HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Anyone have any exciting plans for New Year's Eve? We never do anything for New Year's - I like it that way. I'm sooo not exciting! I'm rarely even awake to see in the new year. My girls are always out celebrating with friends/boyfriends while we're at home, struggling to keep our eyes open! Sometimes I see the ball drop and sometimes (ok, usually) I don't!

I'm reading Elizabeth Scott's FREE PASS now (yes, I'm embarrassingly late), so look for a review soon, followed by Lisa Renee Jones' LONE STAR SURRENDER, which will include a couple of fabu giveaways.

Did you have one book in particular that you read in 2008 that was stellar? Try any new authors that you're anxious to read again? I read so many great books by so many great authors in 2008 that I truly can't choose just one as Best in Show!

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve, however you choose to celebrate. Please be careful if you're out on the road.

Happy New Year!

Laurie

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate - Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday filled with family, friends and good food! I'm thankful for each and every one of you who take the time to visit here.

Bless you all,
Laurie

CUTTING BOARD WINNER!

Lindsay pulled a name for me - congratulations to Laurie! Please email me at ljodamron@gmail.com with your mailing info by Wednesday so I can get the cutting board in the mail to you!

Thanks so much to everyone who checked out Karin's website and entered the giveaway - I hope you saw some books there to tempt you! Stay tuned for another Christmas contest soon. My next review will be for Elizabeth Scott's FREE PASS - it promises to be erotic fun!

Laurie

Karin Tabke's MASTER OF TORMENT - there's a giveaway!!

Karin Tabke was kind enough to have her publisher send me a copy of MASTER OF TORMENT. First, I have to send huge thanks to her for thinking of me and second, I have to tell you all that you HAVE to get a copy of this book. Yes, it's that good.

A blurb:
Wulfson of Trevelyn, trusted knight of William the Conqueror, has never met a man he could not master. But in the tempestuous young widow Tarian of Trent, known as the Lady Warrior, Wulf may finally have met his match. Ordered by the king to eliminate her traitorous bloodline, Wulf captures the lady but hesitates to execute his orders, falling captive himself to her seductive dark beauty.
To Lady Tarian’s dismay, neither her fighting spirit nor her wiles are sufficient to bend Wulfson completely to her will. As she and Wulfson try to stay one step ahead of the angered King, Tarian vows she will not be the loser in their passionate battle, but her own desire for this overpowering stranger threatens not only her body, and her heart, but both of their lives.

My review:
Lady Tarian isn’t your typical Saxon female. Adept at using sharp instruments, including swords, quivers, and her mind, she wants no part of male-dominated marriage. When she does marry, she ends up killing her husband in order to save her own life. The uncle of her deceased husband then decides that he will marry her, going so far as to abduct and torture her when she refuses. Norman knight Wulfson of Trevelyn comes to Tarian’s rescue, but only because his king, William the Conqueror, has ordered him to kill her.
Wulfson has pledged loyalty to the king but as he spends time with Tarian and gets to know her, he’s forced to acknowledge an ever-growing, unexpected admiration and respect for her. There’s no doubt that she is more intriguing than any woman he’s ever known. Truth be told, she’s stronger and more courageous than most men he’s ever known, but she also seriously tries his patience and his resistance.
Tarian knows that Wulfson shares her attraction but also knows that he won’t be disloyal to his king. As her fondness for him grows, so does her reluctance to put him in harm’s way and when she tries to flee, the resulting violence threatens not only the love between them, but their very lives.
Karin Tabke has given readers a real gem in MASTER OF TORMENT. The first book in this Blood Sword series, MASTER OF SURRENDER, was excellent, but I truly feel that this second work is more satisfying. I was pulled into the characters’ lives and surroundings immediately; the Medieval darkness of the setting at no time feels heavy or unsettling. I highly recommend this book as well as the first book in the series, but would clarify that MASTER OF TORMENT stands very capably on its own.
Thank you, Karin, for allowing me to read and review Tarian and Wulfson’s story for you!
Here's a direct link to Amazon for those who want to get a copy! I look at it like this - at $6.99, it’s pretty inexpensive entertainment!
And if that wasn't enough temptation, look at the cover for MASTER OF CRAVING, the next installment in the Blood Sword series. Yum!

