Friday Book Club

Time to talk books! What are you reading and loving this week?

Night Shift Now Out!!

NIGHT SHIFT is out!!!! I hope you 
enjoy seeing the DarkRiver cats again, and reading the other authors' novellas as well!! 

p.s. The newsletter went out a few hours ago. If you didn't receive it, drop Ash a note (naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom).

Bastien, Book Rec & Melbourne Signing on Tuesday

I'm so excited that Bastien's novella is out next week!! It was so much fun going to back to the cats with this story - they're so tactile and often so sinfully wicked (or maybe that's just Bastien ;-) ). 

Also, I want to give you a heads up that the ebook for Sonali Dev's "A Bollywood Affair" (link to excerpt) has had a bit of a price drop  - I know many of you wanted to try the book when I first recommended it, but felt it was too expensive, so I wanted to let you know. It really is a wonderful book and I absolutely ADORED it. I'm adding the trailer below for you to check out.

Also, if you're in Melbourne, Australia, don't forget I have a book signing there on Tuesday with the awesome Maya Banks! Details:

7pm* November 25th
Dymocks Melbourne
235 Collins Street
 
See some of you there!! And yes, you'll be able to buy Night Shift on the night!
*If you entered the ARRA Contest and won a special ticket to the Q&A prior to the signing, that starts at 6pm.

Here's Sonali's trailer for her book. :)

Friday Book Club

Time to talk books! What are you reading and loving lately?

Shield of Winter & Shards of Hope

Thanks to all of you, Shield of Winter has made it into the finals of the Goodreads Choice Awards!

If you'd like to keep supporting Ivy and Vasic, don't forget to vote in the final round. Follow this link to vote.

These two are doing really well at the moment. They've also made it onto Kirkus's Best Fiction Books of 2014. Go Ivy and Vasic!


I finished the most recent draft of Shards of Hope last night. I tweeted at the time that it was huge and that I'd have to edit it down to make it sleek and dangerous like the Arrows, so now it's about seeing what stays and what goes.
 
No idea what the final size will be yet, since there are some missing scenes in there, as well as scenes that haven't been entered yet. (I handwrite edits onto at least one draft of the book and sometimes that ends up with me handwriting a full scene that's thousands of words.)

Onto the next draft today.

Harlequin Ebook Reissue: Australia and New Zealand

The short contemporary books I wrote for my previous publisher, Harlequin, are getting a cover facelift and being reissued in Australia & New Zealand come December.

This will be in ebook format, as they weren't previously all available in this region as ebooks.   

Readers in the USA & Internationally: These are likely all already available in your region as ebooks. If not and you'd like them to be, leave a comment and I'll pass it on to the publisher.

Below are the new covers, with blurbs and links to excerpts. As I said with the previous reissue, I love these books and always will, but they were written at the start of my career, so just keep that in mind. I was going to title this post, Vintage Nalini but that makes me feel oooooold! I hope you enjoy the books if you decide to try them.

There is a more recent paranormal in amongst the reissues. That would be Lord of the Abyss. No, I don't know why he is wearing a tie. I don't think ties exist in Micah's world and even if they did, he'd probably feed his to the hungry little dragon at the end. Just go with it. ;-)

LORD OF THE ABYSS
Excerpt Link

Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out.…

As the dark Lord who condemns souls to damnation in the Abyss, Micah is nothing but a feared monster wrapped in impenetrable black armor. He has no idea he is the last heir of Elden, its last hope. Only one woman knows—the daughter of his enemy.

Liliana is nothing like her father, the Blood Sorcerer who'd cursed Micah. She sees past Micah’s armor to the prince inside. A prince whose sinful touch she craves. But first she has to brave his dark, dangerous lair and help him remember. Because they only have till midnight to save Elden.

Note from Nalini: Micah and Lily are seriously adorable together. ADORABLE. Micah is a big, bad, dangerous hero who has somehow retained his innocence -  and though this was part of a series written with three other authors, Lord of the Abyss can be read on its own without problems.

DESERT WARRIOR
Excerpt Link

The fabled desert kingdom of Zulheina was Tariq's birthright, and he was a man who held tightly what belonged to him. And that meant he had to reclaim a very special woman—the woman who had broken his heart years before in New Zealand. And once he had lured her to this distant land, he meant to keep his new bride here forever…

But Jasmine Coleridge was not as easily tamed as he had imagined. Her beguiling blend of untouched innocence and dazzling sensuality threatened, once again, to bring the haughty sheikh to his knees—and made him wonder who was the true prisoner…

Note from Nalini: My very first published book! I think of this as my sheik fairytale romance.


