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Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Naked Edge (I-Team #4) by Pamela Clare

Naked Edge (I-Team, #4)

Summary:

What do you do when desire drives you to the very brink?
The day Navajo journalist Katherine James met Gabriel Rossiter, the earth literally moved beneath her feet. Nearly killed in a rockslide while hiking, she found her life in the tall park ranger's hands. Although she can't forget him she thinks she'll never see him again. She is crushed when she recognizes her rescuer among the law enforcement officers raiding a sweat lodge ceremony one night, throwing her and her friends off Mesa Butte, land they consider sacred.

Gabe long ago swore he would never again lose himself to a woman not even one with long dark hair and big eyes that seem to see right through him. But from the moment he first sees Kat, the attraction he feels is undeniable. Appalled by what he has been ordered to do, he's determined to get to the bottom of recent events at Mesa Butte and to keep Kat safe.

But asking questions can be dangerous almost as dangerous as risking one's heart. And soon Kat and Gabe's passion for the truth and each other makes them targets for those who would do anything, even kill, to keep Native Americans off their sacred land.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 361 pages (Mass Market Paperback)
Source: Toronto Public Library
Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audio
Publication Date: March 2nd 2010 by Berkley Sensation

Back in November the marvelous Anna at Herding Cats & Burning Soup featured a quote on her weekly meme Quote-Tastic Monday from Naked Edge that had me curious about the series so after putting the book on hold and waiting to read it, I was able to get to it in December and I absolutely loved it so really I have Anna to thank for my discovery of this gem of a book.

I used to really enjoy romantic suspense back in high school, but since I've graduated, lived a bit and discovered the wonderful community of book lovers that is known as Goodreads not to mention the book blogging world I've neglected the genre a lot and sometimes manage only a handful of RS reads a year.

Naked Edge though, reminded me exactly what I was missing. Pamela Clare wrote a fantastic romantic suspense novel that I would have to say is my most favourite read in this genre to day. Kat and Gabe were fantastic characters on their own and were a fantastic couple to read about.

I'm always up for reading a book where the hero is in law enforcement, be it a city police officer or in this case, a park ranger who just happens to rescue our heroine on more than one occasion. I really liked how the beginning of the book started with Gabe rescuing Kat and then later on finding her and rescuing her again. There's nothing like a hero that really does rescue a heroine in a non cheesy way.

I liked Kat a lot. She's a strong Navajo woman trying to find her place in the world while trying to bring the issues that face the environment as well as Native American peoples to light while working as a hard hitting journalist. She was smart, funny, witty and honest in her affections for the people she cared about. She was just such a warm character I couldn't help but like her. Her passion for trying to do the right thing gave her a lot more substance and so did her spunk when it came to putting up with Gabe and his macho crap sometimes.

Gabe, lordy this man was all that AND a bag of chips. He had an awesome sense of humour and I laughed quite a bit when the we got to see things through his point of view. He also had that whole alpha male thing goin' on but I found that he was a lot less abrasive then a lot of alpha male characters. He was more subtle about it and less in your face. He liked that Kat had a mind of her own and he liked that she offered him a challenge.

Together though is when both of these characters really shined. The way that they were written was very well done and they played off each other easily. There was give and take and both characters had a lot of baggage that they brought to the table and the biggest thing was Kat's virginity and Gabe's reluctance to be the one to finally...you know and boy can Pamela Clare write her love scenes. Talk about steamy and sensual. I loved it.

The whole suspense element was also very well flushed out. It wasn't a side thing that was added in, it was written in a way that the suspense and the romance were equally as important and neither one nor the other took precedence. I enjoyed learning more about the Native American cultures that were talked about in the book due to the grave robbing that was taking pace and was pleasantly surprised that Naked Edge packed a wallop when it came to action. When action was needed, we got it and we got it in a way that wasn't outrageous and that showcased the characters well.

Overall, I really loved this book. I couldn't get enough of Gabe and Kat and since this was my time reading Pamela Clare I can honestly say that I can't wait for my hold of the first book in this series to come in at the library. I would recommend this one to all fans of romantic suspense who want a novel that is equally as heavy on the romance front as it is on the suspense front. While this was the fourth book in Clare's I-Team series I had no problems reading it as a standalone. If you're in the mood for great characters with excellent chemistry try this one out immediately.

