Readers' Heaven - Dariel's New Year Reunion - Day One!

Welcome to the first day of our New Year's Reunion! So glad you stopped by to share with us. Over 30 romance, sci-fi, and fantasy authors are spilling the beans about their books, characters, and themselves, and you'll enjoy every minute of it! Psst. There's a Rafflecopter giveaway too.

The Reunion lasts 7 days, each post featuring 4 - 5 authors who's work has graced my blog at one time or another. Each author has chosen to do a book feature, tell us a bit about what we'll love about their hero/heroine, or help us catch up with what they've been up to lately. 

Hope you'll join me and my guests for the next 7 days, too. Most of the authors are giving prizes as well as excerpts, and I've been really enjoying their interviews :-) Please make sure to leave your email address with your comments and enter the Rafflecopter. Did I mention the Rafflecopter? Oh, one more thing - Every day you visit and comment with your email address, you'll earn extra points toward the prizes. We've got quite a bit of ground to cover, so sit back and enjoy!

Vallory Vance

“The Beginning of Forever” by Vallory Vance

Why You’ll Fall in Love with Amber and Kevin

Amber Grayson has a large personality, bordering on domineering. To understand you’ll have to meet her mother or rather her step-mother.

You see in the late seventies, Ellen Woods, child of the politically connected African-American Woods of Richmond, VA married the widower, Sgt. Solomon Grayson. She gained a life of overseas travel which she detested and a daughter whom she loved beyond measure.

This should have all been wonderful for Amber - a loving father and a doting step-mother.

But it wasn’t quite. Ellen could be overbearing at times, pushing Amber to her limits and fostering an idea of financial stability at all costs. The reader will meet Amber as an adult with this type of upbringing.

Woven in this idea of a sound future is the idea of the perfect man. And reader, that man is not Kevin Miller.

While Kevin is an inherited owner of his family’s ranch in the small Texas town of Buffalo Pass, he receives little of the proceeds. His primary source of income comes as the owner / operator of his independent contracting firm, Another Time. The firm restores historical buildings to their former splendor with modern touches.

Seems like a niche operation with limited potential?

That’s what Amber’s mom thinks. And maybe that’s just what Amber thinks. And Kevin fears.

I love Amber and Kevin’s story of how to overcome the obstacles that fall in the way of true love but don’t listen to me. I wrote this after all.

Take a look at what others are saying:

Amazon Reader 5 Star Review:

…This story picks up with the two planning to marry but also Amber trying to get pregnant. Amber's desire to have a family with Kevin really test their strength, faith and love. For Kevin he'd give her the world but not at the risk of her health, Kevin feels that the two of them have enough love to adopt but his life wouldn't matter without her in it. Wow! what a man. Kevin in his usual determined way must prove to Amber that together they can make anything work, getting Amber to believe it herself is her walk of faith. I just loved this couple they were real, funny, sexy and just wonderful. …

Barnes & Noble Reader 5 Star Review:

YES YES YES!! This book is so different from the typical romance novel. I was getting bored with the typical young girl finds the rich billionaire, they break up over something we saw coming a mile away, get back together and end up married. zzzzzzzzzz
Amber is a 39 year old professional woman who is already in love with her cowboy, blue collar man. I will not ruin the book with spoilers but there is a huge surprise in the middle of the book. You will root for this couple who are perfect for each other. It's funny and heart warming. I give it a huge thumbs up!

Goodreads Reader 5 Star Review:

Awesome book. Centers around a topic that's not often written about in I/R books. Amber and Kevin is the couple you will absolutely love ….

Get your copy from these online retailers:

·       All Romance: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thebeginningofforever-1291794-178.html

·       Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/The-Beginning-of-Forever-ebook/dp/B00F46WGVQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1379085093&sr=1-2&keywords=the+beginning+of+forever

·       Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Beginning-of-Forever-ebook/dp/B00F46WGVQ/ref=sr_1_7?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1379085178&sr=1-7&keywords=vallory+vance

·       Amira Press: http://www.amirapress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=424

·       Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-beginning-of-forever-interracial-erotic-romance-vallory-vance/1116881076?ean=2940148646808

·       Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/356812

Find out what Vallory is up to on her blog, Vallory V ~ Sweet and Sexy Romances

Doris O'Connor

Doris O’Connor

What’s Happening Now? Interview

1.    First, looking back, how do you feel about your 2013 goals and how well did you do in reaching them? What helped or hindered your success?

I really only had one goal, and that was to keep writing and aim to release a book a month.  I released seventeen stories this year, so I more than met that goal. J

Life did get in the way at times. I have a very active toddler, so writing time gets severely curtailed. Most of my writing now takes place late at night and at the weekend, but somehow it works. My muse also took itself off on holiday several times, but each time returned brimming with stories, so I don't worry anymore when that happens.

