Love Romance Passion » G-I http://www.loveromancepassion.com Because Books Don't Fall Asleep Afterwards! Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Review: Immortal Rider (Lords of Deliverance, Book 2) by Larissa Ione http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-immortal-rider-lords-of-deliverance-book-2-by-larissa-ione/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-immortal-rider-lords-of-deliverance-book-2-by-larissa-ione/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:38:40 +0000 Sharon S. http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=13712

Reviewed by Sharon S.

You better grab the oven mitts before you try to pick up this book, it is smoking hot! This is the second book in Ione’s Lords of Deliverance series about the 4 horsemen (well, there is one woman) of the apocalypse. It is set in the same world as her Demonica Series. Many of the Demonica characters are also in the Deliverance books. If you haven’t read any of Ione’s books, don’t worry, you can jump right in and pick up on things pretty quick. I haven’t read the first book in the Deliverance series, wishing I had now because Ares sounds mouth watering, but it isn’t necessary.

The great thing about this author’s stories is all her lead characters/couples from past books of the series are still active in the story and she also starts setting up the storyline for the next book so you are already in love with the new couple and biting at the bit to read their story (smart lady <G>). The 4 horseman are siblings who were cursed. Their destiny is to bring about the apocalypse once they have all had their seals broken. They have spent their lives looking for their seals so they can keep them from breaking. They don’t want to turn evil. In the first book, Reseph had his seal broken and became Pestilence he is the villain of this book because he is now trying to make the rest of them turn. We got the story of Ares (would be war if his seal broke).

This book focuses on Limos, the only female horseman. She will become Famine when her seal breaks. As if that wasn’t enough she was betrothed to Satan (yes, that one) as a baby and now he wants to claim her. Limos was raised by demons and behaved like one for a long time. Telling lies gives her a high like no other. With the help of her brothers she turned her life around and things haven’t been so bad, but a smexy human named Arik kissed her and everything went to hell (literally) as all her lies catch up with her and she hurts the ones she loves the most. Mix in a love/hate storyline between an angel and demon that work against each other to help/hurt the horseman and the setting up of Thanatos’ story (who will become death, and I think he is going to be my favorite!) you get a whole lot angsty, kick ass action. Ione is also pretty good with the snark and adds just the right amount of humor.

This story/series is what you would call hard core PNR, lots of smut, cliché’ situations, high drama and emotional turmoil. Few do it better than Ione. This book has a lot of urban fantasy elements when you consider the extensive and ingenious world building going on. If you are a PNR fan then this is the author and series for you. For me to like a PNR book it has to be able to go that extra mile and impress me with tortured alpha men with that soft mushy center that only the right woman can touch, a unique twist, clever world building and yeah, lots of great sex. I think she went a little overboard with some of the clichéd PNR themes, but that is just a minor complaint. I will be reaching for Thanatos’ story because you don’t use and betray Death without consequences.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Buy: Immortal Rider (Lords of Deliverance, Book 2)

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-immortal-rider-lords-of-deliverance-book-2-by-larissa-ione/feed/ 2 Review: C.J. Hawke on Assignment: Mexican Flames by C.J. Hawke http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-c-j-hawke-on-assignment-mexican-flames-by-c-j-hawke/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-c-j-hawke-on-assignment-mexican-flames-by-c-j-hawke/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:49:45 +0000 Cara Lynn http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=13640

Reviewed by Cara Lynn

This book was long on sex, maybe short on story.  I finished it a while back and can't say I particularly liked it.  I felt more neutral, so I put off writing a review. I read the PDF provided by LRP on my iPad.

What I liked: I liked the colored pictures in the text, though at times I felt she looked very young.  Does that let you know how old I am?

I liked that she was a journalist/reporter which is an interesting twist on a romantic suspense.

What I didn't like: I didn't like the idea that a professional journalist/reporter would sleep her way through her assignments.  Somehow that seemed like a setback for women, not progress.

The sex: Yes, it's hot.  And with two men, at different times.  And which of them turns out to be the criminal?

