Secret Santa Exchange 2009! :)

******This is a Sticky for a few days…scroll down to see new posts!*******

For the past several years we’ve done a Secret Santa Exchange at RR@H. Well, it’s that time again! Sign-up sheet to be part of it this year is here and will be posted on the blog’s sidebar too for those that want to join in this year.

I ask that you only sign up if you know you’re honestly going to send out a package to your Secret Santa.

Because of expenses, this exchange is only open to those in the United States this year. Sorry! 😦

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Claire Delacroix: Angels among us?

The Eyes of the Republic are Everywhere.

The victim of what she believes is a malicious kidnapping, seer Delilah Desjardins quickly realizes that her abductor is on a mission to save her from assassins. Rafe, a fallen angel, must ensure that Delilah, blessed with the gift of foresight, reaches her true calling as an oracle for the Republic–and if his divine calling results in a more earthly relationship between the two of them, well, he doesn’t mind that at all.

Drawn to Rafe, but fearing the loss of her gifts should she surrender to his charms, Delilah knows she has to leave him. But fleeing his guardianship sets the assassins on her trail again. As Rafe races to save Delilah, he knows he isn’t just saving her for the good of the Republic, for the angels, or for the future–he’s saving her for himself.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Guardian, the second book in my Fallen Angel series of fantasy romances, became available this week. This series is set in a gritty future, one poised on the cusp of yet another nuclear war. The hero in each book is one of a series of volunteers, angels who choose to surrender their wings in order to become mortal men and try to save humankind from ourselves. They each are given an assignment, one that puts them in contact with a human woman, and it probably won’t be a spoiler to tell you that by the end of the book – and the completion of that assignment – each hero chooses to remain on earth with his lady love.

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Ann Aguirre would like to chat with you

Some of you may know that Ann has a release today 😀

It’s not easy to tread lightly wearing steel-toed boots.

Sirantha Jax isn’t known for diplomatic finesse. As a “Jumper” who navigates ships through grimspace, she’s used to kicking ass first and taking names later—much later. Not exactly the obvious choice to sell the Conglomerate to the Ithtorians, a people whose opinions of humans are as hard as their exoskeletons.

And Ithiss-Tor council meetings aren’t the only place where Ambassador Jax needs to maneuver carefully. Her lover, March, is frozen in permanent “kill” mode, and his hair-trigger threatens to sabotage the talks—not to mention their relationship.

But Jax won’t give up on the man or the mission. With the Outskirts beleaguered by raiders, pirates, and the flesh-eating Morgut, an alliance with Ithiss-Tor may be humanity’s only hope. Which has
Jax wondering why a notorious troublemaker like her was given the job…

Last week, The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 was released, and Ann’s first vampire story, “Circle Unbroken”, is in there. Five weeks from today, on November 3rd, Skin Game hits the shelves.

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HelenKay Dimon: Write what you know… sorta :grin:

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT…
Deana Armstrong needs a hero—not for herself, but for the nephew all her money and time can’t seem to get out of jail. Unfortunately, the best hero in all the Hawaiian Islands is set on turning in his badge and getting his excellent butt into another line of work. If that wasn’t enough, Josh Windsor also has a big-time grudge against Deana herself. But if there’s anything being rich, smart, and stubborn has taught Deana, it’s never to settle for second best…
Josh has had it with saving people. He’s had it with getting hauled into court. And boy, has he ever had it with Deana. Or well, he hasn’t had it. Yet. But the more she pops up sounding infuriating and looking good enough to eat, the more her hot bod and her cold case wriggle into his mind. And there’s only so much even a hero can resist…

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Authors talk about writing what they know.  In Holding Out For a Hero I did that… sort of.  I wrote about Hawaii.  Now there’s a place I could talk about forever.  I’ve never lived there, but my husband grew up in Hawaii and my in-laws live there.  That makes research pretty easy.  Go for a family visit, drive around, take in the stunning scenery and be aware of everything.  Not exactly a tough assignment.

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Cover Goodness: WILD by Maya Banks

Here’s the cover of Maya’s 2-in-1 print WILD that comes out next summer through Samhain Publishing. This one has GOLDEN EYES and AMBER EYES in it. The cover is just stunning!

GOLDEN EYES info:

When Sheriff Duncan Kennedy finds an injured cheetah in his mountains, he brings it home, determined to find out how she got there and stop the poachers who were hunting her. When he later checks on the cheetah and instead finds a gorgeous, naked woman with an arrow in her leg, he’s completely flabbergasted.

For six months, Aliyah Carver has been trapped in cheetah form. Taken by poachers who import exotic animals to illegally hunt, she stayed in animal form to avoid detection. She escapes the hunters, but now she faces another problem. A devastatingly sexy sheriff who now knows her secret.

AMBER EYES info:

Their final mission will be to win her love.

A beautiful, vulnerable woman appears at the high country cabin where Hunter and Jericho live between assignments. They are captivated by their stunning, reticent visitor and vow to protect her—and uncover what she’s hiding. Neither is prepared for the unbelievable. Their beautiful innocent is a cougar shifter who’s spent a lifetime alone.

