Friday, May 29, 2009

Promo - MythOS by Kelly McCullough

MythOS
Ravirn, Book 4
Kelly McCullough
ACE
June 2, 2009
ISBN# 978-0-441-01724-9

Book Blurb:
In the 21st century, magic has advanced with the times and gone digital. But when Ravirn—a computer savvy sorcerer—is thrown into a parallel world where magic runs on a different operating system, he’ll need mad skills to get out alive.

You can learn more about MythOS by visiting the author’s website: HERE

You can read the first chapter of MythOS: HERE

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Review - Black and White by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge

*Starred Read* A new review has been posted on the website for Black and White by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge. This is the first book in The Icarus Project series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/172233.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/172275.html
http://darquereviews.com/14912/149459.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Desire Untamed by Pamela Palmer

A new review has been posted on the website for Desire Untamed by Pamela Palmer. This is the first book in the Feral Warriors series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/172254.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/172296.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Ashes of Midnight by Lara Adrian

A new review has been posted on the website for Ashes of Midnight by Lara Adrian. This is the sixth book in the Midnight Breed.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/172212.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/158459.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Friday, May 22, 2009

Promo - Ballantine Books - May 2009

The Late, Lamented Molly Marx
Sally Koslow
Ballantine Books
May 19, 2009
ISBN# 978-0-345-50620-7

Book Blurb:
The circumstances of Molly Marx’s death may be suspicious, but she hasn’t lost her joie de vivre. Newly arrived in the hereafter, aka the Duration, Molly, thirty-five years old, is delighted to discover that she can still keep tabs on those she left behind: Annabel, her beloved four-year-old daughter; Lucy, her combustible twin sister; Kitty, her piece-of-work mother-in-law; Brie, her beautiful and steadfast best friend; and, of course, her husband, Barry, a plastic surgeon with more than a professional interest in many of his female patients. As a bonus, Molly quickly realizes that the afterlife comes with a finely tuned bullshit detector.

As Molly looks on, her loved ones try to discern whether her death was an accident, suicide, or murder. She was last seen alive leaving for a bike ride through New York City’s Riverside Park; her body was found lying on the bank of the Hudson River. Did a stranger lure Molly to danger? Did she plan to meet someone she thought she could trust? Could she have ended her own life for mysterious reasons, or did she simply lose control of her bike? As the police question her circle of intimates, Molly relives the years and days that led up to her sudden end: her marriage, troubled yet tender; her charmed work life as a magazine decorating editor; and the irresistible colleague to whom she was drawn.

More than anything, Molly finds herself watching over Annabel–and realizing how motherhood helped to bring out her very best self. As the investigation into her death proceeds, Molly will relive her most precious moments–and take responsibility for the choices in her life.

Exploring the bonds of fidelity, family, and friendship, and narrated by a memorable and endearing character, The Late, Lamented Molly Marx is a hilarious, deeply moving, and thought-provoking novel that is part mystery, part love story, and all heart.

Ice Song
Kirsten Imani Kasai
Ballantine Books
May 26, 2009
ISBN# 978-0-345-50881-2

Book Blurb:
There are secrets beneath her skin.

Sorykah Minuit is a scholar, an engineer, and the sole woman aboard an ice-drilling submarine in the frozen land of the Sigue. What no one knows is that she is also a Trader: one who can switch genders suddenly, a rare corporeal deviance universally met with fascination and superstition and all too often punished by harassment or death.

Sorykah’s infant twins, Leander and Ayeda, have inherited their mother’s Trader genes. When a wealthy, reclusive madman known as the Collector abducts the babies to use in his dreadful experiments, Sorykah and her male alter-ego, Soryk, must cross icy wastes and a primeval forest to get them back. Complicating the dangerous journey is the fact that Sorykah and Soryk do not share memories: Each disorienting transformation is like awakening with a jolt from a deep and dreamless sleep.

