and guidance, Athena—the modern-day descendant of an ancient, psychically powerful bloodline of women—knows HOW and WHY she knows. She’s a talented clairvoyant who sees visions and is able to access information simply by touching a person. This clairvoyance might take the form of reading that person’s thoughts or by seeing into that person’s past.

While this ability of hers has caused her to lose boyfriends—who resent her intrusion into their privacy—her clairvoyance also alerts her to danger. When a handsome stranger approaches her in a Reno hotel gallery, where she is painting dead celebrities like Elvis and Frank Sinatra, Athena shakes his hand. Immediately, visions of his dark, violent past assail her, warning her that he is an impostor and even worse, that he means her harm.

Thus begins a threat that forces Athena to flee for her life. With the help of Kas Skoros, a tall, dark-haired man who claims to be a Guardian of the Delphi bloodline, they begin a journey of running, hiding and finally fighting back. As more psychics all over the country continue to disappear, the FBI is stymied. What’s happening to these psychics?  Why are they disappearing?  Who’s kidnapping them?  Athena’s mother believes the mastermind has something to do with a White House dinner she attended months before.

The three remaining descendants of the bloodline—Athena, her mother and Kas’s mother—are the only ones who can uncover the truth behind these kidnappings.

So what’s the origin of such psychic abilities? Are these talents truly genetic, do they run in families, as I suggest in my novel?  Do they originate from an all-seeing God, as Athena’s mother believes? Do they come from an omniscient spirit world? Another dimension of energy as yet unexplored by man, as Athena believes? Or are they simply physical, biochemical reactions in the brain, as some neuroscientists suggest? Do brain waves play a role, as some parapsychologists have studied?

Sorry to disappoint you, but experts have no definitive answers to those questions. Theories abound and what I put forth in THE DELPHI BLOODLINE is just one theory. There are many theories about psychic abilities, but no scientific proof.

Not yet, anyway.

What the scientific experiments (and I include some of these experiments in my novel) do prove is that these abilities exist in varying degrees among all of us.  These are human abilities, like innate skills in art and music. Some of us can strum a few chords on a ukelele; others among us can write symphonies, like Beethoven and Gershwin. Some of us can paint by numbers; others become Titian, Michaelangelo and Da Vinci.

The true psychics among us—not the charlatans—exercise and develop their skills quietly and without fanfare or greed. For they know their gifts come with cautionary tales.

Like the cautionary tale in THE DELPHI BLOODLINE.

Review: The Delphi Bloodline by Donna Del Oro

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | blog tours> book reviews

The Delphi Bloodline by Donna Del Oro sucked me in from the very first page. There were a few points in the middle where I wondered, “Sucked me into what?”, but I couldn’t stop flicking the pages on my iPad. I absolutely had to know what happened next. The Delphi Bloodline is a little bit paranormal romance, a little bit romantic suspense, a little bit thriller, and there were a couple of moments where I thought I’d wandered into The DaVinci Code, but all of it will keep up long past your bedtime.

It all starts when Athena Butler has a dream that her mother is being kidnapped. Except that it’s not exactly a dream; it’s a vision in what Athena and her mother call “The Flow”, the stream of spirits. And Flow Dreams are prophesies –unless they are thwarted. Or misinterpreted.

Athena and her mother Annabella both have precognitive visions, and they both work with the police to help solve crimes. Or rather, Athena’s mother still does. Athena used to, but she’s been hiding out, somewhere that no one can find her. Even her mother only has a cell phone number.

Athena is tired of seeing death. Because that’s all the future holds.

But when even Athena’s warning turns out not to be enough to stop her mother’s kidnapping, Athena comes out of hiding. Or rather, her mother’s failsafe plan to protect Athena if something happened to her kicks into place.

A Guardian comes for Athena. Guardian with a capital “G”. And just in time. Someone is hunting every identified psychic. Every person who has ever assisted the police or any law enforcement agency using any type of extra-sensory powers.

