trueromance

My Borders Romance Group

I am very lucky that the Borders I shop at has a wonderful Romance Reader Group. This is a group of about 20 ladies and we are growing. I have been a part of this group for over 8 years. We meet once a month and just talk romance books. When we talk book, we talk books. We talk about what we liked, what we didn’t like. Why did the author do that and what really turns us off of a book. We even went to San Francisco when RWA was there. A whole bus load of us went up and came back with a bus loadof autographed books.

We all have a few pet peeves that we don’t like. Some of them are, if the hero is unfaithful to the heroine after they met. He can do anything he wants before they get together, but once they meet. He better stay faithful to her. Then you have the heroine that is just to stupid to live. You just want to shot her and it can really ruin a book for you. The other biggie is modern language in a historical. I know that one really upsets people. Or the cover does not match the hero or heroine. Here you are reading a book and the cover shows a blond with flowing hair, but in the book she has flowing black hair.

Another big plus in our group is we get ARC’s to read. That is Advanced Reader Copy. This has opened my eyes up to so many new authors and genres. I never read shifter books until I got a ARC for one. After that I was hooked. I love Lora Leigh, Shelly Laurenston, Terry Spear, Nalini Singh. I have found new authors this way. Authors I never would of picked up if I hadn’t gotten the ARC, Anna Campbell, Deb Stover, Nina Bruhns just to name a few. Well also get ARC”S of up coming releases. Brenda Novak, Robyn Carr, Madeline Hunter, you can’t miss her new series, they are outstanding! An ARC is great because it can really open up your eyes to new and old authors.

We are even lucky to have a few authors in our group. Bella Andre, Jasmine Haynes, Mardi Ballou, and Shelly, who has three pen names, Shelly Bates/Shelly Adina/Shannon Hollis . It’s fun to have them because they do tell us some interesting things. It is also nice to know what some of them go through with there books. It’s nice to hear what makes them write, where they get there ideas, and all important when the next book is out.

We have had authors that will come and talk about their new books and then sign them for us. Brenda Novak came and talked about her Last Stand series and the new series that will be out this year. Veronica Wolff and Monica McCarty have come by. Jenny Anderson, who is a member of the group just had her first book published. We have also had Jami Alden, Anne Mallory, Crystal Jordan and others come by.

Because of this group I have met some wonderful ladies, I have read some great books. I have gotten others to read good books, like The Madness Of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley. They have gotten me to read books out of my comfort zone like Immortal Sins by Amanda Ashley, I don’t really like vampire books, but this one was Ok.

If you are not lucky and don’t have a group like this around. The next best thing I found has been the Romantic Times web site. It has a wonderful message board and we talk books all day long. It has a bunch of different boards that you can go to. You have a board for your favorites, readers roundtable, book sleuth, a general board and you also have a spoiler one. If you have a question about any book you can post it here and it will be answered. I have met allot of nice ladies here also. Mater of fact I have one lady that we will send books back and forth to each other, thanks Danielle!

Last I would like to wish my mom a Happy belated Birthday. When I first did this post it was to run on her Birthday, but we got bumped!!

Do any of you have a Romance group in your area? What are some of your pet peeves in a book? Do you have someone who encouraged you to read?

The Seduction of Secrets:
How Peyton Place Inspired Words of Seduction
Dara Girard
Peyton Place. Just saying the name brings up images of sex, scandal, and small town secrets. Author, Grace Metalious, was referred to as a “Pandora in Blue Jeans” because she’d supposedly opened up a ‘box of sin’ and revealed it to the world! Both she and her book where denounced by preachers and politicians and banned in Canada and other countries. When asked in an interview if she thought Peyton Place would be remembered, Ms. Metalious, said, “I doubt it very much.” Peyton Place which was published in 1956 (and crucified by some critics) is still in print and has sold millions.

By today’s standards, the novel would be considered tame, but I believe the spirit of Peyton Place is the reason it has lasted all these years. Why? Because its themes– hypocrisy, social inequities and class privilege–are what make this ‘trashy little book’ resonant years later. Aside from the scandal and sex, it is a story about the lives of three women—Constance MacKenzie, a woman with secret fears and desires; her daughter Allison who is a product of a secret heritage, and Selena Cross whose secret pain shatters an entire town. And that is why Peyton Place inspired my recent release WORDS OF SEDUCTION.

WORDS OF SEDUCTION is a story about Suzanne Rand, a former housewife turned hot novelist who is forced to return to her small town of Anadale, North Carolina after her father dies. There she reunites with a man who broke her heart years ago and soon her real life is igniting more sparks than her stories. Along with the small town setting, just as in the book that inspired me, there are three women with secrets whose lives eventually intertwine—Suzanne returns with secrets and fears that Rick Gordon is determined to reveal (although he has dangerous secrets of his own). His mother, Frieda Gordon, has a dark secret that threatens to destroy her son’s new love and then there’s Suzanne’s former music teacher, Melba Lowell, whose shocking secret from the past continues to echo in the present.

