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Monday, October 31, 2016

The Trouble with Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis

Author: Jill Shalvis
Publisher: Avon
Date of publication: September 2016

Willa Davis is wrangling puppies when Keane Winters stalks into her pet shop with frustration in his chocolate-brown eyes and a pink bedazzled cat carrier in his hand. He needs a kitty sitter, stat. But the last thing Willa needs is to rescue a guy who doesn’t even remember her ...

Saddled with his great-aunt’s Feline from Hell, Keane is desperate to leave her in someone else’s capable hands. But in spite of the fact that he’s sure he’s never seen the drop-dead-gorgeous pet shop owner before, she seems to be mad at him ...

Willa can’t deny that Keane’s changed since high school: he’s less arrogant, for one thing—but can she trust him not to break her heart again? It’s time to throw a coin in the fountain, make a Christmas wish—and let the mistletoe do its work ...


The Trouble with Mistletoe is a wonderful sequel to Sweet Little lies.  This one is Willa's story.  Willa spent her childhood in and out of foster care and has spent a lot of her life thinking she can't love or be loved.  Keane is the guy who crushed her heart in high school, but Willa can't seem to say no when he needs a cat sitter.

While I ultimately liked Willa and Keane together, there was one thing that kept driving me nuts.  Willa's commitment phobia got a little old and drawn out after a while and I just wanted to shake her. Thankfully, she had a bunch of friends who helped her see the truth about herself.  That she was worthy of love and could already love.  Keane was just too sweet.  Even though he didn't grow up in a loving family, he has grown up to become a giving caring man.  I loved watching Keane's relationship his aunt's cat go from tense and tentative to caring.   It was really cute.

Rory's and Max's story is coming up in a novella, One Snowy Night comes out in November.  I can't wait to read that one!

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Books We Didn't Finish - October Edition



Places No One Knows: I gave up about halfway through.  I felt like the story wasn't going anywhere.  I really disliked the "best friend".  I couldn't understand why the main character remained friends with her.  I also couldn't believe that neither Waverly nor Marshall tried to figure out why she could walk in his dreams.  I figured they would have started to seek out why at the halfway point.


Frost Line:  I didn't make it very far into the book before I knew I wouldn't like it. I just couldn't connect with the story. I think it may be the combination og the two writers that killed it for me.

A Good Month for murder:  I was hoping for a good true crime book.  But I felt like I was watching 4 episodes of The First 48 all at once.  The cases and people all blended together and I lost interest.








All the Missing Girls:  I don't know what exactly my problem was with this book.  The whole time I felt like I had read it before.  It just came out so I'm pretty sure I didn't.  I guess it was just too much like a lot of other books I've read.

Road to Reckoning:  I was really hoping to love this book because it was compared to True Grit and the Sisters Brothers.  I adored both.  However, this book really wasn't cutting it.  I may give it another try in the future.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

October Mini Musings

One Lucky Hero: This book ended up just being OK.  The dialogue between the main characters just seemed awkward throughout the book, especially in the beginning.  The one night stand too 7 chapters to appear.  There was just way too much conversation and build up.  The siblings were brats and really ungrateful for the sacrifices their big sister made for them.  I ended up skimming the last 1/3 of the book.

Darkest Journey:  I think I may be growing a bit tired of the series.  This one just was OK for me.  It was really repetitive, The romance was lackluster. I didn't find the historical passage that interesting.  There was also a conversation between some of the characters about the problems with STDs in young and old people that seemed to have come from an after school special.  I think this one needed more editing and could have been shorter.  It was definitely my least favorite of the "trilogy".



Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau:  This was the second book in The Testing series.  I enjoyed the first book, so I was interested to see where this one was going to go.  It focused on the people who passed The Testing and have been admitted to The University.  However, like The Testing university life is not exactly the best place to be.

Friday, October 28, 2016

Blog Tour: Review and Excerpt of Mistletoe Cottage by Debbie Mason


Author: Debbie Mason
Series: Harmony Harbor, #1
On Sale: October 25, 2016
Publisher: Forever


'Tis the season for love…

Sophie DiRossi loved growing up in Harmony Harbor. But after fleeing in disgrace many years ago, it is the last place she wants to be. Left homeless by a fire, she's forced to go back to the small coastal town that harbors a million secrets, including her own. Sophie sees this secret reflected every day in her daughter's blue eyes—and she must keep it hidden from the only man she has ever loved.