In the shelter of their love, Kaya blooms, finally willing to trust—and embrace her humanity again. Then Hunter and Jericho are called away on a mission that goes terribly wrong. Now, pregnant, and alone once more, she must find her way in a world she doesn’t belong to—and hope that the two men she loves will find their way home.

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Cover Goodness: LINGER by Maya Banks

Have you all seen this new cover of Maya’s? It comes out next April or May through Samhain Publishing and it’s a 2-in-1 print including STAY WITH ME and SONGBIRD. I love the color of it. 🙂

STAY WITH ME info:

Getting her back will be the toughest deal they’ve ever negotiated.

On the night of her fifth anniversary, Catherine Cullen-Wellesley intends to break the news to the two men in her life. She’s pregnant with their child. It’ll be the perfect preamble to the vacation they’ve promised her: Two weeks on a Jamaican beach. No cell phones, no emails, no business.

But when Logan and Rhys blow off the trip for yet another “business emergency”, Catherine faces some difficult truths. She hasn’t come first in her busy husbands’ lives in a long time. Defiantly, she packs her bags for her long-awaited vacation—alone. It’ll give her a chance to figure out what the hell she’s going to do with the rest of her life.

When Logan and Rhys come home to an empty house, they realize two things: One, it was a mistake to take Catherine for granted. Two, they’re not willing to just let her walk out of their lives.

Winning her back will be the most difficult battle of their lives—more important than any business deal they’ve ever negotiated.

SONGBIRD info:

The voice of an angel, a husband who loved her…she had it all…until a tragedy took it away.

They called her their Songbird, but she was never theirs. Not in the way she wanted.

The Donovan brothers meant everything to Emily, but rejected by Greer and Taggert, she turned to Sean, the youngest. He married her for love, and she loved him, but she also loved his older brothers.

Her singing launched her to stardom. She had it all. The voice of an angel, a husband who loved her, and the adoration of millions. Until a tragedy took it all away.

Taggert and Greer grieve for their younger brother, but they’re also grieving the loss of Emmy, their songbird. They take her back to Montana, determined to help her heal and show her once and for all they want her. They’re also on a mission to help her find her voice again. Under the protective shield of their love, she begins to blossom… until an old threat resurfaces.

Now the Donovans face a fight for what they once threw away. Only by winning it—and her love—will their songbird fly again.

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Here are our answers to your bloggiversary questions.

Emmanuelle asked —

Why did you decide to create this blog?
Mad/Fatin: With the help of Nancy, the blog was started as a place to post about books and have authors come and talk about their new releases. Since Nancy couldn’t do this plus take care of RR@H, I volunteered myself. Which didn’t help my TBR at all since I’ve found myself adding more and more books to it with all the authors who have popped in and talked about their books. 🙂

Azteclady: And it hasn’t helped me either–the TBR mountain range just keeps spreading all over the house…

Does it take a lot of your time to maintain it?
Mad/Fatin: At times it does but I love it and recently was able to talk Azteclady into helping me out with it. She’s been a huge help! Love her lots!

Azteclady: Mad is very persuasive–and even though it can be a bit time consuming, it’s quite neat to spread the book love and ‘meet’ new authors.

Are you aspiring writers or just FANS?
Mad/Fatin: Oh heavens no, I’m just an avid fan. I shudder to think what I’d come up with if I was a writer. *g* Trust me, it wouldn’t be pretty.

Azteclady: I’m a reader, period. Addicted, true, but only a reader.

What does your family/friends think about your passion for romance and your blog?
Mad/Fatin: My husband calls the romance books I read my “books of love” reading. *snort* Other than that, he doesn’t really say much about them. Thank goodness he never really pays attention to what I bring into the house. Heh. My daughters tend to tease me about some of the titles, though. But I’m happy to say I’ve raised a house full of avid readers. I’m waiting for the day my 16 year old daughter (who is an avid YA reader) comes to me and asks for a book recommendation from me. The possibilities are endless! So looking forward to it.

I’ve got three sisters , two of which I’m always sending book boxes filled with books to read. There are rules with each box I send them. They can’t ever harm or hurt my books. *g* My oldest sister accidentally spilled coffee on one of my books once and she refused to send the box back to me until she replaced the ruined book with a new one because she thought I wouldn’t send her any more books after that. Heh.

One of my sister-in-laws is also a romance reader. I miss sharing and talking books with her since she moved. She used to read as much as I did at the time. I recently spoke with my younger sister and she told me that my younger brother’s wife wants to borrow some of my books. Woohoo, another one converted! 😉

My friends, some are romance readers and share the addiction with me while others aren’t readers of romance so they’ll tease and call them my “love books” But I love them anyway. 🙂

As for the blog, most know I have a “blog” but I don’t think they know it’s as huge a thing as this is. I linked my oldest daughter to it recently and she was amazed at how active it is because she just thought it was some place for me and me alone. *g*

Azteclady: My family has always been puzzled by my romance addiction. Mind, all my siblings and my mother are avid readers themselves–so were my stepfather, my father, etc.–but with the exception of my sister, most of them prefer either “literary fiction” or (mostly my three brothers) science fiction and fantasy.

