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I selected this novel because of the gorgeous female cover model. She looks like a fairy princess and the pink and black and warm tones are just lovely. The big plus is this is how the heroine is described… well, I think it was an angel, but you get the point: lovely, blonde, kindhearted.

Moving on, the first half of the novel can be said in three sentences:

Grace Sheffey has been jilted twice, widowed once.

Michael Ranier has murdered twice, rescued once.

These two souls get together under a single lodging and share one passionate interlude.

The second half deals with the consequences. I found Love with a Perfect Scoundrel to be a fun, fast-paced romp filled with nutty characters, sensual situations, and many a marvelous moments. Some to me seems a little over the top, like a seventy-five thousand pound promissory note, but I will let you decide for yourselves.

I had a wonderful time reading the novel and I felt great when I finished. I haven’t read anything else by Sophia Nash, but I highly recommend her if her other novels are like this one.

Love with a Perfect Scoundrel is book three of the widow club.

Rating: 4 Stars

Buy: Love with the Perfect Scoundrel

Have you ever picked up a novel and about halfway through feel like there’s something you should know about it because it seems familiar? I thought I was going insane! I couldn’t remember the book, but I remembered the characters. I was certain I hadn’t read it before but how could I explain my knowledge of the main characters and the two of the side characters? Thank heavens I finally figured it out! Lady Sophia’s Lover is the second of the Bow Street Trilogy. The first is Someone to Watch Over Me. Where I recognized the characters was from the third Worth Any Price which follows the brother of the heroine in LSL. Nothing like solving a mystery to start off my day!

Sophia Sydney is out for revenge. She wants to destroy the man who sent her brother off to his death. Sophia is certain of her facts and equally certain of Sir Ross Cannon’s cruelty and guilt. It seems fortuitous when an ad to be his secretary appears in the papers. Taking it as a sign, Sophia appears in Cannon’s offices on Bow Street determined not to take no for an answer.

Ross is completely stunned by Sophia. Her very presence shatters his carefully constructed walls. He tries to regulate her into a housekeeping position instead of the secretary position. Her argument that he didn’t specify gender completely flummoxes him and before he knows it, Sophia is both his secretary and his housekeeper.

Sophia is equally dazzled. The fat, old, wig wearing man she expected is not there. The man she sees is not the man she pictured. Ross is distinguished, virile, and devastating. While Sophia is trying to gather evidence against Ross and his runners, she finds herself hopelessly drawn to him. Will love win out over vengeance?

Rating: 4 Stars

Buy: Lady Sophia’s Lover

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My Forbidden Desire starts with Harsh (from the first novel) and Alexandrine reconnecting. They are brother and sister. Alexandrine has been certain of Harsh’s death for years, she’s resentful for his sudden presence and insistence she needs protection from an evil mage… who just happens to be her real father.

Xia, a secondary character in My Wicked Enemy, is a newly freed fiend and the one charged with protecting Alexandrine. When Carolyn said she had refashioned bad boy Xia into a hero I knew I had to read his story! His intense hate, eagerness to kill, and desire to give out pain would be hard to overcome for any writer. Even more so when you planned to pair him up with someone who Xia considers his enemy, no matter how harmless. In my opinion, Carolyn has done a phenomenal job revealing the witch hater’s inner good qualities. Xia is very easily worth the price of the book.

Alexandrine Marit as a heroine is very likeable… despite being a witch. She possesses a great amount of unselfishness, though she has to work for it. The talisman she has found is putting a number on her similar to Golem’s reaction around the one ring in The Lord of the Rings. Her self-sacrifices pile up throughout the novel – if I were to list them it would seem ridiculous, but I assure it is not. Simply put it is quite the only way to prove her character to Xia.

It took me a while to get into this book. The first chapter or two was pretty rough. I started and stopped twice before finally overcoming the strangeness of the novel’s set up. As with Carolyn’s other novels, once you are involved in the story you simply can’t put it down!

Rating: 3 Stars

Buy: My Forbidden Desire

So far as a romance novel goes, Lucy Burns has the very broad requirements and none of the nuances. It ends happy. There is a guy. She ends up with him. The romance was nonexistent as no emotions or depth came across when I read it. The story primarily focuses on Lucy Burns finding salvation.

As a heroine, I wasn’t particularly enchanted with her. I was unable to sympathize with Lucy past her little girl stage. She came across exactly as she thought of herself: shallow, empty, and not particularly kind or nice beyond the relationship with her neighbor, her neighbor’s child, and Luke Marshall.

I suppose Lucy redeemed herself in the end, but I didn’t really connect to those inner changes. She was obviously disenchanted with herself, her job working for the devil, and with people and life in general. There was no growth to her character.

