Question Time

 Tell me about your favorite new author or book discovery for 2022. It doesn't have to be a debut author/new release, just new-to-you.

~Ashwini

THE BRIDE TEST by Helen Hoang

I had a note to feature THE BRIDE TEST in the newsletter and somehow missed it, so I shall do my gushing here!

It's an amazing book and I loved reading it so much. There is such heart to Helen Hoang's work, and such a sweet honesty too. There's also a scene that had me laughing so hard I was crying.(No spoilers, but the secret Arrow manual could've come in handy there ;-))

Definitely check out this book if you're looking for an amazing read. It's out today. Happy book release, Helen and I can't wait to read many more books from you! 💛

When I Finish A Book

I think this is a picture of me. :D Are you like this with your favorite books and series?

Der Leserpreis Readers' Choice - Final Voting Round

Wild Embrace 

Archangel's Heart

I received some wonderful news from LovelyBooks.de - two of my books have reached the final round of the readers’ choice award DER LESERPREIS! Thank you to all of you who voted!

“Engelsherz” and “Wilde Umarmung” have both been shortlisted in the Fantasy & Science Fiction category.

You can see the Fantasy & Science Fiction shortlist here. The final round of voting is open until November 28th. :-)

Jayne Castle

My current reread! I love this Jayne Castle trilogy so much. If you haven't checked them out, doooooo it! Starts with Amaryllis, then it's Zinnia, and Orchid. All about psychic powers working in partnership - a prism and a talent. Have you read Jayne Castle's books? Which ones are your favorites?

Good News & Writing Update

Coming out of my hermit cave for a little while (shh, don't tell Ashwini) to share a writing and good news update:

In awesome news, Allegiance of Honor, Archangel's Heart, and Rock Wedding have all been nominated for RT Reviewers' Choice Awards!  In more awesome news, Allegiance of Honor, Wild Embrace, and Archangel's Heart have been nominated for the Australian Romance Readers Association Awards!

In writing news, the copy edits for Silver Silence are done, and now I'm working on Archangel's Viper. The review copies for Silver Silence won't go out until the proofs are ready, which should be in a few weeks or so (but don't quote me on that!).

Right, off I sidle back to my cave to chain myself to the keyboard. :D

Book Recommendations: Louisa George & Amanda Bouchet

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll have seen I recommended a couple of books this week. I thought I'd share the recs here too! One is a contemporary, the other a fantasy/paranormal.

First up is Louisa George's "Something Borrowed" - it starts off with a wedding planner jilted at the altar, a Bridezilla style meltdown that ends up with her trying to beat the (sexy) best man up with her wedding bouquet, and then it only gets better. :D

It's fun but with a real emotional heart. I had SUCH a good time reading this and totally fell for the characters!! (Full disclosure, Louisa is a friend of mine but you all know I only talk about books I love!)

Second rec is Amanda Bouchet's "A Promise of Fire" - this one's a fantasy romance and it's soooo good!! The characters are wonderfully likeable, the world is unique and full of intrigue, and there's just this deep sense of warmth to the book that I loved and that kept me inhaling the story. I read this on the plane to and back from Australia and the hours just flew by. I CANNOT WAIT to read the next book!!!! This is Amanda's debut and I think she's done an incredible job.

Totally check out both these books!! And if you've read them already, share your opinions in the comments. :)

Friday Book Club

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

I read Rachel Bach's fantastic Paradox Trilogy - great sf with a tough, strong heroine and enough romance to satisfy my romance loving heart.

Okay, your turn!

Friday Book Club

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

My latest read was Tanya Huff's An Ancient Peace, a spinoff from her awesome Valor series. Loved this book too.

Okay, your turn!

Dark Horse by Michelle Diener

I have a book rec for you today. I loved, loved DARK HORSE by Michelle Diener!! It kept me up way too late last night. It's a science fiction romance with great worldbuilding and a wonderful romance between two characters I truly liked. The blurb is below and here's a link to the book's Amazon page - you can click the cover to look inside the book and read an excerpt.

Any of you already read it? What did you think?

DARK HORSE

Michelle Diener

Some secrets carry the weight of the world.

Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she’s made a powerful ally–a fellow prisoner with whom she’s formed a strong bond. Sazo’s an artificial intelligence. He’s saved her from captivity and torture, but he’s also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.

