Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Review: Love Bites by Adrienne Barbeau

Love Bites
by Adrienne Barbeau

Genre: Paranormal with Romantic Elements
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Cost: $16.49

What I Liked:
Well, for a vampire novel, I liked that it wasn't anything like Twilight. I'm really bored with angsty vampires and their human lovers.

Given that I haven't read the first book, it was nice that I could pick up this book (2nd in a series) and not feel like I'd missed so much I couldn't read it. On the other hand, I did feel like I'd missed out on the best part of the story.

What I really enjoyed about the book was the heroine's voice. It's told in first person (both from the male and the female perspective), and I found the man's voice to be unrealistic and a little over-beta for me.  But the female's voice was a lot of fun. Very modern and funny. I would have almost preferred the whole thing be from her perspective, but it was interesting to see the story through both characters' eyes. The nice part was that it was always obvious who was talking.

Will I go back and read the first book? Probably not. I liked this book, but there are a lot of other vampire novels out there to be consumed, and I'll probably move on to others. Still, the nice thing about it being a Hollywood Vampyre novel is that it was written by a real Hollywood star, so there's a good chance it's a real as Tinseltown gets.

Book Blurb:
Ovsanna Moore is a gorgeous Hollywood scream queen with a secret no plastic surgeon can rival: she's a 450-year-old vampyre. Yet when Beverly Hills Detective Peter King discovers that Ovsanna's pearly whites are really fangs, instead of grabbing a wooden stake, he asks her out. And a romantic Christmas Eve turns into a holiday of horror.
First the werewolf attack, then the mutliated body at the Sportsmen's Lodge, and finally, Orson Welles and Mary Pickford fighting for their careers in a rat disguise and a Cyndi Lauper costume, respectively... What's the just-getting-to-know-you couple to do?

It doesn' thelp that Ovsanna's personal assistant and sometime lover, Maral, will do anything to get Peter out of Ovsanna's life, including make a trip to the cemetery to consult with Marilyn Monroe.

Peter and Ovsanna have to fight for their lives. (And yes, even a vampyre can be killed--and if you've survived in Tinseltown as long as some of these monsters have, you know how to do it.) Ovsanna enlists her clan, the Vampyres of Hollywood, to help battle a coterie of supernatural beasts straight out of Alien vs. Predator. This is no ratings war, it's a fight to the death. (from the book jacket)

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Review: Maybe This Time by Jennifer Cruise

Maybe This Time
by Jennifer Cruise

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: August 31, 2010
Price: $13.49 ($11.99 for Kindle)

What I Liked:
I have been a Jennifer Cruise fan since I first read Bet Me years and years ago. Her voice is witty and charming, and she always manages to write with a twist I don't see coming.

This book did not disappoint. In fact, I can safely say if you enjoyed Bet Me, you will love this book. There's a little bit of Minerva in Andromeda. (First of all, gotta give kudos to a woman who names her heroines like that, eh?) And there's a little bit of Cal in North Archer. (Love that name, too.) I am in love with North Archer, but I can also see why Andie left him the first time. I think that's the best kind of writing, when you're treating a subject like this. There's always got to be something that completely keeps them apart that feels real. That was well done.

I definitely enjoyed the plot and the characters, but what you read Jenny Cruise for is her voice. She's got a voice unlike any other. When she writes a line like "We've got a nympho ghost, and it looks like she hijacked your body and made the rounds", I just stop and marvel. She manages to say exactly what I'm thinking, but put it in words that I never would have found. This was a laugh-out-loud book, but it also had a poignancy that was heart-tugging at times and heart-breaking at others.

All in all, I thought this was a beautifully-written, engaging book. One that I will definitely be reading again.

Book Blurb:
Andie Miller is ready to move on in life. She wants to marry her fiancé and leave behind everything in her past, especially her ex-husband, North Archer. But when Andie tries to gain closure with him, he asks one final favor of her before they go their separate ways forever. A very distant cousin of his has died and left North as the guardian of two orphans who have driven out three nannies already, and things are getting worse. He needs a very special person to take care of the situation and he knows Andie can handle anything.

When Andie meets the two children she quickly realizes things are much worse than she feared. The place is a mess, the children, Carter and Alice, aren’t your average delinquents, and the creepy old house where they live is being run by the worst housekeeper since Mrs. Danvers. What’s worse, Andie’s fiancé thinks this is all a plan by North to get Andie back, and he may be right. Andie’s dreams have been haunted by North since she arrived at the old house. And that’s not the only haunting.

What follows is a hilarious adventure in exorcism, including a self-doubting parapsychologist, an annoyed medium, her Tarot-card reading mother, an avenging ex-mother-inlaw, and, of course, her jealous fiancé. And just when she thinks things couldn’t get more complicated, North shows up on the doorstep making her wonder if maybe this time things could be different between them.

If Andie can just get rid of all the guests and ghosts, she’s pretty sure she can save the kids, and herself, from the past. But fate might just have another thing in mind…

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Review: Her Reluctant Bodyguard by Jennette Green

Her Reluctant Bodyguard
by Jennette Green

Genre: Contemporary Inspirational Romance
Publisher: Diamond Press
Cost: $3.99 for Kindle

What I Liked:
When I received a copy of "Her Reluctant Bodyguard" to review, I was skeptical. In my experience, contemporary Christian romance can be overly saccharine, with an extreme evangelical bent that often supersedes any real artistry in the romantic relationship. But after reading only the first few pages of the book, I knew this book was going to be different.