Luke Marshall was vague as a hero. We learn he teaches creative writing at a university, is writing a manuscript based on his perception of Lucy Burns, and sings off key when drunk… oh and he’s blind, which means he can’t see the gorgeousness that is Lucy at all.

Things in the book that I didn’t like at all:

• Lucy getting so wasted she urinated on herself in her hall closet during a Tupperware party. What romance novel could happen without that?
• Her pretty blasé attitude over an innocent man accidentally going to hell by walking down into her basement. If there was regret, it was a twinge and nothing more.
• Her blasé attitude over the coffee shop goth-girl (admittedly not the friendliest of people) finding herself going to hell by trying to escape the some unrobed KKK members by running down into the basement…
• Reading the lyrics/song titles of Teddy Nightingale and random excerpts from Luke’s novel. One or the other happened in every chapter. It was overkill.
• The backdrop of two movies duking it out in theaters that also appeared every other chapter or so. The movies were Adoring JC (Jesus Christ) and Absolutely Adolf: What were you thinking?

Rating: 1 Stars

Buy: The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns

This three hour BBC miniseries is just precious. It’s lighthearted, humorous, and perfect. Pride and Prejudice is revisited and reintroduced. Lost in Austen pays homage to Jane Austen’s original masterpiece while reinventing it. My friend, who is not a Pride and Prejudice fan—blasphemous I know!—loved this film. My other friend, who is a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice, to the point of being a purist, loved it also. Two endorsements right there! Make that three as it has mine also!

It starts with the heroine, a representative for all modern women, reading the classic tale. She has read it so many times, she can say it by heart, practically see herself there at Pemberley running to Darcy—wait hold up!

Amanda Price thinks she’s going crazy what with Elizabeth Bennet showing up in her bathroom and all. It is just one more sign of impending institutionalization. Really, how could a fictional character appear in her bathroom? The lives of those in Georgian England are made up after all… right?

When a wall opens up in Amanda’s bathroom and Elizabeth affirms it is her house on the other side, Amanda can’t resist stepping through. Like Alice, Amanda has gone through the rabbit hole and is trapped in Wonderland. The door swings shut behind her, but Amanda is filled with only a slight trepidation as she descends into the madness that is the Bennet house right at the beginning of the story.

What follows is a fabulous, wonderful, delicious story of a modern girl trying to make the story happen only to mess it up. Every time Amanda attempts to fix things, it gets worse. Some end up married to the wrong person, new background on characters is revealed, and more. Who could imagine blustering Mrs. Bennett as a ball-buster? One of the things that I loved was how Wickham is redeemed in this version. How? Watch and find out!

I’ve been told that the American version is missing a scene where Amanda is singing. I noticed a jerky transition where it should have occurred. There are also a few minor things left out, so I’ve been told. I wish they hadn’t taken it out, I mean once you’re at three hours, what’s another fifteen or so minutes right? Anyway, it was marvelous. Get it from your library or buy a copy – you’ll love it!

PS: Elliot Cowan, who plays Mr. Darcy, in looks is a cross between Colin Firth and Heath Ledger. Yum! His wet white shirt scene… double yum! Take a look:

Rating: 4.5 Stars!

Buy: Lost in Austen

Before I begin, thanks Susan for your 5 tells - they’re hilarious!

Now, when it comes to our favorite literature is it possible to ever read too much of it? What are some of the tells of overindulgence in romance? Let’s take a look!

You Know You Read Too Much Romance When…

1. Most of your email is author newsletters telling you about latest releases, contests, and book signings.
2. You insist on bringing a chaperone on romantic dates; even though you’re 25 years old.
3. You own a digital copy of every print romance book on your favorite’s shelf.
4. Your favorite’s shelf is now the entire bookcase and the area in front of it on the floor.
5. You have a plot trope, character type, or preference you are too embarrassed to share with other romance readers.

6. Your bookshelves are classified first by subgenre, then by author.
7. After kissing each other breathless, you accidentally say, “Please Lord Mark take me now to your bedchamber.”
8. He says, “I know-I know you can’t spend the night with me because your aunt Lady Marie will start the rumor-mill.”
9. Your fictional boyfriend is Mr. Darcy, Mr. Thornton, or another romantic alpha hero.
10. You once had to question where the hymen was located, because most romance novels have the hero penetrate it somewhere inside the vagina instead of at the opening.

11. You clip the covers off your romances and make a mantitty wallpaper collage.
12. The name Vladimir de Laaf, the Duke of Longwood, sounds like a valid name for a man and Lady Saramia, the Widow of Evesham, makes for an equally good heroine name.
13. In your mind, being unwed and over twenty is a crime.
14. When making love-you find yourself moaning, “Oh yes, all the way to the hilt!”
15. You’re actually disappointed he showed up in his Lexus….where’s the black stallion?