What is it about secrets that tantalize? I believe it’s because there’s something about pulling away the veneer of ‘perfection’ and revealing the ‘imperfection’ underneath. Whether it is a secret love affair, or a ‘love’ child, or a man now living as a woman secrets show us that many lives are more complex than they first appear to be. As Ms. Metalious once said of her own hometown, “To a tourist these towns look as peaceful as a postcard picture, but if you go beneath that picture it’s like turning over a rock with your foot–All kinds of strange things crawl out.”

We are drawn to the darkness where secrets linger. Their seductive invitation is the demons we all know exist, but rarely think of. We all understand the pain of quiet desperation, forbidden desires, and hidden domestic sorrows. In my initial draft of this story I came up with a Town of Secrets for the title. I quickly changed my mind. First it’s not a practical title for a romance and secondly, secrets weren’t the only theme. So I chose WORDS OF SEDUCTION because, as a writer, I know the power of words to seduce. Not just in terms of eliciting passion, but also for persuasion to get someone to commit acts or think thoughts that they might not normally do (Lady Macbeth comes to mind). Frieda persuades her son to betray Suzanne, Melba persuades the townspeople to look away from the truth of her life, and finally Suzanne persuades Rick on many different levels.

In the end, like Peyton Place, WORDS OF SEDUCTION is a story of love and forgiveness, which I hope will make for a memorable book readers will enjoy. You can find out more about this novel and read an excerpt on my website: http://www.daragirard.com

What do you think about secrets? Good or bad? What did you think about the secrets in Peyton Place? When secrets are revealed, why do some people try so hard to deny them? I’ll give away an autographed copy of WORDS OF SEDUCTION and a multi-lipstick holder to a random commenter.

Alyssa Day, ATLANTIS REDEEMED, Setting: Atlantis and Yellowstone National Park
Subgenre: Paranormal Romance
Hero: Brennan, an Atlantean warrior who has lived without emotion for more than 2,000 years
Heroine: Tiernan Butler, a human investigative reporter who has the Gift of Truth Telling

One sentence summary:
When 2,000 years of lost emotion hit you all at once—do you fall in love or die?

Scene you like most and would never cut:
When Brennan first re-encounters Tiernan and the curse he has suffered under for so long shatters.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying:
Anything that makes her look, feel, or be helpless. She has a vested interest in bringing the truth to the public and achieving justice for her murdered best friend.

Your hero, is he a boxer or brief kind of guy:
Pure Atlantean silk, baby.

Ancillary character you had the most fun with:
The vampire leader, Devon. He has very interesting goals and the shocking twist at the end almost surprised even me! I’m going to write his book one day.

Your heroine’s favorite hobby:
Walking on the beach, far away from anybody who might be telling lies. Lies hurt her; they feel and sound discordant and screeching against her soul.

Your hero’s favorite hobby:
Can I say it involves Tiernan and nakedness? LOL. He also is having a great time learning to tell jokes now that he has emotion back and can recognize humor.

What you think readers will like best about this book:
The emotion. My editor said this is the most emotional novel I’ve ever written and I think she’s right. Something about Brennan’s almost childlike attempts to cope with 2,000 years’ of lost emotion swamping him all at once; then the way he and Tiernan fight for each other even when they are in so much pain—I admit I cried more than once writing this book.

Reviews: Wow! Everything from “spectacular” and “exemplary” to “a cocktail sauce of awesome.” I’m loving the reviews!

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:
High priest Alaric. His path is so tortured, and everyone wants to know what happens with him and Quinn. There is a very emotional scene in Atlantis Redeemed between the two of them; Alaric is starting to crack around the edges a little bit.

What’s next:
Christophe’s book is next – and it’s a heist book! In ATLANTIS BETRAYED, out in September, he encounters a famous British cat burglar and boy, do the sparks fly! Then it’s the first of my new urban fantasy series, also for Berkley. I can’t wait!
For the first time ever, I’m stuck for a title for Denal’s upcoming book. If you can think of a wonderful title (must have Atlantis in it), I’ll put you in the acknowledgements for the book.

There must be prizes! One book to 3 random readers commenting on this blog! Please visit me online at http://www.alyssaday.com for excerpts, a free short story, video interviews, and more. Thank you so much!
Hugs,
Alyssa

Naked Edge by Pamela Clare
Setting: modern day Denver, Colo.
Subgenre: Romantic Suspense
Hero: Gabriel Rossiter
Heroine: Katherine James

One sentence summary:
When Navajo journalist Katherine James and Park Ranger Gabriel Rossiter team up to investigate a murder on land sacred to Native American people, their passion for the truth — and each other — makes them targets for those desperate enough to kill.

Scene you like most and would never cut:
Other than the love scenes?

I loved the “male-bonding” scenes in this story, the scenes in which heroes from some of the past I-Team books interact with Gabe, the hero from this story. And I loved writing all of the outdoor scenes, which enabled me to show off my lovely home state of Colorado. I also really love the scene depicting contemporary American Indian life, with which I’m familiar after more than a decade of reporting on Indian issues for the newspaper.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying:
As a traditional Navajo woman, Kat would never be disrespectful to an elder. Neither would she sell herself or her culture short, which is why she doesn’t drink alcohol and why she’s still a virgin.

