Best Summer Novels

To tie up the ever-fast fading summer, I'd like to share my reviews on my co-bloggers most recently published novels.  I did  sneak a blurb of my own in as it would be "weird" to review it myself! 

 

As bloggers, we love to share our thoughts on reading and writing and we hope you love the variety of genres we have for you...

Loons of a Feather by Kayce Lassiter

Kayce attacks many date nightmares on the trip she takes us on with Shannon and Michael. 

He’s currently married, he’s a cowboy, and it’s a blind-date.  What could be worse to Shannon who’s already afraid of her own choice in men?

Michael is also gun-shy to hooking up with a woman.

Delta, fairy godmother extraordinaire, and her side-kick, Bubba Ray (even his name makes me laugh), are practicing their art of “making things happen their way.” 

Between the bumblings of the “god people,” the unexplainable happenings, and the defiance of Shannon and Michael being pushed together, read this witty, chuckle-out-loud, and romantic novel and you will want to search for the rest of Kayce’s stories.

Passions of Sleepy Hollow by Lexi Post

Lexi Post mixes the old with the new and creates her own masterpiece in Passions of Sleepy Hollow.

Kat Van Tassel of Sleepy Hollow reluctantly offers her services to Braeden Van Brunt, a replica of her lost lover.  They have an instant attraction, but there are problems with this.

They live in different centuries and they must figure out the curse on Sleepy Hollow in order to break it.

In the limited time Kat and Braeden can physically be together, they make the most of it.  Braeden, larger than life in many ways, teaches Kat to master her sexual needs.

But is that enough for one of them to cross the time difference?  

Follow Kat and Braeden’s fight to stay together through the torments of Sleepy Hollow’s curse and the Headless Horseman.  It’s a chilling ride that sweeps you into an intense love story.  Lexi Post is a master at mixing the allure of classics with the heart-rendering passion of today’s classics.

 

Mischief and Magnolia’s by Marie Patrick

Shaelyn Cavanaugh had no idea what the handsome uniformed man, Major Remington Harte, brought to her home as she opened her front door of her Mississippi plantation.

His strong, powerful, and gorgeous packaging didn’t go unnoticed, but she did attempt to not allow herself the luxury of enjoyment.  Harte announced her home had been chosen as a living quarters for his troops.

Fine.  Shaelyn  made sure he enjoyed many tricks to keep him on his feet. 

The next announcement came as a shock and drove all the foolery out of her.  The soldiers took over her family’s shipping business.  She attached one condition, that she went along.

Mischief and Magnolias is a delightful recount of the inconveniences and hardships taken with a gulp and swallow of the Civil War.  An undeniable romance can give a bit of relief hope for the future even for the stubborn at heart.  

 Inked (From the CIA #1) by Dawn Kunda

Guns and sex make Mary go round…

CIA agent Mary Reiss is teamed with the agent of her nightmares, Cal Guevin.  He nearly got her killed and now they’re teamed to infiltrate Egyptian terrorists.  The imminent danger reignites their fiery past, yet mistrust and a deadly enemy block their advances.

 

 

My Favorite Hero

     The other day, someone asked me, out of the novels I’ve written, who is my favorite hero. One wouldn’t think the answer would be difficult, but surprisingly, it was hard because each one has something special to offer (at least to me).

      Let’s start with Marshal Austin Kincaid from my story, Angel in the Moonlight. He’s a by-the-book lawman, and doesn’t want anyone interfering with his investigation, but he’s got a heart the size of Arizona. When he admits to himself he’s in love with our heroine, Callie….well, all bets are off. It doesn’t hurt he has a mustache like Sam Elliot and Tom Selleck!

     Spenser Channing from Touch the Flame, and his hunky brothers, Jared and Luke. Oh be still my heart. What more could a girl ask for than a man who willingly takes in strays, whether they are of the animal variety or not? When he saves Reesa from certain death, well, my goodness, his life changes with a blink of an eye and so does hers.

     A Scandalous Woman’s Braeden MacAllister. Here’s a man who is afraid to love. Afraid.

     There’s Chase Hunter in A Good Man for Katie, who wants to love, but because of circumstances, can’t allow himself and Tristan Youngblood from A Treasure Worth Keeping. Tristan is a treasure hunter (who reminds me of Hugh Jackman *sigh*).

     Lastly, there’s Remington Harte from Mischief and Magnolias.  Of course, he’s as handsome as handsome can be (well, we are living my fantasy here) and a kind, loving man with just a hint of mystery and mischief.  Remy is a major during the Civil War (can you just see the brass shining on his uniform? Oh my, I can!)

     My latest hero is Brock MacDermott. He gives new meaning to the description “strong, silent” type and he looks remarkably like James Denton!

