This blog is for those 18 and older.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Serafina and the Silent Vampire (Serafina's Book One) by Marie Treanor

Everyone thinks vampires are big bad meanies, so I had a great read finding out how Serafina gets along with her local vampire cult.
Serafina is a local psychic in Edinburgh.  Sometimes, she makes things up just to please her customers.  But she also has real talents such as hearing vampires which do not make any sound when they speak.  Serafina and the Silent Vampire (Book 1 of the Serafina's Series)
She found this out at a party for a customer where she was in charge of a fake vampire attack.  Although, in the end of the party it wasn't so fake.  She met Blair, the local head vampire.
Blair is gorgeous and seductive, but could also kill her with one bite and he doesn't.
The first thing in common between Serafina and Blair happens to be a group of young vampires intruding on his territory, using unconventional vampire skills, and murdering the son of Sera's client.  They can help each other, no matter how irritating the union is.
That is until the attraction must be tested in a highly physical and satisfying way.
Back and forth from irritation to seduction, Sera and Blair come to a compromise that might just be a heart's delight!

Happy reading,
Dawn

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Veronica Reviews: HOLD BACK THE DAWN by Amanda Ashley

Hold Back the Dawn
by
Amanda Ashley

3.5 Stars

Roan is everything you could want in a hero…well almost everything since he’s dead.  But if you don’t mind the pesky vampire business, he’s darn near perfect.  Dark and mysterious with a kind and tortured soul, he has a power to gift the dying with reliving their most cherished memories.  When he finds a beautiful maiden near death after a carriage accident, he looks into her mind searching for her favorite memory, and discovers she is just as lost as he is.  Unsure if it will cure or curse the beauty in his arms, Roan offers her his vampire blood…and waits…

Kathryn Winterbourne is distraught.  Having to leave her home out of fear, she now has no money, nor anywhere to go.  Lost in her thoughts and walking the streets trying to find a solution to her problem, Kathryn becomes a victim of a careless carriage driver, and is struck down, left to die.  When she awakens and finds herself in the arms of a devilish handsome man, Kathryn knows her life has been changed forever…but for better or worse?

I’ve been reading Amanda Ashley’s vampire stories for years and have an entire shelf filled with her wonderful vampire novels.  While reading Hold Back the Dawn, I found myself aggravated over Kathryn’s inability to make a decision, and what Roan saw in her.  Kathryn is one of those heroines that you love to hate…and that, dear reader, is good writing.  Being able to craft a character to the extent you want to reach in the book and smack them for being so irritating and indecisive!  Roan had me hooked from page one, and was the main reason I stuck through reading the rest of the book…I just had to know if he got his much deserved happily ever after!

Amanda Ashley is a gifted storyteller when it comes to vampire romance, and I would recommend to those that enjoy reading paranormal.


Sharing what I love, 

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

A Walk Down Memory Lane


Hello, gentle readers!
Like many authors, I have a regular 8 to 5 job. I’m very fortunate though. I love what I do, but more importantly, I love where I work. Seriously. I’ve never worked at a place like this before, where individual as well as team contributions are recognized and the company really takes care of its people. We have team building events (not run by management, but by us, the worker bees), which are a lot of fun. It could be lunch out at a nearby restaurant. It could be a happy hour after work. It could be just about anything.
For my team building event, I requested that my team mates bring in pictures of themselves—from newborn to about 6 years old. I was going to post them on a poster board and we were to guess who was who. I also requested that each of my team members relate two or three of their best memories growing up.  
So, because this was my event and I made the request, I had to bring pictures of myself as well. I figured it would take me all of five minutes to pull the plastic storage boxes down and find what I wanted but…that’s not what happened. I ended up taking a walk down memory lane and spent half the morning looking at photos—my husband, when we first met; my son, from newborn to just recent (and he’s 38 years old now); my parents and my grandparents; friends. Lots and lots of pictures of friends, some of whom are no longer with us. The dogs I have loved.  
I even found pictures of the house I live in now, taken when we first moved here in 1997. The trees were so small! Now? They tower over everything, shading most of the back yard.
Anyway, the event at work was a success. Everyone participated and the pictures, as you can imagine, were so adorable. Most everyone guessed correctly (there were one or two misses, but that was it) and the stories that were shared were sometimes funny, sometimes a little sad, but accomplished what I wanted…that we get to know each other a little better. I heard that another department thought my idea was a good one and they’re going to do it as well.   

