LETICIA’S LOVERS by Shelley Munro

Lion shifter Leticia Huntingdon has FIV, the feline version of AIDS. For months she’s been in remission, treated by Gavin Finley, the Middlemarch feline doctor. Now the disease has returned. Her feelings for Gavin can’t go anywhere because of the FIV, so it shouldn’t hurt when Gavin turns to Charlie, the new male cop.

Gavin can’t believe how good sex is with Charlie, can’t believe he’s found a mate. The loving is amazing and hot, but Gavin can’t forget Leticia. He wants her in his life. He wants Charlie too. Confusion and jealousy create torrid undercurrents for the trio.

Charlie McKenzie falls for Gavin quickly and can’t understand why he’s attracted to Leticia. A nightmare changes everything, drawing the three together and bringing new possibilities. A ménage a trois. Raw need and passion brings them closer. If only the disease threatening Leticia’s life didn’t loom on the horizon…

From the moment I saw an article in the New Zealand Herald about sightings of a mystery black cat in Canterbury, I knew it would make a good story. I clipped the article about the alien cat and kept it for about three years while I wrote about other things such as talking dogs, aliens and military men. It wasn’t until I saw a human interest story on our local television about a small South Island town called Middlemarch that I recalled the cat article and started to think what if?

It seems the town of Middlemarch had a severe shortage of marriageable females, and to help the young farmers and other men in the area find partners, the town intended to organize a singles dance. The first dance was a great success and the Single’s ball has become an annual event.

The two ideas blended inside my head and a story bloomed about a community of leopard shifters who lived in Middlemarch, a town that suffered from a shortage of women of marriageable age. The young shifter males were boisterous and out of control, and the elders decided they needed a way of attracting young, single women to their town, hence the staging of the very first single’s ball.

The first book in the series, SCARLET WOMAN, was one of the most difficult stories I’ve ever written. It started life as a short story. My editor liked it but thought there was too much story for the length I’d written. She suggested I lengthen my story, which I did, although my characters kicked up a fuss. So did my muse. I’m pleased I persevered because it’s now one of my favorite stories, and the characters have really stayed with me.

Today is the release of LETICIA’S LOVERS, the seventh book in my Middlemarch Mates series. I’m not sure why I enjoy writing about feline shifters so much. Maybe it’s because my husband isn’t a cat fan and we have a dog instead. I have to make up for the absence of cats somehow! My cat of choice is the black leopard, although I have introduced a brother and sister in STRAY CAT STRUT who are lion shifters. In fact, today’s release continues the story of Leticia, first introduced in Stray Cat Strut.

To read excerpts from my Middlemarch series, visit my website at http://www.shelleymunro.com and to learn about the real town of Middlemarch, where the dance takes place on a yearly basis check out their website. http://www.middlemarch.co.nz

For those who are interested, this year’s Singles Ball takes place on 11^th April and tickets are on sale at the police station. If you’re single and fancy a trip to the beautiful South Island of New Zealand, maybe you should think about attending. You never know who you’ll meet during the journey on the Love train from Dunedin or at the actual dance!!

Thanks so much for having me to visit today and helping to celebrate the release of Leticia’s story.

If you have any questions about my Middlemarch series please feel free to leave a comment, and meanwhile, I have a couple of burning questions for you.

In a paranormal story, do you prefer the hero or the heroine to be the shifter? Or both? Why? What type of paranormal creature do you think authors need to write about next? i.e. are there any creatures you’re desperate to see stories about?

Shelley

*****Leave a comment for the chance to win a book off Shelley’s Ellora’s Cave backlist! Good Luck! 🙂

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BLUE DIABLO Book Winners!

We have winners! The winners of Ann’s post are….

Scott!
MelK!
Kota!
KimberlyB!
Blodeuedd!

Congrats everyone!

Please email Azteclady as azteclady1 @ gmail.com (without the spaces) so she can send out the ARC to you.

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THE EDUCATION OF MADELINE Book Winner!

We have a winner! The winner of Beth’s post is………….

Estella!!

Congrats Estella!

Please email me your address at mad @ romancereaderatheart.com (without the spaces) so we can get the book out to you.

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DESIRE UNCHAINED Book Winner!

We have a winner! The winner of Larissa’s post is………….

LisaW!!

Congrats Lisa!

Please email me your address at mad @ romancereaderatheart.com (without the spaces) so we can get the book out to you.