I know it's tempting, when you see books with rave reviews, to assume that it's the author's friend trying to drum up support. In fact, I've accused other authors of the same thing when the book didn't live up to the hype in reviews and on Amazon. But let me tell you. Seriously. This book is the real thing. In fact, when I finished the book, I immediately thought, this book could easily have been released as a major single title with a big NY house. The quality of writing is stellar, the character development is reasonable and engaging, the story is touching, and the resolution is satisfying.

And to say a word about the Christian element, I have to give Jennette Green the highest praise. I've been hoping to find a Christian novel to read that doesn't shy away from the reality of life. When you're a woman/man in your late twenties who is still unmarried, chances are, you're going to struggle a little bit more with your past and past relationships than when you're a fresh young thing in college, meeting the wo/man of your dreams. It's a different experience, both from a spiritual perspective, and a physical/emotional one. She treated this story beautifully, along with being realistic about the physical and emotional attraction between two people and how that manifests.

After I read the book the first time and raved about it to everyone in a viable wireless radius, I gave it some time to sink in to my psyche, and then I read it again, just to make sure that the first time wasn't a fluke. It wasn't. The writing and the story and the reality were really as good as I thought they were. This is a book that will go on my favorites shelf. I plan to buy copies of it to give out to my friends. In fact, after receiving a copy to review, I've already bought the paperback for myself, so I can literally keep it on my shelf of favorite books.

Really, as a book reviewer, I rarely say "you have to buy this book". But I'm going to say it. If you've come here, you're obviously looking for a romance that will speak to your heart, through real characters who have real struggles. If you've also come here looking for some project that could treat the Christian religion and sexual attraction with equal dignity and reality (or for a good "edgy Christian romance"), you've found it in this book. I don't get any kind of profit from saying this. All I get is the satisfaction of knowing that I get to promote an author who really deserves it. I sincerely hope that you enjoy it as much as I did. If you do read it, please let the author know that you found it here. And please let us know that you enjoyed it. I look forward to hearing from you!

Book Blurb:
Alexa's dream job becomes a threat to her life...

Successful biographer Alexa Kaplan never expected to meet her favorite pop star on the Today Show set. When Colin asks her to write his biography and tour with him in Europe , she's thrilled. It all seems like a fairy tale come true—until she begins to receive death threats.

To her dismay, Colin puts her under the 24/7 protection of his chief bodyguard, Jamison Constanzo—a man with whom she’s clashed from day one. If only she could spend more time with her perfect man, Colin, rather than spending all of her days with this black-hearted thorn in her side! Alexa struggles to control her flip attitude toward Jamison. Why does opening up her heart to him feel almost as dangerous as dealing with the stalker’s threats? But when the killer strikes, Jamison is the only one she can turn to…

An excerpt is available at the author's website, and the first chapter is available to read here.

Reviewed by Rebecca Lynn.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE by J.K. Rowling

Countdown to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Month Two-Book Four-Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling


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Here we are, on book number four! Only three more books to go till The Deathly Hallows-and, better yet, the month its in-November, the release of the first half of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the movie! Whoo-hoo!

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The story opens with this guy named Frank Bryce. He’s the housekeeper for the Riddles (does that name ring any bells to you people who’ve read The Chamber of Secrets? Hmm?), and, when the Riddles are discovered dead with no apparent cause of death (to the Muggles, at least), he is the prime subject. But he gets off and continues taking care of the Riddle mansion.

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Fast forward over fifty years. Frank wakes up in the middle of the night, thinking a bunch of kids has gotten in and is messing up the Riddle mansion. It turns out to be something far less welcome-Lord Voldemort, his cowardly assistant Peter Pettigrew, and Lord Voldemort’s pet snake Nagini. Suffice it to say Frank does not get a warm welcome.

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Miles away, everybody’s favorite hero Harry Potter wakes up from a nightmare-incidentally, one of that very same scene that was just played out. Uncanny coincidence? Or is it that Harry’s just reading Voldemort’s mind? We don’t know for sure-yet. But more of that later.

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Turns out Harry’s pretty curious on what’s up with Voldemort and his scar, too. So he writes to his recently-on-the-run-with-Buckbeak-the-hippogriff-godfather, everybody’s favorite absolutely, positively, so-unexpected-we-thought-he-was-a-villain-like-Harry-didn’t-have-enough-of-them hero, Sirius Black.

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Then, at breakfast with the Dursleys, Harry finds out Uncle Vernon got a letter from (guess who!) Mrs.Weasley, inviting Harry along with Hermione and the Weasleys to go see the Quidditch World Cup match between Bulgaria and Ireland! Superbly awesome! Needless to say, the next day Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, and Ron arrive in a hilarious way. They try to use Floo powder (Read the Chamber of Secrets, people!) to get in, only to find that the Dursleys have blocked up their (electric) fireplace. Soon, stuff is flying and Harry is off to the Burrow!

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There he meets Bill and Charlie, Ron’s out-of-Hogwarts brothers, and they get ready to go to the World Cup. There they meet Amos Diggory, a colleague of Mr. Weasley’s, and his son, everybody’s favorite super-extra-ultra-cute-guy Cedric.

(((Kimber An here- Yeah, he's cute...for a brown-haired guy!)))
(((Kimber, Jr. here-   Mooooom!!!)))
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You should know the drill for Quidditch games by now, and the World Cup is no exception. I’m not telling you who wins. You’ll just have to make like Hermione and get the book for that! (And don’t bother with the movie for this either, they cut it out.) However, I will say that the Bulgarian Seeker’s name is Viktor Krum, and he turns out to be pretty important later on. .

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But after that something rather monumental happens that I will tell you about. All of a sudden that night, a bunch of followers of everybody’s favorite villain Lord Voldemort, otherwise known as Death Eaters, stampede through the grounds, levitating Muggles up into the air! And then, something quite awful happens-the mark of Voldemort, otherwise known as the Dark Mark, is cast into the air, chasing the rest of the rather cowardly (ring, ring!) Death Eaters.

