Thursday, May 31, 2012

COVER REVEAL: MYSTICALLY BOUND



COMING FALL 2012


Tess Jennings' life is in chaos. Not only has her ghost lover, Kipp McGowen, crossed into the Netherworld, but she’s the newest member of a secret society. And they want her to start work immediately. Upon arriving at the Temple in New Orleans, she is presented with an offer she cannot refuse.

The Grand Master has been murdered and Tess must solve the crime by locating his ghost. The reward—a magical spell to save Kipp. But as Tess dives deeper into the case, the more danger surrounds her. Not everyone wants the murder solved, and she is caught in the crossfire.

Soon, Tess finds herself knee-deep in ancient magical rituals, a hunt for a spell, a race to locate a killer, and a journey to the beyond. Will Kipp finally take a living breath, or will Tess take her last?


 ~*~ 


Stacey Kennedy’s novels are lighthearted fantasy with heart-squeezing, thigh-clenching romance, and they even give you a good chuckle every now and again. But within the stories you’ll also find fast-paced action, life-threatening moments and a big bad villain who needs to be destroyed. Her urban fantasy/paranormal and erotic romance series have hit Amazon Kindle and All Romance eBooks bestseller lists. 


Stacey welcomes comments from readers. You can find her at www.staceykennedy.com.




Check out my Reviews of the other books in the Frostbite Series.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Author Guest Post + Giveaway: Jaye Frances



Help me welcome Jaye Frances back to The Book Nympho.


Thank you, Jennifer.

I really appreciate the opportunity to give your readers a preview of my new romantic comedy, The Cruise – All That Glitters.

The allure of travel can stir the imagination, heighten the senses, and fill the mind with hopeful expectations. Especially if you’re a single guy with a full head of hair and a bursting libido.

In  The Cruise – All That Glitters , the main character Dean wants more than just a vacation—he’s seeking an experience. In fact, he’s looking for the opportunity to fulfill his fantasy of scoring with as many women as possible. To be fair, Dean does have his standards. And while our polite, courteous, and enlightened metro-sexual bachelor would never intentionally objectify the fairer sex, he readily admits his dream girl wouldn’t be complete without a gorgeous face, a really great set of tits, and an ass so tight it would rebound a roll of quarters from thirty feet away. Yes, our Dean is truly a sensitive soul, and up until now, the one that always got away.

In the following excerpt, our main man is seated across the desk from travel agent Debby. As she suggests exploring various vacation options, Dean quickly realizes that none of them offer access to the mother lode—an abundance of hot, sexy women to explore and plunder. Rapidly losing interest, he is nearly ready to give up, until Debby makes her final recommendation . . . a cruise.


EXCERPT

I notice the huge travel posters behind Debby’s desk—four-color testaments to the blazing sunsets of Hawaii and the clear blue oceans of Tahiti and the Bahamas.

“I don’t know,” I say finally. “Maybe someplace by the water.”

Debby nods, her face appearing to move independently from the cosmetic landfill that covers it. “Sounds like you’re thinking about a beach vacation. Of course, some of the nicest beaches are found in the Caribbean.”

A tropical island. Palm trees. White sand. Gentle trade winds. And me, strolling along the shore, hand-in-hand with a native beauty, both of us wearing nothing but flowers in our hair.

“Sure, why not?”

“Are you a diver?” Debby asks. “There are lots of opportunities to explore old wrecks in the Caribbean.”

I shake my head no.

Shipwrecked. That wasn’t exactly what she’d said, but it sounded so . . . so perfect; mercifully spared by the churning sea, tossed onto a sandy beach where I sit dazed, not yet able to make it to my feet. Barely lucid enough to distinguish between reality and hallucination, I squint at the horizon, straining to focus, my vision still hazy from the salt and sun.

Suddenly, I detect movement, a blur in the distance. I feel a wave of sickening uncertainty as I realize I am not alone in this tropical paradise. I begin to imagine the worst: wild animals, or even headhunters, slowly sizing up their next trophy. I wait, unprotected and half-blind as a dozen indistinguishable forms move toward me.

In moments, I am surrounded. My soon-to-be captors reach for me, their touch bold and unafraid. Knowing I have no other choice, I resign myself to battle. I grab for the closest assailant, determined to dispatch as many of my attackers as possible. But my efforts are at once disarming and surprisingly unnecessary as my fingers find soft, yielding skin. I ease my grip, feeling the focus of my assault trembling with fear.

My vision beginning to clear, I squint through the briny mask that still covers my face and see the clouded forms turn rich with detail. As they peer from a sea of softly flowing blond hair, I am greeted with smiles of unmistakable welcome as a dozen pair of huge blue eyes meet my own.