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CONVENIENT MARRIAGE, INCONVENIENT HUSBAND by Yvonne Lindsay

Marry before her 30th birthday or forfeit her inheritance. A sticky choice for heiress Amira Forsythe was a golden opportunity for her ex-fiancé, Brent Colby—for payback. Of course Brent assumed she was a spoiled socialite. And he would never believe what she really needed the money for….

Brent intended to make the most of this. Eight years ago, Amira humiliated him in front of hundreds of wedding guests. Now he had the chance to do the same…seduce her, make love to her—and then leave!

With this year being the 60th anniversary of Harlequin/Silhouette in the USA, it led me to thinking of diamonds. To be honest it really doesn’t take much to get me thinking of diamonds…I do like sparklies, and I really do like the number three, especially when it relates to three very sexy heroes. Thus my Rogue Diamonds mini-series was born. When brainstorming the series I came up with an idea of three school buddies, who loved to play on the wild side, and who have remained close friends. Now each in their early thirties and highly successful businessmen they continue to remain single, which poses the question “Can love tame these unyielding billionaires?”

The past:

“All of the students in your year are diamonds…some polished, some still a little rough. All, except you three. You, sirs, are rogues!”

So said Thomas Woodley, the favourite professor of Brent Colby, Adam Palmer and Draco Sandrelli, after he caught them demon riding (high speed runs on their motorbikes on dangerous roads at night with no headlights on) when they should have been at their private boarding school’s honours ceremony.

The present:

The Rogue Diamonds are drawn together for the memorial service of Prof. Woodley’s late wife, and after the service two of them are thrown into contact with women they never expected to see again.

Who are the Rogue Diamonds?

Brent Colby (CONVENIENT MARRIAGE, INCONVENIENT HUSBAND, US Feb 09, Aus/NZ Mar 09) was always the bad boy at school and the one who instigated most of the boys’ adventures. He’s the ‘scholarship boy’ from the poorer side of the family and he always felt he had something to prove. An innovative man, he fell headlong into his first million dollars only to lose it just as fast. Unfortunately, at the same time, he also lost the woman he loved. With his exceptional drive and entrepreneurial skills he’s rebuilt his world, bigger better and far stronger than before, but he’s never forgotten the woman who chose money over his love. When she fronts up to him in the men’s room of the Jubilee Hall at Ashurst Collegiate, he’s more than intrigued about why.

Draco Sandrelli (SECRET BABY, PUBLIC AFFAIR, US Mar 09, Aus/NZ Apr 09) is the sole surviving son of Italian aristrocracy and lives in the Sandrelli ancestral palazzo in the Tuscan countryside. A natural charmer, he’s had it all, but he learned loss at its most painful level when his fiancee died of a congential heart defect while pregnant with his baby. A short and fiery affair with a New Zealand girl, Blair Carson, touring his homeland has an unexpected repercussion when he discovers Blair is catering the memorial service at Ashurst Collegiate. He wasn’t ready to let her go the first time, he certainly isn’t ready to let her go now, especially not when he discovers she’s carrying his child.

Adam Palmer (PRETEND MISTRESS, BONA FIDE BOSS, US Apr 09, Aus/NZ May 09) is a workaholic. The survivor of twin sons born to the powerful billionaire Palmers, he’s been groomed to take over the running of the family business. All his life he’s only felt as if he was half of what his parents were due and works darn hard to make up for that by being twice as good at everything. His office is run with incredible precision at all times yet somehow secrets are being filtered out to his arch rival, Josh Tremont. When Adam discovers his assistant, Lainey Delacorte, is hiding the truth about herself, he’s determined to get the bottom of her deception and discover if she’s responsible for the information leaks–no matter what it takes.

— Yvonne

*****Leave a comment for the chance to win a copy of CONVENIENT MARRIAGE, INCONVENIENT HUSBAND! Good Luck! 🙂

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Yes, I am a Gadget Wh0re

For the past few months I’ve been strongly hinting to hubby and the girls that I want a new e-reader…didn’t have a preference as to which one, just told them I wanted one and today the UPS guy delivered this to me!