Until next time, remember to spread kindness wherever you go.
Marie

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Free Book: The Keeper's Legacy

For a limited time, you can download The Keeper's Legacy by Meg Anne for free. This promotion ends on Tuesday, so if you want it, don't delay!


A legacy forged in blood and shrouded in nightmares.

With everyone she’s ever loved dead, Effie’s fate is no longer one of her choosing. Overnight, she becomes the newest initiate of the Keepers of Prophecy, a secret order that Sees what the future holds.

War looms for the land of Elysia, unless Effie can prevent it by harnessing her visions and interpreting their meaning. Yet as what she Sees becomes far more dark and sinister, she finds herself no closer to deciphering it.

Forced to rely on her tutor and Guardian, her inner turmoil deepens when feelings within herself—those she thought died with the man she loved—resurface. One would give up everything to be with her. The other challenges her at every turn.

Struggling to focus amidst her awakening desires, Effie fights to unravel the truth buried within her nightmares. Will she discover it in time to be the salvation Elysia needs... or will one wrong reading damn them all?

Equal parts dark fantasy and forbidden romance, The Keeper’s Legacy by Meg Anne is chock full of delicious dark angst!




You can your copy here: The Keeper's Legacy

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

His To Protect (Bears of Grizzly Ridge) by Elena Aitken

Alex Jackson and his two brothers are banned from their clan, the clan of grizzly bear shifters.  What could three hard working and faithful men do to get banned?  It starts with love and ends with love.
Alex is the alpha and boss as him and his brothers build a beautiful resort on Grizzly Ridge.  Now they need help with exposure and good advertising.
Harper Bentley needs a life far from her ex-husband.  Friend, confident, and reporter, Nina, highly recommends that Harper comes with her to Grizzly Ridge for an article Nina is going to write.  Far away in wooded country sounds fabulous!His to Protect: A BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance (Bears of Grizzly Ridge Book 1)
Harper and Alex meet, feeling a crazy buzz between their bodies.
Nina convinces Harper that a fling is necessary to get going in life.
Alex doesn't believe in the "pull" of love until he experiences it.
So what could the problem be?
Other guests at the resort need time from the three brothers, too.  Not only do they take time away from Alex and Harper's getting-to-no-each-other events, but something strange is going on.  Several strange things.
Quite surprising  what Harper doesn't know about herself, and a possible positive in the grizzly world.  Granted the other surprise isn't too positive.
Exciting story of how a romance can overcome the human world!

Happy reading!
Dawn

Sunday, November 10, 2019

BEDEVILED by Madison Michael is FREE Today!


Bedeviled
The Beguiling Bachelors, Book 3
By Madison Michael
♥♥♥ ~ Free November 7th - November 10th Only ~ ♥♥♥
About Bedeviled:
If You Build Your Love on Lies, You Better Run Faster than the Truth
  Newly appointed Finance Director, Charlotte Roche escaped dangers lurking in Boston by moving to Chicago. A new name, a new beginning - all built on lies. Believing she is safe, Charlotte drops her guard and sets her sights on her ruggedly handsome and wildly sexy running partner, Alexander Gaines. Can she advance their relationship from the track to the bedroom and still maintain her charade? or will Alex's probing questions pierce her carefully rehearsed story? Alex, with unrevealed secrets of his own, struggles to hold the irresistible Charlotte at arm’s length. But when Charlotte sustains a suspicious injury, Alex seizes the opportunity to cuddle up to the sassy beauty. Does he dare risk his reputation, his fortune, his friends, and his heart by letting her get close? How can they build a bond with deceit on both sides? With exposure imminent, their freshly forged relationship is in jeopardy and so are their lives. Can their love survive or are they bedeviled? Join Alex and Charlotte, in this steamy romance, the third in the five-star rated Beguiling Bachelor series. The suspense builds as the characters you’ve met and loved in “Bedazzled” and “Beholden” help tackle the maze of half-truths and cover-ups threatening the lovers.  
ASIN: B06WLQL2FT  
Genre: Steamy Romantic Suspense
Amazon Buy Link
 