But it doesn't seem like the real dilemma that Janet Evanovich poses between Ranger and Morelli.

My feeling: I suspect that there are other books in the series, or at least planned for the series.  I would likely read another one to see if I still felt the same.

And I suspect she will sleep her way through the next assignment too. And that bothers me.  As a character, she seems too immature for the level of assignment and for her naivete about dangers, both real and perceived.

But the sex is hot.

Most other romantic suspense that I read has a more believable main character who actually falls in love with the man she is with, who also falls in love with her.  It is not gratuitous.  Ultimately it keeps them both safe.  That last sentence could be said about this book too.  But somehow it wasn't as believable, at least for me.

Have you read it?

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Buy: C.J. Hawke on Assignment: Mexican Flames

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Reviewed by Lynn Reynolds

Janice Morgan loves to watch porn. How many of you can admit the same? But it sounds like she’s getting bored by them. They don’t seem to satisfy her like they used to.

Janice has a new neighbor that lives across the way. His name is Sam Windsor. Janice has a great vantage point to watch a great show that’s going on over at Sam’s place. Alice lets us see that Sam “swings both ways”. You also get a chance to see the differences in the way that men and women interact during sex.

Janice doesn’t realize it at the time but Sam knows what’s going on. Interesting thing is that Sam doesn’t seem to mind. He actually seems to like the idea. This brings a different level to their relationship. They seem to have an instant connection and set out to explore where it will take them.

It’s nice to see an author that makes a character that is so considerate of their partner – making sure that the partner comes first. Sam gives Janice the ride of her life. In order to add some spice to their relationship

Alice, what are you doing to us? She leaves us hanging at the end. This is where your imagination will have to take over (unless she gives us a series). If you only have a little time to read and need something to get your engines going, “Night Watch is the story for you. It may also give you some ideas to spice things up in your relationship with your partner.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Buy: Night Watch

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Reviewed by Sandra Scholes

As part of the Private Protectors series released by Carina Press, Roxanne Thorgesson has never felt life like she has now---where she is so out of control she might risk everything to make it all seem worthwhile. Having to take over the business after her father has had a near fatal heart attack; her task is to take on his firm of the second largest newspaper in Chicago.

It isn’t easy, and she didn’t expect it to be either, but the heat is turned up when former boyfriend, Michael comes around wanting a favour from her. She has an idea he will spell trouble for her, but she can’t say no, especially when he is a part of a scandal that won’t go away.

She didn’t expect an exclusive story like his would come up, but she indulges his every word as it is important to him, as much as it is to her. Michael left her once and offered no reason as to why. It is now that she can send him away, or use him to get her one big story from him. Only this story is bigger than the both of them – his wife has been murdered, and he is high on the list of main suspects. He tells her he didn’t do it, but why should she believe him?

There are many things that the reader will find from the characters in this story, and one of them is that Michael isn’t the sort of person who would murder his wife; she was the only woman he ever loved as much as he hated her.

Even in their darkest times of arguing, which was most of the time, he had never thought of ending her life – he was a very wealthy man and as far as he was concerned, he could have ended their arguments easily enough, and he did for a time when they were going through a rather lengthy divorce settlement.

His wife had gone from being a loving and caring woman to becoming a money-grabbing bitch, something he watched happen through the course of their marriage. As it was common knowledge that it was a rocky one, Michael is thought of as the prime suspect in her murder even when there is someone else lurking out in the shadows who is actually responsible.

This is a story that is easy to get into, and you won’t help but keep turning the pages to find out more.

Rating: ★★★★½

Buy: Risking Trust

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-risking-trust-private-protectors-book-3-by-adrienne-giordano/feed/ 0 Kindlegraph – Author Autographs for Your Kindle http://www.loveromancepassion.com/kindlegraph-author-autographs-for-your-kindle/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/kindlegraph-author-autographs-for-your-kindle/#comments Mon, 26 Dec 2011 03:26:24 +0000 Guest Blogger http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=13605

Guest Post by Michele Gorman, author of Single in the City

Have you ever had a book inscribed and signed by the author? It’s great fun, isn’t it? That connection, no matter how brief, between reader and writer is something special. I love having personalised books, and I love signing books for fans. That’s one of the many great things about good old-fashioned paper books.