Weeeeeee! It’s currently charging as I type this post and I can’t wait to get it up and running and download some books on it. It looks so pretty! Only thing that sucks is that it came without a cover so I must go order one because I don’t want this baby getting damaged. I guess all my hinting worked! ROFL

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BLUE DIABLO by Ann Aguirre

Hi, Fatin, thanks for having me! This blog kicks off the virtual tour for the release of my next book, an urban fantasy called BLUE DIABLO. Here’s a blurb:

Right now, I’m a redhead. I’ve been blonde and brunette as the situation requires, though an unscheduled color change usually means relocating in the middle of the night. So far, I’m doing well here. Nobody knows what I’m running from. And I’d like to keep it that way…

Eighteen months ago, Corine Solomon crossed the border to Mexico City, fleeing her past, her lover, and her “gift”. Corine, a handler, can touch something and know its history—and sometimes, its future. Using her ability, she can find the missing—and that’s why people never stop trying to find her. People like her ex, Chance…

Chance, whose uncanny luck has led him to her doorstep, needs her help. Someone dear to them both has gone missing in Laredo, Texas, and the only hope of finding her is through Corine’s gift. But their search may prove dangerous as the trail leads them into a strange dark world of demons and sorcerers, ghosts and witchcraft, zombies—and black magic…

You can read the first chapter here if you want. Sound cool?

Well, I’m about to sweeten the deal. I’m doing the first BLUE DIABLO arc giveaway right here, right now. FIVE random commenters will be chosen to read and review the book, well before the street date. Are you excited? Sweet. It gets better. I’m also running a totally kick-ass contest, which I know you’ll want to check out.

Now let’s move on to the meat of the post (because you knew it wasn’t going to be all pom-poms, right?) Here comes the million-dollar question. No, wait, make that two questions.

What is paranormal romance? How does it compare to urban fantasy?

First, here are my definitions.

Paranormal romance tells a love story between two supra-human individuals, and the arc is generally wrapped up in one book. The people at Teach Me Tonight have written a bunch of clever things about defining paranormal romance. If you want a more in depth consideration, you can find it here.

Urban fantasy is more action-oriented and it centers on one protagonist, and his / her personal journey. While there may be a romantic subplot, it’s not always the main thrust of the book. If you’d like more info on that, there’s a lovely Wiki written up, which arguably demonstrates just how hot this sub-genre of fantasy has become.

At any rate, that seems to draw a line, doesn’t it? Tells us what’s what. It shouldn’t be a problem, therefore, to classify what we’re reading.

But what about books like those by Eileen Wilks? She writes about the relationship between Lily and Rule. Though the couple is together by the end of book one, there are more adventures in the series, still detailing the evolution of said relationship. So which is it? If a paranormal romance is not contained in one book, does this then become urban fantasy?

But wait, I have more pepper for the soup. What happens if the hero and heroine break up, as they do in Jeaniene Frost’s first book, HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE? Does that failure to complete the HEA in one volume negate the romance classification, defaulting it to urban fantasy?

It’s an interesting question, I think, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. So chime in!

ETA by Mad: Forgot to list the rules about winning the ARC! Sorry!

A) Winners promise to post a review online somewhere by March 25th.
B) Winners will be selected within 24hrs.
C) Winners must be contact Azteclady (at azteclady1 @ gmail.com) (without the spaces) with their physical addresses asap so she can mail the ARCs (the sooner she mails the ARCs the more time you have to read and then write your review)
D) Winners must send link to online review to either Ann or Azteclady by March 25th. And for double exposure, feel free to email me the link/review too and you can be a guest reviewer here at Novel Thoughts.

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THE EDUCATION OF MADELINE by Beth Williamson

The Right Man Comes Along

Madeline Brewster practically owns Plum City, Colorado. But at thirty-two, she knows she has missed any chance for happiness. Until she finds a tall, strong, handsome Irishman on the wrong end of the hangman’s noose. Suddenly this unconventional woman comes up with an outrageous idea . . .

Teague O’Neal has rugged cheekbones, tousled black curls, and eyes as blue as the sky, even if he is caked in Colorado mud. The men insist they caught him horse-thieving, and there’s something desperate about him that says he’d do anything for a buck.

Maybe it was pure chance, or maybe it was something more that brought Madeline and Teague together. But one thing’s clear, between a woman who has just about everything she could ever want, and a man who’s lost that and more, they might find something in between worth living for.

The Characters Told Me What to Write

There are some who might hear the premise of the story and wonder if I lost my mind. After all, a woman paying a man to be hers in the 1870s? Was there such a thing? I think, of course, the answer lies in the idea of how it all began.

