Forbidden- An Anthology -Happy Release Day!

Is there anything more scrumptious than forbidden love?

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Cloaked in Red: A Shattered Fairy Tale – Kelly Martin

Frederick Dodsworth has no desire to find love at Anthony Wexley's Christmas gathering. Yet when he lays his eyes on the beautiful Rebecca for the first time, he is beyond smitten.

Lust turns to love. Love turns to jealousy. Jealousy turns to betrayal.

How did Frederick Dodsworth become the most evil man in Darenset?  Simple. It started with a kiss.

For the Love of A Lady – Kristin Vayden

Jilted, rejected, unwanted.

Lady Esther Flanguard is all of the above… but that’s all about to change soon.

Because, Essie has a plan. And it’s sure to work brilliantly.

The only thing standing in her way is trying to convince Cross—her best friend’s brother—to go along with it.

Lord Crossby, Cross to those who know him well, knows that Essie’s plan is not a good idea.

Because Essie doesn’t know, is that he’s been in love with her for years. He refuses to leave this second chance left to fate. He lost her once, and plans to never lose her again.

So, knowing he’ll risk his heart, he agrees to play along with her disastrous plan. Silently vowing, that though Essie might be pretending…he isn’t, and this time he’s playing for keeps.

The Devil Duke Takes A Bride – Rachel Van Dyken

Who said being bad wasn't oh so good?

Benedict Devlyn, Duke of Banbury, has one thing on his mind and it isn't marriage. But things take a turn for the worse when his menacing aunt throws a hitch in his plans to remain the most sinful and talked about man in the ton. After all, a man cannot keep the reputation of being The Devil Duke when he is leg-shackled to some simpering spinster.

But his aunt, bless her heart, thinks she's dying, and believes her nephew's behavior is the only thing standing in the way between her entrance to heaven or hell. So she very lovingly and selflessly sets him up. With his childhood nemesis.

A young woman who, though she claims it was an accident, has nearly killed him thrice through her lack of grace and manners. It matters not that the minute he sets eyes on her at the Christmas ball, his blood boils with lust. He refuses to allow himself to fall prey to his aunt's ministrations.

That is, until he is compromised and stuck in an engagement to a girl who claims she'd rather jump from a moving carriage than marry him. Funny thing that, for the very minute she says no, he finds his heart very much wants to say yes. When she doesn't leap at the chance to marry him, he sets about to not only prove that he's worthy of her favor, but also worthy of her heart.

A Winter Wish – Nadine Millard

Mariah Bolton is as headstrong as she is clever, as strong-willed as she is beautiful. She enjoys her life and, apart from a rather snobbish mama, she is happy with her lot.

Imagine her consternation then when her world is turned upside down by the brooding and aloof Mr. Brandon Haverton!

Mariah and Brandon are forced to endure each other’s company more than either wants to when a snowstorm traps them in the same house.

They argue, they bang heads and they drive each other insane.

But something precious is blooming beneath the surface of all that ice. Something neither looks for but both need.

Can love melt the snow around Brandon’s cold heart?

Can Mariah be brave enough to take a leap of faith?

And can a Winter Wish help bring two souls together forever?

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com

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AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Nadine Millard:

Nadine hails from Dublin, Ireland though she now lives in a quiet town in County Laois. When she’s not writing her own books, she’s reading them. A lot!

She has three beautiful children, a pretty awesome husband and a seriously fluffy dog!

Her favourite thing to do to escape the cheerful chaos of her life is to read, drink coffee and wine and eat far more chocolate than she should. 

WEBSITE

Kristin Vayden:

Kristin's inspiration for the romance she writes comes from her tall, dark and handsome husband with killer blue eyes. With five children to chase, she is never at a loss for someone to kiss, something to cook or some mess to clean but she loves every moment of it! She loves to make soap, sauerkraut, sourdough bread and gluten free muffins. Life is full of blessings and she praises God for the blessed and abundant life He's given her.

WEBSITE

Kelly Martin:

Kelly Martin is the bestselling author of contemporary, historical, fairy tale, and YA romance. She has been married for over ten years and has three rowdy, angelic daughters. When Kelly isn't writing, she loves watching YouTube and drinking white chocolate mochas. 

WEBSITE

Billy Bobble Makes a Magic Wand by R.S. Mellette

Billy Bobble Makes a Magic Wand

R.S. Mellette

Middle-Grade/YA Sci-Fi Adventure
December 8, 2014

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"E = mc2 is no longer the most powerful force in the universe. Your wand is."

Twelve-year-old Billy and his best friend Suzy Quinofski didn't mean to change the universe. Billy, a quantum physics prodigy, just wanted to find a way to help his hoarding, schizophrenic mother – and maybe impress a coven of older girls in high school. Suzy, his intellectual equal, wanted to help her friend and cling to her last remnant of childhood, a belief in magic. Together they made Billy a real, working, magic wand, and opened a door to the Quantum World where thoughts create reality, and all things – good and bad – are possible.