They are the most beautiful castaways I can imagine. As I scan the few remaining shreds of fabric clinging to their taut, supple bodies, I realize I’m looking at the tattered uniforms of cheerleaders—high school seniors. I smile and open my arms as they gather around me, each one offering the press of bare flesh, each one in obvious compliance and ready submission, each one knowing instinctively that only I can protect her from certain danger that lurks in the coming night.

I wonder if that is somewhere in the brochure. I wonder if good ol’ Debby, Travel Professional, can recommend a resort with a great beach, close to a high school.

“I guess an island sounds okay,” I answer. “But it’s got to be affordable. Do these trips ever go on sale?”

“How about several islands for the price of one?” She hands me a glossy booklet and adds, “Take a look at this.”

I flip through the pictures. There are men in tuxedos and women in low-cut dresses, their heads tilted back, laughing at God knows what. A black waiter—he’s not laughing—stands by their table. On the opposite page, good-looking couples gather around a grand piano, sipping exotic drinks and showing off their tans.

I turn the page and see the layout of a huge cruise ship. 


The Cruise – All That Glitters
by Jaye Frances

It’s love on the high seas for Dean, a thirty-something bachelor taking his first cruise, hoping for a shipboard romance. On the prowl for the elusive hard-body, he quickly becomes disillusioned, wondering if his expectation of a boatload of beautiful sea nymphs is something found only in travel brochures. Until he meets Angel. She is the girl of his dreams, brought to life as a bewitching goddess, ready to engage in every sensual delight. Quickly lured into submission by Angel’s seductive charms, Dean is ready to surrender his heart and soul to this provocative beauty. Until he meets Marcie . . .

Available at Amazon now in Kindle eBook for only $0.99






Jaye Frances is the author of the paranormal-occult romance novel The Kure, the first book in The Kure series, and The Possibilities of Amy, a coming-of-age story of high school romance. Her upcoming works include The Beach, a sci-fi fantasy about a man who is given the opportunity to receive his ultimate wish and lives to regret it, and Journeys From Above and Below the Belt, a collection of adult short stories, both scheduled for a Summer 2012 release. She is also a featured columnist for the NUSA SUN magazine. Born in the Midwest, Jaye readily admits that her life’s destination has been the result of an open mind and a curiosity about all things irreverent. When she’s not consumed by her writing, Jaye enjoys cooking, traveling to all places tropical and “beachy” and taking pictures—lots of pictures—many of which find their way to her website. Jaye lives on the central gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one husband, six computers, four cameras, and several hundred pairs of shoes. For more information, visit Jaye’s website, or Jaye’s Blog.

You can also find her at Goodreads and Facebook.








Tuesday, May 29, 2012

CR Review: Dating A Cougar


Dating A Cougar (Never Too Late #1)
Dating A Cougar  
by Donna McDonald
(Never Too Late #1)
Published March 10th 2011
Contemporary Romance
RATING: ★★★★

After several decades of looking for true love and never finding it, aging model and lingerie designer, Alexa Ranger, has finally given up the search. A couple years ago, she got tired of the game completely and just stopped dating. Now friends and family keep her mostly content, so it’s shocking at 50 yrs old to find herself suddenly wanting a sex life again. It’s even more shocking to be attracted to a much younger man this time. She definitely thinks Casey Carter is sexy, but not handling her own age well, Alexa just can’t get passed their twelve year age difference to even consider a fling. Not that it matters anyway, anything resembling a normal dating relationship is totally out of the question because Casey is related to and living with her daughter’s boyfriend. The very last thing Alexa needs is yet another talk-show worthy drama in her already complicated life, no matter how amazing Casey’s kisses make her feel.

For a couple of years, 38 yr old, medically retired Marine, Casey Carter, believed his military injury had made him impotent. Having lost his wife to cancer, he hadn’t exactly been worried about the problem. Most days walking with cane was enough challenge for him. But now that he was ready to move on with his life, he had become more worried when none of the females his cousin brought around held any interest for him. So the last woman in the world he expected to start his engine revving again was the mother of his cousin's girlfriend. Even at fifty, Alexa is drop-dead gorgeous, and his libido certainly keeps reminding him she is the first woman he has wanted in a long, long time. Ironically, the more Casey gets to know and like Alexa, he finds out desiring the older woman is the easiest part. Jaded and cynical about love, Alexa is a difficult woman to convince of anything, but her kisses are all the proof he needs that they belong together. The former Marine decides his next mission is figuring out how to fit himself into her life.