Loved it!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
 
 
To "Like" Pamela on Facebook CLICK HERE
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To become a "Fan" of Pamela on Goodreads CLICK HERE
To visit Pamela's Website CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Chapters Indigo CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Kobo CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via AmazonUK CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Barnes & Noble
CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via The Book Depository CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Audible CLICK HERE
 

Saturday, November 9, 2013

We Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by Brenda Novak

We Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
 
Summary:
 
Jaclyn Wentworth is on her own with three little kids. She used to be married to the golden boy--former golden boy--of their small Nevada town. The marriage was a disaster because her ex-husband never grew up. And he sure wasn't much of a daddy.
Now Jaclyn's living in Reno. And who, of all people, does she run into there but Cole Perrini, bad boy of Feld, Nevada. Former bad boy. He was her ex-husband's opposite in every way--and he still is. Because Cole's made good in every sense of the word.
Will Jaclyn and her children get the husband and father they deserve? Not a Scrooge, but a Santa!
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 304 pages (Mass Market Paperback)
Source: Bought
Available Formats: Print/E-book
Publication Date: November 1st 2001 by Harlequin Books
 
This is the third novel I've read from Brenda Novak and I have to admit, it's actually my favourite one so far. I used to love Harlequin Super Romances back in the day so when I saw this for sale during the summer at my local used bookstore I just had to have it and since I'm participating in the Ho Ho Ho Read-a-Thon I thought this would make the perfect read and it was.
 
I was a little unsure of how this romance would turn out. I've read one of the authors newer historicals as well as one of her newer contemporary romances and I've learned to be a little leery of some authors older titles but with this one my fears were completely unfounded.
 
I read We Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus in one sitting, it was that good folks. I thought the story was so realistic that I couldn't help but root for Jackie the heroine. She went through a really bitter divorce and she's striving to make a life for herself and her three children but it's had because she has a dick of an ex-husband and she has to deal with his dick of a father who is set on controlling all of their lives. I'm a sucker for a heroine who already has kids because they're generally a lot smarter than some other female leads and I like that they generally aren't self centered. Jackie was great, she had lived a privileged life before her divorce but she has a good head on her shoulders and she understand the value of a dollar.
 
Cole, was a bit of an enigma at first. He was one of those strong silent types with a good heart, but very shy when it came to anything that dealt with feelings. He was smart, well to do and had a loyal heart and I loved how he was with Jackie and her three kids. He was very protective of not only her, but her 3 kids as well.
 
As a couple I thought they were great. They new each other in high school and she married her ex-husband who was the most popular guy in school while he was on the outskirts and was considered trailer trash. I liked how after both of them went through some difficult times in life that they found each other after years.
 
Overall, I thought We Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus was a great contemporary romance. It wasn't completely set around the holidays but Christmas did play a big part of the story in the latter half of the story. Brenda Novak is fast becoming a favourite author of mine, and I can't wait to read more of her books in the near future. She was able to create a great clean romance that was sweet without being sappy and like I mentioned it was realistic so there were some laughs and a little drama thrown in for good measure.
 
I would recommend this to all fans of contemporary romances. While the cover dates the novel (it was published in 2001) I think the story holds up well and I didn't think it was cheesy in the least and I thought it was a great quick read with a lot of warmth.
 
 
I read this book for the following reading challenges:
 
2013 150+ Reading Challenge

Loved It!
★★★★★
To "Like" Brenda on Facebook CLICK HERE
To "Follow" Brenda on Twitter  CLICK HERE
To become a "Fan" of Brenda on Goodreads CLICK HERE
To visit Brenda's Website CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Kobo CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Barnes & Noble CLICK HERE
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2496186.We_Saw_Mommy_Kissing_Santa_Claus
 
 

House of Fire (Unraveled #2) by Raen Smith

House of Fire (Unraveled, #2)
 
Summary:
 
Five months after Evie Parker’s disappearance, Delaney Jones is dangerously close to leading a normal life with a cancer-free mother, a successful career, and a gorgeous, loving boyfriend. But there’s one hitch: she breathes, sleeps, and eats under the watchful eyes of Holston Parker, a villainous billionaire.

