Shadow Eyes by Dusty Crabtree with Giveaway!

Iris thought she could ignore the shadows…until they came after everyone she loved.

Seventeen-year- old Iris Kohl has been able to see both dark and light figures ever since a tragic incident three years ago. The problem is, no one else seems to see them, and even worse…the dark figures terrorize humans, but Iris is powerless to stop them. 

Although she’s learned to deal with watching shadows harass everyone around her, Iris is soon forced to question everything she thinks she knows about her world and herself. Her sanity, strength, and will power are tested to the limits by not only the shadows, but also a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows, a new friend with an awe-inspiriting aura, and a mysterious, alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend. As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, Iris must ultimately accept the guidance of an angel to revisit the most horrific event of her life and become the hero she was meant to be.

My thoughts - - Crabtree's debut will keep you up late immersed in a world of secrets, shadows and mystery. Not only are the characters modern and realistic, but they are bright,  unique and palpable.  What drove me to keep turning the pages beyond the great writing and characters, though, is the purpose of discovering what happened to Iris in her past to give her this rare affinity to see the shadows.

How Iris adjusts her life with the shadows, the glowing light figures and the addition of peer pressure is a testament to her inner-strength.  Her friends really are great support for her and although sometimes teens will do as teens do, there are many messages within Shadow Eyes to relate to the teenage reader.  However, as an adult, I found myself enthralled with the storyline and can't wait for the next in the series.  And just a warning - big cliffhanger! Love em and hate em! Dusty Crabtree has ensconced herself firmly in the young adult genre and I can't wait to see what she has in store next!

Dusty Crabtree loves a good story, but she also loves young people. These two loves are evident in all parts of her life. She has been a high school English teacher since 2006 and a creative writing teacher since 2014. She's also been a youth sponsor at her local church for as long as she’s been teaching. She feels very blessed with the amazing opportunities she has to develop meaningful relationships with teens on a daily basis. With her love of reading in the mix, becoming an author of young adult books was just a natural development of those two passions in her life. She lives with her husband, Clayton, in Yukon, Oklahoma, where they often serve their community as foster parents.

Check out Dusty’s blog 

Find her on facebook 

Follow her on twitter 

Follow her on Instagram – dustycrabtree12

Check out Shadow Eyes on Goodreads 

View the book trailer at Shadow Eyes Book Trailer 

buy Shadow Eyes on Amazon or other major online bookstores like Barnes&Noble and Apple (print will also be available on Amazon by the release date – 9/2/16)

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A Stitch to Die For by Louis Winston Book Blast & Giveaway!

A Stitch to Die For by Lois Winston

A Stitch to Die For by Lois Winston

BOOK BLAST

A Stitch to Die For (An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery) (Volume 5) 5th in Series Cozy Mystery • Paperback: 240 pages • Publisher: Lois Winston (July 7, 2015) • ISBN-13: 978-1940795300

Synopsis:

The adventures of reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack continue in A Stitch to Die For, the 5th book in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series by USA Today bestselling author Lois Winston.

Ever since her husband died and left her in debt equal to the gross national product of Uzbekistan, magazine crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack has stumbled across one dead body after another—but always in work-related settings. When a killer targets the elderly nasty neighbor who lives across the street from her, murder strikes too close to home. Couple that with a series of unsettling events days before Halloween, and Anastasia begins to wonder if someone is sending her a deadly message.

 

About The Author –

USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Visit Lois/Emma at www.loiswinston.com and Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog, www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com. Follow everyone on Tsu at www.tsu.co/loiswinston, on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/anasleuth, and onTwitter at https://twitter.com/Anasleuth. Sign up for her newsletter at https://www.MyAuthorBiz.com/ENewsletter.php?acct=LW2467152513   Author Links Website: http://www.loiswinston.com Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog: http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/Anasleuth Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/anasleuth Tsu: www.tsu.co/loiswinston Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/722763.Lois_Winston Purchase Links Amazon Nook Kobo iTunes Google Play

October 29

Minding Spot

Michele Lynn Seigfried's Blog

Babs Book Bistro

readalot

Cozy Up With Kathy

3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too !