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But who cast it? Was it Percy’s new boss Mr.Crouch’s house-elf (ring, ring! Read your Chamber of Secrets!) Winky, who was found at the scene of the crime, one of the Death Eaters, (quite unlikely, seeing as they all ran away when it was cast) or even Harry Potter (no way!), whose wand seemed to have been used to cast it? The mystery continues-well, until the end of the book, obviously. But more of that later.

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For now, it’s back to Hogwarts with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The trip is not made any easier by the fact that everybody’s favorite arch-school-enemy, Draco Malfoy, is dropping hints that something else really big is going down at Hogwarts. .

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We find out exactly what that thing is once Harry gets to Hogwarts. A big tournament called the Triwizard Tournament is going to be hosted by Hogwarts this year. Students from fellow magical schools Durmstrang and Beauxbatons will be arriving to compete. In the meantime, however, Harry, Ron, and Hermione meet the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, everybody’s favorite seemingly-grumpy-guy ex-Auror Mad-Eye Moody. In his classes, they learn about the three Unforgiveable Curses-the Cruciatus Curse (as according to everybody’s favorite cheer-on-able character, Neville Longbottom), the Imperius Curse, and the worst of all, Avada Kedavra: the Killing Curse. If you think back maybe four books, I think you’ll know just how significant this last one is to Harry.

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Finally, however, the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students arrive, and we learn a little about schools other than everybody’s favorite magical school, Hogwarts. We also learn what became of that Bulgarian Seeker, Viktor Krum-he’s come to enter for the Triwizard Tournament, surprise, surprise!

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Soon, the finalists for the Triwizard Tournament are in- everybody’s favorite super-extra-ultra-cute-guy Cedric Diggory for Hogwarts, Viktor Krum for Durmstrang (big surprise there), a girl named Fleur Delacour for Beauxbatons, and------Huh?! Now this is totally weird, I don’t think anyone anticipated this, (yeah, right,) but it looks like Harry is the fourth Triwizard champion!!! Not only is he underage, but there aren’t supposed to be more than three champions, one for each school! However, while we are left to ponder 1) who managed to fool the Goblet of Fire and put Harry’s name in and 2) why one would even try to do so, Harry is bound by magical contract to compete! Yikes!

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` One night not long after that, we find out what the first task is: dragons! Hagrid takes Madame Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons, for a midnight stroll to see them with Harry under the Invisibility Cloak in tow.

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Then, during an encounter with Draco Malfoy, the mean Slytherin does something to get on Mad-Eye Moody’s bad side and, for all his trouble, gets turned into a white ferret!!! Haha, that is my favorite Malfoy scene after last book’s punch! Well, so far, anyway.

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Not long after that Harry is facing the first task. He has to somehow grab an egg protected by a very fierce, very protective, and very dangerous Hungarian Horntail dragon. So Harry pulls off an awesome flight on his new Firebolt to evade the dragon and grab the egg. Awesome!

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However, there is one “task” that Harry does not know about: the Yule Ball. It is the traditional Christmas party for the Triwizard Tournament. And for that, Harry needs a partner.

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Yeah. Really.

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What is it with boys anyway?! Harry and Ron wait until, like, the last second to get dates. Ron’s chosen partner: Fleur Delacour. Yeah, no offense, Ron, but dream on! Harry’s is a bit more realistic, shall we say: Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker, whom we met, last book (along with Cedric, I’m pleased to say). However, that doesn’t work out. Cho’s going with another guy. In the end, Harry enlists the help of the Patil twins, Parvati and Padma.

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You may be wondering: What about Hermione? Well, you’re about to find out. When the Yule Ball rolls round, Harry joins the champions. Turns out Cho’s been asked out by none other than everybody’s favorite super-extra-ultra-cute-guy, Cedric Diggory. Good for her! Then we find out just who Hermione’s gone with: none other than everybody’s favorite Bulgarian bonbon, Viktor Krum! (((Mmm!)))

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Yeah. Really.

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Then the boys reach a hurdle: um, how are we supposed to dance?

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Yeah. Really.

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Somehow, though, they figure it out with the helpof their rather-better-at-dancing girl partners, and they manage to avert a potential fiasco.

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A little later (or maybe a little earlier, I forget) we find out something you may have guessed about our big friend, Hagrid. Turns out that he’s-surprise, surprise!-half-giant! Some time later, a very annoying reporter named Rita Skeeter publishes an article on the subject- hereby turning the wrath of rather annoying people such as everybody’s favorite ex-Death Eater (?), Lucius Malfoy. That’s right, Draco’s dear daddy, though that shouldn’t be a surprise to someone who’s carefully kept an eye on him through the past three books. Now, Hagrid is disgraced by one bug of a reporter. (Literally!)

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The second task is looming. Remember that egg Harry had to take? Well, it’s a clue to the second task. However, Harry isn’t able to figure it out till a carefully placed clue courtesy of everybody’s favorite super-extra-ultra-cute-guy Cedric lands him in the prefect’s bathroom in the middle of the night.

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Déjà vu!!

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And, to complete the feeling of déjà vu, we’re reunited with an old friend: Moaning Myrtle from the Chamber of Secrets. Apparently, she’s been very naughty and spied on everybody’s favorite super-extra-ultra-cute-guy Cedric puzzling out the clue within his own egg. So now she’s helping out Harry-at the price of some hilarity of course, but the more the merrier! Eventually Harry figures it out: he’s got to rescue something from the merpeople in the Black Lake and get it back to the surface within an hour, or he loses. (don-don-dawwww!)