     And there they are….the heroes of my creation and you know what? Each one is remarkably like my husband. Wonder how that happened.

          Do you have a favorite hero? Who is he?

As always, happy reading!

Marie

 

          

Alexis Walker Reviews MISCHIEF AND MAGNOLIAS by Marie Patrick

Marie Patrick delights once again with Mischief and Magnolias. This beautifully written love story is set in Mississippi during the Civil War, but what is great about this book is that the conflict between the heroine and the hero is not derived from the opposing sides of the war. No, in this story it is much more personal. Remington Harte and his officers have commandeered not only Shaelyn Cavanaugh’s home, but her family’s riverboats as well. No one takes Shaelyn’s riverboats.

The story begins with many events that cause the reader to smile as Shaelyn tries to get Remy to leave her home through various pranks from molasses in his boots to vinegar in his coffee and more. But as her steamboats disappear, one after another, along with the men manning them, the story grows serious until the climatic scenes which will have the reader on the edge of her seat!

The beauty of this story is not simply the historical accuracy we have come to expect from a Marie Patrick book, but also the heartwarming love that develops between the two main characters as they discover that only together can they defeat the Gray Ghost and insure their own happily ever after. This is a wonderful romance that will have a reader flying through the pages.  Beware though, it had me up until after 2:00am finishing it!

Enjoy, Alexis

Amazon ebook

Amazon Print

Barnes and Noble ebook and Print

Marie Patrick website

Procrastination

 

     I…have been procrastinating, which is totally unlike me. I have a schedule and I like to keep to it, but for some reason, my schedule isn’t working. I have a lot to do (I always have a lot to do and there’s only so many hours in the day, but sometimes, I just don’t want to do it).

  
     Take this morning. I was awake at 3:50….my alarm doesn’t go off until 4:20. One would have thought I’d get up and make good use of the time since I knew I wasn’t going back to sleep, but no. I laid in bed, watching the illuminated numbers count down the minutes until the alarm went off. Did I get up then? Actually, I hit the snooze. Not once, but twice. I know (would it be a terrible thing to admit I liked just staying in bed and hitting the snooze?)!

     Why am I procrastinating? I didn’t know my topic for this blog.

       Oh, I could have shamelessly promoted Mischief and Magnolias, my historical romance set during the Civil War which was released Monday, but that’s not like me (see cover to the right).

     I could have told you all about the fabulous play I saw last Friday. A bunch of girlfriends and I went to see “Cuff Me: The Fifty Shades of Gray Unauthorized Musical Parody”. It was hysterical! I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. By the time the play was over, my mascara was all over my face (yes, I laughed so hard I was crying), my stomach hurt and let’s just say I’m glad I went to the Ladies Room before the play started!

            I could have told you all how I long for the idyllic days of my vacation, where my only pressing issue was deciding if I wanted to swim and walk on the beach before or after lunch…or both. In January, as many of you know, I had the good fortune to visit St. Croix and my good friend and critique partner, Lexi Post. I have been home for two months now and…well….I miss island life. I miss the laid back attitude (which says a lot about me because I am NOT a laid back type person). I miss the beautiful sunsets as we sat on the back porch and chatted. That’s not to say Arizona doesn’t have beautiful sunsets. We do and Mother Nature has been giving us our fill (while the rest of the country is experiencing below freezing temperatures and humongous amounts of snow, Phoenix is having the loveliest weather!)

            I could write about the three books I am currently reading or the one I’m writing….

            Hey, what do you know…I’ve procrastinated long enough to finish this blog!

            So what do you do when you procrastinate to avoid what you really need to do? Share with me. I’d love to know!

 As always, happy reading!

Marie

My Writing Process Blog

Friend and fellow author LexiPost has invited me to speak about my process on the My Writing Process Blog Tour.

What am I working on? I am currently working on a western, which (hopefully) could be the first book in a trilogy about the MacDermott brothers, three of the most gorgeous lawmen ever to pin on a silver star (now to find the time….and the words…..to write their stories).  

How does my work differ from others of its genre? How is my work different? I’m not sure I can answer that. I try to make my stories as real as possible, describing settings and such so that you feel as if you are there (at least, that’s my intention….I’m not sure if I always pull it off). My heroines are always scrappy, feisty woman who are usually in the middle of all the trouble and my heroes….well….they’ll do just about anything for the women they fall in love with.

Why do I write what I do? Plain and simple, I love history! Whether it’s the old west or the Civil War (Mischief and Magnolias, my story set during this awful period in American history is being released today! Whooo-hoooo!) or pirates sailing the high seas, I love it all! History is rich in stories of ordinary men and women facing extraordinary circumstances and if I (and my readers) can learn something along the way, I’m happy.