And all the fakes are turning up dead.

Athena, and her mother, are descendants of a long line of women who have psychic abilities, all the way back to ancient Greece. There’s always been an Athena in her family. And there have always been Guardians willing to lay down their lives to keep women like Athena safe from people who wanted to harm them.

Keriakos Alexander Skoros (Kas to his friends) doesn’t plan to be Athena’s Guardian on anything other than a temporary basis. But her mother entrusted him with this task, and so, for that matter, did his own mother, another one of these psychics. But when it turns out that all the psychics in the U.S. are being targeted, Athena, her mother, his mother, all the others, Kas, a former cop, is on board for the duration.

But the longer he spends with Athena, the more he wants to take up the role of her protector, forever.

Athena doesn’t want anyone vowing to lay down his life for her. She’ll protect herself, thank you very much. She’s looked at the statistics, and she knows that Guardians generally die young. The longer she spends with Kas, the less she wants him to be her Guardian.

Which doesn’t mean she doesn’t want him around.

The FBI does not believe in psychic powers. But they do believe in serial killers. They don’t believe one little bit that Athena has any power whatsoever, but they can figure out that she’s one of the targets. Eventually.

They think she’s the perfect bait to trap the kidnapper.

Athena was worried that Guardians have a short life expectancy? The life expectancy of bait really sucks.

Escape Rating A-: The suspense aspects of this one are like the snowball going down the hill. Once it starts rolling, it never stops. The pace just gets faster and faster. Everyone involved becomes part of the action, which just gets more and more tense. Wow!

The romance takes its time to develop. It should be the wrong time for Kas and Athena. But they are so right for each other, if events can just slow down long enough for them to figure it out.

The big-bad villain may have been a bit over-the-top. Your mileage may vary. Believable villains seem to be difficult. The one element that really bugged me was Annabelle, Athena’s mother, and her long-standing relationship with, of all agencies, the Vatican. Would the Pope be using a psychic to predict when it was safe to travel? There’s more going on there, but it heads into spoiler country.

But if you’re looking for a fun mostly romantic suspense with a touch of psychic power, give The Delphi Bloodline a read. Be prepared not to re-surface until you’re done.

 

What’s On My (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand? AKA The Sunday Post 7-15-12

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | blog tours> Small Blogs Big Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

It’s going to be a very busy week here at Reading Reality. And I’m not just talking about the blog.

For those of you in the library world, I’m going to do one totally shameless plug. I’m speaking at the ALA Virtual Conference on Wednesday, July 18. My topic is one that is near and dear to my geeky little heart. Of course I’m referring to ebooks. “Beyond the Bestseller List: Filling Patron Demand for Great eBooks Without the ‘Big 6 Publishers'”.

Back to the blog. I have two tours scheduled this week.

Tuesday, Donna Del Oro will be visiting, and guest posting, to talk about her very cool paranormal romance/romantic suspense novel, The Delphi Bloodline. I’ll also have a review. A psychic female meets her match when a family friend becomes her guardian. Then the skeptical FBI wants to use her as bait in a plan that nearly turns deadly. Oh, and the Pope is involved. Lots of surprises in this one.

And on Thursday, Jeffe Kennedy stops by to answer a few questions about Rogue’s Pawn, the first book in her new urban fantasy/paranormal romance series, Covenant of Thorns. Of course, I’ll also have a review of this twisty new book, where a woman from our world crosses into fae.

Looking ahead to next week, there are a few books on the radar that I’m really looking forward to diving into.

I’ll be reviewing The Virgin Huntress, the second book in Victoria Vane’s Devil DeVere series over at Book Lovers Inc. on July 27. The first book, A Wild Night’s Bride, was an absolute hoot, a glorious romp. (BLI review here, Reading Reality here) If you want to laugh along with your sexy romance, give AWNB a read. I’m hoping The Virgin Huntress is even more delicious fun.