AWAKEN TO PLEASURE
Excerpt Link

The proposal was as unexpected as her feelings for the man whose dark good looks rivaled an even darker past. Painful experience screamed that Taylor Reid should run far and fast from Jackson Santorini. But keeping custody of her brother meant becoming her former boss's bride. And giving Jackson a baby.

Despite his powerful size and presence, Jackson had been wounded… deeply… by a woman. Yet he'd protected her at a personal cost, if his restrained ardor in deference to her virginal apprehension was one indication. Suddenly, for Jackson's sake, Taylor wanted to replace pain with pleasure. Only, she'd never imagined what sensations—and secrets—she would awaken…

Note from Nalini: Jackson is a gorgeous caretaker alpha - a big, tough guy who's a sweetheart to the heroine.

AWAKEN THE SENSES
Excerpt Link

 He knew her every fantasy…

Charlotte Ashton had never belonged anywhere—until she met worldly Alexandre Dupree. The winemaker was consulting at her family's vineyard, and soon shy Charlotte was completely under his spell. He seemed to know all her secret desires, all her dreams—as if he'd been put on earth just for her pleasure.

Alexandre seduced Charlotte in all the ways she had fantasized about. He'd read her secret journal and discovered the real Charlotte—the sensual lover, the generous woman, the vulnerable virgin. Was his crime so unforgivable when all he'd wanted was her love? Yet now to maintain her trust, he would have to continue to lie…

Note from Nalini:  This book was written as part of a 12 book continuity series. So 12 authors, 12 stories, with an interconnected backstory. The romance stands on its ows and there is a happy ever after in this book, but there are some backstory elements that connect to stories by the other 11 authors.

CRAVING BEAUTY
Excerpt Link

Marc was dangerous to her in the way that only a strong, sexy male could be to a woman. 

Even knowing that, she'd agreed to marry him. Hope blossomed in Hira's heart. Perhaps she'd married a man with whom it might just be worth building a life. Her mother had worried that he was scarred, but the lines on his face did nothing to lessen his raw masculine appeal. If anything, they gave him an even more dangerous male air, enticing the feminine core of her to thoughts that shocked her.

What did a man's face matter anyway? She had no use for handsome men.
But for a man with a heart? For such a man…she might risk everything.

Note from Nalini: I really wanted to go back to Zulheil, my fairytale sheik kingdom from Desert Warrior, and I kind of did that in this book. The heroine is from Zulheil and the hero from Louisiana - the first time I set a book in the state. As evidenced by Angel's Wolf, it clearly became a lifelong love affair. :-)
 
SECRETS IN THE MARRIAGE BED
Excerpt Link

Every marriage has its secrets.

They were reconciling. That was all Caleb Callaghan could focus on when his estranged wife, Vicki, shared the news of her pregnancy. He was determined that this time, the marriage would succeed, no matter what it took.

But was Vicki’s price too high? She wanted more than his love and support…she demanded honesty between them, starting with his secrets. But there was something in Caleb’s past he could not—would not—share. For the truth would only destroy them.

Note from Nalini: I wrote this because I wondered what would happen if the story began after the happy ever after - what if the perfect fairy tale had a few cracks?

BOUND BY MARRIAGE
Excerpt Link
 
A Deal With The Devil...

How else to describe the pact Jessica Randall had made with wealthy New Zealand rancher Gabe Dumont? In exchange for marriage and an heir, he would save her family property. The agreement was calculating, completely devoid of any tenderness, just like the man himself.

Their relationship was supposed to be a simple arrangement. Instead, it was fraught with secrets and mistrust, jealousy and ultimatums - emotions that wouldn't allow her to maintain the distance she needed. Worse, the sizzling attraction between them made this marriage of convenience decidedly inconvenient.

Note from Nalini: This will make you cry. It still makes me cry. It's angsty and angry and emotionally dark. So grab some tissues if you decide to read this one.

If you have any questions, let me know!!

Friday Book Club

Time to talk books! What are you reading and loving this week?

On Edits...

A: So I was reading these editing notes you made on the latest draft.

N: Yes? Trying to decipher my handwriting?

