My Books

A TRIBUTE TO MOOSE

Last week, my brother, Andy, and his partner, Judy, lost a very special friend. Moose lived a life most dogs (and many people, too) only dream about. A cross between a Brittany and a Golden Retriever, Moose received the best qualities from both breeds. He proved to be a fantastic bird dog and loved the water as if he were born there.

I remember Moose as a puppy. He overcame many health problems, and this tenacity showed us what a super dog he’d become.
This is a bit embarrassing to admit…I envied Moose’s lifestyle. Andy, a Master Maine Registered Guide, spends the majority of his time in the woods or in a boat. Many summer days at work, my mind wandered to Andy and Moose trolling around a wilderness lake fishing. I could picture Moose sleeping in the bottom of the boat, soaking up the sun or standing in the bow, enjoying the wind in his face. Yeah, that’s where I wanted to be. Now I know the true meaning of “lucky dog.” What dog wouldn’t give up his special toy to trade places?

Moose enjoyed a long life where he brought joy and love into Andy and Judy’s lives. In turn, they adored him and made his time on earth a special one. Right now there’s a hole in their hearts, but in time, Moose will sit gently in their minds, and his memory will bring smiles to their faces. Moose’s spirit now runs free. He’ll hunt birds, sit on a peaceful lakeshore and swim a few laps to cool off in the summer’s heat. I’m sure he’ll also find something smelly to roll in.
Farewell, Moose. You’ll never be forgotten. You can bet this special dog will be in one of my novels someday.

VOODOO BONES by Melanie Atkins

I’ve always been fascinated by the French Quarter in New Orleans. It evokes an anticipatory thrill of terror any mystery inside my chest. The city's popularity for fiction writers, especially the romance genre, hasn’t waned over the years. I can remember reading many historical romances in the 70’s and 80’s set in New Orleans.

When Melanie Atkins advertised her novella, Voodoo Bones, I knew I had to read it. And I wasn’t disappointed!

Voodoo Bones puts the reader there in that mysterious, haunting section of New Orleans. I smelled the area’s scents and felt myself living behind the voodoo shop with the heroine. I even found myself urging the heroine to move out of the place. LOL.

Noel Galliano meets Detective Mathieu Bergeron when a dismembered body is discovered upstairs from Noel’s Voodoo Shop. The developing relationship between these two very likeable characters enhances this novella’s suspense. I read plenty of romantic suspense novels, but few give me shivers and make me uneasy when I read them in bed at night. This one did!

BUY AT COBBLESTONE PRESS

http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/voodoobones.htm

BLIND LOVE by Nina Pierce

BLIND LOVE
A Liquid Erotic Romance from
Liquid Silver Books
http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=linda018&cart_id=7749273.51621&product_name=Blind+Love&return_page=&user-id=&password=&exchange=&exact_match=exact

Blurb from Author's website
http://www.ninapierce.com/booksnews.htm

In BLIND LOVE, the first novella in the Tilling Passions series, uptight CPA and oldest sister, JULIE TILLING, is the glue that binds her family. Everyone, including her parents, depend on her to do the right thing. But when her friend from high school dies and Julie is the only one who believes he didn’t commit suicide, she takes it upon herself to investigate his death. Her search for answers finds her flirting on the fringes of internet pornography. But Julie’s desire to find a killer and experience a sexual awakening may push her moral boundaries to the breaking point.

DAMON COREY didn’t come to Maine to become shock jock, Demon Jones. But when his dream career of becoming a concert pianist seems unobtainable, the radio station’s offer is too good to pass up. Besides, being a radio celebrity has definite advantages with the ladies. When mysterious brunette, Jewel, hooks up with him at the night club run by a college frat brother their one night fling wraps around his heart and won’t loosen its talons.

Julie and Damon feel the heat of passion from the moment they meet, but will their secrets unravel the tenuous threads of their relationship? Can Damon expose his inner soul without pushing Julie away or will his enigmatic Demon Jones persona become Julie’s sexual undoing and reveal him as the missing piece that solves the puzzling questions surrounding her friend’s death?

