On vacation!

Sorry folks, Your Next Read is on break this week. I hope to do some updates on the main page. But don't worry, the site will be back up and running on July 8th. But hey, we all need a little vacation, right?

Interview, Review, and Giveaway - Oh my! Anything But Sweet by Candis Terry

Please welcome Candis Terry to the blog today. She has graciously answered a few interview questions. Let's learn a little more about her and her book -- which you'll love!

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

Thanks for having me here today! If I’m a new to you author I write sexy, small town, contemporary romance with a hint of quirky, a lot of heart and soul, and very often, some culinary delights.

2. Please tell us about your latest release ANYTHING BUT SWEET and how you came up with the idea.

ANYTHING BUT SWEET is a story about a man who hates change and a woman who wants to change everything. It’s a "What happens when an unstoppable force (TV Makeover Show and Designer, Charlotte Brooks) meets an immovable object (Former Marine/Rancher/Store Owner, Reno Wilder)” type of story. And it just might be the first book I’ve written that broke my heart. Yes, it’s funny and quirky, but there were some parts where I just had to lift my fingers off the keyboard and take a moment. I came up with the idea because I am a total HGTV fan and love makeovers. So I started with “What if?” and the story was born.

Cover Reveal - Endure by Laura Diamond!

Seventeen-year-old Justin's anemic blood is a blessing. Or a curse. It all depends on who you ask.

To most of the immortal Vie, his blood is a scourge: untouchable and useless. To some Vie, his blood is a drug. To Justin, it’s something that gets him in a lot of trouble. Being poisoned by a Vie is just one example. His sister getting kidnapped is another. Whether it’s being coerced by a deluded cult leader, or negotiating w

ith Alex—an Vie scientist addicted to Anemie blood—Justin struggles to keep every mutated drop of blood he’s got.

His fight for survival gets more complicated when he meets Alex’s slave, Cara. Despite coming from different worlds, they’re both prisoners, at risk of being drained by a hungry Vie any moment. When she risks her own neck to help Justin find his sister, he's left with a terrifying choice.

Saving what's left of humanity.

Saving his sister. Saving the girl he loves.

Or sticking a stake in Alex’s chest. 

Justin can't decide which option will get him killed first.

Scarlet Kisses by Elise Whyles

The Forsaken Series, Book 5

Can one who served the enemy find love in the arms of a condemned man?

Una has spent her life serving Amuliana, the goddess of immortals. Now she stands on the brink of a change, one that can her give back the life she lost to Amuliana's meddling. But the change that comes will shatter the peaceful existence she knows and give her a new understanding of love and life. Unbeknownst to Una, her ancestors were the Forsaken, immortals who were cast out for the crime of a jealous vampire general.

Liam, an outcast among the dragon clans, has spent centuries seeking the one who condemned him for a crime he did not commit. When he comes face to face with Una, he must make a difficult choice—seek revenge or save a pure heart from the darkness threatening their worlds.

The dragon warrior and the human girl will unite to face enemies they've never experienced as a fallen vampire general's army stalks them. As Una gains strength, her immortal gifts are returned and she becomes a threat to the imprisoned general who's seeking power over the immortal world. He can't afford to let Una survive, because her life will ultimately cost him his.

Together, Liam and Una must fight their way back to the vampire world and the safety offered by her sister. Can love survive amid the treachery and danger, or has Liam finally found his mate only to lose her to the evil plaguing their worlds?

Content Warning: explicit sex, emotional torment, graphic violence

New Release: Parlor Tricks by N. Kuhn

Author N. Kuhn has a new release and I'm intrigued by it! It looks to be something a little different out there.

Have you ever wondered what really goes on in the tattoo shop? Lots of hot guys, testosterone, ink and lust. Here's a compilation of short stories that divulge the innermost fantasy of what happens after the ink.

Release Day Blast: A Love Like This by Kahlen Aymes

Married and settled in New York City, Ryan and Julia Matthews seek to start their family and enjoy their idyllic newlywed life together. Julia’s high-profile job at Vogue and Ryan’s promising career in medicine will surely set them up for everything they could ever want, their only obstacle seems to be finding enough time to spend together.

When a scuffle at Ryan’s hospital puts his life in danger, a colleague steps in to save him but is critically injured in the process. In a heroic and unwavering effort, Ryan manages to save her, but her injuries irrevocably change her life forever.