A: No, I've perfected that arcane skill. I wanted to know about this bit.

N: Which one?

A: This one that says "corpse of trees". Did you mean "copse of trees"?

N: *laughing hysterically* Yes, yes I did.

A: Excellent. Glad to know you haven't switched genres into zombie tree porn.

News, Covers, Excerpts...

I've shared a lot of things over the past couple of weeks, and I thought it might be a good time to do a roundup of all of it so if you missed something, you can click back to read.

First though, I have some amazing news!

Shield of Winter has been chosen as one of the Best Books of 2014 (Romance) by Amazon.

Rock Addiction & Shield of Winter have both been nominated in the RT Reviewer's Choice Awards. Rock Addiction is in the Indie Press Contemporary category, with Shield of Winter in the Paranormal Worldbuilding category.

Shield of Winter is also through to the semi-finals of the Goodreads Choice Awards thanks to all of you! If you'd like to continue voting for Ivy & Vasic's story, here's the link.

Onto the news roundup!!

The excerpt from Secrets at Midnight, my Psy-Changeling novella in the Night Shift anthology is now up. Release date: November 25th

I've also released an excerpt from Rock Hard, featuring an ex-rugby player turned CEO hero, and a shy heroine who doesn't really want anyone to notice her, especially not the boss she calls T-Rex. Release date: March 10th, 2015

Slave to Sensation is being re-released with an awesome new cover (see larger image here). If you love the old cover (my precious!) and want a paperback of it, grab it in the next few months, because once those go, the next printing will feature the new cover. If you want the new cover (pretty!), it should start appearing around the middle of next year (I'll let you know once my publisher confirms its printing.)

Shards of Hope, the June 2015 Psy-Changeling novel has a cover and a blurb. Follow the link to see a larger image and read the blurb! No excerpt yet because I'm still writing it. These two are making me work for it, but I expected that... I mean, two Arrows? Would any of us ever expect easy? Nope. But this story needs to be written: it's their time and I'm so excited to go on this journey with them.

Also, I've updated my What's Next for the Psy-Changeling Series post with a couple of notes about my "secret" anthology. ;-)

If I missed anything, please leave a comment!

Secrets At Midnight Excerpt

Not long before Night Shift is out!! Here's an excerpt from my novella to whet your appetites. Release date is November 25th.

(This excerpt is also available in back of Archangel's Shadows).

Excerpt from Secrets At Midnight by Nalini Singh

Part of: Night Shift Anthology

Release date: November 25th

Vivid green eyes watched her with an unwavering focus that raised the tiny hairs on Kirby’s arms and made her stomach go tight, a strange breathlessness in her chest. She didn’t recognize the tall, muscled male with skin tanned a beautiful gold, but he had to be part of the DarkRiver leopard pack—there was something feline about the way he stood, a stealthy predator at rest. She had the insane urge to go up to him,touch him, curl naked against him, skin to skin.

The uncharacteristic nature of the forceful sensual compulsion snapped her back to her senses, and all at once, she was aware of Vera looking at her with a distinctly quizzical expression on her face. Not sure how long she’d been standing stock still staring at the stranger, Kirby held up the small white box in her arms and said, “I baked yesterday.” Her pulse thudded hard and fast, her words huskier than they should’ve been. “I thought I’d drop off half the cake for you, since I know you like black forest.”

“I like black forest, too.” A deep male voice that brushed over her senses like the most luxuriant fur, the lips that had shaped the words curved in a teasing smile, until she could almost believe she’d imagined the feral intensity of him when he’d first looked at her.

Tapping her cane on the ground, Vera looked up into that green-eyed face that had twisted Kirby’s insides into a tangled snarl. “I suppose you want some?”

“Yes, please.” Hands behind his back, expression as innocent as a five-year-old’s.

Snorting, Vera jerked her head at Kirby. “This is Bastien. Don’t let him charm you—next thing you know, you’ll be naked.”

Kirby’s face filled with heat, the rush of blood so loud in her ears that she almost missed Bastien’s protests. Ignoring them both, Vera walked toward her door at a spry pace, a grace to her movements even at this age that made it clear she was changeling.

Not able to look Bastien in the face when her own was no doubt the color of an overripe tomato, Kirby began to follow the older woman . . . and realized she’d acquired a six-foot-plus shadow.