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The problem is: how’s he going to survive underwater for an hour? The solution comes when everybody’s favorite really-bad-at-saving-Harry’s-life-house-elf, Dobby, stealing a bit of an herb called gillyweed from Professor Snape’s stores and brings it to him. He says that it was give Harry gills to breathe underwater for an hour. Awesome!

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Second task dawns. The four champions take the plunge underwater. Harry uses his gillyweed, everybody’s favorite super-extra-ultra-cute-guy Cedric and Fleur both use the Bubble-Head Charm, and everybody’s favorite Bulgarian bonbon Viktor Krum Transfigures himself into a shark.

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That’s when we find out just what the merpeople took: people the champions hold dear! Harry’s is Ron (don don dawww!), everybody’s favorite Bulgarian bonbon Viktor Krum’s is Hermione (don don dawww!), everybody’s favorite super-extra-ultra-cute-guy Cedric’s is Cho Chang (don don dawww!), and Fleur’s is her sister Gabrielle. (don don daww!)

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Now Harry, the born hero that he is, heroically stays behind to make sure everybody is safe. When Fleur gets knocked out of the competition by a bunch of crazy octopeople called grindylows, Harry heroically risks running out of time to save both Ron and Gabrielle.

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In the end, though, Harry ties with everybody’s favorite super-extra-ultra-cute-guy Cedric for first! All that’s left is the third task and Harry’s home free! However, before we can get to that several big, huge, and quite monumental things happen. First off we meet up with everybody’s favorite absolutely, positively, so-expected-we-thought-he-was-a-villain-like-Harry-didn’t-have-enough-of-them hero, Sirius Black. He tells Harry, Ron, and Hermione about something quite alarming: Igor Karkaroff, the headmaster of Durmstrang, was a former Death Eater! Could he have put Harry’s name into the Goblet of Fire?

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Then, during a chat with everybody’s favorite Bulgarian bonbon Viktor Krum, Harry discovers none other than everybody’s favorite paranoid Ministry member, Mr. Crouch. This time, though, he’s gone somewhat crazy. Harry runs for Dumbledore, but by the time help arrives, Mr. Crouch is dead.

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But, why? That’s what everyone is pondering lately.

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Then Harry dreams (okay, it’s definitely getting suspiciously uncanny now) about Voldemort (who else? Seriously!) and Wormtail. Wormtail did something wrong, and now he’s getting the brunt of the Cruciatus Curse. I know, I know, Wormtail’s a bad guy, but I still think Voldemort should go a little easier on the poor guy.

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Then we find out just why Mr. Crouch is so significant: he had a son. Just one. That one son was sent to Azkaban for being a Death Eater. As a matter of fact, Karkaroff put him in. He died there, soon after.

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Or did he?!

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Harry finds this all out when he finds a special stone bowl called a Pensieve, full of thoughts and memories. It’s quite cool, actually. It’s one of the principle forms of time-travel throughout the Harry Potter books. If you think about it, he’s done time-travelling in all of the books except Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It was Tom Riddle’s diary in the Chamber of Secrets, Hermione’s Time-Turner in the Prisoner of Azkaban, and the Pensieve in this book. He also uses them in the next three, but I’m not saying how.

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Now, finally, though, Harry faces the third and final task, a maze leading to the ultimate prize, the Triwizard Cup!

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Early on, it’s only Harry and everybody’s favorite super-extra-ultra-cute-guy Cedric still in it. Everybody’s favorite Bulgarian bonbon Viktor Krum is Imperiused by an unknown person and is knocked out, and Fleur is taken by an unknown villain. After a riddling session with a sphinx and an attack courtesy of one of Hagrid’s pet spiders, Harry and everybody’s favorite super-extra-ultra- cute-guy Cedric are locked in a race for the Cup. They decide to take it together, but receive a shock when it turns out the Cup is a Portkey-an object that is bewitched to take them somewhere! And this Portkey turns out to take them to a random graveyard out in the middle of nowhere.

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Then Wormtail shows up and does something really, really, awfully bad. He kills eveybody’s favorite super-extra-ultra-cute-guy CEDRIC!!!!!!!! That guy is in serious trouble with me now!!

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Then, something we knew would happen, even if we didn’t know it could happen, happens. Voldemort rises again! Yipes!

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Soon, a bunch of Death Eaters show up, including certainly-not-ex-Death Eater Lucius Malfoy! And yes, I’m totally serious about that, pun intended.

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Can Harry get away this time in one piece, or will Lord Voldemort finish what he started thirteen years ago? Well, sorry, but I’m still not in the give-away-the-ending mood, so you can stop holding you breath and make like Hermione and get the book!



Well, there’s number four for you! Next up in September we’ll have Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, so if you can’t wait you’ll have to make like Hermione and get the book. After that, though, there’s only two books left- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!!!!!!! See you then!

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN by J.K. Rowling

Countdown to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Month Two-Book Three-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K Rowling


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Welcome to Month Two! This month we shall review Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire! Then next month……well, I’m sure I’ve hammered it into your head enough, and if I haven’t go look at the previous review, I’m tired of saying it. Well, in any case, here’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban!

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The story opens with Harry attempting to do his homework in the dead of night.

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Yeah. Really.

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See, the Dursleys would really rather their neighbors not know that Harry exists, much less is a wizard. So they’ve locked away his books, broomstick, wand, etc. But Harry managed to steal some of it back, so he can do his homework.

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Yeah. Really.

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So, anyway, then Harry’s horrible aunt comes to visit and decides to insult Harry’s parents. So, anyway, one inflated aunt (ha-ha) and an encounter with some sort of very scary dog later, Harry’s on the seriously weird Knight Bus on his way to the Leaky Cauldron.