Sophie's return is a shock for everyone…especially Liam Gallagher. The firefighter had some serious feelings for Sophie-and seeing her again sparks a desire so fierce it takes his breath away. Now Liam will do whatever it takes to show Sophie that they deserve a second chance at love, even if everything they've concealed threatens to keep them apart. In this special town at this special time of the year, Sophie and Liam can only hope for a little holiday magic...

Mistletoe Cottage is the first in a new series about a charming northeast town called Harmony Harbor.  It has one of my favorite story lines..a second chance at love.  But of course, nothing is ever simple.  Sophie has a huge secret about her daughter Mia and she wants to hide it from Liam, the boy she used to love.  It's not what you think it is, and I'm not going to spoil it for you.  You'll have to read to find out.

While I loved Sophie and Liam together, I think I fell in love with Liam and Mia's relationship more.  I loved how that little girl melted his heart and made him want a future.  I know this is going to be a favorite series of mine.  It's filled with great characters who I know will have great stories in future books. There is a lot jam packed into this book, so make sure you are comfortable because you will get sucked in very quickly! If you are looking for a good book to get you into the holiday spirit, make sure to grab your copy today.  For a sneak peek, check out the excerpt below.
Excerpt:
The door to the bathroom opened. Liam lowered his razor to smile at Mia and Sophie.
 Sophie slammed the door in his face. “You stay right where you are,” she ordered him from the other side. “Mia baby, let’s go check out your bedroom.”
He heard the sound of their retreating footsteps and shrugged. He wasn’t sure what the problem was. He’d just lifted the razor to his chin when the door reopened and Sophie stepped inside, closing it behind her. Her eyes flitted over him, then she raised her gaze to meet his, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. He grinned at her reaction. At least he wasn’t the only one feeling the attraction.
She glared at him. “If you wanted to give me a welcome-to-the-apartment present, flowers or a plant would have been a better idea than . . . than this.” Her hand fluttered between them.
“You think I’m your welcome-to-the-apartment present?” he said, unable to keep the amusement from his voice.
“It’s not funny, Liam. I have an impressionable daughter. You can’t just show up at my apartment half naked, expecting to—”
He put the razor down and turned to her, crossing his arms. “Think what?”
“Don’t do that. It won’t work,” she said, her eyes landing somewhere between his chest and the towel.
“Soph, you’ve lost me. I don’t have a clue—”
“Please, as if you don’t know how sexy you look right now standing there all naked and wet with your muscles on display.”
He looked down at himself then raised his gaze to hers while holding back a full-out grin as it hit him what was going on. He didn’t plan to enlighten her just yet. He was having too much fun. “You forgot my impressive abs.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Where are your clothes? You need to get dressed and . . . What are you doing?” she asked as he closed the distance between.
Her palms landed on his chest when he crowded her against the door. “I just thought, since I went to all this trouble to surprise you, you could at least give me a kiss.”
“No, Mia is in the next room.” She stared at his mouth. “And even if I wanted to kiss you, you have shaving cream on your face.”
“Admit it. You like your present. And you really, really want to kiss me.”
The corner of her mouth lifted as her hands inched their way up his chest and around his neck. She leaned into him. “Yes, I like my present. But I’d like it a whole lot more if Mia wasn’t with me. And I might want to kiss you a little.”
“A lot,” he said and cupped her face in his hands, lowering his mouth to hers. He wanted to linger, to explore her sweet mouth with a deep, consuming kiss. Instead, because Mia was down the hall, he went with soft and tender and long enough that she’d feel how much he wanted her.
He pulled back. Her face was tipped up, her eyes closed. He smiled at the shaving cream covering the lower half of her face and slowly trailed his finger through it to draw a foamy line of white down her neck. With her eyes still closed, she leaned back against the door, a small hum of pleasure escaping from between her parted lips. He ducked his head and whispered. “You like that, don’t you?”
She opened her heavy-lidded eyes and nodded, watching him as he dipped his fingers beneath the V of her caramel-colored sweater.
He felt her shiver beneath his fingers and moved her hair off her shoulders with his other hand before rubbing his cheek against hers. He’d never look at shaving cream the same way. He wanted to cover every inch of her . . .
A knock sounded on the door.  She shoved him away. Her eyes wide and glazed, she wiped frantically at her face. “Be right there, baby.”
Liam grimaced. He’d gotten so carried away he’d forgotten about Mia. “Sorry, Soph. Give me a sec, and I’ll get some clothes on.” He turned to open the door leading into his apartment.
“You have got to be kidding me,” she said.
Liam glanced over his shoulder. “Nope, your apartment shares a bathroom with mine. Welcome to the neighborhood,” he said with a wink.