Series set up expectations. That true for Laura Anne Gilman’s Dragon Justice, the next book in her Paranormal Scene Investigations Series book. The publication date is July 24. Again, I enjoyed the rest of the series (Hard Magic, Pack of Lies, Tricks of the Trade (Tricks reviewed here). I loved Gilman’s Retrievers series. I’m seriously looking forward to the night I’m going to spend reading Dragon Justice. Enough said.

Last but definitely not least. I’m in the next upcoming BlogHer Book Clubs. Those bring interesting books that I might not otherwise read. The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty starts next week. That book I did want to read. Not just because the book is a hot pick on a whole lot of lists, but because the Roaring 20s are so fascinating.

The Small Blogs Big Giveaways Blog Hop will be running all this week here and and on all of the participating blogs. So don’t forget to pop on over to the entry post and get your name into the hopper for all of the prizes. There are gift cards, books and ebooks. One riffle down the rafflecopter gets you entered into all the hop stops.

That’s enough for one week (or two weeks!) on this blog. Whew! What’s happening at your place?

Interview with Theresa Stillwagon on the Ghosts in her Stories

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Interviews> Author Q&A

Let’s welcome today’s special guest to Reading Reality, author Theresa Stillwagon! She’s here to talk about her both heart-warming and spine-chilling romantic suspense Winter Creek Montana series, where the local ghost population involves itself in the romances of the modern-day inhabitants.

The first two books in the series, Forgotten Memories (review here) and The Dressmaker’s Dilemma (review here) are a fascinating blend of sexy romance, historical mystery, and romantic suspense. And it’s all set in a ghost town! 

Let’s hear what Theresa has to say…

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Who is Theresa Stillwagon and what are your other loves besides writing?

I was born and raised in Ohio, but now I live in Georgia. I’ve been married for almost thirty years, loved cats, reading, playing online games, and spending time messing around on Facebook and Twitter. I love learning about new things and visiting historical sites.

What made you choose a ghost town as the setting for your Winter Creek, Montana, series? And is there a real Winter Creek?

I don’t really remember the reason. But I think it was because I recently visited Gettysburg, which is supposed to be haunted. (I was so disappointed when I didn’t see or feel anything strange.) Plus I was working in a nursing home where strange things happened every night. My story seemed to evolve from that.

The Winter Creek, Montana series is a fascinating blend of paranormal romance, contemporary and a little bit historical. Along with some historical mystery for spice. And ghosts. How did you come up with such an interesting mix of genres for this series?

It just kind of happened as I wrote it. Originally it was only meant to be a single story until I realized I left so many unanswered questions in Forgotten Memories. I needed to answer those questions.

Who first introduced you to the love of reading?

My parents. My dad also wrote some, but was never published. The favorite thing he’d written was a Christmas song called Happy Birthday Jesus. My sisters and I used to sing that song. I can still remember the words.

Who influenced your decision to become a writer?

It was one of my teachers in grade school. I went to a Catholic school and one of the nuns praised a poem I wrote. I don’t remember her name but I still remember her words and how I felt. It was rare when anyone praised me when I was growing up.

What book do you recommend everyone should read and why?

I don’t really have one book except the Bible. There are so many good writing books out there. One book I read over and over again is an old one by Helene Schellenberg Barnhart called Writing Romance Fiction, For Love and Money. It was written way back in the 1980s and is a bit outdated, but the tips and suggestion are still good.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

I’m a bit of both. I need to know the characters pretty well (but not completely) and I need to have a few possible scenes and a possible ending before I can start writing. Some of the scenes are never used or changed, and the ending may or may not be the same.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

Yes, and I let them. It’s their story, isn’t it? Usually when I get stuck it’s because I’m trying to have the characters do something they don’t want to do.

Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming projects? And what comes next in Winter Creek, Montana?