The world through which the alternating lives of Sorykah and Soryk travel is both familiar and surreal. Environmental degradation and genetic mutation run amok; humans have been distorted into animals and animal bodies cloak a wild humanity. But it is also a world of unexpected beauty and wonder, where kindness and love endure amid the ruins. Alluring, intense, and gorgeously rendered, Ice Song is a remarkable debut by a fiercely original new writer.

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Angel's Advocate by Mary Stanton

A new review has been posted on the website for Angel's Advocate by Mary Stanton. This is the second release in The Beaufort & Company Mystery series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/169912.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/115475.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - In Over Her Head by Judi Fennell

A new review has been posted on the website for In Over Her Head by Judi Fennell. This is the first release in the Tritone Trilogy.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/169933.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/169954.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton

A new review has been posted on the website for Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton. This is the seventeenth novel in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/131954.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/132017.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Winner - Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Good Morning readers!

Today's lucky winner of an arc of Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow is.....

#158 Margaret

Congratulations! Just email me with your mailing info at: DarqueReviews @ gmail . com (without the spaces) and Razorbill/Penguin Young Readers will get your book out to you.

This is the 10th winner in the 10 book drawing. Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by to enter, it's been a lot of fun! Check back soon for new news, reviews and contests. :)

Happy Reading!

Review - Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine

A new review has been posted on the website for Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine. This is book six in the Morganville Vampires series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/166612.html
You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/109759.html
Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Demon Mistress by Yasmine Galenorn

A new review has been posted on the website for Demon Mistress by Yasmine Galenorn. This is the sixth book in the Otherworld/Sisters of the Moon series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/166675.html
You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/166738.html
Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Cry Mercy by Toni Andrews

A new review has been posted on the website for Cry Mercy by Toni Andrews. This is the third book in the Mercy Hollings series.

http://darquereviews.com/12612/166633.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/43254.html
Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Promo - Giveaway - Toni Andrews

Cry Mercy Launch Contest!
(read below to see how to enter!)


1st Place (1 winner):
A SIGG Aluminum Water Bottle and Signed Copies of Angel of Mercy and Cry Mercy.

2nd Place (5 winners):
A Signed Copy of Cry Mercy


To Enter:
Sign Toni Andrews' Guest Book between May 14 and May 31, 2009.

Winners will be announced June 1, 2009 on her website and on Twitter.

Giveaway Winner - Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Good Morning readers!

Today's lucky winner of an arc of Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow is.....

#106 Michelle G.

Congratulations! Just email me with your mailing info at: DarqueReviews @ gmail . com (without the spaces) and Razorbill/Penguin Young Readers will get your book out to you.

*Remember to check back each day through May 21st, as one reader will be chosen each day! You can also post one comment each day to increase your odds of winning, but only comments made on the original post will be counted: http://darquereviews.blogspot.com/2009/05/10-book-giveaway-strange-angels-by-lili.html

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Review - Phantasm by Phaedra Weldon

A new review has been posted on the website for Phantasm by Phaedra Weldon. This is the third novel in the Zoë Martinique series.

http://darquereviews.com/12612/162533.html

You can also visit the author's page:

http://darquereviews.com/14912/162722.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor

A new review has been posted on the website for Dreamdark:Blackbringer by Laini Taylor. This is the first installment in the Dreamdark series.

http://darquereviews.com/12612/162512.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/162701.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Tap & Gown by Diana Peterfreund

A new review has been posted on the website for Tap & Gown by Diana Peterfreund. This is the fourth book in the Ivy League series.

http://darquereviews.com/12612/162596.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/162680.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Giveaway Winner - Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Hello readers!

Today's lucky winner of an arc of Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow is.....

#74 RachaelFromNJ

Just email me with your mailing info at: DarqueReviews @ gmail . com (without the spaces) and Razorbill/Penguin Young Readers will get your book out to you.