What is your hero’s greatest fear:
What Gabe fears most is having to trust others. He goes to great lengths not to have to trust anyone. He even rock climbs alone.

What is your heroine’s greatest fear:
Deep inside, Kat is afraid of letting her elders down. It’s important to her to prove who she is to them. Of course, in the story there are other things she comes to fear: flying bullets, bones, and a very real, live breathing skin walker.

What is your heroines occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing:
Kat is an investigative journalist. If she were unemployed, I suspect she’d end up back on the Navajo reservation helping her grandmother cook, spin wool, and care for the family’s sheep.

What is your heroes occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing:
Gabe is an expert rock and alpine climber and skier, as well as a trained paramedic and a park ranger. If he were unemployed, he’d end up living in his truck up in the mountains and spending all of his copious free time skiing and climbing. He’d get odd jobs to keep his gas tank full and he’d “chase the powder,” as we say here in Colorado. He’d go wherever the snow is good for skiing.
Or if he ended up without a job and found himself desperately attracted to a beautiful, young woman whose life was in peril, he just might end up volunteering to be her 24/7 bodyguard. That’s just a guess.

What you think readers will like best about this book:
I think readers will like the love story between Kat and Gabe most. As two people from completely different cultures who are opposites in many ways, they face a lot of obstacles. Watching them overcome those obstacles and seeing how each saves the other through love will, I hope, touch readers deeply. I also think readers will enjoy what is a fairly realistic and accurate glimpse at the lives of contemporary urban Indian people.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:
I get e-mails every day asking when “Horny Holly” will get her story and when Connor MacKinnon from my MacKinnon’s Rangers series will have his own book. I have to answer them all with, “I don’t know.”

What’s next:
Right now I’m working on the next I-Team book. It will tell Natalie’s story and that of Zack MacBride, the deputy U.S. Marshal who ends up becoming her hero, despite a shared tragedy in their past. I don’t have a title for it yet. After that, I hope to sink my teeth into Connor MacKinnon’s story. And I might have a paranormal up my sleeves…

But now I have a question for readers:
Kat James is the first contemporary heroine I’ve written as a virgin. I was afraid that readers wouldn’t find that believable, even though, as a Navajo, Kat would naturally be more conservative about such things than most of us. Surprisingly, most of the people who’ve contacted me have really liked this aspect of the story. So I’m wondering what is it that’s so appealing to readers about the virgin heroine?

I’m randomly giving away a signed copy of Naked Edge and a Borders gift card for $25. All you have to do to be eligible to win is to join in the discussion.

So what do you all say? What’s appealing about a virgin heroine in a contemporary romance?

Click here for Excerpt:

Geee-zus!
Gabe sucked in a breath, shocked by the blistering impact of Kat’s unexpected kiss, heat
shearing through his gut at the first clumsy press of her lips against his. Even as his body
responded, some part of his brain knew this shouldn’t be happening. “Kat, you’re upset
and tipsy and—”
She kissed him again, tilting her head to better slant her mouth over his.
Christ!
He turned his face away, felt her lips brush his jaw. “Honey, you don’t really want this.
You’ve just lost—”
She made a little sound of protest, her arms sliding behind his head, drawing his lips
closer to hers, as if to show him that she did really want it.
Good. So did he.
Ignoring the pathetic warnings of his conscience, he took control of the kiss, drawing her
tight against him, capturing her mouth with his.
God, she tasted sweet! She smelled sweet, too — like honey and woman. She gave a little
whimper, melting against him in a way that was utterly feminine, every inch of her soft
body molding to his, her breasts pressing against his ribs, her lips parting to give him
access. He swirled his tongue over hers, felt her body tense. And through a pheromone
fog, he realized she wasn’t just a virgin between her legs.
Kissing — real kissing — was new to her, too.
Not just virgin, buddy — extra virgin.
He reined himself in, gentled the kiss, slowed it down, brushing her lips lightly with his,
teasing their outline with the tip of his tongue, nipping their fullness, his lust for her at
war with some strange urge to protect her from himself. In his world, any night that
started with kissing ended soon after with fucking. His cock had already risen to the
occasion and strained painfully against his fly, looking for the surest route out of denim
and into her. But that couldn’t happen — not tonight, not when she was vulnerable and
afraid and hurting, probably not ever. She wanted happily ever after, and all he could give
her was sex. Still, he could keep kissing her…
Hell, yeah.
He claimed her mouth in a no-holds-barred kiss, penetrating deep, taking her tongue with
his, sucking it into his mouth, biting down. She whimpered, kissed him back, meeting the
strokes of his tongue with her own, her fingers curled in his hair, her body almost
undulating against his, communicating in a primal language of its own, one Gabe’s body
understood only too well.
Katherine James might want to save her virginity, but her body had other plans.
With a groan, he drew her beneath him, testosterone shorting out his brain, his body
taking over, his blood running hot and fast. He found her throat and pressed his lips
against the rapid beating of her pulse, kissing a path over soft, sweet skin, tasting her,
nibbling her earlobe. And he wasn’t finished — not by a long shot.
Kat heard herself whimper and turned her head to the side, surrendering her throat to
Gabe, the heat of his lips raising goose bumps on her skin, his male scent filling her head,
the hard press of his body on top hers making her belly flutter.
She’d never felt anything like this, never even imagined it — the heat, the intensity, the
overwhelming physical force of it. Her body trembled, and her heart raced, her breathing
uneven as if she’d been running. And she was running — from her grief, from her fear,
from everything that hurt. Some part of her knew this, but that only made her run faster.
The rules don’t apply tonight.
She didn’t stop him when he slid a callused hand beneath her sweater to trace tiny circles
up her ribcage. She didn’t object when his clever fingers found the clasp of her bra
between her breasts and unhooked it. And when he cupped her left breast, when his
thumb flicked her nipple…
She gasped, stunned, the sensation too astonishing, too arousing, too wonderful to be real.
Jagged shafts of heat seemed to shoot straight from her breast to her belly, turning to
liquid between her thighs.
“You like that, don’t you?”
At the husky sound of his voice, her eyes flew open. She found him looking down at her,
his breathing as rough as hers, his blue eyes burning, a smile on his wet lips. She forced
herself to hold his gaze, shocked by the intimacy of watching him as he watched her, as
he watched the effect his touch had on her, his hand still cupping and shaping her breast,
his thumb tracing lazy circles over its aching crest.
And the heat in her belly became a wildfire.
Then he pushed her sweater up, baring her breasts, his gaze raking hungrily over her.
“God, Kat, honey, you’ve got beautiful breasts. They’re so… Mmm.”
Whatever he’d been about to say became a moan as he ducked down and drew one of her
nipples into the scorching heat of his mouth.
“Gabe.” Kat’s body jerked at the initial shock of it, the pleasure staggering as he suckled
first one nipple and then the other, tugging at her with his lips, teasing her with velvet
strokes of his tongue, tormenting her with nips of his teeth. It was sweet, so sweet, and
terrible, too, the fire between her thighs now a throbbing ache. She heard herself calling
his name, felt her hips lifting toward him, wanting, wanting…
Wanting him.
He groaned, settled his weight between her thighs, and answered her need, grinding what
could only be the thick ridge of his erection against her… there. Slowly, so slowly he
moved against her, taking the edge off the ache, only to make it so much worse. She was
wet, the emptiness inside her burning, her inner muscles clenching around nothing. And
she knew.
If he kept going, if he pressed her, she wouldn’t be able to stop him. She wouldn’t want
to.
Gabe’s body was strung so tightly he thought it might snap. He’d been a damned idiot to
take it this far. He’d wanted to give her the comfort she so obviously needed, and one
thing had let to another. Or that’s what he’d told himself. In truth, he’d wanted to kiss her
and hold her — and so he had.
He needed to stop. But how could he when Kat was coming apart in his arms, her
response burning him up? Her little mewls and whimpers were driving him out of his
mind, her wine-dark nipples drawn into tight buds that begged for his mouth, her hips
moving in a way that was both feminine and undeniably erotic. He didn’t want to stop —
oh, hell, no! He wanted to fuck her long and hard. He wanted to make her come again
and again. He wanted to forget himself inside her.
And then what, buddy? You’ll pluck her sweet cherry and show her the door? She
deserves better than that, and you damned well know it.
Gabe dragged his lips from hers, forced his hips to hold still, sexual need grinding in his
gut, blood pounding through his veins. “Kat.”
She looked up at him, so beautiful it made his chest ache, confusion and longing in those
hazel green eyes, tear stains on her cheeks, her lips red and swollen, her delicious breasts
rising and falling with each rapid breath — no makeup, no silicon, nothing but sweet,
soft, sexually aroused woman.
He fought the urge, so elemental, to kiss her again and settled for running his knuckles
over her cheek. Somehow, he managed to string a few words together. “If I don’t stop
now, honey, we’re going to be at this all night.”

Check out Borders.com for all of Sophia’s wonderful Historical books, click here - Happy Romance!

Sophia Nash, Secrets of a Scandalous Bride (Feb. 23, 2010)
Setting: London – Regency era
Subgenre: Historical Romance

Hero: Rowland Manning, a hero masquerading as a villain.

Heroine: Elizabeth Ashburton, a widow in the dowager duchess’s secret club—or is she?

One sentence summary:
When Elizabeth Manning is forced to confront the devil from her past, her friends in the dowager duchess’s club can not help her, and she turns to a most unwilling hero . . . Rowland Manning, the most ruthless, enigmatic man in all of England.

Scene you like most and would never cut:
At the end of Chapter 18, Elizabeth reveals that she has done something to make Rowland feel more like he is part of the rest of humanity—not as apart as he thinks. Advance readers mentioned how heart-wrenching it is.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying:
“Let someone else do it.” Elizabeth never stops to think things through. She just steps into the breach and does the right thing at that moment. She is a classic heroine, yet she deplores her rash actions, never considering that real sin occurs when someone has good intentions but ultimately fails to act.

Your hero, is he a boxer or brief kind of guy:
Nothing gets between Rowland Manning and his breeches.

