Winners: An Affair Without End and The Art of Seducing A Naked Werewolf

Revised 3/28/11

I had to draw another name for The Art Of Seducing A Naked Werewolf because Mariee just informed me that she won the same copy on another blog, so the new winner is...

Lisa Richards  

Thanks to all that visited the blog and entered the giveaway.  Also, special thanx to Renee @ Simon and Schuster for providing this new releases for giveaway.  And the winners are...

Erin Berry and Lisa M

Mariee and Isabel/Quimbayai

Congrats on your wins, ladies.  Please email me at thedivasbookcase@gmail.com by Wednesday, March 30 to claim your prize.  

Once I receive your email, I will forward your mailing addresses so you can get your new reads.  If I don't hear from you by then, another winner will be selected.

Other giveaways on the blog

• Win Bum Magnet by K. L. Brady-ends March 28th
• Win copy of The Highlander’s Curse by Melissa Mayhue-ends April 1st

To learn more about these authors and other new releases, visit simonandschuster.com.  

Also check out your favorite romance authors at pocketafterdark.com where you can read selected books for free and get sneak peaks of new and upcoming books.  

Book Spotlight and Giveaway: Highlander's Curse by Melissa Mayhue

 Highlander’s Curse

By Melissa Mayhue

Coming March 29, 2011

When COLIN MACALISTER is cursed by the Faerie Queen and ends up in the bed of a twenty-first-century woman—who also happens to be the most beautiful creature he's ever laid eyes on—he's torn between anger and lust. Colin is determined to see Scotland free of English control and must return to the fourteenth century, yet he cannot forget the woman who haunts his dreams and stirs him with scorching desire.

ABIGAIL PORTER can't believe her luck. After making a wish to find her soul mate, she wakes up to find a gorgeous man in her bed! Can he really be a medieval Highlander summoned by her Faerie Magic, however? It seems crazy, but when Abby discovers someone wants to enslave her because of her Faerie heritage, she agrees to flee with Colin to 1306 Scotland to avoid capture. Thwarting danger at every turn, Abby and Colin surrender to an irresistible passion. But is the magic of true love powerful enough to save them?

For more about Melissa, visit simonandschuster.com

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Highlander's-Curse/Melissa-Mayhue/9781439190326

For more of your favorite romance authors visit pocketafterdark.com

Thanks to Simon and Schuster, two followers of the blog can win this new release.  Giveaway will end on April 1st and is only open to US residents.  No P. O. Boxes please.    Winner will be randomly chosen, emailed, and will have 72 hours to contact me before another winner will be chosen.  To enter simply

1. Be a follower of this blog through Goggle Friend Connect
2. Make a comment to this post
3. Fill out the ENTRY FORM

**Entries that do not follow the three entry rules will be deleted from my spreadsheet!!**

Good luck!

Other giveaways on the blog

• Win The Art Of Seducing A Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper-ends March 25th
• Win Bum Magnet by K. L. Brady-ends March 28th

ARC Review: Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

Series:  None

Genre:   YA

Release Date:  January 2011

Publisher:  Harlequin Teen

Author Website:  http://www.paigeharbison.com

Format I Read:  ARC ebook

Pages:  224

Source:  Net Galley

Reading Challenge:  Debut Author Reading Challenge

Read an excerpt

Book Blurb

Bridget Duke is the uncontested ruler of her school. The meanest girl with the biggest secret insecurities. And when new girl Anna Judge arrives, things start to fall apart for Bridget: friends don't worship as attentively, teachers don't fall for her wide-eyed "who me?" look, expulsion looms ahead and the one boy she's always loved—Liam Ward—can barely even look at her anymore.

When a desperate Bridget drives too fast and crashes her car, she ends up in limbo, facing everyone she's wronged and walking a few uncomfortable miles in their shoes. Now she has only one chance to make a last impression. Though she might end up dead, she has one last shot at redemption and the chance to right the wrongs she's inflicted on the people who mean the most to her.

And Bridget's about to learn that, sometimes, saying you're sorry just isn't enough….

My Thoughts

First of all, I had mixed feeling about reading this book.  I am very anti mean girl and tend to not read YA books that spotlight spoiled, bitchy teens.  However, I read so many good and bad reviews of this book, that I just had to satisfy my curiosity and see what all the fuss was about.