“I feel I have to defend myself,” he murmured, the words a purr of sound against her ears.

Cat, very definitely a cat. A big, gorgeous, stalking cat.

“Really?” she managed to say, her nape prickling at his proximity, the scent of clean, fresh soap and warm-blooded male in her every breath. “You don’t like making women naked?” It was a response driven by some hereto hidden part of her that told her to show him her claws, despite the fact she was
human, didn’t have claws. No matter if it felt as if the sharply curved tips were shoving against her skin.

A pause.

Kirby had the feeling she’d surprised the leopard at her side, but he recovered quickly. “Oh, I do.” His voice had dropped, acquired a rougher edge that threw her stomach into dangerous freefall. “However, and despite Vera’s refusal to believe me, I’m very particular about who I make naked now that I’m no longer a hormone-driven teenager. Of course, when I was a teenager, a naked woman would’ve ended things rather abruptly, physically speaking.”

Skin burning again when it had just settled, Kirby nonetheless refused to back down. “I hope your ability to stand . . .firm”—Was she really saying this?—“against temptation has improved with time?” She’d never flirted in such a sinfully sexual way, hadn’t known she could.

A hand on her lower back, the touch searing her through her cardigan and the camisole she wore beneath, and his breath warm against her earlobe as he bent close to say, “You have no idea, little cat.”

Fighting the shiver that threatened, she walked into Vera’s house and to the kitchen, where she placed the cake on the counter, and said, “I’ll make the coffee,” before either Bastien or Vera could make the offer themselves. The routine task gave her something to do, though if she’d thought it’d help her ignore Bastien, that proved a futile effort.

Sprawled in a chair at the kitchen table opposite Vera, he was saying something that had the older woman laughing.“Why are you dressed up so spiffy?” Vera asked once her laughter had faded, lifting her fashionable but unnecessary cane to tap Bastien’s forearm. “Was it for the girl selection?”

Bastien dropped his head in his hands, the stunning dark red of his hair catching the sunlight pouring through the kitchen windows, all of which overlooked woods filled with verdant green firs. His white shirt was pulled taut over his shoulders in this position, his strength apparent. “I thought Mom needed a few minutes help moving furniture for a book club lunch,” he growled when he raised his head. “If I’d known it was about matchmaking, I’d have worn my rattiest jeans and a stained T‑shirt.”

Ears straining to catch every snarly word, Kirby found the cups as the coffee began to perk.

“Your mother loves you.” Vera glared at Bastien. “You’re in fine form, prime of your life, you should find a girl before you get old and crinkly.”

“Gee, thanks, Vera.” A masculine mutter as he leaned back again, one arm braced lazily against the back of his chair, his big body loose limbed, very much a cat at rest. “I was hoping I had a few more years yet.”

Vera’s response was a grin bright and full of anticipation. “I’ll enjoy watching you fall, Bastien Smith. I bet she wraps you around her finger.”

A shrug, those deliciously broad shoulders catching Kirby’s attention again. “Of course she will.” Impossible as it was, it felt as if his voice was pitched to stroke over her senses. “What would be the point otherwise?”

Vera’s smile turned affectionate. “I’m glad to see you understand that.” Glancing up as Kirby brought across the tray holding the coffee, Vera’s expression softened. “And you, Kirby?” She tugged Kirby into a seat. “Have you found someone yet?”

“I’ve only been in the city two weeks,” she said, conscious of Bastien going preternaturally still for a single, taut moment, the green of his eyes no longer human, before he rose to get the cake.

“From the accent,” he said, “I’m guessing . . . Georgia?”

Kirby nodded, happy he’d changed the subject, but Vera wasn’t done.

“Two weeks, schmoo weeks. It’s never too early to start looking.” The older woman’s eyes glinted, flicking from Kirby to Bastien. “You two would make pretty cubs together.”

Kirby wanted to die. Dig a hole, jump inside, bury herself for good measure. Bastien on the other hand—now standing between her and Vera—served up the cake without missing a beat, his body
heat lapping against her like a tactile caress. “Undoubtedly,” he said, “but not if you terrify Kirby away with warnings about the likelihood of ending up naked while with me.”

Kirby responded in pure self-defense, driven by that strangeness in her that said she couldn’t permit him to overwhelm her. Not now, not ever. She might not be a dominant, but it was critical he didn’t see her as weak. The tips of her fingers stung on that fierce thought, the pain sharp, biting.