*Remember to check back each day through May 21st, as one reader will be chosen each day! You can also post one comment each day to increase your odds of winning, but only comments made on the original post will be counted: http://darquereviews.blogspot.com/2009/05/10-book-giveaway-strange-angels-by-lili.html

Monday, May 18, 2009

Giveaway Winner - Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Hello readers!

Today's lucky winner of an arc of Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow is.....

#25 Chris

Just email me with your mailing info at: DarqueReviews @ gmail . com (without the spaces) and Razorbill/Penguin Young Readers will get your book out to you.

*Remember to check back each day through May 21st, as one reader will be chosen each day! You can also post one comment each day to increase your odds of winning, but only comments made on the original post will be counted: http://darquereviews.blogspot.com/2009/05/10-book-giveaway-strange-angels-by-lili.html

Giveaway Winner - Wild Highland Magic by Kendra Leigh Castle

The winner of a copy of Wild Highland Magic by Kendra Leigh Castle is....

#18 Cybercliper

Just email me with your mailing info at: DarqueReviews @ gmail . com (without the spaces) and Sourcebooks will get your book out to you.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Giveaway Reminder - Wild Highland Magic by Kendra Leigh Castle

Don't forget....today is the last day to enter to win a copy of Wild Highland Magic by Kendra Leigh Castle!


See the original post for details:

http://darquereviews.blogspot.com/2009/05/guest-post-giveaway-with-kendra-leigh.html


Giveaway Winner - Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Hello readers!

Today's lucky winner of an arc of Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow is.....

#66 Martha Lawson

Congratulations Martha! :)

Just email me with your mailing info at: DarqueReviews @ gmail . com (without the spaces) and Razorbill/Penguin Young Readers will get your book out to you.

*Remember to check back each day through May 21st, as one reader will be chosen each day! You can also post one comment each day to increase your odds of winning, but only comments made on the original post will be counted: http://darquereviews.blogspot.com/2009/05/10-book-giveaway-strange-angels-by-lili.html

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Giveaway Winner - Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Good Morning readers!

Today's winner of an arc of Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow is.....

#7 Cecile

Congrats Cecile! (yes, I double checked! *grin*)

Just email me with your mailing info at: DarqueReviews @ gmail . com (without the spaces) and Razorbill/Penguin Young Readers will get that book out to you.

*Remember to check back each day through May 21st, as one reader will be chosen each day! You can also post one comment each day to increase your odds of winning, but only comments made on the original post will be counted: http://darquereviews.blogspot.com/2009/05/10-book-giveaway-strange-angels-by-lili.html

Review - Back to Life by Linda O. Johnston

A new review has been posted on the website for Back to Life by Linda O. Johnston. This is a Silhouette Nocturne release. :)
http://darquereviews.com/12612/158312.html
You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/158501.html
Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Red Kiss by Deidre Knight

A new review has been posted on the website for Red Kiss by Deidre Knight. This is the second installment in the Gods of Midnight series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/158375.html
You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/158522.html
Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Vicious Circle by Mike Carey

A new review has been posted on the website for Vicious Circle by Mike Carey. This is the second installment in the Felix Castor series.

http://darquereviews.com/12612/158438.html

You can also visit the author's page:

http://darquereviews.com/14912/158480.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Friday, May 15, 2009

Promo - Berkley Sensation - June 2, 2009 Releases

Kissing Midnight
The Fitz Clare Chronicles, Book 1
Emma Holly
Berkley Sensation
June 2, 2009
ISBN# 978-0-425-22339-0

Book Blurb:
Edmund Fitz Clare has been keeping secrets he can't afford to expose. Not to the orphans he's adopted. Not to the lovely young woman he's been yearning after for years. This seeming professor of history has another life. He's an upyr—a shapeshifting vampire—determined to redeem past misdeeds.