Ancillary character you had the most fun with:
“Ata” or Merceditas St. Aubyn, the Dowager Duchess of Helston, and her stalwart first love, Mr. John Brown have appeared in all of the books in the series. Ata is the name of my French great grandmother. She was a 4’11 ball of fire who loved to laugh and who was saddled with an overbearing 6’2” aristocratic husband. I inserted touches of her life in the series—such as the canary in the gold cage, and her love of riding. Readers will learn Ata’s fate in this story, and the last widow, Sarah Winters’ destiny, too.

Your heroine’s favorite hobby:
Cooking.

Your hero’s favorite hobby:
Not eating.

What you think readers will like best about this book:
The hero in the story, Rowland Manning, was the villain in the last book, “Love with the Perfect Scoundrel.” There was something so mesmerizing about him while I was writing that story that I knew he had to be a hero underneath it all. Rowland is larger than life, and he makes the biggest changes in any book I’ve ever written. I love his jaded wit, his reluctance to play a gallant hero, and his story arc. Elizabeth Ashburton is the only woman brave enough to take him on, and to be worthy of him in the end.

Also, for those curious about the writing process: I had originally thought that the end of the story was about 100 pages earlier than it turned out to be. And my favorite part of “Secrets of a Scandalous Bride” is those same last 100 pages.

Reviews: Booklist and Library Journal have each given the book a *starred review.* “Expertly spiced with deliciously subtle sense of wit, deftly seasoned with a superbly nuanced cast of characters, and featuring a plot brimming with lusciously sensual romance and a dash of dangerous intrigue, Secrets of a Scandalous Bride, is Nash’s best book yet.~Booklist

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:
I’ve had many ask me to write stories for Rosamunde’s brothers from “A Dangerous Beauty.”

What’s next:
I’m delighted to report that I’m working on a brand new, exciting series for Avon/HarperCollins! The first book will be out next year. Readers may check for updates in the coming months at www.sophianash.com.

I’m plotting a number of stories for this new series, and I’d love to hear about readers’ favorite plotlines. For example, do you favor stories that feature: a second chance at love, tortured heroes or heroines, alpha/beta males, Cinderella, governess, secret baby, Beauty & the Beast, or any other type?

There must be prizes! One book to 5 random readers commenting on this blog—winner’s choice of title.

Setting: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Subgenre: Women’s Fiction
Hero: Rafael Dunlap
Heroine: Nathalyia Fontaine

One sentence summary: A bet between friends leads to a passionate romance and redemption..

Scene you like most and would never cut: A difficult question, but I think there are two scenes in IF YOU WERE MY MAN that I really like. Both set the tone for the book. The first scene is that of Rafael and Nathalyia’s initial meeting when he tries to entice her to go out with him to discuss the service at Fontaine, her restaurant. He strikes out big time when she hands him a menu and tells him she isn’t on it. Rafael takes her refusal as a challenge. The chase is on, but who will catch whom.

The second scene is when Jake, the bald-headed bartender and confident of Nathalyia, forgets himself and kisses Clarice, the younger, full-figured waitress he secretly yearns for. Jake has a scar on his heart as well as on his face and back-paddles as fast as he can. However, act-before you-think Clarice is not about to let that happen even if she has to resort to some unorthodox methods.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: “If you don’t like the food or the service, there’s the door.” Nathalyia lives and breathes Fontaine. It is her duty and also her pleasure to make sure that Fontaine, the restaurant/bar, left to her by her late husband, succeeds. She’ll bend over backwards to ensure that her customers have an exemplary dining experience. Fontaine is more than a restaurant to her, it is a shining example that, although she came from nothing, she has succeeded beyond her wildest dreams and expectations.

What celebrity is your hero like: I think Rafael is like Denzel Washington. Both are gorgeous with a lean, muscular build, charming and charismatic. When needed, both can be a force to be reckoned with. Both have the ‘it’ factor. As a hostage negotiator, Rafael has the intelligence and steely determination to overcome any obstacle placed in his path - be it a criminal or a reluctant Nathalyia.

What celebrity is your heroine like: Nathalyia is a cross between Vanessa L. Williams, and Angelina Jolie. Like Ms. Williams, Nathalyia is stunning with a keen intelligence and quick smile. She’s been down, but hard work has taken her to the top of her profession. She knows how to win people over, but if pushed, like Angelina Jolie, she pushes back.

What is your heroines occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing:
Nathalyia is sole proprietor of Fontaine, a popular seafood restaurant/bar near the ocean in Myrtle Beach. The restaurant was entrusted to her by her late husband, the only person in her life who gave to her without expecting something in return. She loves Fontaine and takes her responsibility seriously. She wants nothing to interfere, least of all a man who makes her pulse pound and her body want his.

What is your heroes occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing:
Rafael is a hostage negotiator with S.O.R.T. - Special Operations Response Team - with the Myrtle Beach Police Department. He’s very dedicated. Even when he’s off duty he doesn’t drink alcohol because he never knows when he might receive a call from his commander.