A Blue Million Books

Frankie Bow

Book Babble

Shelley's Book Case

Tea and a Book

Griperang's Bookmarks

October 30

Community Bookstop

Girl with Book Lungs

Kaisy Daisy's Corner

Mallory Heart Reviews

Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews

Musings and Ramblings

THE SELF-TAUGHT COOK

deal sharing aunt

Laura's Interests

Brooke Blogs

October 31

Sapphyria's Book Reviews

Books Are Life - Vita Libri

Thoughts in Progress

Christa Reads and Writes

Jane Reads

Teatime and Books

Queen of All She Reads

StoreyBook Reviews

Read Your Writes Book Reviews

Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Bronze by B. B Shepherd Blog Tour & $100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway!

 

Tour Schedule

 

The Glister Journals: Bronze Allison Anderson knows she's a little different, but it hadn't bothered her too much-until now. Moving away from everything she's ever known to a new house, new neighborhood, and new school is bad enough, but it's her first year of high school too, making it even more intimidating. She's more aware of her social and physical limitations than ever before. And then there are the new people she meets: the tough-looking girl in her home room; the cute but dangerous-looking boy she first saw before school even started; the quiet, older girl who keeps to herself; the sullen-looking, seemingly isolated junior that doesn't seem to trust or like her at all. Can she trust them? While the peaceful situation of her new home only amplifies the sound of her own doubts, she begins to learn that things are not always what they seem, and her world is turned upside-down by these new friends, two-legged and otherwise. Life soon becomes more complicated, and much more interesting!    

About The Glister Journals series: The Glister Journals series is told from the perspective of a normal but not average teenage girl. It is not obvious, but Allison has a mild pervasive developmental disorder (autism spectrum). She thinks and experiences things a little differently from most of the other kids. In the past it has caused her to be alienated at best and bullied at worst. After the family moves, she becomes involved with a group of teens that open up new worlds to her. The four book series follows her through high school but is equally about her friends who have their own problems, fears, and aspects of their lives they’d rather keep quiet. There is action—mostly in the form of equestrian and extreme sports—and though there are only hints of it in Bronze, there is a love story which will play a more prominent part as the series progresses. The main story is about assumptions, acceptance, love, and friendship, though there are other themes running throughout the series.

Amazon * Indiebound * Barnes & Noble

  Praise for Bronze Allison narrates a gentle coming-of-age story that has a strong equine subplot…undeveloped plot points hint at future complications and will likely keep readers looking for the next entry. — Cindy Welch Booklist Online Written with intelligent humor, this tale follows an awkward girl as she enters a new school...This is a strong first book, both for Shepherd and for the series. The friendships the characters build are realistic and lifelike, strong, and durable, just like bronze. — Beth VanHouten ForeWord Reviews The story is well-written and sweetly told. Allison’s anxieties and insecurities are true-to-life, and so affectionately and clearly portrayed as to make anyone who’s ever been through adolescence wince in sympathy. Dave, Robin and Chris are complicated, intelligent, three-dimensional characters whom the reader enjoys getting to know, and all of the minor characters are vividly drawn and believably real. The author is adept at setting a scene, both external and internal, bringing Allison’s mind and world to vivid life. — Catherine Langrehr IndieReader "Bronze: The Glister Journals" is a well-written novel of teenagers and their world. It is also a story of horses and teenage horsemanship. The main character Allison is a totally delightful fourteen year old girl whose innocence and awkwardness is refreshing. — Alice DiNizo Readers' Favorite  

Literary Fiction IndieReader Award Winner

   

Author B.B. Shepherd A graduate of Cal Poly with graduate work at Chapman and U C Santa Cruz, B. B. Shepherd has lived most of her life in California and loves the diverse beauty of its many landscapes. Music, horses, literature, and art have been her passions as long as she can remember. She enjoys road trips, almost all horse sports and extreme sports (as a spectator), and is addicted to research. As a writer, Shepherd enjoys exploring emotions and motivations: why do people do what they do? She also likes trying to find the funny side of things. She admits to being a hopeless romantic and often gets in trouble for her sense of humor. Bronze is her debut novel, the first in a series of four called The Glister Journals. She currently works full time as a music professional and educator, and lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her youngest daughter and a very silly cat.