I love the Here Lies Bridget cover.  I smirked at the toe tag and daisies because I thought it was a clever reference to death.  Lame of me, yes, but still very clever.  I liked the story and most of the characters, but had an instant dislike for Bridget, the main character.  She perfected the mean girl attitude and whined obsessively about how unfair her life was. From my point of view, I thought she lived a charmed life, but was too caught up in herself and self loathing that she took everything and everyone for granted. 

Seriously, Bridget got on my very last nerve, but I kept reading with the anticipation of someone throwing all of her actions back in her face, preferably an open handed smack.  On second thought, that probably would have made for a very weak cat fight and I would have been even more annoyed with her for getting beat up.  In the end, I didn’t get the satisfaction the way I wanted it, but I was happy that Bridget got a second chance to redeem herself.   The ending was a little predictable, but it worked and I liked it.

The one thing that bothered me was that there were a few unanswered questions in the end.  I actually wanted another chapter or an epilogue just to see how Bridget repaired her relationship with her parents.

Rating

Four flowers of love, very good read and would recommend this one

Other Reviews Of This Book:

Goodreads

Shelfari

To Be Read Tuesday

It's Tuesday again.  Although I am currently wrapped up in the Demonica series by Larissa Ione, as soon as I finish-I'm on book four-here are the books I'll be pulling off the bookshelf and pulling out my neglected Nook to read.  What will you be reading this week?

The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason

Regency London – a dizzying whirl of balls and young ladies pursued by charming men. 

But the Woodmore sisters are hunted by a more sinister breed: Lucifer's own. 

Voss, also known as Viscount Dewhurst, relishes the sensual pleasures immortality affords. A member the Dracule – a cabal of powerful, secretive noblemen marked with a talisman that reveals their bartered souls – the mercenary Voss has remained carefully neutral ... until Angelica. 

Angelica Woodmore possess the Sight, an ability invaluable to both sides of a looming war among the Dracule. Her very scent envelops Voss in a scarlet fog of hunger – for her body and her blood. But he is utterly unprepared for the new desire that overcomes him – to protect her. 

Now Voss must battle his very nature to be with Angelica ... but this vampire never backs down from a fight.

Griffin Rising by Darby Karchut  

"Sometimes, lad, it's hell being an angel." 

For centuries, rumors have abounded of a lowly caste of supernatural beings known as the Terrae Angeli. Armed with the power to control Earth, Fire, Wind and Water, these warriors secretly serve as guardians for mortals in danger. 

But for one young angel-in-training, Griffin, life is hell as a cruel master makes his apprenticeship a nightmare. On the verge of failing, a new mentor, Basil, enters his life and changes it forever. It is their father-and-son relationship, sometimes turbulent, often hilarious, always affectionate, that sings through the story like a pure note. 

Masquerading as the average teen next door, Griffin struggles to learn his trade, navigate the ups and downs of modern life among humans (including falling in love with the girl next door), and prepare for the ancient trial-by-combat every apprentice must pass at sixteen or be forced to become mortal.

Book Spotlight and Giveaway: The Bum Magnet by K.L. Brady

The Bum Magnet

By K.L. Brady

Coming March 29, 2011

Successful real-estate agent Charisse Tyson is nearing 40, and after 2 decades of tumultuous, up-and-down relationships with cheating men, she’s ready to overhaul her life and make some lasting changes.  Charisse swears off dating and sex until she gets her life in order—but unfortunately, stunningly sexy, charming Dwayne, a client of Charisse's comes along, and she immediately jumps in bed with him.  Thinking about the potential for this new relationship, Charisse reads her journals and contemplates the failed relationships of her past:  Lamar, who had his own “African tribe” of 8 kids by different mothers, Sean, who was married with a kid, Marcus, who kissed another woman in Charisse’s own car, and Jason, the man 10 years her junior who was shipped to Iraq and had an affair with his (female) C.O.

Just looking at her past mistakes isn’t enough to set her on the right path.  Charisse has to let go of a terrible incident from her youth in order to trust men and trust herself.  When Dwayne starts acting funny, and a mysterious FBI agent named Kevin starts turning up everywhere Charisse goes, she realizes she’s in for another disaster.  After revealing the dark secret of her rape to her family, she’s able to move on when it turns out that Dwayne is a con artist, has a wife AND a fiancée besides Charisse, and ends up in jail for 20 years.  Knowing what she knows now, she’s in for a new relationship without all the drama and hurt of the past.