Right now I’m finishing up a short sexy book called Winning the Bet, then I’m going to work on the fourth book of another series, with another publisher. I’m in the thinking stages of the third Winter Creek book. I hoping to start it as soon as the first drafts of the other two are done.

Can you tell us three reasons why everyone should read your books?

Fun, edgy, and sexy.

Coffee or Tea?

Coffee. Which reminds me, I haven’t had any yet today.

From Ohio to Georgia, huh? That trip sounds familiar. Us Buckeyes have to stick together! I have to find out where in Ohio, because me, too. But what I really want to know is when that third Winter Creek book is going be out. I have a feeling it’s going to be Rose’s story. We’ll see.

Thanks so much, Theresa, for answering all of my questions. I’ll be looking forward to more adventures with the present-day inhabitants (and the ghosts) of Winter Creek, Montana.

Review: The Dressmaker’s Dilemma by Theresa Stillwagon

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews

The second book in Theresa Stillwagon’s Winter Creek, Montana Series is more ghostly, more suspenseful, more dangerous, and therefore, more fun. This one is definitely a three-hankie special, both in the historic parts, and in the here-and-now.

The Dressmaker’s Dilemma in that she wants the cowboy, but not the ready-made family that comes along with him. And, as seems to be the norm in Winter Creek, the ghosts have decided that the modern-day humans are much, much better off if they right whatever wrongs happened in the past.

After all, the ghosts got it wrong the first time. So they know enough not to get it wrong the second time. Or not wrong the same way.

Barb Grant is the dressmaker for the re-enactment. She’s responsible for making all the costumes for this living history ghost town. But Barb has a few “ghosts” of her own. Memories that made her “run away” from her old life to the remote town of Winter Creek.

Wyatt Campbell is the cowboy. He didn’t know his divorced wife had their daughter. Without warning, she’s dead and he’s a single father.

Whatever is in Barb’s past makes Wyatt’s instant fatherhood seem irresponsible, and she wants no part of it. But she still wants the man. And he’s always wanted her. He’s just been way too slow about staking his claim.

His pre-teen daughter wants a mother. Jaime thinks that she, Wyatt, and Barb make a perfect family. And the ghosts think that they right a wrong, somewhere back in the past.

Meanwhile, someone wants to destroy the town, right now. The ghosts want to stop that. Because it’s all happened before. And they don’t want it to happen again. Too many people have already shed their blood for the secrets the town holds. And the ghosts think that enough is more than enough.

Escape Rating B+: The more the ghosts get involved, the more suspenseful and fascinating the story gets. I’m enjoying the way the past and the present are intertwining as more and more secrets get revealed. Each love story gets resolved within one book, but there’s and overall story about the town’s past that just keeps getting more fascinating.

I can’t wait for the next chapter. Oops, I meant book.

Review: Forgotten Memories by Theresa Stillwagon

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews

Ghost towns are such fascinating places. Even more when they get turned into living history museums. In the hands of a talented storyteller, the tales of parallel lives filtered through the shades of the past, and the light of the present, can make for quite haunting reading.

So we begin the Winter Creek, Montana Series by Theresa Stillwagon, starting with Forgotten Memories.

Jen Ferguson is both a history professor and a psychic, which makes for a pretty interesting combination when it comes to rebuilding a ghost town. She can see the ghosts. And she has studied the history of the area.

Too bad it’s her experience in the present that causing her the most trouble. The revival of Winter Creek is really her baby, her pet project. She knows the area.

But an impetuous affair with a hot-shot historian has tarnished her professional credentials, throwing all of her hard work in question. In the halls of academe, when an affair ends, the man always comes out ahead, no matter how big a jerk he is.

Jen is forced to act like an Old West schoolmarm to save her academic reputation, even though the man she broke up with is telling lies about their supposed engagement. He’s the one with the big list of publications. She’s still just a local girl.