What you think readers will like best about this book:
I think readers will enjoy watching playboy Rafael unknowingly fall in love, then have to go all out to win Nathalyia’s love. Women have always come easy to Rafael with his fallen angel looks and easy-going-manner. Not even to himself has he admitted why three weeks is the longest he stays in a relationship. Nathalyia is a woman who makes him forget all the rules he’s lived by when dating - except one - which will test both of them.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:
I received Emails almost on a daily basis asking about Rio. Rio was first seen in ONLY YOU, book # 5 in the Grayson Friends series, then again in THE WAY YOU LOVE ME and ONE NIGHT WITH YOU, books # 1 and #3 in the new Grayson Friends Series. Rio is the strong, silent, gorgeous type. You never know what he’s thinking. His unblinking gaze can be as cold as an ice. He’s deadly and anyone who meets him knows it. He solemnly watched his two best friends, Blade Navarone and Shane Elliott, fall in love. But home and hearth aren’t for Rio. He walks alone. Or so he thinks. There’s a woman waiting for Rio and she’s going to turn his orderly world upside down…and make him like it!!!

What’s next: Coming March 30 is FOREVER YOURS, a reissue and the first book in the Taggart/Falcon series. FOREVER YOURS is a marriage of convenience story. Victoria Chandler needs to marry or lose her chain of lingerie stores, Lavender and Lace. She wants a malleable man who will sign a pre-nup, then get lost until time for the divorce a year later. She gets Kane Taggart, a man who can be controlled as easily as a twister, a man who will settle for nothing less than a lifetime.

****

Thank to Borders for the opportunity to blog. It’s always a pleasure to connect with readers. To thank those who stop by I’m giving away three (3) books in a random drawing. A winner will be selected from blog posts. First prize: a first edition copy of Fallen Angel, my first book published in 1993. Second prize is a copy of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU - the first book in the Graysons of New Mexico series. Third prize is a copy of ONLY YOU, the book in which Rio makes his first appearance. Winners will be notified by email.

I’m always interested in learning what readers think about characters, especially the hero and heroine. I do my best to write about men we can fall in love with and women we can root for. Since I write contemporary romances, I’d like to know your thoughts on the most endearing or annoying characteristic a hero or heroine can exhibit? In other words, what makes you sigh or makes you want to grit your teeth. LOL. Please do not provide specific names, titles or author’s names in your answer.

Thanks again for allowing me to spend time with each of you and I hope that you will write and let me know what you think of IF YOU WERE MY MAN at www.francisray.com.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah was an engaging read. It is not lightweight, frivolous, or funny and definitely not a beach read. Which is good because it’s currently pouring rain at my house. With the stormy weather the ambiance was perfectly cozy to read it until late at night when I should have been in bed sleeping. Two children getting up before the sun rises means a tired mother. Yet Winter Garden kept my attention, my feelings were engaged, I was hooked on the story, and it made me cry. Twice. Any book that makes me cry gets five stars as there have only been a couple of books that I have ever read that have had that kind of power.

The story starts off with two sisters, Meredith and Nina Whitson, and showed how they were completely different and not familiar with each other. Meredith has a husband who was a childhood love and two beautiful grown children. Meredith works for the family business and leads a busy life. Yet she is depressed and closed off from her husband as both of her children have left the family nest to attend college. Nina is a free bird, living the nomadic photography lifestyle while hardly checking in with her family as she wanders around torn countries. Nina has a man that she sees frequently in the course of her travels yet keeps him at arms length emotionally.

The two girls had grown apart years ago as they have had their disapproving mother, Anya, never love or care for them throughout the years and that affected their relationship. Even with their attentive and loving father around to keep the family together, it was never enough. Of course, tragedy strikes as their father becomes ill and forces Anya and her two daughters to be together to learn more about each other and explore Anya’s past so her daughters can finally know about their mother.

The fascinating part about this story is that it features a fairy tale that Anya tells throughout the book. It is shrouded in mystery and takes place in Leningrad, which is now modern day Saint Petersburg. It is a love story and has been a source of tension in the family as Anya has never told the ending. She has finally been compelled to tell the ending and explain her own personal mysteries to her daughters. The fairy tale starts off in a very mystical way and had me a little skeptical at how it was going to continue. This didn’t feel like the type of mystical book I was getting in to. As the fairy tale went on, the details in the story slightly changed and with that change, you will discover some interesting facts about the life that Anya led before she came to America and married Evan Whitson.

The main character of Meredith was a hard read. If you have any personal sadness in your life, Meredith will hit you hard as she has closed herself off and is most obviously severely depressed. Honestly, there were a few times where I wanted to close the book because I couldn’t feel like I could read anymore on how Meredith could show how depressed she was! I’m glad I didn’t seriously think about closing the book, it was a great story. The fairy tale was amazing but very graphic on war related items. It was sad to read and hard to imagine. While a few of the plots in the book were obvious on where they would end, the main plot with Anya and her daughters took many unexpected twists that were thrilling to read and also very tragic.