My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

Billy Bobble Makes a Magic Wand  is an upper middle-grade, lower YA urban sci-fi novel featuring two kids, Suzy and Billy, who are perhaps a bit too intelligent for their own good. Both have genius level IQs and are high-school freshman at twelve years old. The story begins with Suzy at a police station trying to explain Billy's disappearance to the police. It seems he managed to create a magic wand and... poof.

Suzy and Billy are both very intelligent, but Suzy seems to deal with people a bit better than Billy does. Both talk down to kids and adults and frequently come across as smart alecks-- and that's being nice. I spent some time trying to determine how two such smart kids only skipped two grades. They are both so rooted in science and logic, they find it difficult to function in the real world. Billy's home life is hard to say the least, and it seems to just make everything worse.

I enjoyed the interactions between Billy and the other kids at school. So much of what he said went right over their heads leaving them dumbstruck. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him when it came to his home life and mother. I also liked the coven of witches. Though they weren't main characters, things were interesting whenever the entered a scene.

While some aspects of this book were quite entertaining, I felt it moved a tad slow. Being geared toward middle-grade/lower YA, I think this could pose a problem with a youth's shorter attention span. The novel also featured lots of science-- especially physics, which I thought was fine, though I can see it confusing younger readers who haven't had a physics class. Overall, I found Billy Bobble Makes a Magic Wand a fun, if not slow read, with endearing characters and an interesting plot.

About the Author

R.S. Mellette has written, directed, designed and acted in theatre, film, television, and publishing for over 30 years. His credits in various jobs include XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS, NUTTY PROFESSOR II: THE KLUMPS, BLUE CRUSH, and his own JACKS OR BETTER, which won Dances With Films Best Screenplay award in 2000. He has been working with the festival ever since.

His novel, Billy Bobble Makes a Magic Wand, is due out in December 2014 from Elephant’s Bookshelf Press. For novelists, Mellette blogs for From The Write Angle. For filmmakers, he writes for Dances With Films.

Also find him on Amazon, Goodreads, Twitter and Facebook.

Happy Holidays!!

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Hope your day is merry & bright!

Book Review: The Cinderella Theorem by Kristee Ravan

The Cinderella Theorem

Kristee Ravan

YA Fantasy
March 10, 2014

Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

Fairy tales are naturally non-mathematical. That is a fact, and fifteen-year-old Lily Sparrow loves factual, mathematical logic. So when her mother confesses that Lily’s deceased father is (a) not dead, (b) coming to dinner, and (c) the ruler of a fairy tale kingdom accessible through the upstairs bathtub, Lily clings to her math to help her make sense of this new double life (1 life in the real world + 1 secret life in the fairy tale world = a double life).

Even though it’s not mathematical, Lily finds herself being pulled into a mystery involving an unhappy Cinderella, a greasy sycophant called Levi, and a slew of vanishing fairy tale characters. Racing against the clock, with a sound mathematical plan, Lily attempts to save her fairy tale friends while proving that normality = happiness.

My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Cinderella Theorem is a cute YA fantasy about a logic, math-oriented girl who learns her father is the king of a fairy tale kingdom. Though it's billed as a YA novel, I thought it read more like middle-grade and would appeal to younger YA readers. Warning: if you have a math aversion, you might want to avoid this book. Math is life to young Lily, and it can be found on every page.

I can't imagine what it would be like to be fifteen, see the world through a strictly logical mind, only to find out everything you thought fantasy to be fact. But main character Lily rises to the occasion to use her math skills to save the day. I liked Lily, it would be hard not to since she was a rather sweet girl-- however the overall voice grated on my nerves at times.

There was a whole slew of intriguing and fun secondary characters in this novel, not mention lots of funny scenes. Just the whole Dad emerging from the bathtub is enough to set the mood for craziness. I did not like the footnotes on the bottom of the pages. While they were very cute, they still drew me from the story which I found irritating. Take a look at the synopsis with the math symbols-- the book is written like this. It might appeal to some people, but it was another thing that kept me from becoming immersed in the story.

Overall I thought The Cinderella Theorem was a cute fantasy that would appeal to a young YA audience. There were lots of laughs, fun characters, and mayhem in a fast-paced plot.

Christmas is Murder by Carolyn Arnold - Excerpt

Just in time for the holidays- a Christmas-themed cozy mystery by Carolyn Arnold!

Christmas is Murder

Carolyn Arnold

Cozy Mystery

Do you love Christmas and cozy mysteries?

“Christmas is Murder” is a touching--and comical--seasonal cozy. It will have you wanting to stoke the fire and top up that glass of eggnog.

Albany’s the perfect image of a winter wonderland, and Sean and Sara’s friend Jimmy is going to be Santa Claus for the upcoming Christmas parade. The trees and decorations have been selected and the gifts have been purchased. The season has truly cast its magical spell--until Sean and Sara’s neighbors die in a horrible house fire.

While the fire department ruled holiday-related hazards as the cause, Sara suspects there’s more to it. Her determination to find the truth has her and Sean toeing the line between what’s legal and what’s not.

As they sort out fact from fiction, the McKinleys make the final decision about whether or not they should open a private investigation firm.