I’m celebrating this new release from Karin with a Christmas gift giveaway. I have a festive glass cutting board from Coldwater Creek – like the one pictured here. It measures 8 x 10 and looks nice on a countertop or tabletop, or it would make a nice gift. I have one just like it on my kitchen counter. Are you interested? If so, check out Karin’s website and leave a comment here that tells something about Karin, her books, her site, etc. I’ll draw a winner on Sunday the 14th.

Thanks for checking it out! I hope everyone is having a great week. I'm off work from tomorrow through Tuesday - yay! I'll be finishing up some decorating, doing some baking and candymaking, shopping, making a trip to Tim's family cemetery in WV to put wreaths on graves, taking my mom to my dad's grave to put on a wreath, and wrapping some gifts. No rest for the wicked, right?

Laurie

Let's show some love!

These are the three items I've donated for the Jo Leigh auction. They will be available until late on the 10th. The total value of these three items is approximately $33. and I am paying to ship them to the winner bidder. At the time of this writing the top bid is a tad over $11. - I'd like to think that romance readers would be willing to chip in a little more than that for some fun, useful items benefiting such a great cause. Jo Leigh is a wonderful asset to the romance community and your support is very much appreciated. So if you haven't checked out the auction, please do so.


Thanks!
Laurie

WE HAVE A WINNER!

The winner of Jill Shalvis's HEATING UP THE HOLIDAYS is Robyn L. - congratulations, Robyn! Please contact me by Thursday evening with your mailing info - at ljodamron@gmail.com
Thanks to everyone who entered - I'll have more contests soon, so keep checking back!
Laurie

HEATING UP THE HOLIDAYS - with a giveaway!

My pal Jill Shalvis is one of the three authors in the Blaze anthology, HEATING UP THE HOLIDAYS. As you've probably figured out from the cover, these are firefighter romances and while yes, they are short, they are incredibly sweet and (no pun intended, seriously) they're hot! I'm not doing a review because I'm way late with already scheduled reviews for Karin Tabke and Elizabeth Scott (Janice Maynard's alter ego) - but I did do a quick read and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys Christmas romances.
I'm giving away a copy of HEATING UP THE HOLIDAYS and all you have to do is leave a comment saying that you're interested and you'll be entered. I'll draw the winning name on Monday evening. If you don't want to wait to see if you're the winner, then hop on over to Amazon and get a copy pronto!
I hope everyone has a great weekend - does anyone have any fun plans? Lindsay and I are going to our downtown's "First Friday" with some friends. The first Friday of each month all of the downtown stores stay open later and there are hot chocolate and spiced cider stations downtown, fire barrels where you can roast marshmallows if you want and this month there will be carolers singing. We're going to eat at a hole in the wall diner downtown called The Hamburger Inn. It's been around forever and does it ever have character - and the best cheeseburgers ever! I'm hoping to get my Christmas decorations out on Saturday and then my office is having it's Christmas dinner in the evening. It's looking like another busy weekend!
Laurie