For more about K. L. visit simonandschuster.com

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Bum-Magnet/K-L-Brady/9781451613704

For more of your favorite romance authors visit pocketafterdark.com

Thanks to Simon and Schuster, I have two copies of this new release for giveaway.  Giveaway will end on March 28 March 30 and is only open to US residents.  No P. O. Boxes.  Winner will be randomly chosen and emailed.  Winner will have 72 hours to contact me before another winner will be chosen.  To enter simply

• Be a follower of this blog through Goggle Friend Connect
• Make a comment to this post
• Fill out the entry form

Good luck!

Other contests going on on the blog

• Win a copy of Affair Without End by Candace Camp-ends March 21st
• Win a copy of The Art Of Seducing A Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper-ends March 25th

Sexy Saturday

A little something to quench your thirst...

Book Spotlight and Giveaway: The Art of Seducing A Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

Read an excerpt

Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf

By Molly Harper

Coming March 29, 2011

Baring It All

Generations of werewolves have been secretly residing in a secluded valley a stone's throw from Grundy, Alaska. So when a snooping Outsider comes to Grundy to investigate rumors of lycanthropic shenanigans in the area, the valley's pack alpha, Maggie Graham, resolves to chase him away, even if doing so takes a quick bite on the butt. What a pity that researcher Nick Thatcher turns out to be so drool-worthy, and that his kisses make Maggie want to sit up and beg. 

Maggie just can't seem to convince Nick to leave . . . and even worse, she can't convince herself to stay away from him. Cross-species dating is problem enough for a harried alpha female, but on top of that, a rival group of werewolves is trying to move into the valley. With interpack war threatening, Maggie can't afford to be distracted. Combining romance and a career can be tough for anyone; for a werewolf in love with a human, it may be disastrous. . . .

For more about Molly visit Simonandschuster.com

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Art-of-Seducing-a-Naked-Werewolf/Molly-Harper/9781439195871

For More of your favorite romance authors visit pocketafterdark.com

Thanks to Simon and Schuster, I have two copies of this new release for giveaway.  Giveaway will end on March 25 and is only open to US residents.  No P. O. Boxes.  Winner will be randomly chosen and emailed.  Winner will have 72 hours to contact me before another winner will be chosen.  To enter simply

1. Be a follower of this blog through Goggle Friend Connect
2. Fill out the entry form.

Good luck!


Don’t forget to check out How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf! On Sale Now!

Book and Author Spotlight: Misconceptions by C. Hayes

Misconceptions by C. Hayes

Bran Nue Productions

Coming April 1, 2011

Gabrielle thought she found the perfect guy in Tre' Johnson. He was all she ever wanted in a man. He was handsome, romantic, and he swept her right off her feet.  Her dreams had finally come true.  Her fairy tale relationship/marriage was suddenly about to come to a devastating end. Gabrielle soon realizes that the man she married and who fathered her only son was suddenly becoming someone she didn’t know. The lies, cheating, sneaking around and his odd behavior was making her regret her not so perfect married life. Was Tre’ getting tired of the married life or was he just showing her the person he really was all along.  Gabrielle's discovery of the person she married was mindboggling.  She realized that from the beginning who she thought of Tre’ Johnson was only a Misconception.

This story shows just how easy one can get drawn to a person based on the representative they present in the beginning.  Sometimes we love so hard only to figure out who we love has a side to them we never knew.  Author C. Hayes shows how Gabrielle fell in love with her dream man, how through all the different women and deceit she found the strength and courage to leave, and how she let her heart love again.  It makes you really question if you ever really know a person. Misconceptions are real.

Meet Author C. Hayes

C. Hayes is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Counseling.  C. Hayes has always had a passion for helping others and being a part of her community.  She is a part of many local organizations where she continues to contribute to her city. This Author of ”Misconceptions" which is set to release April 2011 is also the founder and CEO of Bran Nue Productions. Bran Nue Productions consists of Hayes and her two sons (10) and (6). It serves as the mother company of Skayte by Kyler D. which is a t-shirt line that was created by Hayes' oldest son Kyler Doutrive.   Her company also has many other upcoming projects, which includes a reality series that showcases women entrepreneurs in her hometown, assisting her boys with publishing a children’s comic book and growing her collection of novels.  She also has a goal to create a short film from her first novel.  C. Hayes is a woman you definitely want to watch.  Her willingness to help others and reach her goals is extreme.