It has bothered me for years that they tend to dismiss an entire genre due to preconceived notions, but otherwise I didn’t realize how wonderful it is to have people who get romance until I got online and saw how many intelligent, well read people out there get it.

It also has helped that my beloved was open-minded enough to let me talk him into reading some romantic suspense a couple of years ago. We’ve read a fair number of romances together since then 😀

Amy Kathryn asked —

Has your approach to/enjoyment of reading changed since you started the blog?
Mad/Fatin: I’m more open to trying new authors. Before I’d just stick to the authors I knew and just read them but in the past 2 or 3 years I’ve also started reading e-books and that’s opened a whole new world of authors for me. Have also tried new genres since I’ve started this blog. I used to just read contemporaries, historicals and category books. Now I also gotten into paranormals, romantic suspense and Urban Fantasy books.

Azteclady: Before discovering romance readers’ blogs, I was quite limited in my reading. Like Fatin, blogging has widened my reading horizons to an incredible degree.

Wendy K asked —

If your friends/blog readers could do ONE thing for you and Azteclady what would you want done?
Mad/Fatin: Hmm, this one is a toughie. You know me, Wendy, I’d rather do for others instead so I’m really not sure about this one.

Azteclady: I got nuthin’

If you could have any ONE book coming out in Oct,Nov,Dec of 2009 early what ONE book would EACH of you want and why?
Mad/Fatin: October book that is a must for me is The Mane Squeeze by Shelly Laurenston. I cannot say enough that her writing is so funny and she’s got a huge fan in me. I’m like a drug junkie when it comes to her books… must have them. *g*

November book… that was Elizabeth Hoyt’s To Desire a Devil because it was book 4 of her latest series but my local book club got very (very!) lucky and we received an ARC of it recently so now, I’m not sure. That was the main one on my list that I really wanted. Although my December book could also work as my November book since it’s release date is end of November. 😉

December book… this one is easy. It’s A Storm of Passion by Terri Brisbin. Her first Brava release but she also writes for Harlequin Historicals. I met Terri in chat years ago when I first came online. She’s such a sweet lady and I’m so proud of her that she’s now also writing for Brava.

Azteclady: Oh man… ONE book a month? What a hideous proposition! Were you a torturer in a previous life, Wendy? Okay, in the interest of speculation…

I know I want Ava Gray (aka Ann Aguirre)’s Skin Game for November. And Shiloh Walker’s Hunter’s Need for December. Oh and Maya Banks’ Sweet Seduction for October.

Now I’ll go weep in a corner for all the other books I couldn’t list…

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Fall Into Reading 2009

This is a challenge I always look forward to every Fall. Every year it’s hosted by Katrina over at Callapidder Days. This is my third year doing it. Starting tomorrow and until December 21st, I hope to read the following books off my list. Or get as many done as possible before the season ends. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks fiddling with my list. I keep taking books off, adding others on and I’m going to go ahead and post it now because I know once it’s posted, it’s FINAL for me. I must stick with it. Heh. Rules usually drive me crazy but for this challenge, I will stick to them and get as many books and/or e-books read of my list as possible. Wish me luck! 🙂

If you want to try your hand at this challenge, check out Katrina and her blog here. It’s all in good fun and there are always so many bloggers joining it!

And now, for my list —

Main List —

DANGEROUS PASSION by Lisa Marie Rice (Why is there still no main author website for LMR? Grrrr, one of my pet peeves is an author with no main website!)
HUNTING SEASON by Shelly Laurenston
ALEXANDRA’S LEGACY by N.J. Walters
LOVE YOU TO DEATH by Shannon Butcher
THE MANE SQUEEZE by Shelly Laurenston
COMING UNDONE by Lauren Dane
HUNTER’S NEED by Shiloh Walker
LEAVE ME BREATHLESS by HelenKay Dimon

Alternate List —

TUMBLING THROUGH TIME by Gwyn Cready
INTO THIN AIR by Cindy Miles
HEALING LUKE by Beth Cornelison
TALK ME DOWN by Victoria Dahl
INSTANT GRATIFICATION by Jill Shalvis
TAME HORSES WILD HEARTS by Alison Paige
SINS OF THE FLESH by Caridad Pineiro
MAGNOLIA SUMMER by Jaci Burton

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The last winner of the day…

Vee, one of the original winners of Sharon Lathan’s Darcy Saga novels, has withdrawn her name. The new winner, drawn using random.org, is…

Amy Kathryn

Please contact me within 48 hours at azteclady1 at yahoo dot com with your physical address–and remember to comment here if you don’t get a reply from me.

Failure to do so equals forfeit of the prize.

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Lisa Plumley’s winners!

And here are the last three winners of the week–once again via random.org. The winners of their choice of Lisa Plumley’s novels (a copy each of either of Home for the Holidays or Hallowe’en Husbands) are:

GSM

Eshani

and

Cherie J

Ladies, congratulations! Email me at azteclady1 at yahoo dot com within 48 hours with your physical address to claim your books. You can post a comment here if you don’t receive confirmation from me.

If you fail to do so, you forfeit the win and someone else’s name would be drawn.

Apologies for the mistake

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