But eBooks are gaining popularity, there’s no doubt about it. They’re great for their immediacy and convenience – like little chocolate boxes instantly delivered to you, ready for your indulgence. And they’re great for the chance to try new writers you may not otherwise run across when perusing your local bookshop shelves.

But there’s no booky smell, no weight in your hand or chance to study the detail in a beautifully designed cover … and until recently, no easy way for the author to sign them.

Enter Kindlegraph. This is a genius idea and I’m so excited about it, because now fans can have their favourite Kindle books signed by the author using the magic of the Internet! No waiting for local book signings and no queuing.

And up till year-end I’d love to inscribe and sign Single in the City for your friends and relatives. So any lovely woman who enjoys chick lit, or a fish-out-of-water adventure set in London, can receive the book from you, with your inscription! You did know you can gift Kindle books right? All you need is your friend’s email address. Find the book on Amazon.com, click Give as a Gift and voila! Faster than Santa can shimmy down the chimney, your friend gets an email saying that you’ve given her a lovely gift (you can also set the date that she receives the email).

You’ll get an option to include a note in the Amazon email, so you can simply tell your friend that you’ve arranged for me to sign it, include whatever inscription you’d like me to add, ask her to go to www.kindlegraph.com, choose Single in the City, request Kindlegraph and paste your inscription in the note to me. Easy as leftovers on Boxing Day.

I hope you find this info useful, not just for my book, but for all your future Kindle books. I love this idea so much that I’m making it a personal mission to tell as many readers, and writers, about it as I can. If a favourite author isn’t yet on Kindlegraph, do drop her a note through her website or facebook page or twitter to ask her to join.

And of course I’m happy to inscribe Single in the City for you at any time, and that includes UK, Canadian and the rest of the world’s Kindlers. Kindlegraph isn’t country-specific – if you’ve got Single in the City on your Kindle, I can sign it. Be sure to tell me a little bit about yourself in the request and that way I can personalise the inscription for you.

Happy Christmas, happy Hanukkah and a very lovely 2012 to you all! I shall be eating mince pies and writing Single in the City’s sequel, which should be published by March.

Get started, buy: Single in the City

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Guest blog by Gabriella Hewitt, author of Charmed Ever After

I love the holidays!

The smells, the sights, the sounds, and all the pretty ribbons and bows being thrown around make me jolly and merry.  I especially love getting my eggnog on!  You know that delicious thick milky drink that only appears on supermarket shelves around this time of year and then disappears until next December.

I have fond memories of my mother getting a bottle of Coquito (literally translated means little coconut) but is better known as eggnog. Coquito is a popular Christmas drink in Puerto Rico and Trinidad.  Every year my Trinidadian aunt would whip up her special rum-laden brew. My mother coveted her supply and once in a while would share the rummy yummy goodness. She only gave me just a touch, enough to savor the flavor but never enough to get drunk. Now that I am old enough and can indulge all I want, I like to whip up my own batch. Here is the recipe:

COQUITO DRINK

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup white rum
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 6 fl oz sweetened condensed milk
  • Cinnamon or nutmeg spice

Directions:

  1. Pour half of rum into blender.
  2. Add coconut milk. Blend together.
  3. Add egg yolks, salt, and condensed milk and blend until smooth.
  4. Pour into large pitcher.
  5. Add remaining rum and stir.
  6. Refrigerate.
  7. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before serving.
  8. Stir well and serve in small glasses, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon or nutmeg.

Drink up and Be Merry!

Want more holiday recipes? Get a free gift from Gabriella today. A free eBook download of HOT IN THE KITCHEN featuring today’s hottest romance authors and sizzling recipes.  http://www.gabriellahewitt.com/free-reads/

CHARMED EVER AFTER

Available December 22, 2011

Doesn’t every princess deserve a prince charming and their happily ever after?