What a Texas Girl Wants by Kristina Knight

Please welcome Kristina Knight to the blog today with her new release What a Texas Girl Dreams and be sure to check out her other western romances as well!

Monica Witte has life the way she likes it. She comes home to be babied every few months and the rest of the time she has no strings holding her back. But after her horse is injured in a rodeo performance, Monica knows it's time to come home and face her family – warts and all.

Trickett Samuels works best on his own. The large-animal vet likes his quiet life in the Texas countryside. When Monica Witte blows into town, demanding a quick fix to her horse's big issues, his life is turned upside down. Trickett doesn't understand Monica's need to perform before perfect strangers or why she wants to keep the truth of their relationship from her family. And the more he gets to know her, the more he wonders if he can convince this Texas girl that having roots will only help her soar higher.

The Dance of the Mystai by Tinnekke Bebout

The Dance of the Mystai is an experiential and magickal journey for those wishing to discover the Lunar Mysteries and the ways of Hekate. The book is an organic outgrowth of the work of the author and her Sisters as they have grown and rediscovered the ancient goddess and her rites. Within these pages are a collection of essays, poetry, goddess lore, and practical ideas for growing and living a personal Path based on the Lunar Mysteries.

Excerpt: 

Human life starts with a simple cry, a cry that is universal: the cry for Mother. It means warmth and love and security. It calls for food. It brings a scent indelible in our memories and primeval in our response. It brings the scent of Mother. It’s inexplicable, we just know the smell when we’re around it and barring childhood trauma that disconnected us at an early age, it’s a smell that relaxes us and makes us happy. So the journey begins before we have words for it.

Welcome Olivia Starke to the blog!

Coming July 15^th to Beachwalk Press and your favorite ebook retailer! And be sure to follow my virtual book tour 07/15/13-08/02/13 with Shades of Rose Marketing! I’ll have a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 gift card to winner’s choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble PLUS a free ecopy of Project Terminal: Legacy. For information on where I’ll be, drop by my website www.authoroliviastarke.com OR Shades of Rose Marketing. I’ll also be making an appearance for Beachwalk Press’s Love on the Beach Blog Hop where I’ll be offering up a $10 gift card to winner’s choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble and an ecopy of Project Terminal: Legacy. Keep watch on my website for further information!

Okay, let’s face it, most of us geeks and nerds have considered how we might survive a zombie apocalypse whether we believe in doomsday scenarios or not. I personally am not a believer, but it’s always good to have a backup plan…you know JUST IN CASE.

I’ve studied many zombie movies—my favorite for garnering useful info is Shaun of the Dead starring Simon Pegg. I admit I’ve watched this movie a ridiculous amount of times because it’s AWESOME. Frankly it’s brilliant with finding everyday items to use as weapons such as cricket paddles, shovels, and old records. And honestly their reactions to the zombie invasion is dead on (no pun intended) in my opinion.

It was released around the same time as Dawn of the Dead  and while I appreciated this movie, honestly I’d rather be facing the zombie apocalypse with Simon Pegg’s character. Shaun gets in there, gets the job done, while keeping his humor and humanity intact.

Olivia Starke

Love Vindicated by Lila Munro

Steele Image Book One

In 1980, Kyle Montgomery’s life was seemingly perfect. Heavily recruited by Force Recon fresh from the Naval Academy, he’d been working black ops for the Marine Corps for six years and was on the cusp of being promoted to Major. He was on the fast track to bigger and better things, had all the right people vetting him, and he'd married the woman of his dreams and was exploring a lifestyle which could have ended his career. With the Iranian embassy under siege and the Middle East in turmoil, Kyle was sent on a mission which would change the course of his life forever.

Returning home after three months of being invisible, Kyle finds his wife has been murdered by the very people he'd been sent to protect. And instead of the government retaliating, they hand him his walking papers with the agreement they’ll never speak of the events again. It's like Kyle never existed. His wife never existed. And the people who maimed and tortured her never existed.

Resigned to never again walk that path, Kyle opens the first Steele Image club with the thought of providing a safe haven for others like him, those who were invisible to the public and most of the government. Those who had eclectic sexual tastes. Those who would later become his allies. And his enemies. And both will drive him back to the place he’d thought he’d let go of forever to vindicate his love…

Sinfully Summer by Aimee Duffy

Today I have the wonderful Aimee Duffy visiting. I'm so thrilled for her and her new release, Sinfully Summer. I believe official release day is the 20th and I can't wait to get my hands on this story and read it!