The spring semester at Leighton University has ended, and Delaney is determined to rid Holston from her life – for good. As she digs deeper to uncover his secrets, she finds a tangled web of police corruption and mysterious disappearances. And when the grand opening of Parker Tower brings her mother face-to-face with Holston Parker, her family’s buried past threatens to emerge. Just as Delaney thinks she’s on her own, Evie returns to finish what she started. But time is running out as Holston is about to make his final move, stopping at nothing to get what he wants.
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 288 pages (Kindle)
Source: Review Copy
Available Formats: Print/E-book
Publication Date: August 11th 2013

I actually read the House of Fire and it's preceding novel House of Steel back to back so forgive me if I'm a little vague on the details here. Since I read them so close together I am having a hard time separating the two because the author Raen Smith wrote them in such a way that I thought the transition between the two was wonderful.

This novel again has Delaney the heroine from the first novel House of Steel to the front of a suspense filled sequel. Just like in the first novel Delaney is trying to uncover secrets that people are determined to keep hidden.

In this novel I felt that we were able to get to know Delaney more. I thought that I had her all figured out when I finished the first book but boy was I ever wrong because her family has a plethora of secrets that are demanding to be unleashed and I don't know about you but I love a novel where family secrets are a key plot point. I also enjoyed the fact that we were able to get to know a couple of the characters from the first novel that were more secondary then a little more.

Just as the first one was this one had me on the edge of my seat when I read it. I don't read suspense novels all that often even though I love them I just tend to space them apart a little more but with this one I had to read it right after I finished the first because I just couldn't wait to find out what Raen had in store for her heroine Delaney. This one was filled with even more plot twists, drama and intrigue than the first one.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this second installment to Raen Smith's Unraveled series and I can't wait to finally get to the third novel in the series to see what else the author has in store for me. I was so glad when I began reading this one to find that it actually lived up to the first novel in the series so well.

Just like the first novel in the series I would recommend this novel to people who have read the first book as well as to fans of thrillers and suspense novels that are really dark and dramatic and reads that will keep you glued to the pages of the story, desperate to keep reading to see what's going to happen next.
 
 *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.
 
I read this book for the following reading challenges:
 
2013 150+ Reading Challenge
 
Loved It!
★★★★★
 
To "Like" Raen on Facebook CLICK HERE
To "Follow" Raen on Twitter  CLICK HERE
To become a "Fan" Raen on Goodreads CLICK HERE
To visit Raen's Website CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18759757-house-of-fire
 
 
 
 

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Ho-Ho-Ho Read-a-thon Goals

Ho-Ho-Ho-read-a-thon
 
Read-a-thon Rules
 
Link-up
Before or on November 7 post a goals post to your blog. (if you do not have a blog post to another social media site such as Goodreads, Tumblr, Facebook, Google+ etc ) Be sure and link back to Jennifer and I.
Grab the button and share !
Participate in at least one challenge to be eligible for grand prize
Tweet your progress using #HoHoHoRAT
Challenge schedule and Grand Prize widget and rules will post on November 6th at 4pm (EST)
Read-a-thon starts on November 7th 12:o1 am (your time zone) and ends on November 11 at 11:59 pm(your time zone)
Challenges will start daily and remain open until 11:59 on November 11th.
 
Grand Prize Raffle will be open until November 13th at 11:59 pm (EST) to allow you to submit entries.
All winners of challenges and grand prize will be notified by November 15th.

CLICK HERE to link up!
 
My Goals:
 
I suck at sticking with challenges so I doubt I'll get to all of these and I'd honestly be happy reading one or two so I just put together a list of the ones I MIGHT read :)
 
 
A Very NASCAR Holiday (Colby Agency, #35)Let It Snow...: The Prince Who Stole Christmas\My True Love Gave to Me...A Christmas PromiseThe Heart of Christmas (Includes: Carhart #0.5, Tallants #3.5)A Christine Feehan Holiday Treasury (Christmas Series Trilogy; Drake Sisters, #2)His First Noelle (Men Out of Uniform #13)Mrs. MiracleWe Saw Mommy Kissing Santa ClausA Highlander Christmas (Highlander, #7)The Night Before Christmas
What are your goals for the read-a-thon?
 