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By this point you’re probably thinking, “Hey, whoah, slow down. Isn’t Harry going to get in trouble for this?” My thoughts exactly. But when Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, (uh-oh) meets Harry, he lets him off easy. Now in my opinion Fudge is just a little bit of a wimp. I don’t mean to give anything away, but he’s the one who makes Harry look bad in The Order of the Phoenix. They practically had to shove Voldemort under his nose to make him believe……ooops. Forget I said that. Anyway, let’s just say I have a very low opinion of him. On the bright side, though, he lets Harry off easy due to the fact there’s a murderer on the loose.

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Whoah. Back up here. We need some background info on this. According to Mr. Weasley, the murderer’s name is Sirius Black (it’s pronounced serious- well, at least it is in the movies. Otherwise it’s sy-rus. I know, I was confused, too. Seriously!) and he’s the one who betrayed Harry and his parents’ whereabouts to Voldemort! And not long after that, he supposedly blew up a whole street, killing dozens of Muggles and one supposedly heroic wizard named Peter Pettigrew.

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Oh, yeah, and he’s Harry’s godfather.

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Yeah. Really.

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Anyway, Sirius Black is now on the run. He somehow managed to escape from the wizard prison, Azkaban, and is on his way to Hogwarts, supposedly to try and kill Harry.

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So drastic measures have been taken. For the year, Fudge has sent dementors to guard Hogwarts.

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Dementors. These are creatures you’d really not want to meet down a dark alley, trust me. They live off all happy thoughts and feelings, all things good and bright. They can suck these things right out of you like a smoothie. But the very worst thing they can do is kiss you. Believe me, besides the obvious yuck factor of kissing a dead guy, there’s the fact that when they do, they suck out your soul.

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Yeah. Not pretty.

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But that’s exactly what they plan to do with Sirius Black if they catch him. But in the meantime, they decide to search for him onboard the Hogwarts Express, and here Harry gets his first face-to-face encounter with a dementor, and it’s not pretty, to say the least. But luckily, the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin, is able to drive the dementor away. Probably the only good thing about dementors is that the antidote is chocolate, so that’s cool.

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(((Psst, Kimber An here. Lupin is my favorite professor!)))

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However, the fact that there’s a bunch of really mean dementors hanging around Hogwarts is only one of the new things this year. Another is the new subjects Harry, Ron, and Hermione are taking. One in particular is very odd. It’s Divination, and as if that’s not totally weird on its own, the teacher’s named Professor Trelawney and, as they soon find out, her favorite pastime is predicting Harry’s death.

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Yeah. Really.

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However, there’s another really cool one that’s called Care of Magical Creatures, and that’s just awesome. And guess who teaches it! If you guessed Hagrid, you’re right!

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Unfortunately, though, the class is taken with the Slytherins, including our favorite ASE (arch-school-enemy) Draco Malfoy, and as we all know by now, that’s going to lead to trouble.

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It does. The very first lesson (a very cool one on hippogriffs, which are big half-griffin, half-horse creatures), Malfoy manages to offend a hippogriff named Buckbeak. Now, hippogriffs are very proud creatures, and, as a result, Malfoy gets slashed in the shoulder and blames it on Buckbeak’s being vicious- puh-leeze!!! We’ll have to see how that turns out.

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Meanwhile, it’s time for Professor Lupin’s class, and it turns out to be hysterical! It’s on boggarts: shapeshifting creatures that turn into whatever scares you the most. In Harry’s case, it’ a dementor. And that’s not good. As a matter of fact, it’s quite bad.

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But then, as if Harry didn’t have enough on his mind to begin with, Sirius Black comes to Hogwarts and slashes the Fat Lady’s portrait! As a result, all the kids are sent to the Great Hall for the night and the castle is searched, but no further sign of Sirius Black is found.

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Then something really not good happens. It’s the first Quidditch match of the season, and Harry is flying against the Hufflepuff team and their Seeker, Cedric Diggory. But before Harry can catch the Snitch, a bunch of dementors come onto the field and make Harry fall off his broom from fifty feet up in the air!

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Yeah. Not pretty. .

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When Harry wakes up in the hospital wing, it’s to learn that 1) Hufflepuff won and 2) that his Nimbus Two Thousand flew into the Whomping Willow and was reduced to nothing but a bunch of sticks. Ooops. .

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So, all in all, it’s kind of a disappointing year so far. Harry can’t even go to this place called Hogsmeade, which is this all-wizarding village that has candy shops and joke shops and stuff like that. However, just before the Christmas Break visit, the Weasley twins Fred and George give Harry a magical map that shows several ways to Hogsmeade! Six of them won’t work, but the seventh leads right into Hogsmeade’s local candy shop, Honeydukes.

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Finally, things start looking up. Harry receives a new broomstick for Christmas, and it isn’t just any broomstick-it’s the newest model, the awesomely awesome Firebolt!

But who’s it from? Of course, everyone suspects it’s from Sirius Black, and we all know what he’s after. But then, just before the next Quidditch game, Harry gets it back from Professor McGonagall, who was checking it over, and it’s really cool!

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But meanwhile, Harry’s dementor problem is kind of getting worse, so he’s enlisted the help of our friend Professor Lupin to learn a spell to repel (hey, that rhymes!) them. It’s called a Patronus, and it’s basically a shield of happy things so to speak that will protect you from the dementors. Really handy, I know. But it’s also really advanced. Will Harry be able to learn it in time?

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Then it’s time for Quidditch! This time it’s against Ravenclaw, and boy is it intense! And no, I’m not saying who wins!