16. You own or are following every romance blog you encounter or have written blog posts for them.
17. If the first thing you can find in your purse is your latest romance read.
18. You’ve attended more than five romance conventions just because. Jane Austen and Regency period conventions count, even if they aren’t about books at all, because the subgenres are prominent.
19. You can spot a secret baby within a 100 yards.
20. If you ever daydreamed about being a heroine in one.

Bonus 21: If you’re like me than you’ve come to the conclusion, there’s never too romance in your life!

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Choices Meant for Gods is a fantasy adventure romance, the first of three parts. Medieval overtones color the epic tale following a young twenty-year old heroine. Her name is Amanda Chariss. She has long auburn tresses, violet eyes, and holds the Geasa’n, the natural ability to perform magic. Chariss is an orphan, protected and raised by an old wizard named Hrazon.

For sixteen years, Hrazon and Chariss have been on the run from the sorcerer Jamieson Drake. Drake killed Chariss’ mother, Vertigo, and seeks to finish his revenge by obtaining her death as well. She does not trust stability in any form, for life has taught her it disappears in a blink of an eye. Hrazon has done his best to train his ward, but even a powerful wizard and protégé need help.

Meet Rothahn, the Master. He is the head god. His father before him selected Rothahn for the throne before moving aside. Rothahn however is far from holding ultimate power, a fact which annoys him as he thinks it would be useful… at least if only to kill off Godric, his daughter’s husband, and hid the blame.

Nigel, the twenty-eight year old man and our hero also holds the Geasa’n. He is Godric’s son, and Rothahn’s grandson. He, like Rothahn, holds no love for the man who sired him. Noble and kind, Nigel spends his time looking after his family and their holdings. When he meets our heroine for the first time he knows something is about to change in his life.

Julette is an evil goddess known as The Dragon. When her husband gave up the throne she was incensed that he would dare pass the power and glory to Rothahn. Was she not Queen? In league with Drake, Julette is determined to bring about a new world order that would have all mortals bow to her and pray for her deliverance.

Below are my two favorite passages between Chariss and Nigel as they discuss love:

“I fail to see how these simple things tell you you’re in love. Kaylin enjoys my company. Mia enjoys arguing with me. Master Rothahn says I’m compassionate to a fault. I saved Sorne’s life once. Jake told me I’m beautiful. Does this mean they’re all in love with me?”

“If love could be explained that easily, it wouldn’t be real.”

…

“Nigel, let me give you some advice. You don’t want to marry for love because people fall out of love, and then there’s nothing left between them.”

He stared at her in shock. “I believe that’s the most cynical statement I’ve ever heard in my life.”

Watch him break down her walls… sigh.

Rating: 4 Stars

Choices Meant for Gods

Today’s guest blogger is debut author, Sandy Lender, of the Choices Trilogy. Please, extend a warm welcome to her for joining us!

I’m pretty doggone lucky. Not only did I get a publisher to give me a contract for my first novel CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS, that publisher asked for my opinion on the design of the cover.

So often in the publishing industry, authors have to sit back and wince over what a marketing department has selected for their book’s cover. When I met Terry Goodkind several years ago, he told me how disappointed he’d been in the first/original cover for WIZARD’S FIRST RULE. It had a red dragon on the cover with his main characters looking all dramatic and windblown. When I first saw the cover in the bookstore, I was intrigued enough to pick it up, but it didn’t “impress” me. What impressed me to buy Terry’s book (and I told him this) was his thank-you to Richard and Kahlin (his main characters) in the acknowledgments. THAT turned this writer to mush. I bought the book. It turns out, the dragon in Terry’s story is introduced late and plays a minor role.

Anyway, Terry shared that once his books became amazingly popular, he got to have some say in the cover design and the first novel was being reissued with a more artistic, dreamy look to match the rest of the series. (My description, not his.)

I’ve heard horror stories of images with lighthouses when the storyline takes place inland, images with a three-armed woman, back cover copy that mis-spells the hero’s name, back cover copy that reflects events that don’t take place in the story, etc. I was thrilled, as a new author, that my publisher said, “Send me some copy for the back cover” and “Here’s a cover idea; what do you think?”

The first image he sent me for CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS had a picture of my heroine’s head big and huge in the foreground with her hair very dark red and some kind of actual photograph of a modern dagger in the background. I feared making any comment. I turned off the computer and went to bed. The next morning, he had already sent a new concept. Thank God. He had a couple sword images for me to choose from. And he was reflecting part of Chariss’s image out of the sword. EXCELLENT! It’s quite cool because the amethyst that she’s got on her cheek and her lavender eyes are included on the cover without giving the reader a false idea of what she looks like…It’s perfect.