Obviously not for Cuban-American Princess, Rosario Garcia, the eldest daughter of the Jersey City werewolves. The last minute thrown together gaudy nightmare was not how she pictured her wedding day and Rosario is not taking kindly to the forced marriage to the arrogant alpha wolf of Hoboken, NJ. Unfortunately, her choices are limited and the marriage necessary to unite the warring clans, but that can all change if she finds her missing uncle and fourteen million dollars. What’s a girl to do?

She has three choices:

  1. Run-away and join the circus
  2. Sell her kidney and other unnecessary body parts to raise millions of dollars
  3. Call upon her fairy-godmother

When Rosario accepts the antique ceremonial dagger from her crazy, drunken fairy-godmother, Madrina Hady, as a wedding gift, she never in her wildest dreams figured it would be the key to escaping her impending wedding. Only now she is trapped in fairyland with Prince Charming! Normally she wouldn’t complain but he has declared war on werewolves and if she is not careful, she’ll end up in the dungeons too. Will she be able to solve the mystery behind her missing uncle and find a way out of fairyland to get back in time to stop her own clans from warring? Or will she be Charmed Ever After by Prince Charming?

Buy: Charmed Ever After

Read an excerpt and view the trailer.

About the Author: Gabriella Hewitt is the pen name of creative writing talents Sasha Tomaszycki and Patrizia M.J. Hayashi. Together they weave tales of romantic suspense and dangerously sensual paranormals. Check out the website www.GabriellaHewitt.com to see upcoming events and new book releases.

GIVEAWAY: I have 2 ebook copies of Charmed Ever After for giveaway. Enter by leaving a comment on your favorite holiday recipe. Open internationally. Last day to enter December 23, 2011.

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/yummy-holiday-drink-recipe/feed/ 13 Review: Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-until-there-was-you-by-kristan-higgins/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-until-there-was-you-by-kristan-higgins/#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2011 01:39:48 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=13561

Heroine: (Cordelia) Posey Osterhagen might be the plain adopted daughter, but she’s well-loved both at work, at home, and by her Little Sister (from the youth mentoring organization). If only that translated into her love life, but the boyfriend she’s got doesn’t want to go to the next level, preferring to have sex dates instead of real dates.

Hero: Widower Liam Murphy is back in town raising his teenage daughter so she can be close to her mother’s parents. The wealthy grandparents never liked him, seeing him a philanderer and leech. He can’t stand the women coming up to him looking to get reacquainted with the object in his pants... his safe haven is Posey... but there’s something about her that appeals to him despite her tomboyish figure.

High School Drama: Back in high school, Liam worked for Posey’s family’s restaurant. She had a huge crush on him, but he only saw the girl (Emma Tate) who ended up becoming his wife.  As high school drama goes, something was said, someone was dumped, a prom was ruined, and there were tears. (Prom always has somebody crying, doesn’t it? Sad.)

Review: I liked Posey’s background and self image and how that changed in the story. You could really empathize with her. Liam Murphy was suffering from OCD and I don’t think he ever got over it during the storyline (unlike most romances which show how flaws disappear under the influence of love) – which I kind of missed seeing. I would have like that or at least have him not fret so much about washing his hands. What I really liked was his portrayal as a father – responsible, loving, attentive, if a bit overly disciplinarian to begin with (Hey! He knows teenage boys and what’s on their minds!) concerning dating. I even liked Posey’s cousin Gretchen toward the end of the story (though she will tempt you to strangle her beforehand). Overall, charming, with a wonderful Disney-ish prom happily ever after.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Buy: Until There Was You

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-until-there-was-you-by-kristan-higgins/feed/ 0 Review: Scandalous Desires (Maiden Lane, Book 3) by Elizabeth Hoyt http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-scandalous-desires-maiden-lane-book-3-by-elizabeth-hoyt/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-scandalous-desires-maiden-lane-book-3-by-elizabeth-hoyt/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:20:25 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=13169

Heroine: Widow Silence Hollingbrook is in a dire situation. To reclaim what she loves she must face the man who callously and cruelly used her to make a point that ruined her marriage. Only of course he doesn’t make things simple. Apparently there’s danger (evil Charlie Grady, the Vicar of Whitechapel) and wouldn’t you know, he’s the father of the baby girl she thought was an orphan.