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But before you can say, “Where’s Sirius Black?” he turns up-right in the Gryffindor boys’ dormitories! Yipes! So once again the kids stay up all night while the castle is searched, but once again Sirius Black vanishes. Seriously (pun intended), this is getting annoying!

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But when Harry is discovered in Hogsmeade and nearly gets the map exposed by our old friend Professor Snape, we find out about four key people named Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Luckily, though, Professor Lupin gets Harry out of hot water and we’re all fine. But then Hermione bursts in and we hear about what Malfoy has managed to pull off.

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Buckbeak had to have a hearing, and he lost.

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He is going to be executed. .

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Yeah. Really.

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And that is a problem.

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So then, when Harry, Ron and Hermione run into Malfoy gloating over his victory, they pull off my absolute favorite scene in all of Harry Potter.

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Hermione slaps Malfoy!!!!!!

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Hahahhah! Take that, Draco!

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Anyway, then it’s the Quidditch finals finally! The game is against everyone’s favorite House, Slytherin, and in case you don’t know, Malfoy is Slytherin Seeker. He hasn’t managed to beat Harry at it yet, but we know he’s going to give it a good try.

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You know the drill by now. I’m not telling who wins, since it’s so utterly obvious!!

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Soon after, it’s time for exams. I think by now everyone suspects that Professor Trelawney isn’t all she says she is. But when it’s Harry’s turn to take the exam, Professor Trelawney does something no one expects.

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She makes a prophecy! .

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It’s something about Lord Voldemort rising again with the help of a returned servant……needless to say, Harry assumes the returning servant is Sirius Black. And he’s not happy about that. So when they go down to comfort Hagrid before Buckbeak’s execution and a giant black dog drags Ron and his rat Scabbers into the tunnel under the Whomping Willow, they quickly follow to find that the dog is Sirius Black-he’s what’s called an Animagus. Animaguses can turn into an animal-in Sirius Black’s case, a huge black dog.

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So imagine their surprise when Professor Lupin turns up and tells them that Sirius is innocent-it was their supposed friend Peter Pettigrew who betrayed Harry’s parents to Voldemort! Peter Pettigrew is the same person who supposedly stood up to Sirius Black when he blew up the street and killed all those Muggles-but it wasn’t Sirius at all, it was Peter Pettigrew! We also find out who Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were-Moony was Professor Lupin, Wormtail was Peter Pettigrew, Padfoot was Sirius Black, and Prongs was-guess who!-Harry’s dad!!! They were all Animaguses-well, except for Professor Lupin, but we find out what he was later.

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But no sooner have we found that out than several really bad things happen. One, it happens to be a full moon that night. What mythical creature do we know that always turns savage on the full moon? If you guessed werewolf, you are correct! That is exactly what happens to poor Professor Lupin, and Sirius is forced to fight his old friend as a dog. But that isn’t the worst thing that happens. Harry, Hermione, and Sirius Black are stranded on the lakeside with hundreds of dementors on their tails. But then something good happens-someone who looks an awful lot like Harry’s dad casts a Patronus and chases the dementor. But is it really?

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Some time later, Harry wakes up to find that Sirius has been locked up and is awaiting the dementors, who are going to give him the worst thing they can do-the Dementor’s Kiss! It’s up to Harry and Hermione to save the day. Can they save Sirius and maybe even Buckbeak too and make sure this story has a happy ending? Oh, yeah, and solve the mystery of just who cast that Patronus? (It’s really sort of obvious, actually,)

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Well, let’s just say that’s for you to figure out. I’m not telling!
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Well, that’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban! Later this month we’ll do Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but that’s the last of the two-a-month ones. But don’t worry; I intend to have at least three books each month-one Harry Potter and two others. But until next time, bye-bye!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Review: Vampire Vendetta by Alexis Morgan

Vampire Vendetta
by Alexis Morgan

Genre: Paranormal Romance (Vampires)
Publisher: Silhouette Nocturnes (Harlequin)
Cost: $5.25

What I Liked:
Well, it's easy to talk about what I liked in this book, because I liked most of it. In fact, there was little that I didn't like, and what little there was, I don't really feel the need to talk about because it was the typical Harlequin stuff, which I've learned to love all in all. But this was my first real foray into the Sillhouette Nocturne line, and I think I will be staying.

I'm a huge fan of vampire books. As a Buffy and Angel fan, I've been into vampires since before it was all the rage. And I get that feeling from Alexis Morgan as well. I like the way she creates her world, and even more than that, I like that she doesn't make a big show about it. I'm left with a lot of questions about the world when the book is done which is great!! A lot of authors misunderstand that half the interest of world-building is discovering the world. I don't want someone to tell me everything about a world, I want to find it myself. And when the book is over, especially if it's a series, I want to have more questions than answers. This makes me want to come back for more.

I will definitely be going back and reading the first in this vampire series. And I hope she continues to write about vampires and chancellors for a long time, so I can have the benefit of seeing that world through her eyes as a reader. It's quite a lot of fun.

The hero, of course, is almost always my favorite part of a book that I like, and th is book was no exception. I thought that he was a bit one-dimensional at times, but I really loved the fact that he could still surprise me. There were parts of his relationship with his sister that didn't quite compute for me through the entirety of the book, and that relationship felt very under-developed. (I know she's dead, but still... it was his motivation, and it just sort of went away... it was strange.) Still, I was interested in him as a character, and there were some very hot scenes involving fangs that I'll just let you read about yourself.

I appreciated her worldbuilding, and I thought her heroine was interesting. The villain, as was appropriate, was sadistic and horrifying. It really set up the heroine's motivation nicely, and made her needs very present to the story once the villain came on the scene. Overall, I thought this was a good book and it definitely made me want to read more of this author. Thankfully, she has a lot of books out for me to peruse. :-) I will be doing so in short order. 