BUY THE BOOK HERE


THE HARMONY HARBOR SERIES

MISTLETOE COTTAGE, #1
CHRISTMAS WITH AN ANGEL, #1.5
STARLIGHT BRIDGE, #2
PRIMROSE LANE, #3




a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Debbie Mason is the USA Today bestselling author of the Christmas, Colorado series. Her books have been praised for their "likable characters, clever dialogue and juicy plots" (RT Book Reviews). When she isn't writing or reading, Debbie enjoys spending time with her very own real-life hero, their four wonderful children, an adorable grandbaby, and a yappy Yorkie named Bella.



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Thursday, October 27, 2016

Throwback Thursday: Mending Fences by Sherryl Woods



Author: Sheryll Woods
First published by Harlequin in 2007; reissued September 2016

For ten years Emily Dobbs and Marcie Carter have been the closest of friends. They've raised their kids together, shared joy and heartache, exchanged neighborhood gossip over tea. But when Marcie's son, now a college freshman sports star, is arrested for date rape, the bond between the families could be shattered forever. 

As the Carters try to deal with the unthinkable, Emily discovers her daughter has been hiding a terrible secret…a secret that threatens the futures of both families. Recently divorced, Emily struggles to keep it all together—to support her terrified daughter, to maintain her friendship with Evan's mother and to have faith in the detective who could change all of their lives. 

When things seem darkest, both she and Marcie discover that sometimes the first step toward a better future is mending fences with the past.


Mending Fences has recently been reissued by Harlequin.  It's an earlier work by this author.  But, one I'm glad they decided revive.  The Dobbs and Carters have lived next to each other for years and have been friends just as long.  When Evan Carter is arrested for raping a fellow college student, the friendship is put to the test.  

 The story isn't a "happy" one, in fact, it's pretty gut wrenching at times.  Especially when it comes to Dani and her secret.  I'm sure you can guess what it is as it's revealed pretty early on to the reader.  My heart just broke for her as well as both families. They both struggled with staying loyal and going with their gut? I won't give away too much more of the plot as it';s something you should experience for yourself.

Intertwined in the story is a little bit of a romance.  I'm not sure I totally bought into it as the timing of it was off for me.  But I guess love has its own timeline right?  In the end, I was filled with a sense of hope and justice.  I highly recommend this one.  If you didn't catch it the first time, why not give it a try now?

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis

Author: Jill Shalvis
Publisher: Avon
Date of publication: June 2016

As captain of a San Francisco Bay tour boat, Pru can handle rough seas—the hard part is life on dry land. Pru loves her new apartment and her neighbors; problem is, she’s in danger of stumbling into love with Mr. Right for Anybody But Her.

Pub owner Finn O’Riley is six-foot-plus of hard-working hottie who always makes time for his friends. When Pru becomes one of them, she discovers how amazing it feels to be on the receiving end of that deep green gaze. But when a freak accident involving darts (don’t ask) leads to shirtless first aid, things rush way past the friend zone.

Pru only wants Finn to be happy; it’s what she wishes for at the historic fountain that’s supposed to grant her heart’s desire. But wanting him for herself is a different story—because Pru’s been keeping a secret that could change everything. . . .
 


Sweet Little Lies is the first in a new series taking place in San Francisco.  Pru is the latest tenant in Finn's building and has become a regular in his pub,   For Finn, work is his life and there is no room for fun.  Until he meets Pru.  As the two grow closer, a secret that Pru has may tear them apart.

I thought this one was really cute.  There were a lot of laugh out loud moments.  That is one thing about this author's writing that I liked.  She has a talent for witty banter among her characters.  She also knows how to write a love scene!  Pru and Finn were smoking together!  The secondary characters were great and I look forward to their stories. Another cute addition to the book was the #hashtag titles that set the tone for each chapter. I thought they were a nice touch!

The only thing that I wasn't a fan of was Pru's secret.  I guess I didn't really understand why she continued to feel guilty especially when she had nothing to do with it. But, that is on me.  In the end I was happy for their HEA.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Guest post & excerpt: Ghost Hampton by Ken McGorry


Today we welcome a guest post from author Ken McGorry.  He shares with us how his book Hampton Ghost was born.  It's available now on Amazon!  There is also a sneak peek into the book below!