Too bad the building at Winter Creek that she’s rehabbing for the college is the town saloon, and that one of the late “good-time gals” is sending her messages. Telling her that the hot new rancher riding through town, Adam Craine, is just the man to show her that not all men are jerks.

Adam’s also the spitting image of a former Winter Creek resident. Adam and Jen are part of a century-old mystery, one that the ghost wants to help them solve – before old grudges take more lives in the here and now.

Escape Rating B: I absolutely love living history museums, which is what initially attracted me to this series. The romance between Adam and Jen is plenty hot and sparky, and it’s doubly fascinating as it plays out across two time-periods, because it’s not just the present, but the ghosts also get involved. Adam and Jen wait to be sure they are acting on their own desires, and not re-enacting someone else’s. Very hot and very emotionally well done.

The element that kept this from being a B+ or A was the way Jen was treated by the College and “The Jerk”, and even her grandfather, regarding her personal life. This is the 21st century, not the 1950’s. While there is still a double-standard in many ways, Jen’s treatment seemed exaggerated, considering that both parties were single. I understand why she wouldn’t trust another man. I didn’t understand her employer’s reaction to the aftermath of the relationship, especially since most of it happened before the Jerk was employed at her college and they were not in a supervisory relationship.

Author Interview: Stacey Kennedy is Mystically Bound

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Interviews> Author Q&A> blog tours

Today’s interview was my chance to buttonhole Stacey Kennedy about her writing, her utterly marvelous paranormal/urban fantasy Frostbite series (see my reviews of the first two books, Supernaturally Kissed and Demonically Tempted to get an idea of just how fantastic they are) and ask some questions about the totally damnable cliffhanger at the end of Demonically Tempted. (Grrr!) The next book in the series, Mystically Bound, can’t come soon enough for this reader.

 

Since I’m dying to let everyone see the answers to those questions, here’s Stacey!

Tell us a little bit about Stacey Kennedy? Who are you when you’re not writing? Really?

If I’m not writing I’m a mom and wife. My time is split right down the middle between both of my “jobs”. So, if I’m not on the keyboard then I’m playing Barbies, making silly crafts, or spending the day at park. I love the outdoors, and the second summer hits we like to go camping as often as we can, which usually works out to 2-3 times a month. What can I say? I love campfires and s’mores!!

Other than that, I love to have fun and laugh! I love movies, girl’s night out where I’m up way too late, patios with lots of chicken wings and beer, reading, and just all that crazy stuff that girls like to do! I like to party and I love to dance! I’m always up for a good time!!

Who first introduced you to the love of reading?

Good question. To be honest, I’m not sure how I was first introduced to reading. I’m sure school played a part, but my mom reads about as much as I do. So, I imagine she rubbed off on me. But she never pushed reading or anything like that. I think it more or less grew on me. Now I can totally admit that I’m 100% addicted!

Who influenced your decision to become a writer?

Of course, books influenced me the most. My love for storytelling came because the stories I read captivated me. I suppose you could say they awakened my love of getting lost in another world. It was from reading that I got the itch to write my stories and create my own fun worlds.

But my hubby was so supportive when I came out of nowhere and said I was going to write a story. While I expected him to roll his eyes at me and call it silly since I’d never shown an interest before, he actually said that he thought I’d be great at it. It was his support that gave me the push to sit down and do it!

What book do you recommend everyone should read? Okay, now tell us why you picked that book!

It’s gotta be Keri Arthur’s, Riley Jenson Guardian series. And no, I can’t pick one book from that series to recommend. They’re all fantastic. If you like fast-paced action, heartbreak, romance, and just a fabulous read pick up that series. It’s one of my all-time favorites!

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

For most stories, I never plot or outline. I usually just sit down and let the characters tell the story. But for stories, like DEMONICALLY TEMPTED, I did have to outline that one because the plot was more complicated. There were certain points I needed to hit in that stories especially since they will have an impact on book three, MYSTICALLY BOUND.  I needed to see them out in front of me to make sure I wasn’t missing anything.

