New books, Spring Carnival and Nalini Singh tour news in our Weekly Recap

Welcome to our Weekly Recap. We will be sharing what books and goodies we got and will go over some of our favorite posts, giveaways, book covers and anything else that peeked our interest during the past week. Lets start things off with sharing what books we got.



Flirting with Disaster by Ruthie Knox
Inferno by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Heart of Venom by Jennifer Estep
Dead Man's Deal by Jocelynn Drake
What the Duke Desires by Sabrina Jeffries
A Clockwork Heart by Liesel Schwarz




- Our Spring Carnival is now over and we want to take a minute to express our gratitude to everyone who helped make our event a success.  Many, MANY thanks to...

Delilah S Dawson Diana Duvall Jeri Smith-Ready Gini Koch (and her assistant Colette) Bec McMaster Dani Harper

Rosalie Lario Cynthia Eden Kristen Callihan Stacey Kennedy Rebecca Zanetti

Thank you all so much ladies. I was unsure of how it would turn out since it was a new event but the feedback I received from the authors and looking over the comments left by followers are very encouraging and I'm seriously considering bringing it back next year.

There is still a little more time to enter in to all of the event giveaways.  All end on Wednesday, May 22nd and the winners will be announced Saturday, May 25th, during our Weekly Recap.  For a complete list of guest posts and giveaways, visit our event main page or click on any of the author names above.

- In cased you missed them, there were a few non-event related review posts during the last couple weeks.  Reviews posted were:

Hot Blooded by Amanda Carlson
Immortal Trust by Claire Ashgrove
The Demon's Song by Kendra Leigh Castle
Midnight Secrets by Ella Grace
One for the Wicked by Karina Cooper
Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster

- We passed 2,000 GFC followers!!  Not sure when it happened but holy crap is that awesome.  I want to say welcome to our new followers and thank you to all our old followers who helped spread the word about our little corner of the web to others.  This is so exciting  :-D



- Goldilox and the Three Weres has 7 days of giveaways to celebrate her birthday
- Geeky Bloggers Book Blog is hosting a sponsored giveaway for a copy of Bare it All by Lori Foster
- I Smell Sheep is giving away winner's choice of Alien Tango, Alien in the Family, Alien Proliferation, or Alien Diplomacy plus swag from Gini Koch
- Under the Covers Book Blog is giving away a copy of Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis 
- Readers Confession is giving away e-gift cards, pre-ordered books, and swag during her 1 year blogoversary kick off giveaway
- Fiction Vixen is giving away a copy of Fall of Night by Rachel Caine (Hurry, this one ends soon!)



Nalini Singh will be touring the U.S. next month to celebrate her highly anticipated release, Heart of Obsidian (and the crowd goes wild!!).  She won't be anywhere near I can visit (thank you Ronnie for solving that problem for me) but make sure to check out this blog post to find out if she'll be coming to your area.  Your town not on the list?  Well lucky you because she'll also be doing a virtual signing.  Again, see this blog post for all the details.




I like both of these covers but they're not my favorite of their series'....though Gin looks like she might kick my butt for saying that so maybe I think it's the best one ever....

I'm excited for both releases but we'll have to wait until December for them. In the meantime, Heart of Venom, Elemental Assassins book 9, will be out on August 27th. 

Spring Carnival - Guest post and giveaway from Rebecca Zanetti

Thanks to the Paranormal Haven group for having me over today! I love the idea of a carnival event…and even more so of having a group of wolf shifters hang out at a carnival. The hero in TWISTED, Terrent Vilks, is a pure-bred Alpha wolf shifter, and the idea of his attending a carnival cracks me up. Can you see a wolf shifter on the Zipper? Or the Tilt-O-Whirl? I can’t.

And to be honest, it turns out that Terrent isn’t a big fan of heights…or machinery. There’s a scene in the book where he’s chased the heroine through the woods, and she ends up climbing a tree. Here’s the quick excerpt:

Terrent reached for a branch, only to drop it and grab a different one. His mouth twisted in a pained grimace. “Come down. Now.”

Wait a minute. Maggie bit her lip. Was the big, bad wolf afraid of heights? “I think you should come up and get me.”

He stilled, his gaze piercing through the night. “If I have to come up and get you, little wolf, you’ll regret it.”

She levered out to sit on a thick branch, swinging her feet back and forth. “I’m waiting.” Her sing-song voice filled the forest.

“Get back closer to the tree,” he snapped. Red swept across his cheekbones.

“Make me.” She scooted farther away from the trunk, her legs dangling, her hands on a branch above her head. This was the most fun she’d had in too long.