Excerpt from Bedeviled:
Keeping his mind on the topic always took all of Alex’s effort anyway. When Charlotte sat hip-to-hip with him as she had today, he felt the heat of her skin, saw the long length of thigh exposed in front of him, heard her heavy post-run breathing until he was in sensory overload. She smelled so good, not stinky and sweaty like he must. She smelled classy and expensive with all those clean, floral scents. She smelled like a woman he could trust.
More like a woman I want to trust.
Thinking back, Alex recognized that she had been hiding something all along. When he wasn’t lost in a sensual fog, he was able to zero in on where the conversations lagged, when she got testy with his probing or tried to change the subject. It had something to do with her life in Boston before she moved to Chicago and it was something that had been going on for a while. She was practiced at her excuses by the time she used them on him. She was making too many trips back East for ‘Harvard stuff.’ She had met Regan Howe through this same ‘Harvard stuff’ yet Regan went back to her alma mater only once or twice a year, if that.
Oh yeah, Charlotte is definitely up to something and I intend to find out what. I have been patient long enough.
Sitting waiting now for Charlotte to arrive at Starbucks, Alex promised himself that he would get to the bottom of this or walk away.
Since she had declined his offer of a ride, Alex currently sat at a shady outside table enjoying the last of summer, waiting for her to walk over and speculating on her possible secrets. He was planning his subtle interrogation during the few minutes Charlotte would need to make her way across the park,
Stubborn. She should have just accepted the ride.
You driving over or walking?” she had asked him, once they caught their breath.
“I have the car if you want a ride?” When she hesitated, he tried tempting her. “I have the new car.”
Alex was the proud owner of a brand new Mercedes AMG. The sleek, luxury sports car suited him despite most people’s image of him as logical, conservative and staid. The need for speed was actually deep in his blood. “You will love it, tight on the curves, fast and quiet. She purrs,” he had bragged.
Charlotte hesitated on his last remark and Alex had been sure she would accept. “The new car, huh?” she sounded intrigued. “I am excited to see it at last, Alex. You have certainly been talking about it long enough.”
“I need to walk off this tight hamstring, so I’ll have to pass this time,” she had replied reluctantly. “Meet you there in five.” Of course, Charlotte had been Charlotte, and that included being unpredictable.
Charlotte, leaving Alex standing there, had taken off across the park without a backward glance. Alex stood dumbfounded a moment, watching her slow jog-walk toward the trail across the grassy lawns of Lincoln Park. She was heading directly toward their usual post-run Starbucks and if he didn’t get moving, she would be there first.
Still he stood, willing her to look back and flash him that smile that changed her whole face. She didn’t, of course, and Alex was left standing there, admiring her lithe figure and the smooth bunch and release of her muscles in those tiny running shorts as she moved into the distance. Reminding himself to close his gaping mouth, Alex jogged to the parking lot, trading an extra moment of admiring a beautiful woman for a few short moments admiring his beautiful new car.
Arriving at the coffee shop several minutes before Charlotte, Alex was forced to cool his heels. He spent the time piecing together anything he could think of to uncover Charlotte’s deep, dark, secret. Admittedly, he needed the ten-minute head start away from her to give his overheated blood a little cooling time too. He kept envisioning the two of them in that sweet ride, sitting close with their sweat-slicked bodies. The image had intensified the jolts of.electricity already coursing through his veins from running beside her scantily clothed body.
Too bad she turned me down. One of these days we will be in tight quarters, all alone, and I will make my move. I have resisted too long already.
Since the mention of her tight hamstring, all Alex could think about was massaging her leg, and moving up from there. Did the woman not understand what she was doing to him? After all, he was a healthy red-blooded man. How long was he supposed to watch her round little ass wiggle in front of him, or the glide of muscles in those incredible legs – or OMG – her breasts bob up and down in those little running tops. The woman was killing him. He wanted her so badly he could taste it.
He chided himself to stop thinking of her that way, as he always did when he lusted after her. He would catch himself wanting her and repress the overwhelming sexual response that had plagued him since the beginning. She was so much more than just beautiful and sexy. She was a brilliant woman, funny, witty, complex and delightful. She considered him a running partner, and a friend…
…but that body, oh, that body. Stop it!
Alex determined to stay focused on what she might be trying to cover up and got his desire under control. He reviewed the signs – when she changed topics or failed to make eye contact. He carefully dissected her words while he waited for her to arrive. He knew she was being intentionally elusive. Alex resolved again that today would be the day he found out what she was concealing, beginning as soon as she arrived.
Speaking of arriving, Charlotte should have shown up long before now. She would have, unless something had happened. How long had he been sitting, pondering? How much time had passed?
Heart racing like a freight train, Alex ran into the park. Unsure why, he was terrified of what he might find.
About Madison Michael: Madison Michael is an indie publisher, blogger and the author of the Beguiling Bachelor Series as well as the novella Desire & Dessert, from her sizzling B&B Billionaire Bachelor series. A Chicago native and hopeless romantic, Maddy was raised on Chicago culture, fairy tales, great literature and swashbuckling movies. Maddy employs that history, writing steamy contemporary romance novels set against the sumptuous backdrop of Chicago’s elite society. After receiving a BA in Journalism from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago, Madison abandoned her writing to find her way in the corporate business world. Daughter of a librarian, it was inevitable that she would return to the world of books. Maddy writes from high above Chicago where she can stare at its gorgeous skyline or the shores of Lake Michigan surrounded by feline assistants. When she is not writing,, Maddy can be found lost in a book, fighting for the rights of the mentally ill or dining on Chicago’s famous cuisine. Hot dogs and pizza, anyone?  
Social Links:  
Website: http://madisonmichael.net/  
Maddy's Romance Madness: https://www.madisonmichael.net/maddys-romance-madness/ Maddy's Blog: https://www.madisonmichael.net/maddys-blog/  
Facebook: http://facebook.com/madisonmichaelromance  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/madisonmichael_  
Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/Madison-Michael/e/B01EVUGG6G/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1  
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/madisonmichaelromance  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madisonmichaelromance/