How does your writing process work? My process is a bit strange, and seems to be different for each book I write.  Sometimes, I’ll see something (a beautiful sunset, a storm building in the distance, a cabin in the woods, a lone cactus sitting on a hilltop) which sparks off that wonderful game called “What if….” I love playing this game. The possibilities are endless. And sometimes, I will confess, I hear voices. In my head. Usually, the deep, rich voice of a man I haven’t met who begs me “Tell my story.” Well, of course, I’m going to ask (and yes, I’ve done this out loud): “Who are you?” For my current work in progress, I heard “My name is Brock MacDermott. I’m a bounty hunter.” That interested me right off the bat (I’ve never written about a bounty hunter) so I said (out loud, mind you, to no one except the voice in my head), “A bounty hunter, hmmm? Who are you looking for?” And then he sorta stepped into my line of vision so I knew what he looked like and began to speak…..

Next Monday, discover the process of my friend, KayceLassiter.  Kayce is a country girl writing what she knows—cowgirls, cowboys, falling in love, making mistakes (boy, does she know how to make mistakes!), making right choices, winning, losing, magic, and happily-ever-afters.

As always, happy reading!
Marie

Editing

     2014 has started with a bang! And I am loving it. Not only have I taken down my Christmas tree, put all the decorations away, but I finally got rid of the last pie that was in the freezer (yeah, I have a tendency to make—and eat—too much during the holidays which prompted me to go shopping for my trip to the beautiful Virgin Islands, figured out what I want to work on now (I have thirteen projects in various stages of progress so I can pick and choose), AND I got my edits for Mischief and Magnolias, my civil war romance that’s expected to be released in March (yes, MARCH!!!)

     Now here’s what amazes me….I wrote this story (and finished it less than six months ago) and yes, I remember most of it, but every now and then, in reading over what I wrote, I’ll come to a passage….and actually be surprised that I wrote it (and how’s this for sappy? The ending? Yeah, still made me cry!)
     The other thing that amazes me? What makes perfect sense to me does not always make perfect sense to someone else. *sigh* But that’s okay. Fortunately for me, my editor is wonderful. She’s fantastic at finding those places within my manuscript and asking me those all important questions so that you, dear reader, don’t ask yourself “Huh?” while reading.
    Okay, that’s enough for me…..back to editing! And I will try not to pull any more hair out of my head…not sure what I can do about the permanent wrinkle between my eyebrows though. There’s not enough Oil of Olay in the world to smooth out that baby!
     As always, happy reading!

Marie

Happy New Year from the HEAT Bloggers!

Hello! And happy new year! It’s 2014. So much to look forward to. On my agenda for this year? Well, I have the release of Mischief and Magnolias coming out in March, but before that, a trip to visit the mistress of Happily Ever After Thoughts on her island paradise. Already bought the tickets and can’t wait! What else? Only about twenty some-odd ideas in my head for new stories, new adventures. Better get busy writing. The best to all of you in 2014.  

Happy reading! Marie

Plans for 2014? Amongst wanting to write every day, write constantly, and write exceptional stories (!), I am keeping a list of unusual sayings, information, descriptions, and anything else interesting that I hear or see by accident, coincident, or luck.   This is a plan to keep my stories interesting and unique.  One more important thing…I will donate a portion of my first quarter royalties from Inked (From the CIA 1), a January release, to the American Cancer Society. Good health and happy new year to everyone :-)

Dawn

Okay, I’m looking at Marie and Dawn’s goals here and I’m feeling like a slug because I haven’t given any real thought to goals for 2014…hell, it’s New Year’s Eve and I’m still worried about how to survive 2013!  I know…shocker.  (Sigh)  Anyway, right now I am shooting to have Loons of a Feather released sometime in the next month or so (got about 3 days to come up with a release date…LOL).  Beyond that, I’d like to survive the shutdown of the mainframe computer at my day job, take a few trips, release another book later in 2014, and win big in Laughlin this weekend.  Of course, the last one is a pipedream, but a girl can always hope.  You have a wonderful, successful, safe, and HAPPY…HAPPY… HAPPY…2014!!!!!   

Woo Hoo!  Let’s go real, real fast! Kayce

What’s on deck for 2014? Let’s see, I have the release of Passion of Sleepy Hollow coming out in early spring from Ellora’s Cave. Then I plan to write three erotic romances, each one will be the first book in a different series, so my fingers will be busy :-) I also will be at the Desert Dreams Conference again. I never miss it. I’m very excited about the Romantic Times Convention in New Orleans. This will be my first RT and I hear it has lots of readers. I know it will be a blast! Sounds like all of us here on Happily Ever After Thoughts will be bringing you more books to read and enjoy in 2014.  I wish everyone a simply amazing year ahead!

Always, Lexi