I can only imagine that Kristin Hannah has a sister, or a large family, and intimately knows rough waters of family life because her past books like True Colors, Between Sisters, or Summer Island are striking family ties in such a heartfelt way. When you feel like your parents don’t love you, or are not proud of you, Hannah describes those feelings perfectly. Hannah is able to guide you through forced family meetings that you feel you have attended in your own life, yet somehow get you through to the end and show you that it is possible to have a happy ending.

If you have family members whom you love yet have had problems in the past with, you need to pick up a Kristin Hannah novel. Winter Garden was remarkable in family issues and the astounding storytelling of Leningrad in the 1940’s. I highly recommend it.

Have you ever had issues with your mother or siblings that you couldn’t work out? Remember that life can be unexpected. Be sure to let your family members know you care about them.

Kristi can be found rambling about life at http://www.KristiBug.com

Well, because they just are! I mean, men, who have that kind of drive & focus, that want to fight for their country for their families & others, is such an unselfish act that there is no other word that describes them — it is heroism at its grandest!

Ok, here is where I have to tell you - - - I’m NOT a writer, not aspiring to be one, never wanted to be one - - - I’m a reader & bookseller. The reason I am clarifying this now is so when you read this post you’ll have expectations for the writing of an un-published writer - - - now you’ll know what to expect & won’t be disappointed

So, back to my Military men . . . many authors have chosen to write this sub-genre in romance & I salute them for doing so & for doing it so well. Romance authors portray these men as the heroes they are: Robyn Carr in Virgin River - & what about Paradise Valley when Rick returns home from war?

Stephanie Tyler is rockin the romance world with her new series beginning with Hard To Hold, Navy Seals at their finest!

Suzzane Brockmann was one of the authors that really set the stage for me: Unsung Hero with Tom Paoletti; Ken Karmody in Out of Control ; & my favorite with Lt Tom Starrett in Gone Too Far. Suz’s Troubleshooters have all found a spot in our hearts.

Military romances introduce us to a world we don’t even know - - - giving us a glimpse of impossible military situations & an authors point of view of how to get them out of it - - - & makes us think, and maybe even put ourselves into those situations wondering how the heck to get out of it!

When Military heroes come home from war, there is nothing better. Julia London’s, Summer of Two Wishes, was an emotional tear-jerker that delivered all a good romance should. As an escaped POW, Finn comes back from duty to find his wife has remarried during his long absence - - - Julia tells us both sides of the story . . . how Finn decides to get his wife back & how Macy really wants to come back to her first love but is torn by the love of her current husband . . . sigh. . . . this is why we read & love romance!

I also find reading about the Military, especially now, as kind of a tribute to our soldiers, and/or the Military unto itself. I am in awe of those men & women who will put their lives on the line for their country - - - even when at times, I feel like we (collective we) don’t show the appreication they deserve. It makes me more aware of these great men & women so when I see them at the airport on leave, I’ll walk up to them shake their hand, smile & say thank you & God Bless.

Bottom line, putting all that aside, as important as these occupations are & how revered they should be to all American citizens . . . our authors do a darn good job of writing these stories, creating the sexiest of heroes making these books the most fun to read! Thanks ladies!!

So, tell us, why do you read Military romances? Who are some of your favorites?
Thanks for having me blog today & please stop by Borders True Romance Blog, www.bordersblog.com/trueromance and romancerollcall.com & comment today — you may be chosen for a free book!

Happy Romance

Check out this great site where we’ll be posting comments as well — Romance Roll Call

Kate Douglas - known for her sexy Chanku shapeshifters in the popular erotic paranormal series, Wolf Tales, but her newest series from Kensington, The DemonSlayers, takes her out of the realm of erotic shapeshifters and into a world populated by demons, mythological warriors, and the humans brave enough to join them in the ages old battle of good versus evil.
www.katedouglas.com

Tag line: It’s the ultimate battle of good versus evil—the demon’s the good guy, and he’s got just one week to save the world, or all hell breaks loose.

My thanks to Borders Books for giving me this great opportunity to post. This is a really exciting week for me as my very first mass market paranormal, DemonFire, the first in my new DemonSlayers series, is just out. I got to thinking about the dynamics of coming up with a new series, of changing genres, and the process that we, as authors, go through in order to create a story. And ya know what? It’s not nearly as mysterious as it sounds.

I’ve been busy with my Wolf Tales series for Kensington Aphrodisia now since the first book debuted in January 2006, but last year I realized I was ready for something else as well. My agent, Jessica Faust, and I were brainstorming new ideas—

Jessica: Demons are popular. Got any ideas for a demon story? Something big!

Me: Not really. Big? Good versus evil…that’s big. (laughing…what a stupid idea!)

Jessica: I like it! Send me a proposal…

And thus the DemonSlayers series was born. I imagine all books begin, at some point, with the author asking that simple question: What if…? Okay…good versus evil? What if the balance between good and evil were reaching a tipping point—in Evil’s favor? What if demons were streaming into our world unchecked? What if the only one who could stop them was another demon? And what if the one woman with the power to save that good demon’s life didn’t believe in demonkind at all?