Usually I outline when my plot and subplots are complex. Also, if there are quite a few subplots working together I like to make sure I hit all the plot points, so having an outline helps me find the flow of the story. That’s normally how I do it. I write down the three major plot points with the biggest twists in the story, then work around them. But my outlines are very simple and in point form. Then with the guide to follow, I go panster style and write. Typically, my outlines are always changing.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

My characters own the show. I never have control! I accepted that a long time ago and stopped fighting against them because in the end the direction they take me always ends up being the right one.

Take Tess and Kipp for an example. When I had outlined DEMONICALLY TEMPTED it didn’t look at all like the finished product. Once I hit the halfway mark in that story, Tess took me in an entirely new direction and I let her go there, even though it hurt to do so! Now I’m happy of course, because I see how the series will play out and it’s going to be exciting!

Now let’s get specific. Did you always plan that for that damn cliffhanger-to-end-all-cliffhangers at the end of Demonically Tempted, or how did that come about?

“dliffhanger-to-end-all-cliffhangers” LOL! Like I said above, the cliffhanger was not my original idea for how that book would end. In fact, I had planned for an ending that was far different from how it turned out. To put it simply, I had originally planned for a much happier ending that wrapped up the “big” issue between Tess and Kipp. I can’t say more without spoiling the new ending, but I had intended for both Tess and Kipp to be very happy.

So, it was a fight not to go that route, but I eventually gave in and let the story go where it needed to. It was never my intention to torture Tess as much as she’s suffered in DEMONICALLY TEMPTED, and even more so what she’ll face in MYSTICALLY BOUND, but that shift in the story felt right.

What’s the reaction been to that cliffhanger? Do people beg you for details of how it’s going to turn out? Have you received any interesting bribes?

I actually received more of a reaction from the first book, SUPERNATURALLY KISSED, with everyone trying to figure out what was going on with Kipp. It did surprise me how many people had it guessed right away, while others were totally shocked by the ending of book two. There were four spots in the first book where I implied the “truth”. Some saw it, others didn’t. And isn’t that just fun!!

I admit I was slightly concerned how people would react to the cliffhanger at the end of DEMONICALLY TEMPTED, and while some people have wanted to hex me, they’ll forgive me as long as I don’t take too long to write the next book. It’s even better knowing that some people think they have it all figured out and that they know how Tess and Kipp will end up with their happily ever after, but I have lots of surprises coming up in the next book that should shock! Because heck, they’re shocking me now!!

If the series were turned into a movie (in your wildest dreams!) who would you want to play Tess and Kipp?

Without a doubt Paul Walker for Kipp and Rachel McAdams for Tess.

What plans do you have for the future (after Mystically Bound)?

I do plan to finish the Frostbite series in early 2013, which means I expect to release the 4th and final book in the series by February/March. But I just have to see how my schedule is first. There are many releases coming out in 2013 including my baby, WEREWOLVES BE DAMNED that is my first ever mass-market paperback, and I expect that series will eat up a lot of my time.  So, let’s just leave it at, 2013 will be a very exciting year with tons of fun releases!

Speaking of Mystically Bound, when in the Fall? I want to start counting days.

I’m glad you do!! I’m just as excited to write it. I’m aiming for the end of October and I hope nothing comes up that pushes me off that date. I’m starting to write Mystically Bound within the next week and am so eager to dive in!

Coffee or Tea?

I’m a coffee gal all the way. Starbucks is even better!

Places to find Stacey:

Website | Blog | Facebook |Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

I want to thank Stacey for answering all my questions, and I may want to choke her for dragging out what sounds like will finally be Tess and Kipp’s happily ever after until book 4 (no one said I’d have to wait until book 4!!!!) of her awesome Frostbite series.