SUN, SEA AND SCANDAL

Notorious heiress Alexa Green has certainly been enjoying her most recent girls-holiday in Marbella. Just as we thought, she’s been knocking back the cocktails and showing off her fabulous bikini body on the beach… but rumour has it she’s also been spotted sneaking out of Enrique Castillo’s penthouse in the early hours of this morning – in nothing but her underwear! Our question is, doesn’t this fiercely private billionaire know what he’s letting himself in for?

He’s got the millions… and she knows how to spend them! So lie back on your sun lounger and get comfortable, because this summer fling is going to be a sizzler!

Interview with Ella Jade

I've got the wonderful Ella Jade here today for a little Q&A.

Tell us a little about yourself. 
I’m Ella Jade. I create tales of sexy, dominating men and the women who know how to challenge them in and out of the bedroom. I tend to blend BDSM themes into steamy romances.

What genre do you write?
I write contemporary, erotic romances.

Please tell us about your latest release Surrender to Me and how you came up with the idea.
Surrender to Me is the story about a Dominant who has lost his way. He no longer feels fulfilled in his lifestyle and he wonders what life has to offer him. When he meets his sassy, no-so-submissive attorney things really start to heat up. Surrender to Me is the sequel to Make Me Stay but both books stand alone. Martin was featured in one chapter of Make Me Stay but I knew he had a story that had to be told.

Scavenger Hunt - A.M. Griffin (Excerpt) - Dangerously Yours

Welcome to the Dangerously Yours scavenger hunt! Today I'll be sharing an excerpt for AM Griffin's release.

* Important Scavenger Hunt Instructions: There are 17 (seventeen) stops for this Scavenger Hunt. Each stop contains a picture/button with a letter on it. All 17 letters form a message or phrase that is associated with the book. The letters are scattered randomly to the hosts. You will need to collect all 17, unscramble them, and then enter the decoded message in the Rafflecopter for the ‘extra entries’. Good luck!

A Healing Love by Tara Chevrestt

Dear friend Tara Chevrestt has a new release and it's a good one! This is one touching story!

Kimberly Rogers vowed to fight a tragic past the only way she knew how: she joined the Army and became strong. No man would hurt her again. But a war wound sends her to her brother's in Cripple Creek, WY, with vision and hearing impairments.

Whereas glasses can help her see and hearing aids can help her hear, nothing can force her to talk again. Is she really unable to speak, or is she hiding behind her disability to protect herself, her pride, and her heart? Regulated to the most menial of jobs, her world in shambles, Kimberly is finally convinced to seek medical assistance.

Carlos Medina is Jackson Hole's best therapist. If anyone can make Kimberly speak again, it's him. But Kimberly has to meet him halfway, and Carlos has his own past tragedy that the young, mute woman threatens to force him to conquer.

They both have wounds…and sometimes wounds must be reopened before they can heal. Can they open up to each other? Can Kimberly find her voice again and open her heart? Can love heal them both?

Beauty in the Breakdown by E.L. ESCH

Genre: Romance/ M/M

Luke Martin Cleary isn't out of the closet to his brother, and that's always been okay since he isn't involved. Then he meets Rowan, a fragile man with a dark past and one hot body. But Rowan's heart and body are broken and guarded, and it's going to take a lot of love to touch someone so completely untouchable. Literally.

Rowan Wilheim Nails is a man in pain. Ever since an abusive falling out with his ex-boyfriend, he's developed a phobia of being touched by another person--a phobia of being hurt again. So when Luke and Rowan meet at a bar and end up at Luke's apartment later on, Rowan is skeptical of spending the night in Luke's bed. There's only one thing he can do to make touching Luke's skin bearable--get drunk.

Luke hates Rowan's coping method, but how can he help change it when he doesn't understand Rowan's situation? By getting involved, he decides, even if that means divulging his secret to his brother. And so Luke begins breaking Rowan and his walls down, slowly and tenderly and maybe a little more roughly in the bedroom, but definitely without hurting him again. No matter how long it takes or how untouchable Rowan claims to be, Luke is determined to heal Rowan so that one day there'll be nothing between their hearts but each other's skin.

• Note: This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable: male/male sexual practices.