Monday, November 4, 2013

2013 Turning the Pages Christmas Card Exhange


 
Turning the Pages
 

 
GRAB THE CODE! 
 
I don't know about you awesome folks, but I absolutely LOVED last year's Christmas Card exchange. It was crazy fun so I'm so glad that Mr. Turning the Pages convinced me to do it again this year but you'll see that there are some changes to the way I'm doing it this year. Also, I decided to keep the same button as last year (I thought it was adorable) so PLEASE post it on twitter, Facebook, and your blogs linking it back to this post so we can have more people sign up!
If you post it on twitter my username is @TurninThePages
 
The Who:
 
YOU!
Too vague?
Bloggers & Authors! 
 
What to do:
 
E-mail me (Kimberly) @ Turning.the.pages@hotmail.com (Just copy and paste it)
 with the subject line Christmas Card Exchange and if you could please add the button to your blog!
 
What's needed:
 
You're name, e-mail address,and snail mail address and blog URL, Twitter URL, and if you have it your blog's Facebook URL  also please specify if you are a BLOGGER or an AUTHOR.
 
 
How Many Cards do you send out?
 
This year I'm going to try something a little different than last year. This year everyone is going to get a list of 5 or 6 names that they'll be sending cards to. This means that not only will this be more cost effective but you have to be willing to send cards out internationally (it's a mandatory thing) so if you don't want to spend the extra 30 to 80 cents per card to send out to a couple of international people please DON'T SIGN UP.  For US residents international cards are about $1.10 to send FYI.
I'm doing it this way to ensure that our international bloggers (the ones who like myself live outside the USA) will have more cards than last year. Remember you'll only have to send out 5 or 6 cards and you will be spreading Christmas cheer.
 
 
What's going to happen:
 

Once the cut off date has past I'll e-mail you with your list of people you'll be sending your cards to so make sure you add me (Kimberly) to your e-mail contacts list so my e-mails go straight to your inbox.

You can send X-mas post cards as well and if you have the time/money you can add a little something to the card as well (Extra stuff in the envelope isn't a requirement).
Please send your cards out before December 9th 2013 as the postal services get really busy.

 

 

 
If you have a problem and cannot get your cards out by December 9th e-mail me and I'll tell everyone you'll be a little late. Since it's such a busy time of year I advise putting the cut off date for sign ups November 25th as well as the Mailing cut off date December 9th on your calenders (I will send two reminders to everyone. One on December 3rd and again on December 8th.
 
Now I hope I was pretty clear (I've never done one of these before) so if you do have any questions, concerns or minor suggestions don't hesitate to shoot me a line at turning.the.pages@hotmail.com or on the blog's facebook page CLICK HERE and I'll get back to you ASAP!
 
Dates to Remember:
 
Sign up cut off date: November 25th 2013
Mail cut off date: December 9th 2013
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

*[Blog Tour Review & Tourwide Giveaway] The Devil's Tattoo (Devil's Tattoo #1) by Nicole R. Taylor

The Devil's Tattoo
 
 
Summary:
 
The Highway to Hell or the Stairway to Heaven?

Zoe Granger picked up her first guitar the day her heart was smashed into a billion pieces. It was a way to keep her mind off her inevitable downward spiral, but music soon became her escape. She's been burned too many times to tell and is just happy to coast through life, never putting herself out there. That's until her best friend Dee suggests they start a band and suddenly she finds herself not just a part of it, but fronting the whole outfit.

They call themselves The Devil's Tattoo and when they release their debut EP, it rockets to the top of the charts and it's like an overnight fairytale. Contracts, photo shoots, royalties and interviews are heaped onto the shy Zoe and it's like she's finally found her place. Then comes the phone call that changes everything. They've been asked to co-headline a tour with one of the hottest bands of the moment, The Stabs and Zoe will never be the same again.