I didn’t want him to put the hero, Nigel, and the heroine, Chariss, on the cover together. While their relationship draws a lot of attention (and e-mails) from readers, we didn’t want to make it the focal point. There are several plotlines and their romance is just one in the fantasy novel. I think what my publisher came up with contains important elements to attract fantasy enthusiasts, and the back cover copy that we worked up draws all sorts of readers in.

Thanks for checking in today!

“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”

Buy: Choices Meant for Gods

Don’t forget to comment on today’s post for a chance to win an autographed, hard cover, first edition of Choices Meant for Gods! One lucky winner will be drawn at the end of each week during the tour. If you don’t win this week follow along for next week! Details here:

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Warnings… if you weren’t curious about Choices Meant for Gods or Sandy Lender before this interview you’re going to be chomping at the bit to get this book to devour! Mwuahaha…

1. How did the idea for Choices Meant for Gods first come to you?

Sandy Lender: Way back when I was in junior high or early high school, the evil bad guy, Jamieson Drake, showed me Amanda Chariss. She was standing on a balcony, holding back the curtains as if embracing the morning sunrise and she was beautiful. I fell in love with her instantly. I got her name wrong at first…and I wasn’t sure how she met Nigel Taiman at first…but I always knew she’d been running (with her wizard guardian) from this nasty old sorcerer Drake since she was a child.

I’ve got a notebook somewhere with a scene of Chariss and Hrazon meeting up with Nigel in the forest before they get to the Taiman estate. The names are all wrong but the camaraderie between Chariss and Hrazon is amazing. It shows Nigel instantly falling in love with this young lady, which I think is way too obvious, of course!

2. I’m pretty curious about Chariss. Why is she a heroine readers can get behind?

Sandy Lender: On one hand, Chariss is this amazing, kick-butt, no-holds-barred gal who possesses a well-controlled form of magic (the geasa) through years of training and self-sacrifice. On the other hand, she’s just a 20-year-old girl who’s been running from a madman since age four when the guy killed her whole family in front of her. She’s sympathetic that way. She doesn’t think of herself as any great shakes. She’s done all this training so she can protect herself; not to impress anyone. She doesn’t believe she can do anything great (flaw #1); she can’t cook (funny flaw). She loves her guardian wizard like a father and would lay down her life to save his. She’s kind to everyone because she just feels that’s the right way to be. When she finds a fledgling dragon, she’s excited and wants to feed it. She’s just approachable and fun, strong and fabulous. There are reviewers on Amazon who state it more succinctly than I can because I’m too close to her. I’ve had her in my head for 25 years or so.

Oh. And then there’s this amethyst on her cheekbone, high up near the corner of her right eye that she was born with. It’s a “birthmark” of sorts that seals her fate…

3. What are some of the overarching themes that will drive your Choices trilogy?

Tolerance

Love

Spirituality

4. What are some of the difficulties in world-building?

Sandy Lender: Tracking those darn moons. I have a big ol’ desk calendar, though, that I’ve plotted the moon patterns on so I know when the two moons in the world of Onweald are both full, both waning, etc. I need that information…

Another difficulty was measurements when I’ve got a flooding river in the mix. I have the evil bad guy in cahoots with an evil bad goddess (because one evil bad guy isn’t enough, you know?) and they’ve got an evil bad army marching toward Chariss’s latest refuge. Well, I’ve got to measure out how long that’s going to take so everyone converges on the same place at the same time in Book III. So far, I think I have it timed just so…

5. Of course world-building isn’t all work-a lot of it is fun. What’s your favorite fantasy element you’ve incorporated into your world?

Sandy Lender: This is a really great question, Keira! There are a few elements I love…like Malachi, the dragon. I can’t go into “why” because I would be giving away a bit of a mystery that the reader is supposed to solve before the end of Choices Meant for Gods. Chariss doesn’t solve it (silly girl), but the reader figures it out. Mwuahahahaha.

I will pick: the geasa. I’m one of those funky Southern Baptists (even though I write bizarre fantasy about polytheistic societies - go figure) that believes sorcery and magic are things you best be pretty darn careful about. So, in my fantasy novels, I didn’t want to confuse any impressionable minds (teens, etc.) who would be reading by having my “good guys” using sorcery or magic. So I made up a form of magic that comes from the good side of nature in my world. Now, you can argue that we’re still using magic, and I agree, but, hey, it’s my fantasy world and I’ll cheat if I want to. So I made up the geasa as a god-breathed form of power that some people get while they’re forming in the womb and some people don’t. It’s not necessarily hereditary, but many frightened bigots in the world of Onweald fear that it is, and many families have been murdered for producing Geasa’n children. That’s where the theme of tolerance comes into play in the series. People who are intolerant and bigoted don’t fare so well in my novels…

6. When it comes to the written word and real life, how do you define love?

Sandy Lender: I’ve just gone through a 17-month divorce, after a 13-year marriage that was mostly devoid of love, so I might not be the right person to ask. He he he. In fact, not long before I filed, my ex-husband informed me that he’d spent most of the marriage resenting me. Nice. So…I think I’ll say that love would be NOT resenting the other person.