Q&A with Eden Summers and a Giveaway!

Today I have Eden Summers stopping by for a little Q&A. She's got a smoking hot new release called Blind Attraction. Sit back and enjoy!

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

Hi everyone, I’m Eden Summers an Australian author with a love for romance. I’m happily married with two young boys and live in regional NSW.

2. What genre do you write?

At the moment, I’m only published in contemporary erotic romance and contemporary romance, however, I do have paranormal stories on my hard drive. As long as it’s romance, I will write it.

FREE - Yule from Pagan Writers Press

FREE on Amazon June 10^th – 14th

Come out of the snow and pull up a chair by the roaring fire! The Wheel has turned once more as we look to the morning sky, eyes waiting to welcome the reborn sun.

Yule, also known as the Winter Solstice, was an indication to our early ancestors that the long winter was half over and that they needed to start looking toward the spring planting season. Modern-day celebrants of this sacred Sabbat exchange gifts, feast, and spend time with friends and family.

Pagan Writers Presents Yule is a collection of articles, poetry, songs, and short stories. Thirty-four Pagan writers have come together to express how we celebrate the holiday, to share their thoughts and feelings, and to entertain with stories that take place on or around the Winter Solstice.

Throw off your coat, grab a mug of mulled wine, and join us at the hearth as we tell you about the Sabbat known as Yule.

Pagan Writers Presents Yule is the second anthology in the Pagan Writers Press Sabbat collection.

*All proceeds from the sale of this anthology further the mission of the Pagan Writers Community, an organization that seeks to educate, inspire, and promote artists, authors, bloggers, musicians, poets, and writers who follow alternative-faith spiritual and religious paths.*

Amazon Buy Link

Guest Post: Melissa Keir

Today I have a dear friend and talented author visiting. Please welcome Melissa Keir to the blog!

Ideas from the World Around Me

Thank you for having me visit your blog today. Authors are often asked about how they come up with ideas for their stories. It is probably the most asked question. While I’m sure that each author has their own tricks, my ideas come from my life and the people around me. I love to take small snipets of things that have happened in my life and use them in a story. For example, my series- The Wilder Sisters Series- is set in my hometown. This allows me to share the love of my hometown with the world. I also can still feel, smell, taste and hear life in Amherst as if I was there, even though I haven’t lived there since I was eighteen.

I’ve also used family and friend’s names when I’m writing. Alex Hunter is the combination of two different students in my class. I took their first names and put them together to create a strong male character. Lissa Vincent’s name came from a friend’s last name and the nickname that someone called me when I first started as a teacher. I find that names are a struggle for me, so using real names allows me to focus on the story, rather than worry about the names.

New Release: Destination Wedding by Robyn Neeley

Wedding planner Kate Ashby’s fear of flying is eased by a sexy stranger and one slow lip lock that rockets her into another obit.

CEO Luke Cannon has just traded seats with his identical twin. Little did he know that an innocent kiss while pretending he was his brother would soon create havoc.

What happens in the air doesn’t stay up there. Once on tropical land, Kate believes that the handsome stranger who gave her the best kiss of her life is now her new client, Drew Cannon, fiancé to the beautiful and wealthy Lauren Kincaid. While Kate struggles with the intense feelings she thinks she has for Drew, Luke discovers Kate’s been hired to plan his brother’s destination wedding. He also realizes the initial sparks they shared 30,000 feet up are now mistakenly aimed at Drew.

Can Luke get Kate to realize that the feelings she has are for him? He’s got forty-eight hours in paradise to try.

Sensuality Level: Behind Closed Doors

Lashell Collins - Pierced Danger Trilogy

Please welcome Lashell Collins to the blog today.

When stunningly beautiful drilling heiress, Samantha Colby is mugged one night, her misfortune leads to an encounter with the handsome and mysterious Detective Joshua Pierce. The reluctant celebutante is immediately taken by his rugged good looks, his take-charge attitude and his quiet concern for her safety. Unable to stop the disturbing thoughts suddenly running through his mind at the sight of her, Detective Pierce finds himself strangely captivated by her beauty, her innocence and her charm.

Inexplicably drawn to one another and unable to fight it, the pair embark on a passionate physical affair. But despite the safety and love Samantha feels when she's with him, she soon discovers that the good detective is a tormented man, haunted by ghosts and memories that he can't forget. But when it becomes clear that Samantha's mugging was only the beginning of her trouble, can Pierce find a way to quiet the demons that threaten to consume him in order to keep her safe, or will he allow his tortured past to destroy them both?