Publisher: Independent
Date of publication: April 2016

Lyle Hall is a new man since his car accident and spinal injury. The notoriously insensitive Bridge Hampton lawyer is now afflicted with an odd sensitivity to other people's pain. Especially that of a mysterious young girl he encounters outside a long-abandoned Victorian house late one October night. “Jewel” looks about 12. But Lyle knows she’s been dead a hundred years. Jewel wants his help, but it’s unclear how. As if in return, she shows him an appalling vision—his own daughter's tombstone. If it’s to be believed, Georgie’s last day is four days away. Despite Lyle’s strained relations with his police detective daughter, he’s shocked out of complacent convalescence and back into action in the real world.

But the world now seems surreal to the formerly Scrooge-like real estate lawyer. Lyle’s motion in court enjoining the Town of Southampton from demolishing the old house goes viral because he leaked that it might be haunted. This unleashes a horde of ghost-loving demonstrators and triggers a national media frenzy. Through it all strides Lyle’s new nemesis in high heels: a beautiful, scheming TV reporter known as Silk.


Georgie Hall’s own troubles mount as a campaign of station house pranks takes a disturbing sexual turn. Her very first case is underway and her main suspect is a wannabe drug lord. Meanwhile, Lyle must choose: Repair his relationship with Georgie or succumb to the devious Silk and her exclusive media contract. He tells himself seeing Georgie’s epitaph was just a hallucination. But a few miles away the would-be drug lord is loading his assault rifle. Berto needs to prove himself. 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble


How Ghost Hampton Was Born

My wife and I were driving down a shady residential lane in Westhampton Beach, Long Island, one summer day a few years ago when she gestured at a nicely restored old colonial house. As we passed, she said, “I know the man who bought that house. He says it’s haunted.” Oh, really? “Yes. And they told him it was once a brothel.”
This was a few years ago. I was shopping my first novel, Smashed, and also looking for a new project. By the time we got out of the car, I had my title: Ghost Hampton.
A college professor of mine once told us English majors that you only title your work after you’ve written it -- so you know what it’s about. But now it was too late. I was in love with my title and would have to work backwards! Soon enough, I had a climax in mind: a troubled man trapped in an old house with some vicious, deadly supernatural being.
How trapped? Well his wheelchair battery had given out.
What’s he doing in a wheelchair? …Have to get back to you on that.
Where are his friends? He has none.
Family? Just an estranged daughter who wants nothing to do with him.
How did he get in this house? Uhmm…
Why does he have no friends? Err…

I had plenty of work ahead of me. For one thing, I had to move my setting away from the village where my wife and I have a little summer place. Bridgehampton looked good – situated in the middle of the posh Hamptons, but a place with lots of history and a surprisingly small off-season population of 3,000 locals. I’d need to fictionalize the place while creating a memorable cast of year-round characters. And I needed an “inciting incident.”
For my protagonist Lyle Hall and me, that incident coalesced around perhaps Bridgehampton’s most noteworthy landmark: its century-old memorial to those who lost their lives in America’s wars. The big old block of granite, which is real, stands in the middle of the village’s main intersection. That’s what Lyle Hall plows into, driving his Hummer too fast and trying to avoid a sweet old lady who’s blundered into his path. She does not survive. Lyle does, just barely, and when he emerges from coma we see he’s become a pariah in the eyes of an unsympathetic local population. And there’s something more: He can now hear and see disturbing things no one else can. Like the strange whispers that emanate from an abandoned old mansion known to all as “Old Vic.” The whisperers want Lyle Hall.

Excerpt:

He heard her here. She was one of the whisperers. It seemed weirdly flattering at first.
           Ensconced in the MediCab that exhausted evening of the detour, Lyle had the windows down, allowing in fresh air and the angling rays of the setting sun. Commuter traffic from the train station had been annoyingly redirected onto Poplar Street. Fred crept forward, foot on the brake, with eight more cars ahead of them. Wrung out after his wrongheaded foray to Southampton, Lyle’s arms and shoulders ached; muscles, joints, his hands too. And he felt the onset of what Dr. Susan Wayne called “free-floating anxiety.” In Lyle’s case, a blob of uneasiness that could intensify into inchoate dread.
He was slumped in his Mr. Potter when the imposing shambles of a house came into view on his right. Everybody called it Old Vic. Sporting dumb old “No Trespassing” signs as long as anyone could remember, it was commonly held that Old Vic was once a brothel. Long ago, when Bridgehampton was part of the East End’s whaling industry, before it grew into a high-end summer getaway, real-estate bonanza and snob haven.
            Then there’s the suburban legend that Old Vic was haunted. Who says? No one and everyone, whether they believe it or not.
            The MediCab was crawling by Old Vic when Lyle first heard the whispers. He rose on his elbows, his chair secured to the van’s floor, and listened. Cats in heat. No, wait. This was more subtle, conversational. A furtive murmur that piqued his curiosity. He needed to listen again.
            “Hey Fred, make a right at the corner, please?”
            “Course correction, Mr. Hall?”
            “I want to circle back for another look at the old house. And Fred, call me Lyle, okay? Lyle is fine.” It had been six months with the same driver.
            Fred made the turn. Any such whim of Lyle Hall’s, he knew, was good for a crisp off-the-books twenty. It was even worth a twenty to stop at the ATM—Lyle would entrust Fred with his debit card and pass code to avoid the hassle. He also let Fred smoke.
            Fred drove around the block clockwise. From each side street Lyle got a view of Old Vic’s battered cupola poking above the trees and roof lines of summer homes. It was unsettling—the cupola, a little booth standing atop the third story, was Old Vic’s most exposed and weather-beaten feature. Any paint was scabby and vestigial. The cupola’s large oval oculus suggested a blinded Cyclops, its leaded glass shattered by determined boys with BB guns long before Lyle was born.
            They turned onto Poplar again, and approached the house.
            “Slow down, please, Fred? Actually, could you park?”
            Fred did so. Odd request, but Mr. Hall is, or was, a real estate tycoon.
            “And roll down the windows, please? And mind turning off the radio? ...Thanks. Cut the engine too, please, Fred? ...Thank you.”
            If Mr. Hall wants to smell Old Vic, Fred figured, this could be worth more than one folded twenty. He glanced at Lyle through his mirror, lit a butt, and texted his wife.
            To the west, clouds glowing orange and pink were eclipsed by the hulking old house. It grew darker. The last of the traffic was now gone. Lyle strained to hear. He tried to listen harder, if that’s possible.
            Quiet. Listen.

About the author:


Ken McGorry has been writing since third grade. (He learned in first grade, but waited two years.) He started a school newspaper with friends in seventh grade, but he’s better known for his 23 years as an editor of Post Magazine, a monthly covering television and film production. This century, he took up novel-writing and Ghost Hampton and Smashed are examples. More are in the works, like the promised Ghost Hampton sequel, but he’s kinda slow.

Ken lives on Long Island with his wife and they have two strapping sons. There are dogs. Ken is also a chef (grilled cheese, and only for his sons) and he enjoys boating (if it’s someone else’s boat). He has a band, The Achievements, that plays his songs (try https://soundcloud.com/ken-mcgorry). Back at Manhattan College (English major!), he was a founding member of the venerable Meade Bros. Band. Ken really was an employee of Dan’s Papers in the Hamptons one college summer, and really did mow Dan’s lawn.

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Monday, October 24, 2016

Book Blitz: Except of The Witch Singer by Heather Long

Author: Heather Long
Series: Magic & Mayhem, Kindle Worlds
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: Independent
Format: Digital

Curses. Vampires. Skunks. Allergies. Sore throat. The life of a Witch Singer shouldn’t be this complicated.

After years spent paying off an old debt by working for the vampires, Bridget the Witch Singer receives the opportunity of a lifetime.  Solve on vampire’s oops – he turned the wrong person – and she’s a free witch.  Desperate to win her freedom, she heads to Assjacket to find the solutions to the vampire’s problem and everything goes wrong along the way, including a flat tire, getting sprayed by a skunk and the allergy attack from hell.

Unfortunately, Martin is no ordinary skunk and his spreay is a nervous tick.  She does her best to save the beast when her scream accidentally wounds him and springs him from his curse.  Good news for Martin, not so good for Bridget who can’t get rid of him.  Once in Assjacket, she’s tasked by the BabaYoMama to unite at least two couples and sing at their weddings in order to gain the cure she needs for her freedom.

Only one, small problem – a witch singer with a sore throat can’t perform.