Estelle Berenger knows better than to fall for her best friend's father. Yes, the professor is sexier than anyone else appears to notice—along with being brilliant, kind, and extremely eccentric! Estelle could overlook Edmund's peculiar allergy to the sun if this were his only oddity. Instead, he holds the key to a mystery of her own: that ever since she was struck by lightning, she's had abilities no normal woman should be able to call upon.
This star-crossed pair might be able to resist each other, but deep in the heart of London, a vampire war is brewing—a conflict that threatens to throw Edmund and Estelle together—and to turn Edmund's beloved human family against him.

Immortal Outlaw
Immortal Brotherhood
Lisa Hendrix
Berkley Sensation
June 2, 2009
ISBN# 978-0-425-22834-0

Book Blurb:
For centuries he's hidden in the woods. Now a maid has come to lead him out...
It's been four centuries since Steinarr the Proud was cursed by a wicked sorceress—along with the rest of his Viking crew—to live for eternity as half man, half beast. By day Steinarr is like any other man—by night he is a lion. He has taken refuge in the woods of Nottinghamshire, England, and there he encounters two young travelers, Robin and Marian.
Painfully aware of the danger he presents when the moon rises, Steinarr initially refuses to help them search for the key to Robin's inheritance. Then a kiss from Marian awakens his desire. Driven to protect the maid he so desperately wants to possess, Steinarr joins their quest...while the sorceress Cwen gathers her dark magic to destroy them.
As a legend spreads of an outlaw in the woods, their band is joined by others. But it is Steinarr who has the most to gain and the most to lose—if he is ever to be free of the curse and free to love as a man...

Witch Fury
Elemental Witches, Book 4
Anya Bast
Berkley Sensation
June 2, 2009
ISBN# 978-0-425-22869-2

Book Blurb:
Sarafina Connell is having the worst week of her life. It takes an even darker turn when an infamous playboy kidnaps her and reveals a world she never knew existed....
It’s a world where magick is real, and where Sarafina is given a chance to join a secret cabal that is bent on gaining absolute power. They could use a woman like her—a witch with an untapped gift for creating fire. But she isn’t about to get in league with the devil.
Rescued from her captors, Sarafina is introduced to a coven that is duty-bound to fight the forces of darkness. She’s pleased that her savior is the imposingly seductive Theo—until the trust between them goes up in flames. However, as the war between good and evil is waged, Sarafina and Theo realize they have no choice but to unite in the battle for supremacy—that’s getting hotter by the minute.

Atlantis Unleashed
The Warriors of Poseidon, Book 3
Alyssa Day
Berkley Sensation
June2, 2009
ISBN# 978-0-425-22041-2

Book Blurb:
Poseidon's warriors swore an oath eleven thousand years ago to protect humanity from those who stalked the night. Now those powerful forces are uniting. So are two souls who are all that stand between justice and the eternal darkness: a warrior prince and a woman of science.

Touched by Light
The Sentinels, Book 3
Catherine Spangler
Berkley Sensation
June 2, 2009
ISBN# 978-0-425-22637-7

Book Blurb:
Sensual supernatural romance from the author of Touched by Fire.
Dr. Julia Reynolds lives a solitary existence. But Adam Masters is determined to draw her into a dark and dangerous otherworld—and make her give in to the stunning sexual attraction between them.

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Promo - Dusk (Graphic Novel) by David A. Doub

Dusk
Graphic Novel
David A. Doub
Dusk Comics
March 2009
ISBN# 978-0-578014364

Book Blurb:
As a battered wife, Eve's only concern was to keep her marriage together. But when she is kidnapped into the sordid supernatural world of vampires and foul magic, Eve finds she doesn't want to leave. Her mysterious benefactor, the Vampire Lord Ash, wish her to have a normal life but Eve chooses to stay in the service of Ash. Dusk is the stories about Eve and her challenges living in the darkness.
Dusk is a supernatural action/drama story done in a dynamic blending of the sequential art styles of American Comics and Japanese Manga. Several artists help tell these stark noir tales of Vampires and Unrequited Love.