With heavy doses of romance, eroticism and heart, the Pierced Trilogy is a sweet tale of finding love, overcoming your past, and learning to hope for the future.

The Plan by Imogene Nix

What happens when wrong and right collide amidst indescribable passion?

Jonah Fielding has been brought in to clean up the Department of Authority on Centauri. In the course of his work, he captures Kadie Frost, the young woman who managed to escape his sting operation. Kadie, an orphan, now almost destitute illegal parts runner, is shocked to find herself falling for the man who arrested her.

Jonah's world is one that Kadie doesn't understand and fears. When he offers her a deal, she agrees to help him with the investigation. Now they must fight an impossible attraction, find the bad guys, and along the way they'll even end up getting married…purely for the sake of the case, of course.

In the middle of upheaval they find themselves surprised by the scorching promise of passion while bewildered at how it all went awry. The clock is ticking and anything can happen next. Will they survive when work and pleasure collide?

Content Warning: This book contains a sexy, hot man in uniform and a wayward, hotheaded woman, as well as lots of adventure of the futuristic and bedroom variety.

New Release - Once Upon a Twist by Aimee Duffy and Michelle Smart

When the sun goes down, guess what’s coming out to play…?

Glass Slippers and Combat Boots

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, the creatures are coming...

In a land run by misogynists, where fair maidens are deemed liable to fall in a dead faint at the sight of blood, Prince Charming is worried – the creatures that have destroyed their neighboring kingdoms are coming for them. He judges it imperative to get all the females to safety, but first he needs to break the enchantment enslaving his One True Love to her hateful home. Oh, and there’s the small matter of the Ball to get through too.

But when the creatures reach them ahead of their expected time, all plans are foregone. Can Ella break her wicked stepmother’s enchantment? Can she save her handsome Prince and the kingdom before midnight strikes? And can she show his soldiers what it really means to kick  a monster’s butt? The clock is ticking…

NEW RELEASE - A Clockwork Canary by Beth Ciotte

History is repeating itself.

For ambitious engineer Simon Darcy, winning Queen Victoria’s competition to recover lost inventions of historical significance is a matter of pride—and redemption. After all, it was Simon’s failed monorail project that left his family destitute, and winning the tournament would surely restore the Darcys’ reputation.

Simon sets his sights high, targeting no less than the infamous time-travel device that forever changed the world by transporting scientists, engineers, and artists from the twentieth century. The Mod technology was banned and supposedly destroyed, but Simon is sure he can re-create it.

His daring plan draws the attention of Willie G., the Clockwork Canary, London’s sensationalist reporter. Simon soon discovers that Willie is a male guise for Wilhemina Goodenough, the love of his youth, who left him jilted and bitter. He questions her motives even as he falls prey to her unique charm. As the attraction between the two reignites, Simon realizes that this vixen from his past has secrets that could be the key to his future…as long as he can put their history behind him.

FREE ON AMAZON!

FREE on Amazon June 3rd – June 7th

Samhain marks the end of summer and the preparation for winter. To many, Samhain is merely Halloween, but to Pagans, it is a day when the veil between the worlds is thinnest, and we can reconnect with our beloved deceased. Samhain is a joyful celebration where we invite the spirits of our loved ones into our homes to remember and honor them.

Pagan Writers Presents Samhain is a collection of articles, poetry, and short stories. Forty Pagan writers have come together to express how we celebrate the holiday, to share their thoughts and feelings, and to entertain with stories that take place on or around the last week of October.

Leave your broom by the door and join us at the hearth as we tell you about the Sabbat known as Samhain.

Pagan Writers Presents Samhain is the first anthology in the Pagan Writers Press Sabbat collection.

All proceeds from the sale of this anthology further the mission of the Pagan Writers Community, an organization that seeks to edu­cate, inspire, and pro­mote artists, authors, blog­gers, musi­cians, poets, and writers who follow alternative-faith spiritual and religious paths.

Amazon Buy Link

Cover Reveal - Travis (Buffalo Rocker Series) by N. Kuhn

Buffalo Rocker Series

Travis

By N Kuhn

Publisher Nevermore Press

Release Date: TBD