Book Blurb:
"Hell hath no fury like a passion-hungry vampire bent on justice in Alexis Morgan’s sexy new saga

"As the lone survivor of his vampire clan, Seamus Fitzhugh lives only for revenge. And now that he’s infiltrated the compound of his enemy his chance has come…until he rescues a stunning hybrid from certain death. Megan Perez is a woman on the run from her own demons, and she’s a distraction that could cost them both their lives. But the passion that burns between them is too hot to ignore, and not even the threat of danger can keep them apart.

"Now their fates are intertwined--for better or worse--as they risk everything to experience the ultimate sensual release as evil closes in all around them. Seamus must weigh how far he will go in the pursuit of vengeance…or love." (from the author's website)

Excerpt here.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Magic Study by Maria V Snyder

Magic-Study-front.jpg Magic Study front image by mira_books
May 2008, Mira Books
Paperback, Personal Copy
Fantasy, (YA possibly)

(I'm from England, so I may spell a few words differently).

Possibly minor spoilers in this review


Summary from Mira Books

Completing her apprenticeship could prove deadly…

With an execution order on her head, Yelena has no choice but to escape to Sitia, the land of her birth. With only a year to master her magic - or face death - Yelena must begin her apprenticeship and travels to the Four Towers of the Magician’s Keep.

But nothing in Sitia is familiar. Not the family to whom she is a stranger. Not the unsettling new facets of her magic. Not the brother who resents her return. As she struggles to understand where she belongs and how to control her rare powers, a rogue magician emerges - and Yelena catches his eye.

Suddenly she is embroiled in battle against good and evil. And once again it will be her magical abilities that will either save her life…or be her downfall.

This is book two in a trilogy I love. The first one, Poison Study, was reviewed here. Knowing Yelana well by now, Magic Study provide a lot more action and suspense. Yelena has enemies in the world (as per usual), but she also has enemies closer to home. When she finds her family, she isn't welcomed by all of them with open arms. The conflict between herself and her brother provide for a lot of conflict in the novel. The first time I read this, I was yelling at Leif a lot. He has quite an attitude, one which I didn't understand until I reached the end. Even then, it isn't full understood until book 3, where everything about Leif is revealed to Yelena (If my memory serves me correctly).

Yelena's powers grow - she finds an opportunity to use her weapons training. But she also discovers (again) what it is like to be helpless without her powers. There is a but: she learns new powers than no one thought she would have.

Yelena's voice makes for a very entertaining read. Although she is far from Ixia (which she thinks of as her home), and missing her friends (especially Valek) she does get to see them eventually. Yelena does put her foot in things, and charges off on her own missions. She has to explore her own personality in this book, and work out other people's. Life is never dull where Yelena's concerned.

Content: sensual to mildly sensual, some violence. Adult situations in here. Tissues will be needed.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Review: Love Thine Enemy by Louise M. Gouge

Love Thine Enemy
by Louise M. Gouge

Genre: Inspirational Historical Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Love Inspired
Cost: $4.12

What I Liked:
I liked this book much better than its sequel (which I read first). It was a little slow-going for me in the beginning, but once it picked up, it was really excellent. The love story between Rachel and Frederick was inspiring and beautifully written. The conflict between them was real, and well-done. And of course, it introduced Jamie, who is the hero that I loved so much from the second book in the series.

But Frederick was a different kind of hero. I still enjoyed him, but he was different. Where most are dashing, Frederick is steadfast. Where most are flamboyant in their alpha-ness, Frederick is cautious and true. His character is without reproach, and even when he betrays Rachel's ideals, he thinks he is doing the right thing. And who is to say that he wasn't? Just because we won the war doesn't mean America was "right" and England was "wrong", although I do think the author might disagree. But he followed what he believed to be his moral compass, and so did she.

That's what made this book so interesting. Two highly devout characters in love, with two completely opposite interpretations of morality. Very interesting to me. Of course, he comes around to her way of thinking in the end, but it's an American book, what do we expect? I think I would have been more interested if they would have been able to maintain their differences and still be together. Any relationship where you cannot maintain difference is not a real relationship. Still, the way he turned his mind to agree with her was beautiful, in the end, and although I still felt like it was a betrayal of his character, I can see how he loved her more than he loved his ideals. And there's something to that.

All in all, Rachel Folger was a solid heroine, but it was Frederick who really made this book. He was a hero unlike any other I've read, and I mean that in the best of ways. He didn't have to rely on his physical superiority or his extreme handsomeness (although I believe he had both) to win out in the end. It was his moral fiber, his devotion, and his devoutness that made you love him. He was really fantastic.

Would I rather read Jamie's book again? Probably. Even though I didn't like the book itself as much, I highly preferred Jamie as a hero. But Frederick was a little like Edward Ferrars in S&S. You just can't help but be drawn in by the depth of his character. Fantastic.

Book Blurb:
The tropics of colonial Florida are far removed from America's Revolution. Still, Rachel Folger's loyalties remain with Boston's patriots. Handsome plantation owner Frederick Moberly's faithfulness to the Crown is as certain as his admiration for Rachel—but for the sake of harmony, he'll keep his sympathies hidden. After all, the war is too far distant to truly touch them...isn't it?

A betrayal of Rachel's trust divides the pair, leaving Frederick to question the true meaning of faith in God and in country. Inspired by Rachel to see life, liberty, and love through His eyes, Frederick must harness his faith and courage to claim the woman he loves before war tears them apart. (from the author's website)

Monday, August 2, 2010

CRUSHED SUGAR's Cover Art!