To be very serious, though, I would define love as mutual affection, respect, and, in romantic love, passion. Isn’t it Eleanor in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility who throws “esteem” into the mix? I agree with the concept. Even for romantic love, the friendship qualities have to be in there or your characters are just having a fling.

In Choices Meant for Gods, when Nigel and Chariss first see each other, Chariss is so distressed over a plot development that’s happening that she doesn’t really notice too much about him. But Nigel is instantly enamored. He wants to come to her rescue. A friendship builds between the two before Nigel ever announces his intentions. Chariss wouldn’t have had it any other way.

7. How did ArcheBooks first hear of Choices Meant for Gods?

Sandy Lender: I had a pitch session with the publisher, Bob Gelinas, at a writer’s conference in Southwest Florida. He took my proposal, synopsis, marketing plan, first three chapters, and then requested the full manuscript a few days later. Woo-hoo! That was probably the most stressful interview of my whole life. Bob was a kind person, rather informal, just havin’ a conversation about my book, but he probably doesn’t realize I was on the verge of cardiac arrest the whole time.

8. Fill in the blank: If you’re not writing, you are irritable.

9. What do you hope readers will gain from Choices Meant for Gods and the rest of your trilogy?

Sandy Lender: Even though life isn’t always fair, even though we don’t always get what we want, there are amazing people we meet during our journeys who lift us up. Without these people, the journey wouldn’t be worth much.

10. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

Sandy Lender: This might seem a wee bit odd, but in addition to my Choices Meant for Gods, I would encourage folks also to read Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. This novel is one of the best ever written. It’s my favorite of all time. There are elements in Jane Eyre that influence my writing on a conscious and subconscious level, and folks who have already read the book will probably pick out a few of those elements in Choices Meant for Gods.

Also, thank you so much for hosting me! And thank you to all the visitors who’ve stopped in to read our interview today. It’s been a fun exercise.

Thank you so much Sandy for sitting down and doing this interview with me! I’m so excited about this book and I hope everyone else is too.

If you’re interested in WINNING an autographed, hard cover, first edition of Choices Meant for Gods leave a COMMENT on today’s post AND tomorrow’s post because at the end of each week one commenter (from all the blogs in the tour that week) will be randomly drawn and awarded. It might be you!

Buy: Choices Meant for Gods

To learn more about Sandy and Choices Meant for Gods check out the rest of her blog tour:

It is just Hoyt’s terrible bad luck that I read the The Raven Prince for the very first time just two days before I got this book from the library. I know it’s in bad form to judge a book based on another book, but as both are by the same author, I figure this could be the exception to the rule. To Beguile a Beast read like a poor man’s version of the Raven Prince. There were so many similarities between the too, it was astonishing.

Some of the similarities include: the fairytale story at the beginning of each chapter, the conditions of the poor heroes, and the positions of the women in the hero’s life. They are all the same or at least very, very similar. Proof (spoilery):

TBAB = To Beguile a Beast
TRP = The Raven Prince

Fairytale:

Truth Teller soldier fairytale in TBAB.
The raven prince fairytale in TRP.

Heroes:

Hero is scarred in TBAB: Missing eye, missing fingers, facial scars.
Hero is scarred in TRP: Pox marks all over face and body.
Both heroes are gruesome looking.

Hero in TBAB writes on flora and fauna of New England.
Hero in TRP writes on agriculture.

Heroines:

Heroine works as housekeeper in TBAB.
Heroine works as a secretary in TRP.

Similar Hero Character backgrounds:

Hero in TBAB lost his fiancé to fever.
Hero in TRP first wife died in child birth.

The only big difference that I saw was:

Heroine in TBAB has two children.
Heroine in TRP has no children.

I was bored with To Beguile a Beast. It may be because I read Raven Prince so soon before reading this book. I believe, however, that I would have disliked it even without reading Raven Prince. The magic in the tale simply wasn’t as enthralling as the Raven Prince. I closed Raven Prince feeling satisfied and happy. I struggled to make it through each chapter of To Beguile a Beast. I was glad to finish TBAB, simply so I could move on to another story. If you read it, do you feel the same way?