Will Strickland is one fourth of the hottest indie rock band to ever grace the airwaves. He's the bass player in The Stabs, hot as hell and could have his pick of any girl that flings herself at him. But he's only got eyes for Zoe and she has no idea why he'd bother. She's got one hell of a trust issue and an attitude to boot and Will seems to be the one who wants to tame her, but is he game enough?

The Devil's Tattoo and The Stabs go on the road and it's either going to be a highway to hell or a stairway to heaven. Only time will tell who will come out on top and Zoe's determined to do it without getting her heart broken… again.
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 325 pages (Kindle)
Source: Review Copy
Available Formats: Print/E-book
Publication Date: September 1st 2013   
 
I'm going to say right off the bat that I'm still not convinced by the New Adult genre, but I have to admit that along with The Devil's Tattoo there are some great indie authors out there writing in the genre and I'm so glad I was able to review The Devil's Tattoo for it's blog tour stop today.
 
Back in the beginning of August I participated in the cover reveal for this book and that's what first sparked my interest. Reading the blurbs and seeing the author discuss it put this one on my watch list. Then the tour invite came around and even though I was burned by the NA reads that I read prior to this one I still wanted to give it a go and it was so worth doing.
 
I thought that The Devil's Tattoo was so well written. Nicole R. Taylor did a fabulous job in constructing all of her characters and not just with Zoe and Will but with the side characters as well which I enjoyed seeing. It was nice to read a book from the genre where while the main characters were the focus of the book the side characters weren't used as props and that they themselves had their own little back stories going on and Dee (Zoe's best friend) was great!
 
Usually, I'm not much for characters who are in bands but the way that the author wrote that aspect into the story was very well done and I didn't think it was too over the top and in my face about the whole music industry thing. Yes it was important but that was not the over all main focus of the story. That part was all Will and Zoe.
 
Zoe was a great heroine. She had her demons like we all do but she was fighting them. True she got a bit too whiny here and there through out the story but hey, we all get whiny in our lives and trust me she had her reasons to be insecure. I liked her overall attitude about things most of all and I'd totally be friends with her if she were real and I don't say that about just any character.
 
Will was a good character too. He seemed more real and down to earth than the typical lead guy in this genre so I thought he was really refreshing. Plus he was sweet, understanding, an ass at times but he along with Zoe just seemed so real and I love when an author can make me feel as if their characters are real people.
 
The book though was a total roller coaster of emotion. I honestly had no idea where things would be going. I'd be laughing one minute, feeling sad the next and then I'd be angry at something one of the characters said but overall the book was a fun read. Serious in parts but funny as well and I love the author's sense of humour.
 
Overall, I enjoyed The Devil's Tattoo a lot. I had a great time reading the book and I'm glad I have a new series to read (Nicole any updates on book two yet? Not that I'm eager or anything...) and I'm really looking forward to giving her other series a try while I wait for the next installment in the series.
 
I would recommend this to fans of the New Adult genre who want to read a book that for once isn't set in the USA (YAY FOR AUSTRALIAN AUTHORS AND BOOKS!). Zoe and Will were a great couple to read about and I can't recommend it enough.


*I received a  free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

I read this book for the following reading challenges:
 
2013 150+ Reading Challenge
2013 New Adult Reading Challenge


Loved it!
★★★★★

To "Like" Nicole on Facebook CLICK HERE
To "Follow" Nicole on Twitter  CLICK HERE
To become a "Fan" Nicole on Goodreads CLICK HERE
To visit Nicole's Website CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE
 
 
Giveaway
 
 
1 x Swag Pack - inc. The Devil's Tattoo band t-shirt (choice of size/either vest, men's tee or womans fitted tee), tote bag, badge, signed postcards and sticker
2 x Signed Postcard Pack and The Devil's Tattoo Band Sticker
5 x Ebook Copies of The Devil's Tattoo (mobi or epub)


Thursday, October 24, 2013

The Partner Track by Helen Wan

The Partner Track: A Novel

Summary:

A young attorney must choose between the prestige of partnership and  the American Dream that she—and her immigrant parents—have come so close to achieving in this riveting debut