PRIMAL MALE - the latest from Sasha White

Hot on the heels of MY PREROGATIVE, Sasha White has a new release, PRIMAL MALE. As you would expect from Sasha, this book is very sensual and has a healthy dose of heartfelt emotion. Add a little woo-woo and a touch of suspense and danger, and you've got a well-rounded romance. Here's a little chatter about PRIMAL MALE, starting with the following blurb:
Surrender to your wildest instincts…
PRIMAL POWER An empath with the ability to sense others’ emotions, Drake Wheeler has survived by keeping his own feelings shut off from the world. But nothing has prepared him for the sudden smoldering need that overtakes him in the presence of pureblood shape shifter Melissa Montrose. Even more surprising—he can’t sense anything around the sultry bookstore owner…except for his fierce urge to take her here, now, over and over again…
PRIMAL HEAT Melissa has lived her life in a small town, hiding her family’s mysterious birthright. A fling with the sexy tourist who wanders into her bookstore seems like a delicious, temporary diversion, until Drake touches her in exactly the way she craves, teasing and tempting every inch of her body into explosive ecstasy. Drake’s obviously a man with secrets, but Melissa’s got a few of her own, and she’s going to show him just how wild and raw pure, primitive desire can be…

Click here for a great excerpt!

My review:
When empath Drake Wheeler goes in search of some down time while looking for a powerful shape shifter, he finds himself in a bookstore in the small town of Chadwick. He quickly decides to mix business with a little pleasure after meeting the store’s owner, Melissa Montrose. Melissa is breathtakingly beautiful and he is instantly attracted, but it doesn’t take long for him to realize there’s much more to Melissa than meets the eye. Melissa is very much alone in the world, except for one close, dear friend. When brutal violence gets a little too close to Melissa for Drake’s comfort, he insists that she stay with him. It soon becomes clear that in sticking close to Melissa, Drake is nearer to the elusive shape shifter than he could ever have dreamed.

Despite sharing an undeniably sensual pull towards Drake, Melissa is highly suspicious of him and his motives. The covert group he belongs to has sent him to Chadwick to do some investigational searching for the shape shifting Sharza, although they don’t truly know just who, or what, Sharza is. A young shape shifter who has joined this specially gifted group needs knowledge and guidance to make full, positive use of her powers, and they’re determined to find someone who can assist as her instructor. Melissa has been fiercely independent for a large portion of her life, and she isn’t quick to trust. While she has fallen for Drake and she knows full well that he cares deeply for her, he won’t fully open himself up to her, which she finds more than a little frustrating.

Sasha White has yet again proven why she’s the undisputed queen of erotic romance. Drake is not your typical tortured hero, and Melissa has had more than her fair share of heartache. They complete each other just by being together, let alone when passions flair. Watching Drake’s fall into love is especially nice, and readers will be cheering Melissa as she attempts to bring his true feelings to light. I can’t help but give PRIMAL MALE the highest marks.

I hope you'll all be tempted to run out and grab a copy - if you'd rather order online, here's a link to Amazon so you can do just that!
Thanks to Sasha, for allowing me to read PRIMAL MALE for you - and thanks to all of my fellow readers for checking it out! I'll bet there's someone on your Christmas shopping list who would love a copy - and while you're at it, you might as well start them out with a copy of SEXY DEVIL, the prequel to PRIMALE MALE!
Laurie

PACKING UP SOME LOVE

This is what I did all of Sunday afternoon - packing up holiday boxes to send to the troops. These eight boxes, together with three big boxes that were shipped back in the summer, brings the total poundage of goodies shipped to the troops over the past few years to approximately 900 pounds. Pretty incredible, huh? I'll be buying some more Christmas candy, lights, decorations, music and DVDs, hopefully tomorrow or Wednesday, and then I'll have three additional boxes to get to the P.O. What a great feeling!

My long weekend was also spend reading - I'll have a review for Sasha White's PRIMAL MALE posted in the next couple of days, followed by a review for Karin Tabke's MASTER OF TORMENT. I haven't forgotten the Jill Shalvis HEATING UP THE HOLIDAYS giveaway, and am pleased to announce an upcoming giveaway for several copies of the upcoming Blaze by Lisa Renee Jones, LONE STAR SURRENDER, together with copies of ALLURING TALES (Awaken the Fantasy), DAMNED, DELICIOUS AND DANGEROUS, and ALLURING TALES (Hot Holiday Nights) - so stay tuned!!

Laurie