I think the most helpful thing really has been to adopt an attitude of what will be will be. There are days when I write lots and days/weeks where I don't write anything, and that's okay too.

I have also joined in Tantalizing Tuesdays and Flash Fiction Friday. I participate in those without fail every week. The aim is to write a 200 word flash on Tuesdays to a picture of your own choosing, and on Fridays we are given a picture prompt and have to write a 100 word flash. I've found these incredibly inspiring and most of my recent writing has started as a flash on my blog.

2.    Life happens, and every writer is subject to its effects (positive or challenging). What personal (spiritual, emotional, physical, professional) life changes do you foresee affecting your writing this year?

Impossible to answer that one really. All I can say is that I'll continue writing, come what may. I'm a decidedly grumpy person to be around when I'm not writing. It's how I relax, and sometimes the only thing that keeps me sane. When life throws you curveballs, my way of dealing with them is to write.

And with my large brood, there is always another disaster just waiting to pounce around the corner.

3.    What have you learned about yourself recently as a writer (one random thing)?

Resistance is futile. When the voices talk, I need to write, and they're always, always right.

4.    How many books have you published (include anthologies)? Tell me about them (, bibliography)

I've published thirty eight.  A mixture of Standalones, Series, and Anthologies, anything from 2K up to 65K.

I write both contemporary and paranormal and write in several subgenres under those. You could say I have an overactive and unpredictable muse.

Series:

(The Spectrum Auctions)

September 2013 - Auctioned to the Honorable Dom

(Lure Series)

November 2011 - Lure of the Blood

March 2012 - Lure of Forever

(The Giovanni Clan)

January 2012 - Too Hot To Handle

May 2012 - Too Cold To Love

January 2013 - Too Devious To Tame

(Club Ink)

May 2012 - Riding Her Tiger

July 2012 - Tiger Scars

November 2012 - Masks Of A Tiger

(Mr. Satisfaction Guaranteed)

September 2012 - Mr. Satisfaction Guaranteed

March 2013 - Mr. Satisfaction Guaranteed – Natasha

(The Projects)

July 2013 - The Orgasm Project

Coming in January 2014 – The Bear Project

Stand Alones:

December 2011 - Awakening

March 2012 - Goldie and her Bears

June 2012 - The Last Of His Kind

November 2012 – A Birthday Wish

December 2012 - For The Love Of Mutt

February 2013 - Sol and the Magic Fingers

May 2013 - The Billionaire's Unwanted Virgin

May 2013 - Under Orders

August 2013 - Man-Droid the Orgasmatron

October 2013 – The Housewife and the Film Star

October 2013 – Under the Alpha's Protection

Anthologies:

March 2012 - Virgins Behaving Badly

April 2012 - The Alphas

August 2012 - Lover Unexpected: Sappho Edition

October 2012 - The Eclipse of the Blood Moon

October 2012 - Just Vamps

October 2012 – Freaky Flashes

November 2012 – With Love from Val and Tyne

December 2012 - Vanilla-Free Christmas

December 2012 - Wine&Nine

March 2013 – Hot Flashes, Volume 1

June 2013 - Her Type of Guy

August 2013 - 7 Sinful Secrets

August 2013 – HIS

November 2013 – The Crimson Rope

November 2013 – Sinsperationally Yours

5.    What can we look forward to from you in 2014 (special projects, books and anthologies of course)

January will see the release of The Bear Project, book two in my project series. Book three in that series, The Mating Project is still in the niggling stages, but I will have to write it soon.

I also need to finish book two in my Spectrum Auctions series. It's half written and then other things boxed their way to the top, as they do.

Trikus's story (book 4 in my Club Ink series) is another one that's long overdue to be written.

And of course whatever my muse will throw my way. I'm a complete and utter panster, so even I don't know what will happen, until it does. It's a crazy way to write, but the only way I can write, so I'm just embracing the organized chaos.

*winks*

6.    Which of your books would you suggest to someone new to your writing and why?

I usually suggest Too hot to Handle (Giovanni clan, 1) for contemporary and Riding her Tiger (Club Ink) for paranormal.

It all depends what a reader is looking for, really. Like I said I write all lengths, and hot to scorching. Heat level 3-4. All of my books feature Alpha heroes, and strong heroines, and they all have at least some kinky elements. Quite a few are BDSM  stories.

So I tend to ask some searching questions before I suggest anything, lol.

7.    What’s your favorite online hangout (complete link – only one)?

Facebook without a doubt. I'm a member of several fabulous book clubs on there J

        

Katie Jennings

A skeptic, a ghost hunter, a tech genius, and a medium. Will the spirits win?