In the eyes of her corporate law firm, Ingrid Yung is a “two-fer.” As a Chinese-American woman about to be ushered into the elite rank of partner, she’s the face of Parsons Valentine & Hunt LLP’s recruiting brochures--their treasured "Golden Girl." But behind the firm’s welcoming façade lies the scotch-sipping, cigar-smoking old-boy network that shuts out lawyers like Ingrid. To compensate, Ingrid gamely plays in the softball league, schmoozes in the corporate cafeteria, and puts in the billable hours—until a horrifically offensive performance at the law firm’s annual summer outing throws the carefully constructed image way out of equilibrium.Scrambling to do damage control, Parsons Valentine announces a new “Diversity Initiative” and commands a reluctant Ingrid to spearhead the effort, taking her priority away from the enormous deal that was to be the final step in securing partnership. For the first time, Ingrid finds herself at odds with her colleagues—including her handsome, golden-boy boyfriend—in a clash of class, race, and sexual politics.
Summary & Cover taken from
Goodreads.com

Length: 304 pages (Hardcover)
Source: Review Copy
Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audio
Publication Date: September 17th 2013 by St. Martin's Press

When I got the review request for Helen Wan's Partner Track I was super excited. The book sounded like a good dramatic read and I was happy to see a contemporary novel with an Asian-American main character since I seem to only ever see Asian-American characters in historical fiction so I thought this was so refreshing.

I loved the story line in the book because I know the author herself is a lawyer I felt that it added extra substance to Ingrid's character. Since the author has experience to back up the technical parts of being a lawyer it just made everything all the more believable. I liked how this was while being a lighter read there were definite political undercurrents to the novel that I found intriguing.

The characters were very well written, but I was most impressed with her heroine Ingrid. She was smart, dedicated, strong and she was willing to put in the hard work to break out of filling a company's diversity quota. She wasn't content to sit back and be the token Asian female lawyer, oh no she wanted to prove that she had a right to be a part of the company on the basis of her work ethic.

I thought the plot line of the book was very well written. It was belivable, and we all know that the situations in the book are out there happening to real people because there are still a lot of good ol' boys out there that refuse to open up the club doors to women, as well as people who aren't white. It's a sad reality that there are still problems like this in the world but Helen Wan wrote about them in such a way that it didn't come off preachy about the inequality but wrote about it how it is.

The writing, was great. I think that Helen Wan put out an excellent debut novel and did a fantastic job in mixing elements of mystery, politics and romance all in one in The Partner Track. When I started the book I was hooked from the first page and stayed up all night reading it. The writing was fast paced, and I enjoyed the fact that there was humour in the book.

Overall, I think The Partner Track was a wonderful read and a wonderful debut by Helen Wan. Ingrid was a wonderful main character and I would absolutely love to see more of her, she was such a refreshing character I thought she was great and I'm so glad I was given the opportunity to read this novel.

I would recommend this to people who enjoy women's fiction While the book isn't a heavy read it is serious enough to not qualify as light and fluffy chick lit, but does have a lot of laughs, drama and a well written main character. If you're looking for a great well rounded novel I highly suggest picking this one up.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.


I read this book for the following reading challenges:
 
2013 150+ Reading Challenge

 
Loved it!
★★★★★

To "Like" Helen on Facebook CLICK HERE
To "Follow" Helen on Twitter CLICK HERE
To visit Helen's Website CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Chapters Indigo CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Kobo CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via The Book Depository CLICK HERE
To purchase the book via Barnes & Noble CLICK HERE


Saturday, October 12, 2013

Author Guest Post: Jennifer Faye

Today I'm pleased to welcome Harlequin author Jennifer Faye to the blog to discuss why heroes aren't perfect. I read her novel Snowbound with the Soldier last week and you can read my 5 star review of it by clicking here. So sit, back relax and read what I think is an excellent author guest post.