"My focus now are my children, building something for them and with them is the best feeling in the world"

A Few Words From Ms. Hayes 

I remember being a young girl wondering what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I think I must have gone through many things before settling on being in the criminal justice system.  Its funny how you just don’t know what you will end up doing, what you be a part of, how many lives you may touch and how you as a person will end up. Well I managed to stick with my passion of helping others and got a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and am now pursuing a Masters in Mental Health Counseling.

But at thirty two years of age I never thought that I would become an author.  Goes to show how when God has a plan no one can intervene.  I was inspired to write my first novel just last year when a friend of mine bought me a mother’s day gift that changed my life.  A journal.  I sat and thought about things that people go through every day and something women and men can relate to.  In conclusion I have my book entitled Misconceptions.

I am thankful that I have reached this milestone in my life and rather my book inspires or helps someone I am satisfied with my progress.

My goal is to motivate and uplift others.  I want to be an example that goals can be reached.  Writing has now become my therapy, there are stories to be told and as a new author I intend to do just that. Tell stories.

For more information about C. Hayes, visit her website at www.cshayes.com or follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MsC_Hayes

To Be Read Tuesday

Here is what I will be reading from my bookshelf this week.  What's on your TBR?

A Little Bit Of Passion by Beate Boeker
Karen Larsen calls herself a modern gypsy because she has split her life into two perfect halves. In winter, she's a skiing instructor in the Teton Mountain Range; in summer, she works at the bookstore she owns on Long Island, New York. But one Easter holiday, John Bermett and his son Gerry join her skiing group, and her perfectly balanced universe is shaken. John is the owner and CEO of ON!, the largest electronic equipment company in America. Though there is an intense mutual attraction, Karen feels that dating John would disrupt her free-spirited lifestyle. She works through her internal struggle in e-mail correspondence with her best friend, Leslie Carter, co-owner of the bookstore.
Can she overcome her need for independence and find a compromise between her single life and the man who might be the love of it?

This Side Of The Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Danger waits on both sides of the grave.

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they've triumphed over the latest battle, Cat's new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance . . .

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous "ally"—the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war . . . to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

ARC Review: The Heiress by Lynsay Sands

Series:  The Madison Sisters, Book #2

Genre:   Historical Romance

Release Date:  February 2011

Publisher:  Avon Books

Author Website:  http://www.lynsaysands.net/

Format I Read:  ARC ebook

Pages:  384

Source:  Net Galley

Reading Challenge:  Historical Romance Challenge

Read an excerpt

Book Blurb

Desperately seeking a husband…

Suzette is not like other heiresses; she wants a poor husband. A gentleman who will be so grateful for her dowry that he will allow her access to her dowry so she can help pay off her father’s gambling debts. When this alluring beauty encounters Daniel Woodward—handsome, titled, single…and even more impoverished than she could have hoped for—it seems Suzette’s wildest dream has come true.
But Daniel has not been truthful. Tired of being accosted by an endless stream of vapid coquettes and their fortune-hunting mothers, Daniel has decided to plead poverty to stop them in their tracks. Yet here is a most refreshing and delectable lady who claims to be thrilled by his penury. Now all Daniel has to do to find true happiness is to keep a little white lie alive…while avoiding a dastardly villain who’s determined to prevent this union by any means necessary.

My Thoughts

In The Heiress, the story is told with Suzette and Daniel in mind.  Suzette is the second oldest of the Madison sisters and next in line to be married off to pay their father’s gambling debts.   Instead of being pawned off or courted by a rich suitor, she has the bright idea to find herself a poor sucker eager to gain a buck, but gullible enough to allow her to be in complete control of her personal finances.

I have to admit that I did not like this book as much as I liked The Countess.  I was disappointed that the story was retold exactly the same way in the beginning and  didn't completley become Suzanne and Daniel's story until the last few chapters.  I found myself skimming over a lot of the story looking for newer parts.  

I really liked Suzette because she was the most outspoken of the sisters.   She was feisty and unafraid to say what was on her mind. 

I also liked Daniel.  He was a fun character but never stood a chance of resisting Suzette.  No matter how honorable he tried to be, she always shocked him with her words and actions. 

Although I didn't like this story as much as the first in the series, I will continue to read the series and look forward to the next book.

Rating

Three flowers of love.  I liked this story.