After the tragic death of her parents, Dr. Grace Sullivan inherits more than she bargained for. An empty house she’s never heard of, a nosy neighbor, and the restless spirits of a violent, century old murder.

A hard-nosed skeptic, Grace refuses to believe in ghosts despite hearing sounds and seeing things that can’t be explained.

When she unearths antique furniture from the basement, the spirits become agitated and dangerous. Ian Black and Alex Gallagher, a team of ghost hunters, come in to investigate.

Still denying the paranormal events in her home, Grace can’t bring herself to take the ghost hunters or the psychic medium who teams up with them seriously. As Grace struggles with her grief and the feelings she’s developing for headstrong Ian, the disturbing mystery of the house deepens. Now she’ll have to face the unbelievable before the spirits claim her for their own.

Get the eBook FREE when you purchase the print on Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/So-Fell-Sparrow-Katie-Jennings/dp/0615908497/

Meet Katie Jennings…

International bestselling Author Katie Jennings is the author of seven full length novels, including the popular fantasy series The Dryad Quartet as well as the bestselling family drama series The Vasser Legacy.

She lives in sunny Southern California with her husband and cat, who both think she’s the biggest nerd ever. She’s a firm believer in happy endings and loves nothing more than a great romance novel.

You can find out more about Katie on her official website, www.katieajennings.com.

  

Sky Purington

I’d like to thank Dariel Raye for inviting me over for her New Year’s reunion. It’s always such a pleasure to be here. In 2012, I celebrated the completion and release of all three books in my Calum’s Curse Series. Two years later, I’m pleased to announce that they’re now available in a book bundle. Today, allow me to share a little bit about this series, including three short, super steamy excerpts. Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card from me, along with lots of other prizes from the other Reunion authors!

Calum’s Curse Series Boxed Set (Books 1-3)

It all began hundreds of years ago when Calum O’Donnell dabbled in dark magic. Seemingly betrayed, his newfound coven cursed him by sending three creatures of the night into the world to destroy his descendants. Yet Calum was both powerful and clever, trapping the creatures in various New England homes. Centuries later, Calum’s descendants, Leathan, Devin and Seth, find themselves at the heart of this unraveling age old curse.

THE VICTORIAN LURE- When Dakota Allerton’s dream home becomes a house of horrors that is holding her hostage, her only hope is a Scotsman who investigates the paranormal. The supernatural is nothing Leathan Stewart can't handle. Until he walks into Dakota’s cursed Victorian. Trapped together in the time-warping home, passion soon flares between them. Yet he shares his desire for her with the dark domination that possesses the house. A presence that will not let go until it gets what it wants. Even as their attraction grows, Dakota and Leathan must fight against unknown enemies, discover the secrets of Calum's Curse and defeat a vampire bent on finishing the legacy it began.

THE GEORGIAN EMBRACE- Devin O'Rourke is drawn to Isabel the moment he sees her ghostly image in a picture. While searching for proof of her existence, Devin soon finds himself pulled back in time. Eighteenth century, Isabel Savol, is on the run. Good fortune finds her sheltered and managing the construction of a house. When a handsome Irishman claiming to be from the future appears on her Georgian's worksite one day, everything she thought she understood about reality vanishes. Smoldering desire ignites between Devin and Isabel as they struggle to stay one step ahead of the time-warping house caught in Calum's Curse and the werewolf determined to finish the legacy it began.

THE TUDOR REVIVAL- Ghost hunter and dare-devil, Seth, is flung into the afterlife. His one draw to reality? Alana. He died. She lived. But he can't let go. There is something more than friendship between them and he can't say goodbye. The last thing Alana expects to encounter when she inherits her grandmom's Tudor Revival is the spirit of her deceased best friend and crush, Seth. But everything is not what it appears to be. He is determined to live again. When his investigative team, The Worldwide Paranormal Society shows up at her door, Alana soon learns that she's in for a wild ride. Calum's curse visits one more house. Things get hotter and more paranormal than ever before. Love, as always, struggles to overcome the odds. Time is limited though and the creature set to destroy Seth and Alana is the most cunning of all.

NOTE: These books contain very strong sexual content and are recommended for a mature audience. 

Mini Excerpts:

THE VICTORIAN LURE (Book One)

With a protective arm around Dakota, he peered into the dark recesses of the room. Someone whispered. She trembled. He peered closer. Nothing. The temperature rose and returned to normal. Leathan stroked her shoulder reassuringly. Whatever it had been hadn't stuck around long. While he wanted to explore the area more the feel of her body against his drove away all logical thought. Their hearts pounded. Breath rushed from their lungs. They were caught in a heady mix of adrenaline combined with lust.

At last she spoke. "Did you see anything?"