Website * Facebook * Goodreads * Twitter * Blog

 
$100 BookBlast Giveaway $100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/18/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Runabouts by P.J. Jenkins Blog Tour & $25 Amazon GC/Paypal Cash Giveaway!

Join P.J. Jenkins, author of the parenting/bullying book, Runabouts, as she tours the blogosphere September 9 - September 20 on her first Book Blast with Pump Up Your Book! P.J. will be giving away a $25 Amazon GC/Paypal Cash to one lucky winner! To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form on the participating blogs below and good luck! If you would like to host P.J., please email Tracee at tgleichner (at) gmail.com.

ABOUT RUNABOUTS

Runabouts is a story about friends having fun together, as well as dealing with unpleasant situations. Sunny is a very good friend and tries to make sure that his friends are not taken advantage of by bullies. He also shows us how we can make choices for our own behavior even if others don't want to change their behavior. Sunny could leave Sharky stuck in the mud or he could choose to help him. What would you do? Enjoy the fun of zooming through the water and feeling the water spray over your face. I hope it will make you anxious to enjoy the water and warm weather just like Sunny.

Purchase your copy:

ABOUT P.J. JENKINS

I’m married and have two daughters, and seven and a half grandchildren. We enjoy spending time with our grandchildren and love to take them for rides on our boat. We are lucky to live in Michigan where lakes are plentiful as well as beautiful. I taught elementary school for over 35 years. Reading books is such a joy for children. Life often brings problems dealing with different kinds of people, and children need to now that they choose how they want to behave regardless of what others do. I hope they can see other options as well as enjoy a fun story.

Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash!

Terms & Conditions:

• By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
• One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Amazon Gift Certificate or Paypal Cash.
• This giveaway begins September 9 - September 20.
• Winners will be contacted via email on Saturday September 21, 2013.
• Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

Blackmoore: A Proper Romance by Julianne Donaldson Review & Giveaway *Tour

Kate Worthington knows her heart and she knows she will never marry. Her plan is to travel to India instead—if only to find peace for her restless spirit and to escape the family she abhors. But Kate’s meddlesome mother has other plans. She makes a bargain with Kate: India, yes, but only after Kate has secured—and rejected—three marriage proposals.

Kate journeys to the stately manor of Blackmoore determined to fulfill her end of the bargain and enlists the help of her dearest childhood friend, Henry Delafield. But when it comes to matters of love, bargains are meaningless and plans are changeable. There on the wild lands of Blackmoore, Kate must face the truth that has kept her heart captive. Will the proposal she is determined to reject actually be the one thing that will set her heart free?

Set in Northern England in 1820, Blackmoore is a Regency romance that tells the story of a young woman struggling to learn how to follow her heart. It is Wuthering Heights meets Little Women with a delicious must-read twist.

If you enjoy historical fiction, especially the Regency era, you won't want to miss Blackmoore! Kate is determined to get away from her crazy family, especially her mother.  She wants to go to India with her Aunt Charlotte, but her mother wants her married and settled down.

Kate also wants to visit her friend Henry's estate, Blackmoore. Determined to get her heart's desire, Kate makes a deal with her mother to placate her.  If she acquires and rejects three marriage proposals, her mother will let her go to India and that will be the end of it.  Her mother agrees and Kate figures she'll go to Blackmoore, Henry's estate.  With his help, she should have no problem securing the three proposals so she can begin on the journey she really wants.

The problem is that securing the proposals isn't as easy as Kate believed it would be. Fate another plan for Kate, if she's willing to compromise what she believes is her heart;s desire, to be free of her mother and family.

With engaging characters and a deftly described world, Blackmoore is a stellar read.  Donaldson's characters slowly reveal themselves to their true character as the story unfolds.  While I detested Kate's mother, and Henry's for that matter, I thoroughly enjoyed Kate and Henry's journey together.  Wonderful read!