 Other Books In This Series:

The Countess, Book #1 (January 2011)

Other Reviews Of This Book:

Goodreads

Shelfari

Book Spotlight and Giveaway: Affair Without End by Candace Camp

Affair Without End by Candace Camp

Book #3 in the Willowmere Series

Pocket Star Books

Coming March 22, 2011

  

If a sophisticated beauty proposes a clandestine affair, could even the most proper gentleman resist? New York Times bestselling author Candace Camp concludes her scintillating Willowmere series with a seductive tale of an alluring lady who dares to break the rules. . . .

When Oliver, Earl of Stewkesbury, asks the dashing Lady Vivian Carlyle to ensure that his American cousins meet the cream of London society, he doesn’t anticipate the danger she will pose to his own self-control. Thrown into intimate contact with the lovely lady, Oliver finds he cannot stop thinking of Vivian—of her wit, of her smile . . . of her lips. And when Vivian, who has sworn never to subject herself to the bonds of matrimony, boldly suggests that she and Oliver become lovers instead, her scandalous proposal is temptation indeed! But with an alarming series of jewel thefts rocking London, the ever-outrageous Vivian insists on trying to discover the perpetrator despite Oliver’s admonitions. And when a bold lady steps into danger, it is a gentleman’s duty to protect her at all costs. What neither Oliver nor Vivian can anticipate, however, is that the ultimate cost may be both their hearts. 


To learn more about Candace Camp, visit 

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Affair-Without-End/Candace-Camp/9781439117996

Thanks to Simon and Schuster, there are two copies for giveaway.  Contest will end March 21st.  This contest is only open to US residents.  Sorry no P.O. Boxes.  To win a copy of this new release, you must 

1. Be a follower of this blog thru Google Friend Connect
2. Fill in the entry form.

Winner will be randomly chosen, announced on the blog, and emailed.  Winner will have 72 hours to respond before another winner will be chosen.  

Good luck!

Review: Blood Of The Rose by Kate Pearce

Series:  Tudor Vampire Chronicles, Book #2

Genre:   Paranormal Romance, Historical Romance

Release Date:  February 2011

Publisher:  Signet Eclipse

Author Website:  http://www.katepearce.com/

Format I Read:  Paperback

Pages:  307

Source:  Purchased

Reading Challenge:  Historical Romance Reading Challenge, Kick Ass Heroine Reading Challenge

Read an excerpt

Book Blurb

When Rosalind Llewellyn had to join forces with her enemy, Christopher Ellis to defeat a rogue Vampire threatening Henry VIII, their alliance led to a surprising passion. Reunited after a years separation, they face a new threat that could destroy their last chance at happiness.

Christopher is delighted by the spectacular rise at court of his friends George and Anne Boleyn. But Rosalind suspects Lady Anne is up to no good-she may even be a Vampire who’s bewitched the king. Now Rosalind must fight to keep Christopher from falling under the woman’s mysterious spell. It isn’t until Anne reveals a dark secret that Christopher awakens to where the true danger lies-and he begins to play a desperate game in order to save the woman he loves…

Awesomeness:

Somewhere in his mind, fear lingered.  She might desert him like a malicious fey from a fairy story, leave him forever bereft and unable to exist without her.  He returned to the bed and grasped one of her wrists.  "Must I tie you to the bed, my lady, so that I can take my pleasure without fear of being stabbed, or bitten, or scratched?"

My Thoughts

I was very excited to pick up the second book in this series.  Blood Of The Rose is full of romance, suspense and Tudor scandal.  Kate Pearce does a good job of mixing historical fiction with paranormal romance. 

The story picks up a year later with the Druids continuing to protect King Henry VIII from the threat of vampires.  Rosalind and Rhys have returned to court.  Once again they must call a truce with enemies Christopher and Elias in order to keep the infamous Anne Boleyn from turning the king into a vampire and taking over England.

The first book left Rosalind and Christopher’s relationship up in the air.  I was happy that their romance continued despite the dangers of being on opposite sides. The harder they tried to stay away from each other, the more their feelings seemed to pull them together.   The relationship remained rocky thorough the story, but I was very pleased with the way the ending was handled.

The introduction of the Boleyn family kept me in suspense.  From history, I knew what would happen, but I was anxious to see how the story would twist to include them.   Anne was always thought to be very ambitious and into dark magic, so making her a vampire was a stroke of genius. 

I love this series and can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

Rating

Four flowers of love.  I really liked this book and would recommend reading the series.

Other Books In This Series:

Kiss Of The Rose, Book #1 (August 2010)

Mark Of The Rose, Book #3 (will release August 2011)

Other Reviews Of This Book:

Goodreads

Shelfari