What scent was she wearing? It smelled sweet and inviting. "No." He continued stroking her shoulder, then the side of her neck. "Are you okay? Frightened?"

"At first," she admitted, her body relaxed and pliant between his and the wood stack.

Without consciously realizing it, he had her sandwiched with his front nestled against hers. His renewed arousal pressed against her with interest. Spirit activity, no matter how slight, usually kept him enthralled. But right now nothing but the feel of her lithe body flattened against his mattered. Lust overwhelmed him. He wanted her so much. Leathan pressed closer and gently kissed the side of her neck, said very softly, "Should I stop?"

"What do you think?"

Hungry, eager, he found her mouth. Willing, her lips opened beneath his and as before, her hands came around his neck. Wedging a knee between her legs, he found her backside and lifted until he held her locked and secure, inescapably lodged between him and the woodpile. Her firm backside filled his palms perfectly. Her slender athletic thighs straddled his leg. Heat emanated from her core, and he nearly groaned. Tilting his head further, he explored her mouth, their tongues and lips in perfect unison.

Grinding his thigh against her, he protected her backside with his hands. The ache rose sharp and hard when he felt the heat increase between her legs, when a small whimper left her lips. All he could imagine was the moist clinging heat within her.

What would she taste like? Feel like?

THE GEORGIAN EMBRACE (Book Two)

Devin’s low chuckle warmed her insides. “You think to get answers from me by flirting? Good luck, lass. I invented that method.”

Isabel’s eyes flew to his. Insolence! She almost faltered at the devilish twinkle in his gaze, the languid way his come-hither eyes roamed her face. Indeed, he did flirt well. She squelched the lop-sided grin she felt beginning to erupt. “I see no reason for your secrecy.” Isabel again leaned close and whispered in her best co-conspirator tone, “Then you really are a spy.”

His thick-lashed eyes fell to her lips and he leaned closer as well. “In my own way, that is exactly what I am.”

Now she was getting somewhere. “Ah, I knew it.”

“Did you?” His gaze slowly slid down her neck and she’d swear his finger grazed the soft skin. Goose pimples rose on her flesh.

“Yes, I did.” She continued to follow his gaze, could almost feel how he saw her…feminine…enticing. “It makes perfect sense.”

“Aye.” Devin’s gaze fell to the swells of her breasts peeking out from the top of her dress. “You found me out.”

A deep inhale, then he exhaled slowly, his hot breath flaming across her chest. Nipples tightened. Searing warmth flooded between her thighs. Isabel inhaled sharply. His eyes met hers, knowing. How did he do that? What exactly had he done without moving an inch?

“What did I find out?” she murmured, her mind swimming in pleasure, relaxed, not nearly as sharp as it had been moments before.

A ravishing grin crinkled the corners of his eyes, made enticing sweeps of his dark eyelashes. “That I’m not quite who I seem to be.”

“No,” she whispered, body suddenly afire. When his hand rose to cup her cheek, she leaned into it, cherished, worshiped. Blazing heat burned her flesh, the calloused touch of his palm an enticing contradiction to her soft cheek. Isabel closed her eyes, lost in a strange and incredibly arousing lull. When his smooth lips gently touched hers, she moaned. Isabel tingled with awareness. When his lips covered hers more thoroughly, carefully guided, she followed his lead.

THE TUDOR REVIVAL (Book Three)

Alana slowly opened her eyes. All she wanted to do was fight.

Seth’s eyes matched the blue sky behind him. How many times had she imagined this? Hoped for this? But fought it. His handsome face hovered over hers. His wide shoulders blocked the rising sun. Strange how every sensation in her body seemed overly acute, every fine hair on her body, every pore in her skin. She’d swear steam burned off the sun between the rock and the sky, concaving them in sensuality.

No lie; she had wanted him to shove her off him. She’d wanted to fall backward until all of this went away. Surprisingly, she wasn’t all that shocked to discover she could summon the dead. It fit in with all the stories her grandmom had told her. And there was the fact that she could hear Seth when he was ‘dead.”

But right now, pinned beneath him, she felt a whole new rush hovering just out of reach.

She’d managed to keep Seth at bay for months.

No more.

Rather than crashing down, his lips found hers with tenderness. Slow and easy, he worked his tongue into her mouth. Alana met him just as gently, wrapping her tongue with his. So fluid and seductive, she fell into his slow, lapping pattern. A sharp wind blew in from the east but she didn’t feel it. Protected by his strong body, it was all heat and kindling and the sparks of a brand new fire.

“Alana,” he murmured. His mouth left hers, trailing to the soft area just behind her ear, then further down the overly tender portion of her neck. She raised her hands over her head and he pulled her shirt free.

The Calum’s Curse Boxed Set is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and many online bookstores.

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