Hero: River pirate “Charming” Mickey O’Connor is fiercely handsome but woefully unfeeling (or so he thinks, he takes quite good care of those he considers his). He climbed his way to the top of London’s dark and dangerous criminal underworld and has no intentions of falling back down. But when a danger from his past threatens to tear it all down, Mickey acts and once again his actions will prove to be Silence’s undoing.

Review: Scandalous Desires is not to be missed – pirate hero? Hello! It’s a beautifully written story with all the elements that I like including a seemingly heartless hero (he’s dragged into love, but once there he’s going to go all out). I love how Mickey is the engineer of his own romantic downfall – he wants Silence and to get to her he uses Mary Darling, a bastard daughter a whore claimed was his but he knows is not. He’ll keep Mary around because it means Silence will stay because she loves the girl. Of course he falls for both, poor man, haha. Silence and Mikey are enemies, but they aren’t, because Mikey doesn’t really want Silence as an enemy, but plays the part because of his plan to keep her by his side. The only thing left to say is that this is definitely one of the best books of the year!

Rating: 4.5 Stars

(Would have been 5 Stars, but Mary Darling gets sick and drags focus)

Buy: Scandalous Desires (Maiden Lane)

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Guest post by Felicity Heaton, author of Heart of Darkness

It’s great to be back here at Love Romance Passion for the Heart of Darkness leg of my Paranormal Pandemonium 2011 Blog Tour.

Here’s a brief introduction for those of you who aren’t familiar with me. My name is Felicity Heaton and I write under that name and also as F E Heaton. I’m a paranormal romance author and I’ve been writing since 2005, and turned indie in 2006. I’ve written over forty stories, including my best selling Her Angel Series and my popular Vampires Realm series (which I write as F E Heaton). My paranormal romances are usually focused on vampires and werewolves, but I do also write other shape-shifters like black panthers, and also demons and witches, and a whole bunch of sexy angels. I love to world build and write series when I can, but I also adore writing stand alone novels.

Heart of Darkness is a stand alone vampire romance novel with a lot of world building and a lot of depth to the characters. When I was planning the novel, I paid close attention to the world building but I spent an equal amount of time crafting the main characters. Not just the hero and heroine, but the supporting cast too.

When I was crafting the hero, Aleksandr, and the heroine, Elise, I focused on how strong they both needed to be to face the things that happen in the story and that got me thinking about the elements of strong characters.

I think a lot of people believe that strength in a character means they can take a beating and dish one out too, can fight better than anyone else and don’t back down. They’re take-charge types who lead the way. That wasn’t the sort of strength I wanted for my characters.

Aleksandr is over eight hundred years old, is extremely skilled at hunting and tracking, and killing. For the past four hundred years, he has been on a mission to eradicate the family line of the man who murdered his innocent younger sister. He’s physically powerful but that doesn’t make him strong to me.

With Heart of Darkness, I wanted to show readers that true strength comes from a different place. It comes from the heart. Strength of heart can provide a beautiful and moving love story for readers to lose themselves in, especially when it’s a physically powerful hero who is opening himself to the heroine, exposing all of his vulnerabilities and admitting that he needs her in his life, that she has become his world and, in the case of Heart of Darkness, his only hope for salvation.

Vampires in the world of Heart of Darkness have achieved their humanity by limiting their kills. If they begin to kill too much, they risk corrupting their souls and unleashing the darkness they all hold within their hearts. If that corruption runs too deeply, then they can’t come back from it and devolve into the beasts they once were, mindless bloodthirsty demons bent on violence and killing. Aleksandr has been hunting and killing for four centuries. The damage to his soul is extensive and he’s on a one way trip to Hell, and he knows that.