Captain Dav Jallan doesn’t know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he’s not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.

She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less abou

t her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5’s owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn’t the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.

In this race for the truth, he’s going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse.

Friday Book Club

What are you reading and loving this week?

I just finished Ann Cleeves' The Moth Catcher. I really enjoy the Vera mysteries and this one was no different with its twists and turns - and the wonderful recurring cast.

Okay, your turn!

Catchup and Friday Book Club

Wow, it's Friday again already! How did that happen?!

I'm off to have a hot chocolate with Ashwini and a good friend this morning, then it's back into Psy-Changeling #15. If you missed this month's newsletter, Psy-Changeling #15 will feature an ensemble cast and be a book about family, whether that family is related by blood, by loyalty, or myriad other bonds.

While I was traveling, I made my way through Ramez Naam's Nexus trilogy. This is science fiction (no romance), and I found the concepts within it both fascinating and thought-provoking. Plus, it's a great action story.

My current read is an early copy of JD Robb's Devoted in Death (out Sep 15th). It's awesome as always.

Okay, your turn! What are you reading and loving this week?

Friday Book Club

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

I just read and really enjoyed In Sheep's Clothing by Meljean Brook, a 30 page short you can download for free from her website.

Your turn!

Alissa Johnson - A Christmas Dance

My second novella rec for this weekend is a historical: Alissa Johnson's A Christmas Dance. It's a sweet, warm-hearted, and just lovely story of two people falling in love.

The hero is former military and has a PLAN to get himself a wife. Then along comes the heroine and all his plans take a tumble.

If you're looking for a novella with two likeable characters and a romance that'll make you smile, check this one out.

You can read an excerpt by clicking on the cover on Amazon.

Tamara Morgan - Off the Map

I have a couple of novella recs for you this weekend. The first one is Tamara Morgan​'s OFF THE MAP featuring two members of a search and rescue team.

I have to be honest - at first, I thought the hero, Scott, was an ass. Like really. But then I realized what was going on with him and he melted my heart.

The heroine, Carrie, is awesome, so strong and positive and kind.

Their relationship has an enemies to lovers vibe, but it's also hilariously funny in places. I was reading this on a plane and I had to muffle my mouth so my neighbor didn't think I'd lost the plot (it was a scene featuring a voodoo Ken doll).

If you're looking for a sharp, funny, romantic novella, check this one out. Here's a link to the excerpt on Tamara's website.

Second rec to come tomorrow! :-)

Laura Florand - Once Upon A Rose

Laura Florand can't write fast enough for me. Every time I finish one of her books, I'm over at her website looking for the next release, and saying, what do you meant I have to wait?!

I absolutely loved, loved, loved Once Upon A Rose. The heroine is sweet with a teasing sense of humor, while the hero is, as the heroine puts it, a bit of a "growly bear." Only this big, tough bear's heart is huge enough to hold an entire valley and tender enough that the heroine can make him blush.

This book left me with a big grin and the happy good-book sigh. If you haven't read any of Laura's books, you have such a treat ahead of you! Here's a link to her website if you'd like to explore.

And if you go to Amazon and click the cover of Once Upon A Rose, you can read a long excerpt (the adorable and funny first meeting between the hero and heroine) without having to download. Plus, Laura also has a bonus shorter excerpt up on her site. Enjoy!

Karina Bliss - Rise

Hi everyone! I emerge!

I posted this on my Facebook page, but wanted to share the rec here as well. Rise is the amazing new book by my friend and awesome author Karina Bliss.

It's emotional and intense and I couldn't put it down. Her rock star is, as the blurb says, "manipulative, honest, gifted, charismatic and morally ambiguous" - he's a fascinating character to get to know, right along with his heroine, the biographer he talks into writing his story. I hope you'll check this book out!

Excerpt here: http://karinabliss.com/books/rock-stars/

In other news, how was your weekend? :-)


 

Book Recommendations

I currently have a post up on Book Binge talking about Five Books Everyone Should Read. Swing by and let me know what you think of my recs.

(And yep, it was excruciating stopping at just five!)

Friday Book Club

Time for the first Friday Book Club of 2015! What are you reading and loving this week?

My latest read was Jayne Ann Krentz's Trust No One. I loved it as always (I am a confirmed JAK fangirl.)

Okay, your turn!

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. :)