To learn more about Dusk, visit David Doub: HERE

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Giveaway Winner - Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Good Morning readers! Today's winner of an arc of Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow is.....

Dottie (My Blog 2.0)

Congrats Dottie! Just email me with your mailing info at: DarqueReviews @ gmail . com (without the spaces) and Razorbill/Penguin Young Readers will get that book out to you.

*Remember to check back each day through May 21st, as one reader will be chosen each day! You can also post one comment each day to increase your odds of winning, but only comments made on the original post will be counted: http://darquereviews.blogspot.com/2009/05/10-book-giveaway-strange-angels-by-lili.html

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Winners - 3 Release Day - Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Happy release day Ms. St. Crow!

The first 3 winners for arcs of Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow are:

#14 Nyuel

#20 Fantasy Dreamer

#8 Wendy

Just email me with your mailing info at: DarqueReviews @ gmail . com (without the spaces) and Razorbill/Penguin Young Readers will get those books out to you.

*Remember to check back each day over the next week as one reader will be chosen each day! You can also post one comment each day to increase your odds of winning, but only comments made on the original post will be counted: http://darquereviews.blogspot.com/2009/05/10-book-giveaway-strange-angels-by-lili.html

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

10 Book Giveaway - Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

About the book:
Meet Dru Anderson.
Night Hunter. Knife Thrower. Heart Breaker.

STRANGE ANGELS
by Lili St. Crow

“Dad? Zombie.
Mom? Long gone.
Me? Well, that’s the Scary Part.”

Dru Anderson’s not afraid of the dark. But she should be. STRANGE ANGELS (Razorbill; Trade Paperback Original; 978-1-59514-251-1; $9.99; 304 pages; Ages 12 up; May 14, 2009) is the first in a thrilling new paranormal series that introduces readers to Dru, the toughest teen hunter since Buffy hung up her stake. When something evil taps at her kitchen door, can this strange angel stand the heat? Or is it just a matter of time before her blood turns cold?

Dru and her father travel town to town hunting “Real World” baddies like suckers, wulfen, and the occasional reanimated corpse. Then Dru’s dad turns up dead (but still walking), and she suddenly finds herself in the middle of a deadly game of cat and mouse where she’s going to need every inch of her wit and training to stay alive. Even worse, she’s got two guys (Graves, freshly bitten by a werewulf, and Christophe, a half-human vampire hunter) hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever— or whoever— is hunting her?

Fans of vampire series and paranormal romance will be mesmerized by the action-packed adventures and self discovery Dru must face in order to come to terms with her destiny. And this girl’s not going down without a fight.


About the Author:
Lili St. Crow was born in New Mexico, bounced around the world as an Air Force brat, and fell in love with writing when she was ten years old. After taking second place in a fiction-writing contest sealed her addiction to the written word, she now suspects that she has ink instead of blood filling her veins. She lives in Vancouver, WA with her husband, three children, and a houseful of cats. She is the author of the Dante Valentine series, the Jill Kismet series, as well as The Watcher series, among others. This is her first YA novel. Visit http://www.lilistcrow.com/ to find out more.

About the Giveaway:
Now for the giveaway! The kind folks at Razorbill (Penguin Young Readers Group) are sharing 10 arc copies of Strange Angels. U.S. addresses only for this giveaway, and here’s how it will work:
Tomorrow (May 14, 2009) is release day, and 3 winners will be chosen. Then, for the week following, a new winner will be drawn each day. How great is that? You can enter once each day throughout the contest to increase your odds of being chosen.

You can also read my review of Strange Angels on the website: http://darquereviews.com/12612/134296.html

Take a peek at the book trailer: HERE

Good luck, and happy reading!