Patience is not one of my virtues, but I guess I’ll just have to wait. And congratulations on your upcoming paperback release of Werewolves Be Damned. It’s already on my “to-read” list on Goodreads.

I’m afraid to find out how long your new series will be. Very afraid. Because I just know I’m going to love it.

 

Guest Post: Blue Plaque Inspirations from Grace Elliot

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

I’d like to welcome today’s special guest, Grace Elliot. Grace is the author of The Huntley Trilogy; Eulogy’s Secret, Hope’s Betrayal (review here) and the forthcoming Verity’s Lies, as well as her extremely favorably received debut, A Dead Man’s Debt. Reviewers have been comparing Ms. Elliot to Georgette Heyer. High praise, indeed! 

I enjoyed the glimpse into the hardships that drove people into the smugglers’ life, as embodied in the heroine of Hope’s Betrayal. But as Ms. Elliot tells us in her guest post, there was more reality in the story than I thought.

Read on for the details…

Blue Plaque Inspiration*

Hello, it’s lovely to be here and thank you to Marlene for hosting me. I love Marlene’s strap line, ‘Escape reality, read fiction,’ and it inspired me to post about how real life inspired my latest historical romance, ‘Hope’s Betrayal.’

Everyone needs an escape from the pressures of everyday life and one of my safety valves is visiting theIsle of Wight. It is a beautiful, tranquil place with secret beaches, ever changing seas and wonderful wildlife – especially birds. We are lucky enough to stay within sight of the sea, in a place where the village green is flanked by Georgian fishermen’s cottages. The pace of life is so relaxing there, plenty of time for walks, reading and letting the imagination run riot – which brings me back to the inspiration behind ‘Hope’s Betrayal.’

In the 17th and 18th century the long coastline, with secluded inlets and treacherous shallows, made it an ideal for the local fishermen to take up the lucrative business of smuggling. On one of my walks in the village, I spotted a blue-plaque (*) mounted amongst the wisteria on a cottage wall. The plaque marked the birth place of a fisherman’s daughter, born in 1792, who eventually married a Prince from the royal house of Bourbon. This whetted my appetite to find out more and I started researching the ‘Lady of Chantilly.’

I found out that this woman, a humble fisherman’s daughter, was reputedly so beautiful that when caught smuggling, the Revenue officer couldn’t bring himself to arrest her. Now whether this local lore is true, or a romantic embellishment of the facts, it set my writer’s mind whirling. What a fantastic starting point for a story – the tension between two people, who live on opposite sides of the law, falling in love! Which would be stronger: the values they were raised with, or their love? What would be the price of such a love?

And thus ‘Hope’s Betrayal’, was born:

(* – In the UK, places of special note, i.e. birth places of famous writers, politicians, etc. are marked by a blue-plaque on the wall which lists the details of their life.)

Situated in the Solent, just off the south coast of England, the Island has a rich maritime history, and one especially linked with smuggling. In the 17th and 18th centuries it was a perfect stop over for fisherman secretly importing goods from France to England.

*****

Book Description

Hope’s Betrayal (The Huntley Trilogy, Book 2)

One wild, winter’s night two worlds collide. 
Known for his ruthless efficiency, Captain George Huntley is sent to stamp out smuggling on the south coast of England. On a night raid, the Captain captures a smuggler, but finds his troubles are just beginning when the lad turns out to be a lass, Hope Tyler. 
With Hope as bait, the Captain sets a trap to catch the rest of the gang. But in a battle of wills, with his reputation at stake, George Huntley starts to respect feisty, independent Hope. Challenged by her sea-green eyes and stubborn loyalty Huntley now faces a new threat – his growing attraction to a sworn enemy. And a love where either Hope betrays her own kind, or Captain Huntley is court-martialed, is not an easy destiny to follow.

A little more about the author, Grace Elliot:

Grace Elliot leads a double life as a veterinarian by day and author of historical romance by night. Grace believes intelligent people need to read romance as an antidote to the modern world. As an avid reader of historicals she turned to writing as a release from the emotionally draining side of veterinary work.