At the start of the story, Aleksandr meets a guard of the local bloodline shortly after he has killed a vampire hunter and is struggling to claw himself out of the black abyss within his heart. Elise drives the darkness away and he finds himself fascinated by her because of it. At first he’s intent on pursuing her so he can lure her into his bed for a short while, but as he realises the extent of the damage he has done to himself, how close he is to losing himself, and what Elise really means to him, he changes his ways, desperate to redeem himself so he can end his mission and achieve peace and a life he has always wanted for himself—a future with the woman he loves. Elise becomes his one shot at salvation. The love he feels for her, and that he knows she feels for him, gives him back a little more of his humanity with each moment their share.

Aleksandr’s strength lies in his heart. He is fiercely protective of those he loves and will do anything for them, even at great risk to himself. He loves deeply, craves Elise fiercely and is willing to do whatever it takes to convince her that he’s worthy of her affection. She’s more to him than a chance for salvation. She’s the love of his eternal life and he shows that to her, stripping away his strength and revealing his weakness for her, how much he needs her in his life and desires her. His strength also lies in the decisions he makes but I can’t say too much about that side of him without giving away important parts of the story.

Aleksandr’s emotional strength and willingness to do whatever it takes to protect those he loves, even risking himself, is something he has in common with Elise and it’s that side of him that opens them to each other and finally brings them together. It’s Aleksandr’s emotional strength that gives him the courage to lay everything on the line in order to prove his love for Elise and to protect her, and she returns the favour, placing herself in the path of danger to save him from the darkness in his heart. They are both strong characters not because of their physical strength but their emotional one. A man who is willing to turn himself inside out to win the heart of the one he loves, who will do all in his power to protect her, even from himself, and who will cast aside male pride and show his weakness for her... that’s a real strong hero, and that’s Aleksandr.

As you can probably tell from reading about Elise and Aleksandr, Heart of Darkness is an emotional roller coaster ride that will have you clinging to your book or e-reader, and most likely reaching for the tissues. If you want a vampire romance with a strong heroine, one who can tame the darkness in the heart of her hero and save him, and a strong hero who will do anything for the woman he loves, then look no further. Heart of Darkness is definitely for you!

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this insight into the hero of Heart of Darkness, my new vampire romance novel. If you’d like to know more about the book, I’ve included a blurb, links to an excerpt, and buy links below. You can also follow me on my Heart of Darkness blog tour. The dates are listed at my Paranormal Pandemonium 2011 Blog Tour page at my website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/paranormal-pandemonium-blog-tour.php

Heart of Darkness is currently available in e-book from my website, Amazon Kindle Stores, Apple iBookstores, Barnes and Noble Nook Store, All Romance eBooks, and Smashwords. It will soon be available from Kobo Books and the Sony Reader Store. It is also available in paperback at amazon.com and will soon be available at other Amazon stores worldwide and Barnes & Noble.

Heart of Darkness

A vampire prince on a four hundred year old mission to avenge his murdered sister...

Aleksandr Nemov won’t stop until the last of the vampire hunter’s progeny is wiped from the Earth. Each kill has stolen a piece of his humanity, pushing him towards the black abyss all vampires hold within their hearts. Now he is teetering on the edge, close to devolving into a beast, and time is running out as he tracks the last hunter to Prague. There he finds a beautiful woman who could be his one chance for salvation, but is it already too late for him?

A vampire guard who will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves...

Elise is dedicated to her duty. It’s the only thing she has left. All that changes when she meets Aleksandr in Prague and her master grants him permission to stay at her bloodline’s mansion. She knows all about Aleksandr but none of it prepares her for how she feels when the legendary prince’s hunt becomes one for her heart. Elise battles him with all of her strength but can she stop herself from falling for the handsome hunter? When he reveals the depth of the corruption in his soul, will she have the strength to face the pain in her past and do whatever it takes to save him?