“Damn it, Maggie.”

“Tell me the truth, or I’ll start swinging from branches.” To prove her point, she bent her knee and ran her foot along the branch.

“I should let you fall on your damn stubborn head.” He tugged on a lower branch, testing his weight. The thing snapped in two.

Maggie laughed and guided her other foot into place so she could stand. “Why did you lie?”

“I didn’t lie.” He reached for a higher branch and growled as it ripped from the tree. “You agreed to be my mate.”

“Were we in love?”

“Absolutely.”

Not likely. “I may not know a lot of wolves, but something tells me we don’t contract to mate. If we were truly together, which I’m not sure about, then any mating would’ve occurred quickly.”

“You calling me a liar, darlin’?” His voice lowered to a softness that slid danger into deadly.

The hair pricked up on the back of her neck. “I haven’t decided.”

“Let me know when you do.”

Her branch shuddered and then splintered apart. With a soft cry, she jumped and landed on a branch several feet down. Pine needles flew, and bark crumbled, but the damn thing held her.

He smiled. “Close enough.” Bunching his legs, he leapt.

The wolf hit her mid-center and tucked her into his hard body. She screamed as they sailed through the boughs. He rolled them several times mid-air, wrapping long legs and arms around her.

Gravity yanked them down like the powerful force it was.

She landed on top of him and lost every bit of oxygen from her lungs. Maybe her muscles. Hell, maybe her brain.

Her chin thunked against his chest. Taking several deep breaths, she went boneless on him as she took inventory. Nothing really hurt.

“Are you all right?” he rumbled, both hands flattening against her lower back.

Her entire lower back.

She lifted her head. “Fine. You?”

He grimaced and shifted his weight beneath her. “I’m good, though pine needles may have pierced my spine.”

All of that incredible muscle rolling into place against her body flared nerves to life. All sorts of nerves . . . in all sorts of places. She pushed against his chest to get off.

She didn’t move.

For more about Terrent, Maggie, and their novella, TWISTED, visit Rebecca Zanetti's website: http://rebeccazanetti.com/


TWISTED is a novella in the Dark Protector series and will be released on June 20th. I would love to give away a signed copy of FATED, book 1 in the series, to a randomly chosen commenter here. So, let me ask you this: Are you afraid of heights, or do you have any other phobias?

Giveaway is open U.S. only.  Read event rules and guidelines before entering.
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Book Review: Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster

Heart of Iron
Author: Bec McMaster
Series: London Steampunk, book 2
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN-10: 1402270305
ISBN-13: 978-1402270307
Source: From publisher for review
Buy it here: Amazon | Book Depository
For more information visit Bec McMaster's website

Review by: Stephanie


Keeping his distance as he watches from the shadows, Will is verwulfen and he'll do anything to protect Lena from his wild nature. When he learns that she is working with Humanists, a radical group looking to raise a human's status to more than a blood supplier to the Blue Bloods, Will takes an offer to help get a treaty signed with the Norwegian verwulfen in order to watch over Lena. Lena feels like she doesn't belong in White Chapel or in the social circles of high society. At one time becoming a thrall to a Blue Blood was all she wanted but now she's secretly working to free her kind from London's aristocrats. Will's presence is a distraction she doesn't need. Especially since there are real feelings behind her flirtatious gestures and he's made it clear he wants little to do with her. Each with their own missions and enemies, Will and Lena need to stop fighting each other and begin working together if they want to survive to have any future together.

It took some time but I finally warmed up to Lena. She first comes off as snobbish and simple minded with her sole determination to be part of the "in" crowd but there's more to her. She's intelligent, brave, cares for the weak and risks her life for what she thinks is a noble cause. Lena has a bigger heart than I first gave her credit for and no one deserves her love more than Will. To say Will has had it tough is an understatement. From his painful transformation at a young age to his mother selling him and being caged, Will doesn't know how to react to Lena other than pushing her away. It's a struggle for Will to want Lena so bad she brings out his wolfish instincts yet hold them back out of fear of hurting her. I love, LOVE Will. He's plays the role of reluctant alpha very well. His past is heartbreaking and his wants for his future are no better and watching Lena work her way under his skin and ruin those lonely plans is great. His transformation from lone wolf to 'you touch my woman you die' doesn't happen overnight and each step he takes is an emotional treat for me and by the end I was swooning.