Julianne Donaldson grew up as the daughter of a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot. She learned how to ski in the Italian Alps, visited East Berlin before the wall came down, and spent three years living next to a 500-year-old castle. After earning a degree in English, she turned her attention to writing about distant times and places. She lives in Utah with her husband and four children.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

GIVEAWAY

One lucky winner will win their own copy of Blackmoore!

*Fill out the Rafflecopter to enter

*USA only

*Contest ends September 16, 2013

Forbidden: Discover the Legend (Wolf Sirens #1) by Tina Smith & Bracelet Giveaway!

When Lila unwillingly moves to the country town of Shade, she can’t imagine the life-altering events that lie in wait for her. Shade has a curfew and has always been surrounded by myths. A central feature of the town is its famous statue of Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, whose spirit is said to protect the innocent.

Lila falls in with a group of intriguing teenagers with luminescent eyes and soon she is drawn into the shadowlands of fantasy and reality, where destiny collides.

A mysterious local girl, Cresida, warns her to stay away, but Lila is drawn to them like a moth to a flame.

Cresida knows their fatal secret and she is honour-bound to protect those who are endangered. But she underestimates Lila’s passion for the mysterious and charismatic clan of youths. Lila begins to feel a call she cannot ignore. Yet her heart is filled with vulnerable desires that begin to turn the underworld upside down, for both hunter and hunted, as she learns they have been waiting for her…

Inspired by the legend of the mythical femme fatale, Wolf Sirens is an intimate tale of unrequited and forbidden love in the underworld, a masterpiece of romance fantasy.

Werewolves.  There's something morbid, yet fascinating about them.  Wolf Sirens seems to have taken the key elements of a werewolf and romanticized them for young adults, with a twist of mythology.  Lila is the main character, a teen who wants to fit in and be wanted, loved.  When she begins running with a new crowd, she's quick to make friends, but she finds herself yearning between two boys, Reid and Sky. 

Not to mention, that there are secrets and a forbidden call that she yearns to answer.  As the first book in a new series, I think Smith did a good job of building the world and setting the pace.  Did I love Lila? Absolutely not.  I found her shallow, whiny and needy.  I prefer my heroines strong and kick-ass. 

 But, somehow, Smith made it work.  There are several characters that shine on their own that pick up the slack for Lila.  Also, the paranormal and mythology elements mesh well together, creating a fantastical atmosphere.  If you enjoy young adult paranormal, then Forbidden is a solid novel.  I just wish I had connected with the main character.  

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader will win a charm bracelet!

*USA only
*Enter on the Rafflecopter below
*Contest ends September 15, 2013

Dark Innocence: The Star-Seer's Prophecy by Rahima Warren Tour & Giveaway!

What if a slave who knows only pain and evil is the only one who can restore the Sacred Balance of the mortal and divine realms?

Kyr has never even dared to think of disobeying Dauthaz, his vicious, all-powerful Master called the Soul-Drinker, yet the Star-Seer’s Prophecy foretells that he is the only one who can end the Soul-Drinker’s horrific reign. Hunted by his vengeful slave-brother, Gauday, and guided by Rajani, the Warrior Mage, Kyr begins a journey beyond anything he has ever known, painfully discovering new truths of human kindness and divine forgiveness. Ultimately, his frozen heart melts and he finds himself in love with Jolanya—only to learn that his beloved is forbidden to him by her vows as a Priestess of the Banished Goddess.

This is a story of mystery and intrigue, courage and endurance, secrets and forbidden love, set in an ancient world of blood sorcery, ritual, and healing magic. Manipulated by enemy and friend alike, Kyr struggles to recover his true essence from the darkest of ordeals, as he fulfills the dire predictions of the Star-Seer’s Prophecy. 

Fantasy novels are usually a hit or miss with me.  Either the world building works or it doesn't.  Most of the time, the characters don't connect with the world in my opinion.  but with Dark Innocence, Warren paints a vivid, intriguing world that connects on an emotional level.  