Madeline is of course a fictional woman, but she’s made up of many women I have known in my life. She’s tall, curvy and what I would call a real-sized woman. She’s also intelligent, educated and not well liked because of it. Why is that, you might ask? Because this is 1870s Colorado, a small town who viewed women with brains as an anamoly to be feared and pitied.

She’s passionate and opinionated, yet still a vulnerable person who needs to find her own path in life. She wants to be happy, to finally live outside the shadow of her father’s ghost. She takes a chance, an enormous chance, which leads her to Teague, a man who haunted by the sins of his past he’s given up on life. He’s also a big man, taller than Madeline and willing to do anything for money.

Life was not easy for a woman like Madeline in the west during the 1800s. She had to fight for everything, even against her own common sense. Yet she made the right choice when she found Teague, and he didn’t realize the course of his life had changed forever.

The combination is explosive, emotional and hot, I cried, squirmed and laughed as I wrote Madeline and Teague’s story. They literally took over my fingers and told me what to write.

*holds up hand*

Honestly. The very best stories I write are not actually written by me, they’re written by the characters through me. The Education of Madeline was no exception. Sometimes I read what I’ve written and think, “Wow, I wrote that?”

I hope you take the journey with Madeline and Teague, with hope, laughter and tears. They’re waiting for you.

–Beth

*****Leave a comment for the chance to win a copy of THE EDUCATION OF MADELINE! Good Luck! 🙂

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DESIRE UNCHAINED by Larissa Ione

Pleasure is their ultimate weapon . . .

Runa Wagner never meant to fall in love with the sexy stranger who seemed to know her every deepest desire. But she couldn’t resist the unbelievable passion that burned between them, a passion that died when she discovered his betrayal and found herself forever changed. Now, determined to make Shade pay for the transformation that haunts her, Runa searches for him, only to be taken prisoner by his darkest enemy.

A Seminus demon with a love-curse that threatens him with eternal torment, Shade hoped he’d seen the last of Runa and her irresistible charm. But when he wakes up in a dank dungeon chained next to an enraged and mysteriously powerful Runa, he realizes that her effect on him is more dangerous than ever. As their captor casts a spell that bonds them as lifemates, Shade and Runa must fight for their lives and their hearts—or succumb to a madman’s evil plans.

Hi everyone!

I’m so excited to be here – Fatin is always a wonderful host! And I’m also excited that tomorrow, the second book in my Demonica series, releases!

If you’ve read Pleasure Unbound, then you know the Demonica world is set in and around an underworld hospital run by vampires, werewolves, and demons. What’s funny is that when I was growing up, I had a very intense fear/hatred of all things medical, including needles and hospitals, which lasted into my teens (at which point I became fascinated with all things medical, even though my fear of needles still remains, to some extent.)

When I was in first grade, I was paralyzed from the waist down, thanks to serum sickness from a medication overdose. I was hospitalized and given about a bazillion shots, several times a day. Then there was the poking and prodding, the tests, the really nasty food. It was absolutely horrific. My imagination and nightmares turned that hospital into a very bad, very evil place.

So when it came time to create Underworld General, well, I just drew on my memories of being hospitalized as a kid. Then, as I worked out all the details, the dark walls, the chains hanging from the ceilings (both restraints and hoists for larger species,) the cages and drains…the demon hospital actually became less scary even than human hospitals, which is something the heroines of both Desire Unchained and the upcoming Passion Unleashed think on.

See, they both have bad memories of being in human hospitals – memories that have stuck with them into their adulthoods. So to them – the heroine of Passion Unleashed, especially – HUMAN hospitals are the nightmares.

Sure, Underworld General might be a little…creepy at times…but it’s different enough, without the same smells and lighting and décor, to keep those unpleasant memories at bay.

Anyway, thanks so much for having me and listening to me ramble! I’m happy to give away a signed copy of any of my Ione books up through Desire Unchained (just let me know which one if you win!) All you have to do is leave a comment!

— Larissa

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THE TYCOON’S PREGNANT MISTRESS Book Winner!

We have a couple of winners! The winners of the extra copies of THE TYCOON’S PREGNANT MISTRESS by Maya Banks are……

Nicole!

&

Colleen!

Congrats ladies!

Please email me your address at mad @ romancereaderatheart.com (without the spaces) so I can get the book out to you.

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