Grace lives near London and is addicted to cats. The Elliot household consists of five cats, two teenage sons, one husband, a guinea pig – and the latest addition – a bearded dragon!

You can follow Grace on her blog “Fall in Love With History.” or her Grace Elliot website and of course Facebook and twitter.

I’d like to thank Grace for being here today, and for this fascinating glimpse into the writing of Hope’s Betrayal. And also for that marvelous cat picture! He does not look best pleased to be photographed. I’ve seen that disgruntled expression before. I think there’s another story there!

 

Review: Hope’s Betrayal by Grace Elliot

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews

Hope’s Betrayal by Grace Elliot is the second book in her Huntley Trilogy (after Eulogy’s Secret).  The Huntley Trilogy are unusual historical romances, not just because the Huntley brothers seen so far definitely work for their livings and because the heroines are definitely not society chits. It’s a refreshing change.

Hope Tyler is a smuggler. There’s no romance in her choice of occupation, nor any adventure. For Hope, it’s a matter of her family’s survival, pure and simple. Hope’s home on the Isle of Wight has lost too many of its men to the war (Napoleon), to disease or to fishing accidents. When the economy is bad, the English coast turns to smuggling. There is no other work. Hope and her brother are in the smuggling trade to put food on the table.

Captain George Huntley works for the Crown. His current assignment is to put a stop to, or at least a dent in, the smuggling trade. It keeps him occupied while his ship is undergoing refit in Portsmouth. Then he’ll be back at sea, and away from land, from the Isle of Wight, from the family estate, and from his mother, Lady Constance.

There are two serious problems with George’s mission. One is that everyone in England seems to be a party to the smuggling trade. Everyone wants luxury goods, like tea and French lace, but no one wants to pay the tax.

The second problem is a raid that goes horribly wrong. One of George’s men is killed. And the only smuggler he manages to catch is a boy. A boy he knows can’t be guilty of the actual shooting, because George was chasing the boy at the time.

But since the boy is the only smuggler available, he’ll probably hang anyway. But when George carries him to his house to get him seen to – the boy was only caught because he broke his ankle – George discovers that this smuggler, this criminal, is a young woman.

And George can’t make himself sent her to jail. He says it’s because she might lead her confederates to rescue her. It’s really because he wants her for himself.

But his mother finds her first. And discovers that Hope might be more than she appears. Even if she is still exactly what she appeared, a smuggler who should be hanged for her admitted crimes.

Leaving George trapped between his duty and his desires. With his mother standing guard over his prisoner, and his men howling for justice.

George does the only thing he can under the circumstances. He requests a transfer. How could George know that leaving would only make everything worse?

Escape Rating B: It was great to see a view of the Regency/Napoleonic Wars period from a perspective other than that of the upper crust. Even though George’s mother is Lady Constance, the family seems to be from the “squirearchy” more than the aristocracy. (The third book is about the oldest brother, and it could prove me totally wrong.)

However, George is a naval man, not a lord. His only title is Captain, and he earned that one.  And Hope is definitely no lady. Her family is so poor, she’s turned to smuggling just to keep eating.

Hope’s plight is what makes this story different. It’s not a romantic view of the smuggler’s trade. There are no dashing pirates here. It’s all about bone-deep poverty. Her village will starve if they don’t turn to smuggling. And that’s the point she brings home to George and Lady Constance.

There is no other work. It’s the free trade, or starvation. And plenty of supposedly law-abiding people will happily buy their smuggled goods as long as they don’t have to get their hands dirty in the actual smuggling.

There’s also a sweet love story between George and Hope. It is very sweet, and just a tad bit unrealistic. Not that they wouldn’t fall for each other, but that love (and his family’s position of privilege) would manage to conquer her very real criminal record.

But you want the happily ever after enough to let it go.