I'm so excited!  Dara England is a genius, I swear.  CRUSHED SUGAR is the novella prequel to the novel, SUGAR RUSH.  Crushed is tentatively scheduled for release August 30th with Sugar coming out about a month later.  Click on   http://opheliadawsonchronicles.blogspot.com/   to follow my progress to release day.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Win a Kindle eReader

Forgot to mention, as part of their grand opening Decadent Publishing is giving away a Kindle eBook reader.    http://www.decadentpublishing.com/index.php?osCsid=u5auqgoeqngegm091efv8gnfk4&content=contest

Decadent Publishing's Debut Authors

Good morning, Blog Buds!  On the first Sunday of each month, I will be showcasing Decadent's novels being released that month.


Emily Fenwick, formerly with the NYPD, is now the reluctant defender of 1890 New York. Unfortunately for Emily, who hates "the creepy stuff", she ignored her inner voice, went to a carnival in Central Park, and entered a Victorian tent in hopes a psychic would have some encouraging news about her woefully boring love life. The guarantee she received of meeting a tall, dark, and handsome stranger comes with a huge catch - he lives in an alternate dimension of the past.

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Jack Pettigrew leads a quirky band of lost souls in a battle to save New York circa 1890. Nightmares have come alive and threaten to terrorize a fragile era. Jack leads the “punks,” who have been sucked back in time through a vortex. Each has a fleeting memory of their own death–or near death–and must determine for themselves why they have been chosen for this mission. Is Steamside their Purgatory? Could an Egyptian obelisk in Central Park be the cause of the time rift, or is Emily herself to blame for the goblins, zombies, and other nightmarish scenes plaguing them?
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If the Punks want to return to 2010, they must ensure there’s going to be an 1891. If they conclude they’re really ghosts, then it might be time to party like it’s 1999.
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*Steampunk Romance, Mildly Graphic*
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When Alexa took a job in Ireland searching for the lost O'Shea treasure, she had no idea what she signing up for. Between vivid dreams, ghosts, and the old Irish legend that surrounds the castle, she is overwhelmed.
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When she finds out the man she's been working so closely with is actually the heir to the O'Shea fortune, she is upset that once again a man has surrounded her with lies. Their relationship is further tested when a friend from the United States comes for a visit and Liam believes she's been telling her own tales.
When Alexa took a job in Ireland searching for the lost O'Shea treasure, she had no idea what she signing up for. Between vivid dreams, ghosts, and the old Irish legend that surrounds the castle, she is overwhelmed.
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When she finds out the man she's been working so closely with is actually the heir to the O'Shea fortune, she is upset that once again a man has surrounded her with lies. Their relationship is further tested when a friend from the United States comes for a visit and Liam believes she's been telling her own tales.
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Will their love prevail? Will Alexa find the missing treasure and discover her heart's desire?
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*Paranormal Romance, Mildly Graphic*
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Micah Slate has lived centuries, his lonely existence dedicated to the protection of art. Then he meets Ophilia Morgan, a young artist who has transformed herself into a living work of art. Micah thinks she'll never give him a second glance, but she has dark secrets of her own. When a greedy socialite uses Micah's museum as the setting for fraud and destruction, he and Ophilia will be thrown together in a night of mayhem.

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*Urban fantasy-Steampunk, Mildly Graphic*
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Mackenzie never wanted to be a shape shifter. She ran to the jaguars of River Gap pride to end the nightmare of being stalked and to come to terms with the brutal attack that Changed her.
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Adam, a River Gap Sentinel, is assigned as her guard and mentor. Even though she ignites flames of primal desire in him, he holds himself back, well aware of his strength and how new she is to the shape shifter world.
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To survive the stalker, thought, they both need to first battle their pasts and learn what it means to truly be the sentinels of each other's hearts.
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*Paranormal Romance (SFR!), Mildly Graphic*
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In the worldwide recession of 2009, Ben Lofthouse plans to rebuild his life on Koh Pimaan, a paradise island in Thailand. Desperate to escape the nightmare of crumbling businesses in England, still besotted by a sexy, gorgeous Thai girl, Nataya, who disappeared from his friend's hotel on the island - he plunges into a surreal adventure, determined to find her.
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Surrounded by beautiful women, relentlessly pursued by a former girlfriend, stalked by a notorious London gangster, a bizarre romance develops. An astonishing twist catapults Ben into increasingly sensual and dangerous situations. With a bevy of beauties, he's drawn into erotic moviemaking at Casa Blanca, a spectacular hillside villa. Daring performances by colorful and hilarious characters, and imaginative sets, ensure that everyone will make money by simply having fun.
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Ben's dreams seem destined to become reality. Then he receives an amazing piece of news that could change his life forever, or...
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*Romantic Comedy, Mildly Graphic*
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Please Note:   I have not read any of these novels.  This is a service to my fellow Decadent authors.  Before you buy, please learn about these books and authors on your own.  Here is a link to Decadent's Heat Level Chart, how they decide pricing, and the different eBook formats- 

http://www.decadentpublishing.com/index.php?osCsid=u5auqgoeqngegm091efv8gnfk4&content=aboutEbooks
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Also, you can find all the debuts on the Home page.  Click on the ones you're interested to learn more and to follow the authors' links around the web.
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I've created a sister-blog for the authors and readers who prefer stories too graphic for the kiddies.  I want to keep this one Rated PG.  Click on over to Enduring Romance & General Naughtiness for Erotica and such-
http://enduringromanceandgeneralnaughtiness.blogspot.com/?zx=f751dfb93d70f2ab

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HAPPY DEBUT DAY TO DECADENT AND ALL THE NEW AUTHORS!