Rating: 1.5-2 Stars

Buy: To Beguile A Beast

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I bet that headline caught your attention! This post started innocently enough in the comments of The Smell of a Hero.

Susan said:

In my world everyone’s fang obsessed (lol) I’d say werewolves would also use fangs since wolves have large canines. (No claws) he-he.

I said:

They do have large canines. I think that should be a post - comparison of vampire and werewolf canines: Does Size Matter?

Susan goes on to note in an email:

…vampire fangs are thinner, when I think werewolves I think thicker (cough, cough).

Oh dear! What have we started? The battle between vampires and werewolves has begun. Will paranormal ever be the same? Probably, but let’s pretend otherwise…

Does size matter in paranormal?

When we think of heroes in paranormal romances we know a few basic facts. Nearly always, the hero is the alpha male whether it is in a vampire kiss or of a werewolf pack. Usually, the heroine is kick-ass. Additionally, she is also somehow forbidden to the hero. Rarely do we see a heroine go for the beta or lesser male in a paranormal. So that brings us to the question does size matter? I say it does.

In two book series that I’ve read, the vampire has won the girl in the end. The first is in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series where Jean-Claude muscles out Richard Zeeman. Granted, the series evolves and Zeeman comes back into the picture, along with a few dozen other men. The second is The Twilight Saga with Bella clinging to Edward Cullen and choosing him over Jacob Black.

With the second series we’ll never know the characters respective sizes, but in Hamilton’s world alpha lycanthropes are so far very well endowed and have the added benefit of being able to control that part of their anatomy… ie make it even bigger.  I imagine using that ability might be used in male to male posturing, as for lovemaking… a girl can only hold so much.

But back to the canines, and not err… other equipment. Which species of nighttime heroes has the bigger bite (allure)?

Vampire heroes are elegant, sophisticated, and mysterious. Their beauty is just one of their allures. Do not for one moment think their charming façade equates to being a pansy. Oh no, vampire heroes are known for their volatile mood swings, strength, and deadly control.

Werewolf heroes are overtly masculine, muscled, and alpha. Their outer strength is coupled with inner sensitivity. They are the leaders for their packs and must take care of every member. It is a task that burdens them heavily at times, especially when youngsters are determined to run a foul.

If you had to turn…who would you choose to turn you?

Answer the poll below and leave a comment!

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The rest is as they say is all in the fang.

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Keira: How did the ideas for An Offer You Can’t Refuse and Miranda’s Big Mistake come to you?

Jill: With Offer, I was very keen to write about a sparky bookshop manageress who loves books, and my readers seem to have appreciated this - mainly because they’re readers too! With Miranda, I wanted to set the story in a hair salon as I think they’re amazing places for eavesdropping, gossiping and fun. I don’t enjoy having my hair done, but I still love going because I know I’ll come away with enough ideas to fill ten books!

Keira: Do character names come easily for you or is there a trial and error process?

Jill: Good question. I use my books of babies’ names to find them, and sometimes they work straight away, but occasionally they don’t work out and need to be changed. A lot easier to do now, with word processors, than in the old days when you had to sit down with your 600 typed pages and a bucket of Tippex…

Keira: Do you prefer a heroine, hero, or couple over the other and why?

Jill: Sorry, I don’t understand this question. Is this an American term? I like all my main characters!

Keira: What do you think is the hardest thing for anyone to do in a relationship?

Jill: Ooh, another great question! Personally speaking, my other half is tidy and I’m not, so I have to try very hard to clean up after myself. And he has to try very hard not to mind when I fail! I suppose, in a nutshell, we’re talking about compromise.

Keira: For you, what is the appeal of contemporary romance?

Jill: It’s easy entertainment and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. We like to relax and escape from the pressures of life. I write feel-good fiction and people tell me I’ve cheered them up. For me, that’s just perfect.

Keira:Is there anything you struggle with when writing? How to do you overcome that?

Jill: At the moment I’m struggling because my heroine has taken a job working in an office. The problem is, I’ve never worked in an office so I haven’t a clue what she’s supposed to be doing all day. If it was something more specific I could look it up on Google, but I’m just having to guess! (My agent had to break it to me that secretaries don’t take shorthand any more…)

Keira: If you could be one of your characters - either book - who would you be?

Jill: Either of them, but Miranda is probably the nicer person, so I’ll go with her. And she gets to see a great tennis match on the Centre Court at Wimbledon , which would make my year!

Keira: Fill in the blank: If you’re not writing you are ______

Jill: …Feeling very naughty and guilty, as if I’ve taken a day off work when I’m not even sick. Even when I’m doing other things, I’m probably still thinking about the characters and the plot at the back of my mind. (That ‘ s my excuse, anyway.) Yesterday was such a beautiful sunny day that my daughter and I went to Bath for lunch at Jamie Oliver ‘ s restaurant. We sat on the terrace, ate wonderful food and had the best time. Then we went shopping afterwards. Today I ‘ m working extra-hard to make up for it!