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Review - Tekgrrl by A. J. Menden

A new review has been posted on the website for Tekgrrl by A. J. Menden. This is the second book in her EHJ series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/152675.html
Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Review - Undead and Unwelcome by MaryJanice Davidson

A new review has been posted on the website for Undead and Unwelcome by MaryJanice Davidson. This is the eighth book in the Queen Betsy series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/152696.html
Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Review - Faeries Gone Wild - anthology

A new review has been posted on the website for Faeries Gone Wild. This is an anthology with stories from MaryJanice Davidson, Lois Greiman, Michele Hauf and Leandra Logan.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/152633.html
Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Review - Daring Time by Beth Kery

A new review has been posted on the website for Daring Time by Beth Kery.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/152612.html
Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Promo - Orbit Books - Free Novella - Deeds of Men by Marie Brennan

From Orbit Books:

Marie Brennan is offering a free novella, DEEDS OF MEN, in epub (!) , HTML, and PDF.

It’s a story that takes place between MIDNIGHT NEVER COME – and her upcoming novel IN ASHES LIE.



Details here:

http://www.orbitbooks.net/2009/05/11/deeds-of-men-a-free-novella/

This is all leading up to the June 10 release of IN ASHES LIE, book two of her Onyx court series, in which the Fae battle the Great Fire of London.

Promo - Book trailer for Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Check out this book trailer for Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow!

Giveaway Winner - Salt and Silver by Anna Katherine

The winner of the signed copy of Salt and Silver by Anna Katherine is...


Erica


Please email me with your mailing address. :)


Thanks so much to Kat from Anna Katherine for the great guest blog and giveaway, and thank you to all who came out to visit and comment!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Vampire Wire Q & A with Book Giveaway

Marta Acosta has a Q & A with me on Vampire Wire! Stop by and comment for a chance to win a copy of The Immortal Hunter by Lynsay Sands.

http://vampirewire.blogspot.com/2009/05/q-with-kimberly-swan-darque-reviews.html

Guest Post & Giveaway with Kendra Leigh Castle

We have Kendra Leigh Castle here today for a guest post and a giveaway of a copy of Wild Highland Magic. (see below for details)

A Chat with Kendra Leigh Castle

You could say that a romance writer's world revolves in no small part around the pursuit of the perfect kiss. I love to watch that first kiss in movies, when all of the chemistry between the characters has flared to a point where words fail and there's no expression left but the physical. Ideally, that simple meeting of lips will express so much feeling that even the viewer can feel the world tilt on its axis, just a little. Of course, there are also times when that kiss is the moment you discover there is exactly ZERO chemistry between the male and female leads. It can be bitterly disappointing, especially when there's a great story being built around it. And the same goes in a book...granted, it's all on the writer to paint the picture, but the way the kiss is described can sometimes mean the difference between becoming completely engrossed and putting the whole thing down indefinitely.


No pressure on us writers, right? Actors and actresses have it easy, comparatively.


Anyway, there may not be such a thing as an absolutely perfect kiss (then again, maybe there is! I am a romantic, after all), but I spend a lot of time on the kisses of my heroes and heroines, especially that first one. So today, I thought I’d share the first kiss of the hero and heroine from my new release, Wild Highland Magic. Catriona MacInnes is a werewolf spending her first night in the Scottish Highlands with the ancestral pack she only just learned existed. Bastian an Morgaine is a secretive and powerful otherworlder, a friend of the MacInneses, dealing with some deadly problems of his own while staying in a secluded cottage on the grounds of the estate. At their first chance encounter, sparks flew, and Bastian hightailed it away from the alluring she-wolf before she could crack his amazing self-control any further. But Catriona is as stubborn a MacInnes as they all are, and when a late night run in wolf form leads her to the icy, brooding stranger, there’s no way she’s backing off…

* * *
He raised his eyes to the indifferent night sky, saying a silent prayer for patience. “I can’t have this conversation if you’re not going to get dressed.”