Buy: Heart of Darkness

Read an excerpt at my website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness

Biography: Felicity Heaton is a romance author writing as both Felicity Heaton and F E Heaton. She is passionate about penning paranormal tales full of vampires, witches, werewolves, angels and shape-shifters, and has been interested in all things preternatural and fantastical since she was just a child. Her other passion is science-fiction and she likes nothing more than to immerse herself in a whole new universe and the amazing species therein. She used to while away days at school and college dreaming of vampires, werewolves and witches, or being lost in space, and used to while away evenings watching movies about them or reading gothic horror stories, science-fiction and romances.

Having tried her hand at various romance genres, it was only natural for her to turn her focus back to the paranormal, fantasy and science-fiction worlds she enjoys so much. She loves to write seductive, sexy and strong vampires, werewolves, witches, angels and alien species. The worlds she often dreams up for them are vicious, dark and dangerous, reflecting aspects of the heroines and heroes, but her characters also love deeply, laugh, cry and feel every emotion as keenly as anyone does. She makes no excuses for the darkness surrounding them, especially the paranormal creatures, and says that this is their world. She’s just honoured to write down their adventures.

If you want to know more about me, or want to get in touch, you can find me at the following places:

My website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk
My blog: http://www.indieparanormalromancebooks.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/feheaton
Twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/crafting-a-strong-hero/feed/ 1 First Person—You’re in my Character’s Head http://www.loveromancepassion.com/first-person%e2%80%94you%e2%80%99re-in-my-character%e2%80%99s-head/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/first-person%e2%80%94you%e2%80%99re-in-my-character%e2%80%99s-head/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:57:59 +0000 Guest Blogger http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=13091

Guest Post by Krista Holle, author of The Lure of Shapinsay

My name is Krista Holle and I write all things romance—the sexy kind with heavy plot and no undulating body parts anywhere. Hope that doesn’t disappoint anyone. I was recently hammering away on my newest novel, The Gingerbread Man, a historical novel about the taboo relationship between a plantation mistress and her slave, when everything halted. I was 60 pages in and everything was wrong! For some reason, I decided I would try something new and write in third person. I got it into my head somewhere that this would make my novel more “serious”, as in more literary, less Mickey Mouse. The result was a gaping hole where the emotions were supposed to go and a disconnect between me and my character. Honestly I didn’t love her as much as I should. When I realized what was wrong, I started over.

To better understand my dilemma, I need to explain my desire as a reader. When I read a book, I want to be the main character so I can fully experience the character’s life. Who didn’t love being Bella in Twilight and experiencing that first kiss with Edward? This is the reason I love to read first person. This is also the reason I will write in first person from now on. In The Ginger Bread Man, I want my reader to be Winnie and feel the horror Winnie feels when she first sees August lashed by a team of paddyrollers. I want my reader to be inside Winnie’s head, not follow her as an inactive observer.

After writing four novels in first person, I’ve learned a few things about this point of view. One mistake some new writers make is the use of “I” way too often, especially at the beginning of each sentence. For example:

“I headed to the store for some last minute gummy bears. I searched each aisle until I was near panic, before I finally found the gooey treats in the discontinued bin. I’ll never shop there again.”

This is very distracting and terrible writing. I only use the “I” if it’s absolutely necessary. To me, “me’s” and “my’s” are absolute freebies. If the “I” becomes inevitable, which it absolutely will be, I shake things up and vary placing the “I” in the middle of the sentence as well as at the beginning. Below is an excerpt from a revised section of The Gingerbread Man. In the third sentence, I had to fight against my instincts to use a third “I”.

I ignored the older woman and seized the flailing infant against my breast. What would Cary do when he discovered the child wasn’t his own? My stomach clenched with fear as I wound my fingers through his silky brown curls, almost pained by the quick little breaths that puffed against my throat.

Hope this explains why I love first person. Many authors write well in third person, but I think I’ll stick to what I do best. Towards the end of the year, I’ll be releasing on Amazon an e-book titled, The Lure of Shapinsay. It involves a sexy romance between a fiery Scottish woman and a very naughty selkie. If you don’t know what a selkie is or would like to read the “back flap”, please check out my blog at, http://kristaholle.blogspot.com. I’m also on Twitter and would love to talk to you. It will be released by the end of the year.

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