Putting down the coffee cup that was clearly hotter than she’d realized, she said, “That likelihood is getting less and less with every word you speak.”

Laughing, Vera slapped her thigh. Bastien retook his seat with a meek expression belied by the fact he’d shifted his chair so that his thigh pressed against Kirby’s own. It incited an escalation in her clawing awareness of him, her skin prickling in a way that felt as if it came from inside and out both.
Almost as if she had a leopard under her skin, too, one that was rubbing up against it in an effort to get closer to this gorgeous cat who made her nerve endings go haywire.

Shaking off the curious sensation, she focused on his conversation with Vera. Intelligent, witty, a little bit wicked, Bastien was the kind of man who’d never have trouble attracting a woman. Kirby was far from immune. If she was brutally honest, she’d never reacted to anyone as strongly as she’d done to
Bastien.

That violent wave of need, of want at the start, followed by an increasing desire to know more about him, know everything. . . it was profoundly unsettling. As was the tearing disappointment that had her nails digging into her palms and her eyes threatening to burn when he glanced at his watch and said, “I better get into the office. With the instability caused by the Psy political situation, I have to keep an extra-sharp eye on things.”

“All work and no play.” Vera shook her head as Kirby stared deliberately into her half-empty coffee cup in an effort to hide her disturbing reaction, her skin flushing alternately hot then cold. “Be careful you don’t become a dull boy.”

“I thought I was making women naked on a regular basis?” Rising with that quip, Bastien went around to kiss Vera on the cheek. “Can I give you a ride somewhere, Kirby?” he asked, his hand on the back of her chair.

Scared by how much she wanted to lean back, rub her cheek against his arm, tug him down to her mouth, she shook her head.

“Don’t be silly,” Vera said. “You haven’t got a car.”

Her fingers flexed, the tingling in her fingertips increasing in strength. “It’s no trouble to catch the—”

Bastien’s breath whispered hot and silken over her ear, his face a caress away from her own. “I promise I don’t bite.” It was a dare. 

Available November 25th!

Pre-order: iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Penguin
Amazon, B&N, BookDepo B-A-M, Chapters, IndBnd Powells

Rock Hard Blurb & Excerpt

Coming March 10th! Cover currently in progress. :)

ROCK HARD (A Rock Kiss Novel)
Pre-Order: iBooks, Kobo (More links to go live early next year) 

In New York Times Bestselling author Nalini Singh’s newest contemporary romance, passion ignites between a gorgeous, sinfully sexy man who built himself up from nothing and a shy woman who has a terrible secret in her past…

Wealthy businessman Gabriel Bishop rules the boardroom with the same determination and ruthlessness that made him a rock star on the rugby field. He knows what he wants, and he’ll go after it no-holds-barred.

And what he wants is Charlotte Baird.

Charlotte knows she’s a mouse. Emotionally scarred and painfully shy, she just wants to do her job and remain as invisible as possible. But the new CEO—a brilliant, broad-shouldered T-Rex of a man who growls and storms through the office, leaving carnage in his wake—clearly has other plans. Plans that may be equal parts business and bedroom.

If Charlotte intends to survive this battle of wits and hearts, the mouse will have to learn to wrangle the T-Rex. Game on.

Excerpt

(This excerpt is also now in back of the ebooks of both Rock Addiction and Rock Courtship. The updated files are live at Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble, but still processing through to Kobo.)

“Charlie, did you hear?”

Put on guard by the awed shock in Tuck’s tone, she said, “What?”

“Anya,” he whispered, eyes all but popping out of his head and dark blond hair disheveled. “He fired Anya.”

Charlotte collapsed into her chair, her knees like jelly. “Oh, no.” If Anya was gone, she had to be next. She jumped a foot when her phone rang even as the thought passed through her head.

“Ms. Baird. In my office.”

Hanging up with trembling hands, she pushed up her glasses and told herself she could deal with T-Rex and the chopping block. After all, she’d survived far worse. That’s what she had to remember. She’d survived. “I have to go upstairs,” she said to Tuck.

The nineteen-year-old’s face telegraphed his distress. “God, Charlie.”

“It’s okay. I’ll come see you afterward.” If she was even allowed back on the floor and not just shown the door.