Find out more at: Amazon

Excerpt:
You know how, when you’re young, you dream of how your life will go? Sometimes, the crap you watch on TV influences you. You always think they have it better—I mean, who wouldn’t want to be an invulnerable superhero who makes it at the last minute and saves the day? If you were a superhero, did it really matter if you were vulnerable to a bit of meteor rock? The last time I was afraid of a rock collection was, like, never. Too bad I hadn’t been born on another planet then jettisoned to Earth when my planet was destroyed. No matter how ridiculous, I had dreams. Big dreams. I always thought I would be a star. If not of the stage or screen, then at least at every backwater pub, club, and high school dance where someone let me hold a microphone. Hecate knows, I’m a damn karaoke expert.
But nope. No, I have a problem. A wicked temper, salted by way too much sarcasm. I got up on a stage and strutted my stuff. Okay, I was drunk, and it was a dare, but how was I supposed to know that half the audience in that club that night was there ashors d’oeuvres for the local vampire enclave? Did they have a sign out front? No. No, they did not. So there I was, doing my best Sandra Dee impression and rocking out to Summer Lovin’ with this really good looking guy when some jackass in the audience boos us.
Booed.
Okay, he got up, turned around and farted in tune to the song. Not just offensive, but really profane. It really threw me off my game, so much so that when we got to the part about the true love vow, I said cow. My gift, it’s got some serious kick, and all the mortals in the place—including Mr. Farts-A-Long—were moo-ved along.
Yep, I said moo-ved, ‘cause I crack myself up.
Anyway, long story short, the vampires in the bar were pissed. Beyond pissed. Like metric-nuclear-to-the-max-you-wouldn’t-like-me-when-I’m-angry furious. Fortunately, or maybe not so fortunately, they saw me as asset to be co-opted rather than feasted upon. Of course, it could also have something to do with the fact that the potent herbal teas I drink to protect my very valuable throat also makes my blood taste like ass. Or so I’ve heard.
For the last few years, I’ve been the local enclave’s version of a jukebox. They want jazz? Well, I’m their girl. They want blues? Yep, there I am. Bubblegum rock? Just crank Bridget up and press play.
It’s so effing boring. I got hauled across town in the dead of night, while in my pajamas, my hair is standing straight up—not to mention I lost one of my favorite slippers when Goon One and Goon Two hustled me into the car. If only I didn’t have to wear the stupid choker. If my voice went even a fraction of a decibel above normal conversation, it zapped me.
I tested it once. My hair didn’t comb straight for a week. Not even with product and a flat iron. Again, I digress, the point being… if I could have shattered the vampires’ eardrums, I would have but nope. I ended up standing in the too-plush living room of one Alistair Hethrington Nasty-Face.
Yes, I know. It wasn’t his real name. “Good morning, Mr. Nasty-Face, what can I do for you today?” Keeping them on their toes required a lot more coffee than they’d provided. “Please tell me you want me to take off the collar so I can sing you a lullaby to permanent sleep?”
“Sit down. Shut up. Listen.” Awww, he was in a foul mood.
“Did Mr. Nasty-Face not get a good day’s sleep?” Flopping onto the sofa, I folded my arms and put my feet on his really nice table. Since I was missing a slipper, I’d likely leave a mark on the wood.
“Bridget…” He growled my name. It was pretty sexy, if one discounted his rather disgusting penchant for feeding on blood, his need for dominance, and the overwhelming arrogance in his silk black power suit. “We have an issue.”
“Didn’t do it.” Holding my hand up, palm forward in a show of surrender, I did my best to keep my expression empty of doubt or at least not sneering. “I’ve been home all night. Bridezillas marathon.”  Awesome cat fights, too. The whole brides turning into monsters the closer their wedding day came served as a fervent reminder what a crapfest love could be.
Mr. Nasty-Face sighed then pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m shocked no one has ripped your throat out yet…or at least your tongue.”
“Pity I need both to do your dirty work, isn’t it?” Mom used to accuse me of being too confident. On the one hand, I suppose I see her point. I mean why else would I have let the word ‘cow’ slip into my lyrics? I knew what would happen. Then again, the vampires didn’t kill me and, while working for them sucked, it certainly beat the alternative.
Most of the time.
With a baleful look, he stared at me. He might as well have had “shut up” stamped on his forehead or maybe he wanted to stamp it on mine. Either way, I mimed zipping my lips closed then waited.
I wasn’t going to give him long, a fact he seemed to grasp. “I have a job for you, a difficult task to which I believe you are uniquely qualified.”
“Peachy.” I flashed him a view of my pearly whites. Then stopped. I hadn’t actually had a chance to brush my teeth before they dragged me to his house. “What’s the job?”