Once I began asking myself that blasted “what if” question, I couldn’t stop. Ideas kept popping into my head and before long I knew these characters—Dax, a demon too good for hell, booted out of Abyss and hired by the good folk of Eden to save Earth from demonkind. He’s got a human body—an avatar, of sorts—that’s only good for one week, and all of his demon powers are stored within a tattoo of a serpent that snakes from his thigh to his heart. Unfortunately, he’s cursed by demonfire as he enters Earth’s dimension, and the curse turns his powers against him.

Then there’s Eddy Marks, a pragmatic newspaper reporter. She believes in things she can see and feel and understand, but the naked man she finds injured and bleeding—and impossibly under attack by a garden gnome wielding a pitchfork in her potting shed—knocks all her preconceptions out the window. Her biggest surprise comes when she learns she has the power to control Dax’s horrible demon curse.

Eddy’s got a foster dog—Bumper—a cross between a pit bull and a standard poodle, described as looking like a pit bull in a Shirley Temple wig, and Dax has Willow, a tiny will o’ the wisp who feeds him energy and helps him understand his human body. There’s Ed Marks, Eddy’s dad, who believes in all things paranormal, including Lemurians, the mythological warriors who supposedly live deep within the extinct volcano of Mt. Shasta that looms over the town of Evergreen.

So, what if Lemuria really exists? It must, because Alton of Artigos, the six foot, eight inch Lemurian warrior is every bit as real to me as either Dax or Eddy…or Bumper or Willow or Ed Marks. This is a good thing, because it takes every single one of them to battle the demons descending on the tiny town of Evergreen.

As Dax’s week flies by at breakneck speed, as he battles the demon curse tattooed across his torso and Eddy fights falling in love with a man with the lifespan of a moth, the demon king grows stronger and the threat to all mankind more ominous. The battle of good versus evil reaches an unimaginable climax on the slopes of Mount Shasta, but it’s a wild ride to the finish with unexpected results.

What’s next for the DemonSlayers? Book 2, HellFire, will be out in September 2010, when the Lemurian warrior, Alton of Artigos, teams up with Eddy’s best friend Ginny Jones to fight a new demon invasion near the town of Sedona, Arizona. In the ultimate battle of good versus evil, it often takes the strangest of comrades—and lovers—to even the odds.

For a first chapter excerpt of DemonFire (and one of HellFire!) go to www.kensingtonbooks.com/demonslayers.

And let me know, because I really am curious, if you’ve followed authors who’ve switched genres. A lot of us are doing it—for me, the change isn’t so drastic as I’m merely going from erotic paranormal to sexy paranormal, but what about the BIG switches—from contemporary to historical, for instance, or contemporary to paranormal? And what about those authors who write across the spectrum? Lately it seems that we’re just all over the board. I love reading old authors in new genres, but what about you?

GIVEAWAY: I’ll be giving away five copies of DemonFire, or if the winner already has the book, they can exchange it for a copy of one of my Wolf Tales or Sexy Beast books.

46% off online TODAY, click here & save $12.88!

In this heartfelt and incisive new novel, Danielle Steel celebrates the virtues of unconventional beauty while exploring deeply resonant issues of weight, self-image, sisterhood, and family.

A chubby little girl with blond hair, blue eyes, and ordinary looks, Victoria Dawson has always felt out of place in her family, especially in body-conscious L.A. Her father, Jim, is tall and slender, and her mother, Christina, is a fine-boned, dark-haired beauty. Both are self-centered, outspoken, and disappointed by their daughter’s looks. When Victoria is six, she sees a photograph of Queen Victoria, and her father has always said she looks just like her. After the birth of Victoria’s perfect younger sister, Gracie, her father liked to refer to his firstborn as “our tester cake.” With Gracie, everyone agreed that Jim and Christina got it right.

While her parents and sister can eat anything and not gain an ounce, Victoria must watch everything she eats, as well as endure her father’s belittling comments about her body and see her academic achievements go unacknowledged. Ice cream and oversized helpings of all the wrong foods give her comfort, but only briefly. The one thing she knows is that she has to get away from home, and after college in Chicago, she moves to New York City.

Landing her dream job as a high school teacher, Victoria loves working with her students and wages war on her weight at the gym. Despite tension with her parents, Victoria remains close to her sister. And though they couldn’t be more different in looks, they love each other unconditionally. But regardless of her accomplishments, Victoria’s parents know just what to say to bring her down. She will always be her father’s “big girl,” and her mother’s constant disapproval is equally unkind.

When Grace announces her engagement to a man who is an exact replica of their narcissistic father, Victoria worries about her sister’s future happiness, and with no man of her own, she feels like a failure once again. As the wedding draws near, a chance encounter, an act of stunning betrayal, and a family confrontation lead to a turning point.

Behind Victoria is a lifetime of hurt and neglect she has tried to forget, and even ice cream can no longer dull the pain. Ahead is a challenge and a risk: to accept herself as she is, celebrate it, and claim the victories she has fought so hard for and deserves. Big girl or not, she is terrific and discovers that herself.

Although, Danielle was not able to comment today she is graciously offering 3 giveaways! Comment below & tell us what your favorite Danielle Steel book was & why.

Buy now at Borders! Read the first chapter, click here.