Keira: What inspired you to put pen to paper as it were and write in the first place?

Jill: This sounds terrible, but I really started because I wanted to become rich! I had no money at all and saw a magazine piece about successful romance writers whose lives had been transformed. I sat down and wrote a book. And now I’ve written twenty in total. It’s been wonderful and it has completely changed my life.

Keira: Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

Jill: I’d just like to say thanks, Keira, for asking to interview me. I’m so thrilled to be published in the States and everyone’s being so kind about my books. The feedback has been fantastic. I couldn’t have asked for a better response. You’re all stars!

You can visit Jill at her website and follow what she’s up to by checking out her diary. In the meanwhile, you can Buy: An Offer You Can’t Refuse or Purchase: Miranda’s Big Mistake.

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Everybody say hi and welcome Cheryl Brooks, author of the Cat Star Chronicles, to Love Romance Passion. Grab a cup of something hot and let’s get down to business. Below is the interview:

Thank you so much Cheryl for sitting down to chat! How did you come up with the idea for the Cat Star Chronicles?

I’d been writing contemporary romances that utilized the boy-next-door theme and had also written a number of stories that were requested by friends, but my original intention when I began writing-about thirty years ago, now!-was to write a science fiction romance. Then I read an erotic sci-fi novel about a woman who had to pose as a slave to a dominant male, and because I’ve never been a fan of dominant alpha males, I thought it would be much more fun if the man was the slave instead of the woman! So I wrote a story about a tough, independent space trader named Jacinth in need of a man she can trust with her life to aid her in the quest to rescue her kidnapped sister. Toward that end she buys an alien slave, whom she dubs Cat, hoping to gain his loyalty by offering him freedom in exchange for his assistance. Part of the appeal of this hero was that, being a slave, he had nothing but his strength, intelligence, and sensual nature to offer a woman. It was my intention that he be the last of his kind, but to continue this as a series, I created a scenario where six Zetithian men were captured at the end of the war that destroyed their world and sold into slavery and each book in the series tells the story of how one of them found love.

Should readers start from the beginning of the series or do you feel that they can jump in any time?

I think any series works best by reading them in order, however, I’ve tried very hard to make each of my books able to stand alone, and, according to several reviews, I’ve succeeded.

What is your favorite book so far in the series? How many in total will there be?

It’s difficult to choose because though all of my heroes are irresistible Zetithians, they all have very different personalities, as do my heroines. I let my imagination run wild in Slave, but Warrior was fun because most of the secondary characters were animals with whom the heroine could communicate telepathically-and they all had plenty of pithy comments to make about humans! In Rogue, my piano-teacher heroine had two stunning Zetithian brothers to choose from and some really fun aliens as the supporting characters. Outcast, being about a man who has lost all desire for women, is more of a tear-jerker than the others, and it is also the first to be written in third person which gave me a chance to get inside the hero’s head for a change, something that I enjoyed very much. I’ve had a blast writing the last two books, Fugitive and Hero, too, so I really can’t pick one favorite.

As it now stands, there will be six in the series, and possibly a seventh.

How did Sourcebooks first hear of your book?

I first heard of Sourcebooks when the Romance Writer’s Report listed them as a newly approved publisher. They were accepting both paranormal and erotic romances, so I submitted the manuscript for my erotic sci-fi novel, and promptly forgot about it until the editor called saying she wanted to read the rest of it. She loved it, but it was too short, so I added a few new scenes and the manuscript was then accepted.

What do you think is the biggest appeal of fantasy / sci-fi romance?

For me, the appeal is that it places few limits on my imagination, and I think that probably holds true for the readers, as well, because there are endless opportunities for surprises.

I know you’re a nurse; how does that work when it comes to writing on schedule? What is your writing routine?

I work three twelve-hour night shifts a week, which varies from week to week, so there is no schedule! I’m just like anyone else: I have free time, but what I do with it is write, rather than watch television. After Slave came out, I was encouraged to try to write four books a year-and this year, there are three-but found that I simply couldn’t do it and remain sane. As long as the nursing job is the one paying the bills, the books will have to be limited to two a year.

Most of my writing is done in the evening, with blogging and emails, etc, done during the day.

What was the hardest part of writing your series?

Remembering the small details about different alien species from book to book and just where in the galaxy each planet is located. I probably need to keep a notebook of characters and species and draw a map, but I haven’t done it yet, so I have to keep copies of my books close by!

In your own words, what is love?