People didn’t stare at her this time. She might’ve taken that for a vote of confidence if not for the funereal gloom on their faces when they glanced at her out of the corners of their eyes. Most of them had already been through the gauntlet, come out safe on the other side.

Most of them weren’t in a redundant position.

The walk upstairs and down the corridor felt like it took an eon, and then she was entering the T-Rex’s den, his door having been open. He was standing with his back to the glass wall with its incredible view, his cell phone to his ear. Today’s suit was a deep charcoal-gray paired with a steel gray shirt and a charcoal tie. Austere and dark, it threw his features into stark relief.

Gabriel Bishop was a gorgeous man.

Charlotte could admit that in the privacy of her own mind. Too big and muscled and dangerous, but gorgeous. Like a tiger was gorgeous. Right before it ate you.

Walking over to his desk, still involved in a discussion that—from the context—she guessed was with one of their South Island store managers, he picked up a cup of takeout coffee and held it out to her. She took it on a surge of hope. Despite her thoughts when they’d first met, T-Rex didn’t have a policy of offering his victims a last meal—or last drink. Since she wasn’t sure her jelly knees would continue to support her, she took a seat while he paced and talked.

When she girded herself to sip at his version of coffee, having glimpsed the tar-black stuff in the open takeout cup on his side of the desk, she found her taste buds blooming.  He’d given her a frothy, creamy latte—one of her favorites.

At this point, Charlotte had given up guessing how he knew things. But surely he wasn’t planning to fire her... unless he got off on being cruel. On raising hopes only to dash them. There were men like that. She knew. God, she knew.

Stomach a ball of ice between one thought and the next, she held on desperately to the cup as he ended the call and pinned her with his gaze. “Ms. Baird, we need to have a serious discussion about your future.”

Pre-Order: iBooks, Kobo (More links to go live early next year)

Price: $4.99

I'll post further excerpts once the book has been through edits!

Friday Book Club

It's Friday Book Club time! What are you reading and loving this week? 

I'm hoping to read the newest Alex Delaware suspense/mystery by Jonathan Kellerman. Your turn!

Good News & More

Archangel's Shadows is now out worldwide! I hope you all enjoy the book!! 

I woke up today to the news that Archangel's Shadows hit both the New York Times & USA Today Bestseller lists. A great big thank you to all of you - I'm so happy that you continue to be excited by the series and the Guild Hunter world. :-)

~ 

Thank you to everyone who attended Auckland event last night. It was fantastic!

I spoke to questions from the audience, and the discussion ranged from how I keep track of series details, to plotting, to questions about the next generation of characters & how much I don't like skipping time unless it's very necessary (it'll be more likely to happen in the GH series than the Psy one).

A special shout-out for the Remuera Library staff who hosted me - you were incredible!

I gave away a goody bag that included several of my favorite books and authors. Here they are if you're looking for reading recommendations (I'll be doing a lot of book giveaways over the holidays this year, so keep an eye out).

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook (I love the entire Iron Seas Series. If you don't want to dive into a full-length book, Meljean's novella Here There be Monsters is an amazing intro into the world. If you already have the Burning Up anthology, you'll have this novella, so don't accidentally buy it twice!)

Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens (My favorite in this historical series is A Secret Love, but the entire Cynster series is fantastic).

A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev (My favorite book this year! I've been raving about it everywhere - I'm not sure I posted on the blog though. It's an amazing romance full of emotion and heart and it left me with a goofy smile on my face at the end. You don't have to take my word for it though: here's the link to an excerpt, and here's the link to the Amazon review page for the book).

Festive in Death by JD Robb (I think the In Death series is the longest running series I've kept up with. It's just amazing. That's all I gotta say. Naked in Death is book one).

~

"One of the best rock band stories I have read in a long time – in that it doesn’t hide the hard things and still finds a way to bring that awesome ending that romance readers long for."

- Jo at Joyfully Reviewed has an in-depth review up for Rock Addiction.

"Both main characters are well drawn and human. They could be people we already know so we want them to fall in love and be rescued … only they don’t need it.

They both have deep and abiding friendships, which prove they are capable of long-term relationships and love; they just don’t see it as it is revealed to the reader. We fall in love with them both as each page turns." 

- From ARRA's feature book review of Rock Addiction

Night Shift ARC Contest Winners

And the lucky winners are: Alina P., Heather N., Sophie F., Catherine H., Marie A., Claudia M.A.G..