I can't say I saw a relationship between Will and Lena working after Kiss of Steel but now I'm a believer. It builds as the book progress; they'll take two steps forward with a stolen kiss or private moment together and then a step back when Will pulls away out of fear of hurting Lena and Lena interrupting that as disinterest. As much as I wished they jumped into bed quicker I'm glad they didn't because the time they take during their mating dance reveals a lot that only adds to the intensity of their big moment and makes it all the more satisfying. The teasing almost drove me crazy but I think it's all worth it in the end.

Like in the first book the Blue Bloods (vampires) are a big part but the spotlight is also shown on the verwulfen. Hoping to obtain an alliance with the Norwegian verwulfen, who are incredibly interesting and I hope will play a more prominent role in future books, Will is asked by the ruling aristocratic Blue Bloods to help win over support and in exchange legal freedom for his kind. As one would expect, it's not that simple and Will, with Lena's help, learns to navigate the world of the upper class while he finds out more about Lena's involvement with the Humanists. There's a lot going on in this book that all intertwines with each other so I don't want to give away too much. I will say it's all fanatically written and flows together to deliver an engaging read without confusion.

Kiss of Steel was amazing and it left big shoes for the follow up to fill and I think Bec McMaster did a wonderful job doing just that with Heart of Iron. It did have a slow start while everything and everyone is put into place and once that happens, the book takes off and is hard to put down. Lena and Will don't make it easy on you but their HEA is worth every frustrating, exciting, tear-jerking moment and the story is excellent all around.
My Rating:

Spring Carnival - Guest post and giveaway from Stacey Kennedy

Oooh! Spring carnival fun! How exciting! I gotta admit, I would pay money to put Kyden, the hero from WEREWOLVES BE DAMNED, at a carnival. Why? Well, let me tell you a little bit about him.

He’s a guardian from the Otherworld. That means he’s a hunk with a sword strapped to his back. While, of course, his sword might cause a look or two, luckily for Kyden, the magic in the sword hides it from human eyes. Still, I think it’d be amusing to see a tough guy, who usually fights against evil, go to a carnival.

Is it just me, or would he seem a tad out of place?

Now Kyden usually spends his nights hunting down supernaturals who have taken innocent mortal lives. He’s the definition of an alpha-male. You know the type, a man who wouldn’t be caught dead riding a Ferris wheel. Or if he did ride it, he’d look upward of ridiculous squished into the seat. I suspect the only way you’d get him to go to a carnival was if his leading lady, Nexi, wanted to go.

Once she got him there, I imagine it’d go a little something like this:

With Nexi being raised human, a carnival would be a blast for her. She’d eat cotton candy, she’d go on all the rides, and she’d have an awesome time. Kyden, however, would probably be grumbling behind her the entire way.

Of course, he’d try and be supportive. Maybe he’d smile at her to make it look he was having fun, but deep down, he’d be thinking about how to get her to leave with him. I suspect Kyden would much rather do other things to make the night exciting that didn’t include carnival rides.

So, yes, as I mentioned above, seeing Kyden at a carnival would be way better entertainment than the carnival itself! Don’t you agree?!


About the Author:

Stacey Kennedy is an urban fantasy lover at heart, but she also enjoys losing herself in dark and sensual worlds. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, who gave her a happily-ever-after. Together, they have two small children who can always make her smile, and who will never be allowed to read Mommy’s books. If she’s not plugging away at a new story, you’ll find her camping, curling up with the latest flick, or obsessing over Sons of Anarchy and Game of Thrones.

Find Stacey online: Website | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Twitter | Goodreads



Stacey is giving away an e-copy of The Cat's Meow. This is open internationally.  Read event rules and guidelines before entering.
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Spring Carnival - Guest post and giveaway from Kristen Callihan

If one of your characters worked at a carnival, what would their job be? Would they be good at it or the worst employee ever?

As soon as I read this question, I thought of Poppy. Why Poppy? Well, now she doesn’t have the standard carnie personality, but she has one skill that can be quite… refreshing on a hot summer day spent at the carnival.

So then, what job would Poppy have? Why snow cone maven, of course!
:-)

Poppy, who has the power to create ice with a thought, could do this job with one hand tied behind her back. She’d be the queen of snow cone making. And because she is the responsible sort, and capable of leading an entire organization, she’d not only be a good employee, she’d be running the stand by the end of the first day.

Poppy Ice! Made from the finest, freshest ice available! 100% pure! Now in 24 delicious flavors!

Thanks again for having me.

Best,

Kristen
http://www.kristencallihan.com/


Kristen is giving away winner's choice of 1 book in her Darkest London series (Firelight, Moonglow OR Winterblaze).  This is open internationally.  Read event rules and guidelines before entering.
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