Heroes Aren't Perfect
 
When I set out to write SNOWBOUND WITH THE SOLDIER, my main focus was on the hero. Being a hero doesn’t mean that you have to be tall, dark and handsome. But I must admit in Jason’s case it’s true.  
He is tall, has broad shoulders and muscly arms. He isn’t your everyday Joe. He is different. Special. But he has a huge flaw. That became apparent when he dumped his fiancé, who had been his girl since high school. And he skipped town without explanation. Wow. Who would do something like that? And what would cause them to take such a drastic step? 
He intrigued me. I had to know more about him. What was he thinking? Did he love Kara? Where did he go after dumping Kara at the Christmas dance? 
I actually wrote out the break up scene in my head. I knew where she was sitting, next to the soaring Christmas tree. I knew what dress she wore. And I could even envision the glint in her eye when she spotted her guy coming through the door of the resort to meet her for their date. I could feel her pain and anguish when he told her in a cold, distant voice that their wedding was off. 
Snowbound with the SoldierGranted Jason could have handled the situation better, if he’d been thinking clearer. But sometimes when your world has been rocked to the core, you react instead of thinking. So that leads us to what traumatic event would case a man to turn away from the woman he loves? 
But even though he has faults, he joins the army and becomes a hero when he saves the lives of the men in his squad while overseas. Of course, being the strong, silent type, he keeps his silver star buried in his sock drawer where no one will see it. In his eyes, he merely did what had to be done. 
Now that he’s been medically discharged and has returned home to build a new life for himself, will he be able to do what needs to be done concerning the people that love him? 
Oh that Jason was a strong and silent type. It took us a good long while together until I found the ghost of his Christmas past and all was revealed. My heart went out to him…and to Kara. Now the question is will Jason be brave enough to reveal his secret to Kara? 
I don’t know. This war hero has clung tight to this knowledge for the past seven years. Kara and Jason each have things in their pasts that they’ve been holding back. Which makes it all the more special that this story takes place during the season of miracles—Christmas. Because they are going to need a rather large miracle if they are going to find a way to bridge their differences.  

Maybe this Christmas...?

It has been seven long years since Kara Jameson last saw Jason Greene. Returning home as a wounded war hero, Jason looks a shell of the man she once knew. Yet her heart still skips a beat as if it was yesterday.

Stepping back into civilian life, Jason looks to Kara for help. But there's too much water under the bridge; not to mention too much lingering attraction.

But it seems that the mountain weather has other ideas, and when Kara and Jason end up snowbound together they are forced to confront the ghosts of Christmas past.
 
Available at: 
 
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Excerpt 


 
 "How are you?" 
He wanted to exchange pleasantries as though they'd parted on good terms? She didn't have time to beat around the bush. She should already be home, getting dinner for her daughter before they went over her homework.  "When you left Pleasant Valley, you swore you'd never return. So what happened? What finally changed your mind?"  His expression hardened. If he'd been expecting a warm welcome, he'd been sadly mistaken.  He shrugged. "Things change."  Well, most things did, and generally not for the better, but not in Jason's case. He hadn't gained so much as a beer gut or a receding hairline. Even the jagged scar on his face added to his sexiness.  Kara's gaze rose to meet his. At first glance, she thought his intense blue eyes were the same as she remembered, but a closer inspection revealed a hard glint in them. He no longer resembled the warm, lighthearted guy she'd dated for nearly four years. Or had he been that way all along? Had those rose-colored glasses she'd been wearing back then obscured his real character? Had she ever truly known him at all?  Jason hitched his thumbs in his jeans pockets. "I'm sorry about what happened between us. I handled it poorly."  "You certainly did."  "If I could explain, I would, but I can't—"  



Author Bio 
 
Jennifer Faye is a two-time RT Book Reviews TOP PICK author. Maybe that’s partly due to the fact that she has spent most of her life with her nose in one book or another. It was only natural that she dreamed of becoming a romance writer and spinning the tales of the imaginary people running around in her mind. But first life took her on a couple of detours. Refusing to give up on her dreams, she finally succeeded in getting her name on a book cover. She currently resides in Pennsylvania with her very, very patient husband, one amazing daughter (the other remarkable daughter has flown the coop to chase her own dreams) and two spoiled rotten cats. When she’s not glued to her laptop writing another contemporary romance (which isn’t often) or enjoying some family time, she loves to get lost in a good book, cross-stitch, embroider, quilt, knit, watch hockey (go Pittsburgh Penguins!), and garden. Jennifer loves to hear from readers--you can contact her via her website.
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