Kyr is a slave who has endured tremendous physical, emotional and spiritual abuse.  In the compound that he is kept, he not only takes and endures his slot in life, but he also inflicts it upon others.  But all of that, and Kyr is about to change.He falls in love with Jolanya, someone forbidden to him.  He also begins his journey toward finding his inner true self, a journey of healing and transformation to fulfill the prophecy and perhaps to also love himself.  

Even though the first part of the book was slow going, I knew to expect that when building and creating a world.  By the midway point, I was completely invested in Kyr's journey.  A beautiful layered book that isn't to be missed!

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rahima Warren is the author of Dark Innocence: Book One of the Star-Seer's Prophecy, a deep, rich novel of the healing journey. With Master's degrees in Clinical and Transpersonal Psychology, she was in private practice as a licensed psychotherapist for over 20 years. In 2006, Rahima retired to focus on her expressive painting, creative writing, and spiritual studies.

In her work with clients recovering from abuse, she was awed by the human capacity to heal, and to reach new levels of forgiveness, wholeness and happiness. She also learned to trust the psyche's own process. This enabled her to allow a dark and mysterious story to flood forth unhindered.

Rahima Warren is a third-generation native of California and resides with her husband in Northern California, where she periodically chases squirrels off the wild bird feeders, and deer away from her roses. Her life-long love of fantasy is her parents' fault: they left sci-fi & fantasy magazines with fascinating cover art lying around the house.

http://www.rahimawarren.com/

GIVEAWAY

Rahima is giving away prizes, including an e-copy of her book at each blog stop on her tour AND a Grand Prize Giveaway of a Custom Jumbo Tote Bag with your choice of fan art, chosen from here: http://www.starseersprophecy.com/fan-art/, plus other goodies, including a signed copy of Dark Innocence for one lucky winner, shipped to anywhere in the world!

1) To win a book: Leave a comment on what you like about reading fantasy to be entered to win a book. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments so we can contact you if you’re the lucky winner. This giveaway ends JUNE 26, 2013.

2) To win the Custom Jumbo Tote Bag with Rahima’s fan art of your choice, or a signed copy of Dark Innocence, or other goodies, ENTER ON THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW

Firefly Island (Moses Lake #3) by Lisa Wingate & Giveaway

 At thirty-four, congressional staffer Mallory Hale is about to embark on an adventure completely off the map. After a whirlwind romance, she is hopelessly in love with two men--fortunately, they're related. Daniel Everson and his little boy, Nick, are a package deal, and Mallory suddenly can't imagine her future without them. 

Mallory couldn't be more shocked when Daniel asks her to marry him, move to Texas, and form a family with him and motherless Nick. The idea is both thrilling and terrifying. 

Mallory takes a leap of faith and begins a sweet, mishap-filled journey into ranch living, Moses Lake society, and a marriage that at times reminds her of the mail-order-bride stories. But despite the wild adventure of her new life, she discovers secrets and questions beneath her rosy new life. Can she find answers on Firefly Island, a little chunk of property just off the lakeshore, where mysterious lights glisten at night?

This is the third book in the series, but the first one that I have read.  I believe the book stands on it's own very well since Wingate does an impeccable job of giving the reader enough backstory in the beginning. I found the protagonist, Mallory, instantly likable. I was so excited for her when the man she loved asked her to marry him and his little boy.  Uprooting from everything you know to start fresh, on top of a new relationship, seems imposing, but Mallory does it with charm.  Even though she has her own insecurities, she laughs most of them off and I enjoyed the new bonds she made.  There is a bit of a mystery though, when on the island, she sees lights sparkling at night.  What are they and where do they come from? What do they mean?  If you enjoy a clean romance with memorable characters, pick up Firefly Island.  I loved it!

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review for Litfuse Tours.

Lisa Wingate is celebrating the release of Firefly Island with an iPad Mini giveaway and a fun Facebook Author Chat Party (March 19th).  

  One fortunate winner will receive:

• An iPad Mini
• The Moses Lake series (Firefly Island, Blue Moon Bay and Larkspur Cove)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 18th. Winner will be announced at the "Firefly Island Author Chat Party on March 19th. Connect with Lisa, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at the trivia contest, and chat with readers just like you. There will also be many fun giveaways -- gift certificates, books, and more!