REVIEW:

I was in a bit of PNR/UF burn out mode, so I scrolled through my Nook library for something a little different to read and ran across Dating A Cougar that I downloaded months ago from the FREE section at B&N.com.

This fun and sexy contemporary romance was just what I needed to get me out of my "creature" funk. The writing was nicely done and the characters was fun, snarky and I found myself really caring about them and if they got their HEA.

Casey is a hot retired Marine in his late 30s. He can be a real alpha or as Alexa likes to call him, a caveman. But when it really counts he is sweet and caring for the people in his life. After he meets Alexa at his younger cousin's house he can't take his mind off the beautiful older woman.

Alexa is a sexy ex-model that turned business woman. She's not dated a man in over a year but after shaking hands with the young Marine, she can't stop thinking about him and the feelings he stirred up in her. She can't believe that she is so attracted to a younger man. She tries to forget about him because of the age difference but her friends push her to play with Casey to see what happens.

Through out the book Casey has his work cut out for him trying to convince Alexa that her age is no big deal to him. He likes her and wants to get to know her better. Casey and Alexa gets all kinds of advance from their friends and family during the story. And there are some real fun scenes with those crazy friends.

Casey and Alexa really heat up the pages too. There is some smoking bedroom scenes but they are tastefully done (in other words, this is not a smut book LOL).

Dating A Cougar reminded me of a mature Sexy in the City. It was a fun and quick read; I plan on reading the next book in the series, Dating Dr. Notorious. Which is about Alexa's friend, Dr. Regina Logan, doctor as in sex therapist. Think Samantha in the Sex in the City group.



Available for FREE for both
Kindle and NOOK



















Monday, May 28, 2012

UF Review: A Blood Seduction by Pamela Palmer



A Blood Seduction 
by Pamela Palmer 
Vamp City #1
Publication: May 29th 2012 by Avon
RATING: ★★★★

Vampires live only for lust and pleasure in the eternal twilight of Vamp City. But the city’s magic is dying. The only person who can restore it? A beautiful woman from the mortal world...one who knows nothing of the power she wields. Quinn Lennox is searching for a missing friend when she stumbles into a dark otherworld that only she can see—and finds herself at the mercy of Arturo Mazza, a dangerously handsome vampire whose wicked kiss will save her, enslave her, bewitch her, and betray her. What Arturo can’t do is forget about her—any more than Quinn can control her own feelings for him. Neither one can let desire get in the way of their mission—his to save his people, hers to save herself. But there is no escape from desire in a city built for seduction, where passion flows hot and blood-red. Welcome to Vamp City... 

REVIEW:

I am a fan of Palmer's Feral Warriors Series, which is PNR; so I was very excited to get my hands on the first book in her new vamp series that is more on the UF side. I've seen some mixed reviews and one of my blogging buddies, Jen @ Red Hot Books didn't care too much for it. I trust her judgement in books because we usually enjoy the same reads. And when I saw she was having a hard time with A Blood Seduction it made me want to read it even more to see if I agreed with her.

Well for the first time I enjoyed a book that she didn't. See we are all not going to love the same books. That's what makes the book reading world go round. I understand the parts she was having trouble with and can see how some would dislike the book for them. But they didn't bother me. I believe the much darker parts of ABS helped set the tone for the world that Palmer was setting up. This is a dark world where the vampires are not the sexy heroes most of us are use to.

Sure there are a few of the vampires that aren't as evil as most, Arturo being one of them. Don't get me wrong, he is still not a lovable vamp. He does what needs to be done in the name of his Master and makes no apologizes if its not what Quinn would see as a nice. After each time he betrays her, he reminds her that he is what he is and not to trust him. I can't blame her for wanting to trust him since he has saved her a few times; he is the lesser of two evils. But if Quinn meet him in the "real world" would she still feel the same about him? Would he be a good guy away from Vamp City?

Yes Arturo is very much an anti-hero and who knows if he is really good or evil. He lies by omission, never really lying out right. But come on, the guy has a weakness for Sweet-Tarts so he can't be all bad, right?

There is some sexual tense between the two that could grow into a relationship in the future but as it is right now I believe it's just physical and a little on the Stockholm Syndrome side. So many possibles for the future of their relationship and the world as this series moves forward.

While the ending of the book wasn't really a cliffhanger it does leave us guessing what bigger secrets Arturo is keeping from Quinn.

Even though Jen didn't love this book I for one did and I can't wait to read the next book in the Vamp City series. If you are in the mood for a very dark urban fantasy read with a little sexual tense pick up A Blood Seduction by Pamela Palmer.



A Blood Seduction is available at:
Amazon ׀ B&N

I received my ARC from Edelwiess.

To read an excerpt visit the author's website.