A deep, emotional, enduring attachment that makes you consider that person’s wishes ahead of your own.

What is your favorite aspect of writing?

The creative outlet it provides. I’d go crazy without it!

What makes a great written bedroom scene?

One that makes you tingle all over and want to read it again and again! The specific components can vary, but if it doesn’t involve the heart and soul, it’s just sex.

How do you decide character names? Who’s your favorite male and female lead so far?

My male characters have all had a connection to the “cat” theme. There was Cat in Slave, Leo in Warrior, and Tychar in Rogue, which is an alteration of the word tiger. Outcast has Lynx, and Fugitive has Manx, which are both types of cats. Trag (Hero) is short for Tragonathon, which is a combination of a friend’s name and the words tiger and dragon.

My heroine’s names are sometimes suggested by their occupation or their personality, or it can just be a name I happen to like. For the more alien names, I experiment. Sometimes I’ll take a traditional human name and change the vowels. Other times I strike random letters on the keyboard and then go back and play around with it until it sounds right. I may change the spelling several times while I’m writing before I’m happy with it.

My favorite hero will always be Cat (Slave), because he was the one who started it all, and Bonnie (Outcast) is my favorite heroine because she had the patience and kindness to turn Lynx’s life around, which I’m not sure I could have done.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

I love hearing from readers!

My email address is: cheryl.brooks52@yahoo.com

Website: cherylbrooksonline.com

I also blog on Casablanca Authors, Wickedly Romantic, and Cheryl Brooks Erotic Blogspot.

Buy: Outcast (The Cat Star Chronicles, Book 4)

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In Over Her Head is the ultimate beach read. No, seriously, it is. You have talking fish, Mers (only humans would classify them by gender), sea monsters, underwater cities hidden by the Greek gods, heirs, thrones, adventure, a cache of diamonds… there’s so much going on in this book.

In so many ways this book is a retelling of Little Mermaid, though I prefer to think of it as the reverse of The Little Mermaid. The hero is a prince, but he’s also a Mer. It’s the heroine who is human and is afraid of the water. She is petrified to be in the ocean: sharks, sharks, mysterious voices, sharks, and well sharks. It’s a wonder she ever got certified to dive.

Both characters are driven by the urge to prove themselves. Erica has been labeled incompetent, useless, and a nutcase ever since the Incident. She’s been struggling to prove to her brothers, who’ve teased her mercilessly ever since, that she is capable and smart and well normal.

Reel, being the second son, is the Spare… as in the heir and the… all his life he’s been a part of the Mer world without any of its perks. As the second son he doesn’t have fins, he has legs. Sure he can breath underwater, speak to fish, but he’s never had respect. The most important race in his life and he was four minutes behind. He doesn’t have the power or the immortality the rest of them do and has been struggling for acceptance into a society that looks down on him. If only his father would get to know him instead of considering him the ultimate embarrassment.

It’s a fish of a tale, pun so intended–bad as it undoubtedly is. If you’re looking to kick up your fins and read a good kelp-turner… yeah, okay I’m done with the water jokes. Judi is much better at these than I am. Well, no I do have one more. Have you ever heard that joke about the Merman, the Kraken, and the Female Human?

Rating: 3 Stars

Classified interracial because of Mer/Human relationship.

Buy: In Over Her Head

This past month has been a blast! May was filled with reviews, guest bloggers, author interviews, and many fun articles covering a wide range of topics from TBR piles to romance heroes. I celebrated my blog’s 1^st year on the 26^th with mantitty and twitter. Thank you everyone who commented and played because you made the day very special! Shared below is the month’s highlights:

May’s 11 Most Commented Posts:

• Erotic Romance, Not Just Erotica and Romance
• 7 Organizational Tips to Help Reduce Your To Be Read Pile!
• 4 Monetary Tips to Reducing Your To Be Read Pile
• Top Ten Reasons Why Women Love Domestic Gods
• Review Blind Seduction by Debra Hyde
• 16 Ways to Read More Books!
• Review: Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas
• Top Ten Items Every Romance Hero Needs
• Avon Fails to Understand Online Romance Community
• The Smell of a Hero
• Ten Reasons Why Women Love Romance Novels

May’s Guest Bloggers:

• Erotic Romance, Not Just Erotica and Romance
• Top Ten Reasons Why Women Love Domestic Gods
• The Contemporary Heroine Surviving the Workplace

May’s Author Interviews:

• Get into Bed with Jennifer Haymore (Author Interview)
• Get into Bed with Robin Kaye (Author Q&A)
• Get into Bed with Libby Malin (Author Interview)
• Get into Bed with Laurie Brown (Author Interview)

May’s Misc.:

What are the best Georgette Heyer Romances? Poll:

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