“Always straight to the point with you.” The vampire sighed then cut his hand through the air. “Fine. I don’t care. Here’s the task. Montague turned a succubus.”
“The fuck you say.” Thank Hecate I didn’t have coffee in hand. I might have choked on it. “You can’t turn other species.”
“Not typically, no.” Mr. Nasty-Face strode across the room, retrieved a file then carried it to me and dropped it on the coffee table. The folder opened to a photograph of a very messy bedroom. Blood stained the sheets, the walls, and something dark and sticky seemed splashed liberally over the carpet. At no point in my existence did I possess a desire to be a crime scene tech or in any way attached to a crime scene.
“Gross.” I flipped the folder closed. Clearing my throat, I gave myself a minute so I didn’t hurl. “How does a nasty photograph tell you a vampire turned a succubus?”
Hands curling into fists, Nasty-Face stalked away to the bar and poured himself a drink. The agitation within him made for short, jerky motions. He slammed the crystal decanter down with enough force, I thought it might shatter. The amber liquid sloshed out of the glass onto the cherry wood counter, but he ignored it.
“Oh…dude.” Real shock rippled through me. “You did it.”
He held up a finger. “Not another word, never repeat that sentence outside of this room. Understood?”
Laughter bubbled up, and I pressed two fingers to my lips to keep it from escaping. As funny as the whole situation might be, Master Nasty-Ass was in a mood. Clearing my throat again, I fought for some semblance of control. “How can I help?”
“And delivered so nicely, too.” Nope, my attitude didn’t fool him a bit. Hey, at least I tried. “I need a solution to the problem. You will reach out to other witches and to Baba Yaga and find out how to reverse the transformation.”
Oh. Was that all? “Really? You just want me to track down the biggest, baddest witch and ask her how to undo something impossible?”
“If anyone knows what to do, it would be the witches. You will find the answer to my problem, and you will fix it.”
“Sounds like you have it all thought out, so forgive me if I’m stepping on your toes, but I see a couple of small problems with that plan.” At his baleful glance, I spread my hands wide. “I’m bound to your enclave, can’t travel out of the state. And, the last I checked, Baba Yaga isn’t a big fan of Texas.”
“That’s an inconvenience, not a problem. The collar will come off for the trip.”
“Dude. Seriously?” He had my attention now. How to play this? How to spin it so it worked for me?
“Yes. I am aware you will need access to your magic.” As if the fact he said the words were all that was needed, the locks on the collar began to turn. I could feel the click clack of it all. “I also know how that brain of yours works. Once the collar is off, all bargains and bets are in the air. I know you, Bridget. You’ll do what’s best for you which means running as far from here as you can.”
No lie. The vampire did know me well. “I bet you’re going to make it worth my while.”
“I will cover all your remaining debts to the enclave.” That was a hefty price tag. “I will certify your freedom from obligation and give you the collar back once the task is complete.”
Give me the collar? The last lock spun slowly, but halted before it was complete. One more lock off and my voice was my own again. As would be my magic and the ability to go anywhere I wanted. “What’s the catch?” I’d been around vampires too long not to look for the secret out they worked into their deals.
“If you fail to complete your task or if you decide to ditch and run, I still have the collar and an entire host of bounty hunters to come after you. Trust me, they will come in force. You might spend the rest of your life running, no matter how short that time might be. Then, when you are caught, the collar will go on with a permanent spell. One that can only be broken when you’re dead and your soul crossed over.”
“I knew there was a reason I called you Nasty-Face.” He ignored the off-hand comment even as I tried to examine the deal from all sides. “To clarify, you take off the collar, I’m free to leave. You want me to go to the Baba Yaga and ask her how to undo an impossible turning of a succubus to a vampire? That’s it?”
“I want you to get the solution so we can perform it and undo the unnatural act from having happened.”
There was the rub. “And if there is no solution?”
“I don’t believe there isn’t one. History dictates turning her shouldn’t have been possible in the first place. Thus, if it is possible to turn her, it must be possible to unturn her.”
Gods and Goddesses, I’m going to hate myself for asking the next question. “Point of order. Don’t you die to become a vampire?”
Nasty-Face hesitated. Yeah, I didn’t think he’d considered that angle. “That’s less important than undoing it.”
“Dude, if you don’t care if the succubitch lives or dies, just pound a stake through her heart and call it good.” Really? Could I just shut up for five minutes? If he took me up on that suggestion, I was right back where I started. Of course, in my defense, I hadn’t had any coffee yet. The man didn’t have any coffee handy that I could see, either. Just liquor.
Maybe I should do shots.