There should be an email from me waiting in your inbox :) - Ashwini

International Countdown: Archangel's Shadows

Google tells me it's about 13 hours till it turns November 6th in London - the international edition of ARCHANGEL'S SHADOWS should start to download then! 

Please post when you have your copy. In the meantime, here's a fun excerpt for you!! (No spoilers if you've already read the book! xoxo)

Cover Love: Scherben der Hoffnung

And the run of awesome covers continues with the German edition of Shards of Hope: Scherben der Hoffnung!! (Thanks Sabrina for the heads up.)

Love!!!

 

Cover Love: Slave to Sensation

Look at this awesome, awesome cover!! I LOVE it!! Slave to Sensation will be re-released mid next year with this brand new cover. I'm not sure exactly when the new cover will start shipping, but I'll let you know once I do!

I have and will always have a soft spot for my purple guy (from the original cover) - he was my first ever paranormal cover and I will always love him, but look at those eyes above, that primal intensity. So very, very alpha of the pack. Pure dangerous gorgeousness! (I now have to go swoon in bliss after all the cover goodness in the past week).

For those of you who haven't yet read Slave to Sensation, here's the blurb. You can find an excerpt on my website, as well as the original (and current) cover.

Slave to Sensation
Nalini Singh

Dive into a world torn apart by a powerful race with phenomenal powers of the mind—and none of the heart… 

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation”— the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was….

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a Changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy co-existence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several Changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion—and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities—or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation…

Incoming Cover Alert

Two important things! 

First - don't forget to enter the NIGHT SHIFT advanced reading copy contest! It closes in just a couple of days.

Second - make sure to check the blog in just over 12 hours (8am, Monday, EST/New York time), because guess what? I have ANOTHER COVER for you - what could it be??! And yes, it's a paranormal cover, not contemporary (though I have seen the photos for my next contemporary cover and whoa, Gabriel is one smexy rugby god turned CEO).

Night Shift ARC Contest

NIGHT SHIFT ARC CONTEST 

(International entries welcome)

Contest now closed

If you'd like to go in the random draw to win one of 6 Advanced Reading/Review Copies of Night Shift, send an e-mail to naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom (replace DOT/AT with symbols ./@), with:

"NIGHT SHIFT ARC Contest" in the subject line

by 10pm, Wednesday November 5th 2014, New Zealand time.

Please follow the correct format for entry re the subject line, so your e-mail goes into the right in-box. (Your e-mail address will only be used to contact you should you win.)

Since this is an Advanced Review Copy, if you win, I'd ask that you please post a review somewhere before or on the release date (November 25th) - on a blog, on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads...it's up to you, but it would be much appreciated if you'd post your thoughts somewhere. The contents of the review are, of course, totally up to you.

A note about ARCs - they're substantially the same as the final books, but since ARCs are printed prior to the final round of edits, there will be some errors in the text that aren't in the final published works.

-Ashwini : )

Contest now closed

The fine print: Contest is open internationally. One entry per household. No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be chosen randomly using random.org and emailed by 1pm, 6th November 2014, New Zealand time. Their names will also be posted on this blog at that time. Each winner will have 48 hours from the time of notification to contact us with his or her mailing address, otherwise he or she will forfeit the prize and another winner will be drawn. Void where prohibited.

Auckland Event Giveaway

Winners: Arielle and Riley. Entered via Facebook. Congratulations!
 
Kiwis! (Contest alert - read down) A heads up that I'll be doing a chat and signing this Wednesday, November 5th, at 6.30pm at Remuera Library, Auckland. There is a $5 ticket to support the library, but I've been told there'll be nibbles, plus I've organized an awesome door prize, so it should be a great night.   The bookseller will have ARCHANGEL'S SHADOWS there, as well as backlist books!

I'm going to give away two double passes to the event - to enter, just leave a comment (and make sure you can attend on the night if you win). The contest will run across my Facebook page and blog until 7pm Monday, so all the entries will go into one big draw. 

The two winners will be announced Monday night at 8.30pm, so please make sure you check back to see if you won. One entry per person. Feel free to share this post with other readers you think might be keen to come.

To RSVP to the event, please phone Hilary Arrowsmith on 520 2532, or email her: hilary.arrowsmithATaucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Full details of the event at this link.

Look forward to seeing some of you in a few days!

Friday Book Club

...now open! What are you reading and loving this week?