Cat stopped short, and he heard the laughter in her voice when she replied. “Well, I can’t have this conversation if I shift back into a wolf. But if you’ve got a fig leaf handy we can compromise.”
He had to look directly at her then, and her glowing golden eyes were dancing with mischief. Despite himself, Bastian felt his heart stumble in his chest; there wasn’t an inch of her that wasn’t perfect, her long lean form draped in nothing but moonlight. Her breasts were high and made just to fit a man’s hand, her legs long and shapely beneath the slight flare of her hips. He didn’t want to notice. He shouldn’t want to notice. But how the hell could he not notice?

By the Goddess, he thought, breathing deeply and catching an enticing whiff of her scent, all night-blooming flowers and magic, she’s beautiful. And every second he spent in her presence was making it more and more likely that he was going to do something incredibly stupid. He needed to get the hell out of here.

Just as soon as he could figure out how to make his legs work again. Right now they felt cemented to this very spot.

“Hey, wait,” Cat said in the low, musical voice that he was sure he’d hear in his sleep tonight, barely suppressing a giggle and apparently oblivious to the intoxicating effect she was having on him. “I have another idea.”

She obviously had no intention of letting him be. So on a wave of mounting sexual frustration, Bastian gave in. If nothing else, it almost guaranteed she’d run off and leave him in peace.

“So do I,” he said. And in one fluid motion, he grabbed her long, slim waist, pulled her to him, and crushed his mouth against hers in a kiss meant to send her running far, far away from the pervert in the woods.

Too late, Bastian realized he hadn’t factored in what Cat’s naked body pressed against him would do to him. Or to her, for that matter.

She tasted like moonlight, strong and pure, ripe with possibility and magic. And she’d been waiting for him to make the move. It was the last coherent thought that Bastian had before Cat opened her mouth for him, her hot little tongue teasing out the need that had been lurking beneath the surface ever since he’d first seen her. And as for need, Cat’s soft and broken sigh indicated she had plenty of her own. He could feel it, thrumming beneath her skin like an electrical current. Everything in Bastian rose and responded to it before he could shut it down; he was caught helplessly in her thrall as she fitted herself to him, every seductive curve fitted precisely against him.

Bad idea, warned some semi-coherent voice in the back of his mind. But for the love of the Goddess, it had been so long since he’d allowed himself to feel need like this.

* * *

Thanks so much to Darque Reviews for having me over today, and to all of you for stopping by! I’ll be here to chat all day! My question for you is: what’s your favorite movie kiss? I’ve got two…Sandra Bullock/Aidan Quinn in Practical Magic, and Bradd Pitt/Claire Forlani in Meet Joe Black.

Kendra Leigh Castle is the author of the MacInnes Werewolves trilogy, as well as the upcoming series The Fallen, coming from Harlequin Nocturne. She lives in Maryland with her husband, three kids, and menagerie of pets, and loves to be visited online at http://www.kendraleighcastle.com/

It was a pleasure to have you here...thanks so much!

Sourcebooks has a copy of Wild Highland Magic to give away to one lucky winner! Just answer Ms. Castle's question to be entered. This contest is open to readers in the US and Canada only, and the winner will be announced on May 18th.

You can read my review of Wild Highland Magic: http://darquereviews.com/12612/120396.html

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Giveaway Reminder - Salt and Silver by Anna Katherine

Giveaway reminder:

Just leave a comment on the guest post from Kat for a chance to win a signed copy of Salt and Silver from Anna Katherine. The contest is open worldwide and the winner will be announced on May 12, 2009.
Good luck!

http://darquereviews.blogspot.com/2009/05/guest-post-book-giveaway-with-anna.html

You can also read a Salt and Silver review: HERE

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Review - Burning Alive by Shannon K. Butcher

New review posted for Burning Alive by Shannon K. Butcher. This is the first installment in The Sentinel Wars.

http://darquereviews.com/12612/149312.html

Please feel free to leave any comments for Burning Alive here on the blog post. :)