Friday, November 8, 2019

Veronica Reviews: THE HIGHLAND OUTLAW by Heather McCollum

The Highland Outlaw 
by 
Heather McCollum

5 Stars
  
“Not much in this life is fair, lass.  What ye have seen and lived through has surely taught ye that.  We just make the best decisions we can in the moment and hope that fate falls in our favor…The marks mean that we survived something fierce and lived to carry the scars.  They show how strong we are.  ‘Tis not something to mourn but a testament to our endurance.”

Shaw Sinclair, Clan Chieftain of the Sinclair’s, is doing whatever it takes to see his clan restored to their lands.  Swearing an oath to see a wee babe transported to safety, Shaw discovers his mission may not be so easy to accomplish.  Desperate to fulfill his duties to his people, Shaw kidnaps Alana Campbell and makes a bargain with her—if she helps care for the babe until the journey is complete, he will help her rescue her mother in return.  But what he doesn’t bargain for is how his feelings for the lass change from ally to something much more…

Alana Campbell is no stranger to being trussed up and abused, but after being tossed into a deadly fire, she has vowed that no one will ever cause her harm without a fight.  From her teachings at the Highland Rose School, Alana is well versed in defending herself, and Chief Sinclair finds himself at the wrong end of her sgain dubh!  While putting up a fierce fight, Alana doesn’t gain her freedom but she does earn the respect of The Sinclair.  Offering her a tit for tat bargain, Alana and Shaw find themselves playing husband and wife to protect the life of an innocent babe…and Alana discovers that under all that rough exterior is a man she could grow to love.

The Highland Outlaw is the 4th installment to The Campbell series, but may be read stand alone.  Now let’s get to the smexxy highlander, Shaw.  He’s officially been added to my book boyfriend list!  I absolutely devoured Heather McCollum’s newest and I don’t think I could describe Shaw any better… “He tasted of whisky and sin, and she couldn’t get enough…”  Highly recommend this as well as the other books in the series!


Sharing what I love, 
Veronica

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Why Do We Do What We Do?


Hello, gentle readers!
It doesn’t take much for my mind to start wandering and wondering why we do the things we do.
Case in point: I was making spaghetti the other night and as I was dropping the pasta into the boiling water, this thought popped into my brain – my mother used to break the spaghetti in half before she put it into the pot. I’m not sure why. She never explained. It was just something she did. Did she learn it from her mother, my grandmother? Someone else?
I did the same…until I met my husband. One of the first meals I made for him when we were still dating was spaghetti. He asked me why I broke the pasta in half. I had no explanation except that it was what my mother had always done.
There were a lot of little things my mother did as I was growing up. Some of them I still do. Some, like the pasta, I don’t. Saturday mornings? Reserved for cleaning and laundry, because that’s how it was done in my house.
The other big thing? My mother made Cream of Wheat with lumps…until I became an adult and made my own, I had no idea that Cream of Wheat could be had without lumps, but that was always how she made it. Years later, when I made her some with no lumps, she refused to eat it. Wasn’t right, she said. It had to have lumps and there was no convincing her otherwise (yes, I made another batch with lumps…she was happy so it was worth it).
I guess it comes down to “you don’t know what you don’t know” and “that’s the way it’s always been done” (which, we know, doesn’t make it right).    
What were some things your mother did that you still do? What don’t you do?

Until next time, remember to spread kindness wherever you go.
Marie