Excerpt

Chapter 2

“Marshmallow World”

“Sara.” Sean became motionless, and speechless, when his eyes fell on what was before them.

“The Wilsons?” She took one step, but Sean held her arm.

“You can’t go in there, darling.” The desperation in his eyes said it all—it wasn’t safe or practical.

“Excuse me. We’re going to have to ask you leave.” A uniformed man approached them. The label on his hat read Chief.

“Are they okay? Was anybody hurt?”

A voice came over his radio and indicated the blaze was coming under control.

The chief nodded to Sara and gestured for them to move back.

For some reason, even though he answered in the affirmative, with a nod, she sensed it had more to do with directing them to the side than denoting good news.

“Who are you two?”

“I’m—” Her voice was shaky and Sean took over.

“We’re the McKinleys, from next door. Sean and Sara.”

“What caused the fire?” Sara asked.

“This time of year we get a lot of calls.” He gestured to the Christmas lights that dangled from the Wilsons’ eaves like eerie shadows, carrying haunting memories of happier times.

“The Wilsons, are they—”

Plumes of smoke exited the front window. The firemen kept spraying.

The chief’s crease lines took on sharp edges. His mouth fell into a straight line. “I’m sorry to say this, but they didn’t make it.”

“Oh, darling.” Sara turned toward Sean and he held her tight.

“What happened?” Sean asked.

“They were both found in the living room. They were rushed away immediately, but the call came en route to the hospital. For what it matters, I don’t think they suffered. I think they were asleep on the couch when the fire started and died from smoke inhalation.”

Even though her back was to the man, Sara sensed his heart was broken over the situation. She imagined his gaze on her.

“Well, you don’t need all the details.” His gravelly voice confirmed her suspicion.

“I assume there will be an investigation into the cause of the fire,” Sean said.

Sara straightened and turned to face the chief, her shoulder remained tucked under Sean’s armpit, their torsos as close as possible with their bulky winter coats.

“It’s standard protocol.”

“Did they have any family? People—”

“Mrs. McKinley, arrangements for the notification is being made as we speak.”

“We just met them this afternoon.” The statement fell as a guilty confession, remorse over not knowing them underscored every word.

“They have a daughter who lives in town.”

“Please, what is her name?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that.”

Sean tightened his hold on Sara. “We understand, Chief—I’m sorry, what is your name?”

“Harold Fox.”

“We got it,” a voice called over the radio.

The men, who were spraying the front, turned the water off and lowered the hose. The smell of fire clung to the air. The snowfall that had earlier cast a magical spell had taken on the weight of loss and sadness.

About the Author

CAROLYN ARNOLD is the bestselling author of the Madison Knight series, the Brandon Fisher series, and the McKinley Mysteries. Her love for writing dates back to her teen years, but her passion was reignited in 2006 when a fellow employee said "tell me a story." Since then Carolyn has never looked back.

Her writing has since been compared to New York Times Bestsellers such as JD Robb, Mary Higgins Clark, Sue Grafton, Michael Connelly, Tess Gerritsen, and more.

Carolyn was born in 1976 in a rural town of Ontario, Canada, and she currently lives with her husband and two beagles in a city near Toronto.

For more information on the author visit https://carolynarnold.net/

Links

Amazon – http://ow.ly/G4Zr3

Amazon UK – http://ow.ly/G4ZrS

Barnes & Noble – http://ow.ly/G4Ztr

iTunes – http://ow.ly/G4ZuE

Kobo - http://ow.ly/G4Zvu

Whiskey Witches by S.M. Blooding

Whiskey Witches

Season 1

S.M. Blooding

Detective Paige Whiskey comes from a long line of witches. They may not all be the most powerful, but they are outspoken and supportive of their community. She alone has no gifts. She can’t summon fire, can’t read minds. She knows the arcane. She’s studied it. That, along with her connection to the Whiskey Witches, lands her some pretty strange cases. Like the sacrificial murders of St. Francisville, Louisiana. There’s a killer on the loose, choosing people in a vain attempt to raise a demon. Not just any demon, though. A man born long ago, made a demon in order to protect the Gate to Hell. Together with demon hunter, Dexx Colt, her kitchen-witch grandmother, and her paranormal investigator brother-in-law, they unravel a conspiracy far bigger than a few simple murders, and re-discover Paige’s gift. She’s a demon summoner and she’s key to the killer’s plan.

Buy on Amazon / Kobo

Meet the Author:

SM “Frankie” Blooding lives in Colorado with her pet rock, Rockie, and Jack the Bird. Jack has refused to let her to take up the piano again, but is warming to the guitar. It might help that Frankie has learned more than two strings. She’s added a few more Arabic words to her vocabulary, but don’t invite her into conversation yet—unless, of course, you’re willing to have a very . . . slow . . . conversation. She’s dated vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, weapons smugglers and US Government assassins. Yes. She has stories. She’s also an investigator with a local paranormal investigation group, Colorado Paranormal Rescue!

Find out more about her at:

Facebook /Twitter /Website