MY COMMENTS:

Whew! Ms. Pierce knows how to heat up a novella! I was a bit wary of reading this as it appeared it might be on the "dark side", but Julie, the heroine, created plenty of "light" and complemented Damon, the troubled hero, extremely well. They created a harmonic balance that left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling at the end of their story. I'm anxious to read Books Two and Three of this trilogy.

Keep them coming, Nina!

Highly Recommend

HOT! HOT! HOT!

Book Blurb (from Siren's website):

“CID Agents, Ali Donavon and Jack Gunnison no longer believe in love or their fellow man, until life or death circumstances reveal the depth of sacrifices they willingly make for each other.

Ali's work in the CID is dark and dangerous like her new partner, Jack "Gun" Gunnison, the agency's top sniper. Recently ending a bad relationship, Ali doesn't want anyone like Gun in her life, too good looking, too into himself, and too much like her arrogant ex. As a woman in a man's world, she is determined to prove herself among the best in the CID. The agency is her life now.

Gun's life has been filled with self-doubt, guilt, an unfaithful wife, and the unwitting responsibility for his best friend's death has made him wary. He needs to succeed in his new assignment, both to achieve justice for his friend and to find the redemption that will heal him. He sees Agent Donavon as a real danger to his concentration which could jeopardize the success of their mission.”


MY THOUGHTS

Betty Womack’s Palace of the Jaguar has got to be one of the hottest reads this summer. I guarantee you’ll stay up all night reading. Gun and Alli are the epitome of a hero and heroine. Through all their trials and tribulations, I found myself cheering them on every step of the way.

Ali is a woman who knows what she wants and goes after it. Gun is to die for. A man who can visit my dreams any night!

The sex sizzles. The suspense never lets up. I highly recommend this book.

Buy Now at Siren Bookstore:

http://sirenbookstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=110

SUMMERTIME BLUES

Thursday evening I broke my right ankle. Since this isn't the first ankle break for me, I know the drill. Heavy boot, pain, loopy pain medication, days of laying in bed or in a recliner and possibly an operation.

I'm still on heavy meds so it's too early to write. Until I can jump back into my own stories, I'm going to try to catch up on my TBR list.

KILLING JOE by Marie Treanor - SamhainPublishing
Buy Link - http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/killing-joe

AUTHOR'S BLURB

How many times can one man die?

To professional assassin Joe, life is cheap, and crash researcher Anna just another hit. Until his own unplanned car crash changes everything.

Dr. Anna Baird, dedicated to the point of obsession, suddenly finds her state-of-the-art crash test dummy haunted by a weird and exciting stranger—who seems doomed to repeatedly experience the fate he’d intended for Anna.

Lost in a reality only he and Anna inhabit, Joe finds himself falling in love with his intended victim, and ultimately fighting to save her life—because whoever hired him still wants her dead.

REVIEW

Do you like a good paranormal story where good triumphs over evil? How about a story with a searing heat level? Or perhaps you enjoy a bad boy story?

Marie Treanor's Killing Joe gives the reader all of the above and more. Reading this fast paced story, I even forgot about my throbbing ankle.

The emotion between Anna and Joe and level of suspense in the story makes Killing Joe a must read.

MERWA RETREAT

I just returned from the RWA Maine Chapter's retreat. What a great time. So many authors sent books and other promo items to fill the bags for all the entrants. I was impressed to say the least. Between that bag and other give-a-ways, I won't have to buy a book to read for a long time.

Cindy Kirk presented two workshops. She came all the way from Nebraska to Maine. Wow! The first was entitled Man Talk and she hit it right on the head. If you want to improve your dialogue for your hero, take one of her workshops. The second was on on writing a synopsis - what grabs you and what doesn't. Both were excellent.

An extra for me -- what luxury to get away from home for two nights and sleep in a king sized bed with six pillows. The thin down blanket and soft sheets put me right into heaven. I felt really rested until I got home and cleaned house and did four loads of laundry. Still have to make up the bed. Or maybe I'll say to hell with it and sleep on the mattress.

Have a great week.