Other Books by Heather Long:
Haunt Me
Recently divorced author MacKenzie Dillon has lost her writing mojo. When she inherits her great aunt's haunted house in Virginia, she is determined to make a new start. The creepy old house provides inspiration but at what cost?
Successful architect and paranormal skeptic Justin Kent returns to Penny Hollow to fulfill his father's dying wish of revitalizing their small town. To do that, he needs the allegedly haunted estate at Summerfield. Mac, the new owner, may be gorgeous and spunky, but she refuses to sell.
These two have a dangerous history that spans the ages, but will they discover the truth in time to save their lives?
Haunt Me Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | ARe

Earth Witches Aren’t Easy
He’s supposed to be dead, but he's killing again...

Nearly a decade ago, hedge witch Chance Monroe’s life irrevocably changed. She survived the attack of a serial killer. His death should have set her free.

When her ex-lover shows up on her porch, Chance isn’t ready to hear Randall Oakes is still alive and less prepared for the sea of emotion swamping her. One man wants her dead and the other just wants her. When the FBI offers protective custody, Chance refuses. Connected to the earth, Chance must rely on her supernatural senses and her wits to survive this game of cat and mouse.

In the farm rich countryside of her native Northern Virginia, Chance confronts her troubled past, a supernatural adversary and a sizzling passion that’s lain dormant for years….

This time, she will teach her hunter a lesson: earth witches aren’t easy targets…

Urban fantasy. Previously published as Prime Evil, but has undergone significant rewrite and editing.

Book 8 available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | ARe


About Heather Long:

National bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long walks in the park, science fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t douche bags. Her books are filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance as hot as Texas summertime. From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary military romance, Heather might switch genres, but one thing is true in all of her stories—her characters drive the books. When she’s not wrangling her menagerie of animals, she devotes her time to family and friends she considers family. She believes if you like your heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll enjoy her worlds as much as she does.


Connect with Heather: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Kosmos Christmas Delivery by Deb Kalmbach

Author: Deb Kalmach, Joey Palmberg (llustrator)
Publisher: Chiwalla Press
Date of publication:September 2016

Kosmo, the king of troublesome terriers, takes trouble to a whole new level! He's a one-of-a-kind, corn-on-the-cob nibbling, ice cream licking, always-into-mischief dog. Kosmo's Christmas Delivery is told from the point-of-view of an older, but not necessarily wiser dog, Kramer, who laments the acquisition of Kosmo by his family, especially his girl, Emily Jean. When the inquisitive Kosmo jumps on board the Yellow Package delivery truck a few days before Christmas, Kramer, secretly wishes the pup will be lost forever. He reluctantly agrees to help Emily Jean search the snowy streets of their small town for Kosmo. Through a series of unusual events, the missing terrier finally comes home, but not a moment before his older sibling realizes how much he cares about his young friend.


Christmas is just around the corner! What better way to get ready than a cute Christmas story? Kosmos's Christmas Delivery is about a dog who has to learn how to get along with a new member of the family.  Kramer is not too happy when the family gets a new puppy that they name Kosmos.  He is all too happy when Kosmos disappears, but once the reality settles in, he finds himself missing his new friend.

I don't have small kids anymore, but I know that this would be just the type of story that would have appealed to them when they were little.  The story is adventurous and amusing.  It also has a great message. The illustrations really bring the story to life and fit the scenes perfectly.  I would definitely recommend this one to parents and grandparents of young children.  It would make a great Christmas gift!



Purchase your copy at Amazon!

About the author:


Deb Kalmbach considers herself an "expert" in not-so-perfect marriages. She's passionate about helping other women take one step forward, then another to find healing and wholeness in their lives. Real hope for real life is what Deb strives to communicate to her readers. 

Deb and her husband Randy can see the half-century milestone (a miracle!) for their marriage on the horizon. They live in a tiny town in rural Washington state with Kosmo, their Jack Russell Terrier, who has inspired a new children's book series.