So grab your copy of Firefly Island and join Lisa on the evening of the March 19th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 19th!

It Stings So Sweet by Stephanie Draven - Interview, Review & Giveaway

They vibrated with incendiary Jazz. They teemed with sexual abandon.

The Twenties were roaring and the women—young, open, rebellious, and willing—set the pace and pushed the limits with every man they met… In the aftermath of a wild, liquor-soaked party, three women from very different social classes are about to live out their forbidden desires.

Society girl, Nora Richardson's passionate nature has always been a challenge to her ever-patient husband. Now he wants out of the marriage and she has just this one night to win him back. The catch? He wants topunish her for her bad behavior. Nora is offended by her husband's increasingly depraved demands, but as the night unfolds, she discovers her own true nature and that the line between pain and pleasure is very thin indeed.

Meanwhile, Clara Cartwright, sultry siren of the silent screen, is introduced to a mysterious WWI Flying Ace. If Clara, darling of the scandal sheets, knows anything, it’s men. And she’s known plenty. But none of them push her boundaries like the aviator, who lures her into a ménage with a stranger in a darkened cinema then steals her jaded heart.

Working class girl Sophie O'Brien has more important things on her mind than pleasures of the flesh. But when her playboy boss, the wealthy heir to the Aster family fortune, confronts her with her diary of secret sex fantasies, she could die of shame. To her surprise, he doesn't fire her; instead, he dares her to re-enact her boldest fantasies and Sophie is utterly seduced.

One party serves as a catalyst of sexual awakening. And in an age when anything goes, three women discover that anything is possible…

Wow, It Stings so Sweet is an apt name for the title.  Talk about sizzling pages, you're in for a treat! An historical erotica with three memorable characters whom's stories all intercept into one great story.  Each of the women are unique in their own way, with their own stories, but they all have one thread in common with the other two.  Draven has created a fun romp with decadent settings in the Roaring Twenties that will knock your socks off.  I read it in three sittings, feeling a bit warm after each woman's story and sexual awakening.  It's very easy to read though and follow along and Draven has definitely done some research because the backgrounds and the dialogue seemed to be spot on.  Highly recommend to anyone looking for a smoking hot read!

1. Can you tell us a little bit about your book, It Stings So Sweet?

It Stings So Sweet is an erotic romance novel in three parts--about three very different women who experience a sexual awakening. Set in the Roaring Twenties, it’s glamorous, glitzy, and reckless good fun.

2. Did you loosely base your characters off of anyone in real life?

Only one of the characters in this novel is directly inspired by a real person. I was really captured by the story of silent screen siren Clara Bow. My Clara is also a Hollywood legend and shares some of the trials and tribulations of coming of age in an era when anything goes. She was tough and brassy and sassy and believed that as long as she wasn’t hurting anyone, she didn’t owe an explanation about how she lived her life. I found that to be remarkably modern in attitude and I wanted to infuse the book with that spirit.

3. If you could see Nora, Sophie and Clara on the big screen, who would you cast to play them?

Ooh, tough question. Nora Richardson would be played by someone coolly distant like Keira Knightley. For a feisty activist like Sophie O’Brien, I’d want someone really quirky and unexpected, like Alyson Hannigan. And for a larger-than-life glam girl like Clara, I’d want Emma Stone.

4. How much research did you have to do for the Roaring Twenties to bring your book to life?

Strangely, I spent more time researching the slang and the etymology of words for this book than actually writing the stories!

5. Is there anything you know about your characters that isn't shared in the book that you can share with us?

What a great question. I think one thing that I knew when I wrote the book is that Robert Aster is going to become a U.S. Senator. There wasn’t room for it, nor was it really appropriate to include in the novel, but I knew what kind of challenges Sophie and Robert would actually face after they found their happy ending. I guess that means there could be a sequel!

6. Are you currently working on a new book? Can you tell us anything about it?

I’d love to write more stories set in the 1920s, but I’m tinkering around with some other ideas right now. The first thing I’m thinking about is another funny contemporary romance like IN BED WITH THE OPPOSITION. But--and my agent may kill me--I’m thinking about the Regency...

Bio

STEPHANIE DRAVEN is a bestselling, award-winning and RITA-nominated author of historical, paranormal, and contemporary romance. Her newest project, IT STINGS SO SWEET is a collection of 1920s historical erotic romances that celebrate sex, women, and the Jazz Age. Her most recent novel with Entangled Publishing, IN BED WITH THE OPPOSITION, is a mix of humor and sex-appeal set against the backdrop of a zany political campaign inspired by the career of Baltimore legend William Donald Schaefer. Both novels are fun departures from her more serious Greek mythology-inspired series for Harlequin's Nocturne line, the debut novel of which was nominated by Romantic Times for Best First Series. The series has earned critical praise for its originality and awareness of social issues and garnered the 2012 SWIRL award for excellence in multi-cultural romance literature as well as the CataRomance's Reviewers Choice Award. Writing historical fiction about Cleopatra’s daughter as Stephanie Dray, she won the Golden Leaf Award for SONG OF THE NILE. Stephanie is currently a denizen of Baltimore, that city of ravens and purple night skies. She lives there with her favorite nocturnal creatures–three scheming cats and a deliciously wicked husband. And when she is not busy with dark domestic rituals, she writes her books. StephanieDraven.com

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader will win their own print copy of It Stings So Sweet

*USA & Canada Only
*Fill out the Rafflecopter to enter

*Ends February 20, 2013

Knowing by Laurel Dewey Tour

After the life-altering ending in the third Jane Perry thriller, REVELATIONS, Jane Perry takes time off from the job to find the missing part of herself she never knew existed. But her journey is quickly hijacked when a wanted criminal, Harlan Kipple, steals her car. Kipple—accused of the heinous murder of a prostitute in a seedy motel—is on the run and desperate to stay that way. Jane’s personal plans take a back seat as she tracks down her stolen ride and discovers through an unusual source that Kipple may be innocent and is being framed by a nefarious group. When she trails Kipple and confronts him, every belief she ever had about this world and the next is put to the test. 

Kipple, who by his own admission is not the “brightest bulb in the box,” received a heart transplant seventeen months ago. His life changed from the moment he woke up in the recovery room. In fact, he’s not so sure where he ends and his heart takes over. As strange as that sounds to her, Jane cannot deny what she witnesses after spending just two days with Kipple. It becomes clear that nothing is what it appears as Jane is drawn into a deep rabbit hole with dark webs and darker crevices that force her to operate on the other side of the law. With the police hot on Kipple’s tail and a devious faction intent on finding him first, Jane is caught in the middle and realizes that solving this crime could have fatal consequences. 

With themes as diverse as immortality, regeneration, resurrection, transformation and death, author Laurel Dewey tackles this latest Jane Perry novel with originality and plenty of suspense. “Finding yourself” takes on a whole new meaning in KNOWING.

I've read the first three books in the Jane Perry series, so I was excited to get the chance to read her newest installment, Knowing! 

Jane is a strong protagonist and she shows no weakness in Knowing.  She knows there is right, wrong and a tiny grey area.  When a young, black prostitute is found murdered, Harlan Kipple is the prime suspect.  When Jane runs into him, trying to find her stolen car, she realizes that Kipple may be innocent and someone else is trying to frame him.  

She begins her own investigation, and it takes her to places she never even dreamed of.  With superb character development, keen writing that will keep you up late turning the pages and a solid plot that will make your head spin and will stay with you for days after, Knowing is Dewey's best work yet.  Highly recommend!

Laurel Dewey was born and raised in Los Angeles. She is the author of two nonfiction books on plant medicine, a Silver Spur nominated Western novella, hundreds of articles, and three other novels in her Jane Perry suspense series, Protector, Redemption, and Revelations along with the Jane Perry novelettes An Unfinished Death and Promissory Payback and the story collection Unrevealed. She is also the author of the novel Betty’s Little Basement Garden.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion for Partners in Crime Tours.