Christmas at Dogtown - Bewitching Book Tour and Review

Christmas in Dogtown

Suzanne Johnson

Genre: Sweet Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Story Vault

Date of Publication: December 2012
Number of pages: 30

Word Count: approx. 11,000

ASIN: B009RBKTSG

Amazon   Barnes and Noble
 
Book Description:

A woman who spent years escaping her rural past learns that Dogtown, Louisiana, hides more family secrets than just the recipe for boudin blanc…..

Resa Madere’s on the verge of losing it all. The boyfriend’s gone. The job’s history. Her beloved house is on the brink of foreclosure. She’ll do anything to save it—even spend a long Christmas holiday working in St. James Parish, Louisiana, helping her uncle run the family meat business. But the community of Dogtown, which has been home for seven generations of the Madere and Caillou families, has deep roots and deeper secrets. For Resa, going home is one thing.

Getting out might not be so easy.

Short Excerpt:

“You are stupid,” Resa told her reflection in the tiny, scratched mirror of the White Castle’s rose-pink bathroom. “Stupid, ridiculous, and absurd.”
 
She’d been wrestling with her curly black hair for a half hour, and the brown eyes that stared back at her from beneath freshly plucked brows and carefully applied eyeliner looked more jittery than sexy. “And idiotic.”

First, it had been almost a week since Chan had asked her to the Saturday night community dance, popping the question almost shyly as they hacked at the bodies of gigantic dead fish. They’d both been covered in blood and smelled like they’d been rolling in bait, which should have tipped her off that anything in Dogtown reeking of romance, well, reeked.

Second, her potential date had left immediately after asking her out so he could catch an alligator that had eaten somebody’s poodle in one of those backwater houses near the swamp. He burned rubber out of the Madere’s driveway after making sure he had enough duct tape to wrap around the gator’s jaws. Adequate duct tape was not an attribute she’d ever sought in a man. 

REVIEW
 This is an unusual short Christmas story with a neat twist. Resa is going home for Christmas, but is not as excited at the prospect as one might expect. She has been trying to 'better' herself and escape from her rural,Louisiana bayou roots. With sheer hard work and determination she almost made it, but a run of bad luck,including losing her job and her rich boyfriend means she now has to make the trek back to her little hometown to work for her beloved uncle in order to earn enough money over Christmas to try to salvage something from the dire situation she now finds herself in.  

To make matters worse, the boy her family has been trying to pair her up with since childhood, Chandler Caillou, has returned from a good job in Baton Rouge, to 'wrestle alligators'. Despite her determination to avoid him at all costs, Resa  and Chan are inevitably thrown together and she discovers he has not only changed and matured since she last saw him but has hidden qualities she never  appreciated before.

 The author's vivid descriptions of the location and customs are beautifully written and really drew me into the story. There are subtle hints of the supernatural throughout the story, but these are not fully revealed until near the end. The climax is a cleverly worked surprise and in the true Christmas spirit, the story leaves the reader feeling that  what is really important in life is commitment to ones family, and a sense of belonging. The sweet romance running through the story is not overstated but hints at future developments, and  this quick read is a great story to read over Christmas, although it would be enjoyable at any time of the year.


About the Author:

Suzanne Johnson writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance (under the name

Susannah Sandlin) from Auburn, Alabama, on top of a career in educational publishing that has thus far spanned five states and six universities—including both Alabama and Auburn, which makes her bilingual. She grew up in Winfield, Alabama, halfway between the Bear Bryant Museum and Elvis' birthplace, but was also a longtime resident of New Orleans, so she has a highly refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of SEC football, cheap Mardi Gras trinkets, and fried gator on a stick. She’s the author of the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series and, as Susannah Sandlin, the Penton Legacy paranormal romance series.

Website: www.suzanne-johnson.com

Blog: http://suzanne-johnson.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Suzanne_Johnson

FB: http://www.facebook.com/Suzanne.Johnson.author

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5046525.Suzanne_Johnson

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

Silver River Romeo blog tour

Silver River Romeo

by Amelia Rose

About The Book:

Silver River Romeo

Genre: Contemporary Western Romance

Publisher:Gold Crown

Release Date: June 7, 2013

Buy: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Ca

Book Description:

Customer Reviews. "I really liked it and highly recommend it if you like a modern day cowboy romance " Gatorfan "I'm a cowboy from Fort Worth, Texas. This book was a hit with me, so much so that my wife plans to read it next at my recommendation" Z.Armstrong Cole McKenna has been a rancher at Silver River since he was old enough to walk. He doesn’t mind the scars and bruises, but he’s starting to hate the feeling of being tied down, especially when the neighboring ranch is put up for sale. Raven Branch has always called to him and when a pretty young woman from the city arrives to take over he is determined not to let her ruin his favorite piece of land. Soon he has to wonder though. Is he keeping an eye on the ranch...or the woman?  

Excerpt:

He looked across at Darrell, who was keeping his face impassive. Emma waited to resume the conversation until coffee and the cups to go along with it had been distributed. Margie did a double take at Emma sitting beside Cole, and her eyes sparkled with held-back questions. Cole only shrugged. Margie might think they were cute together, but forgiveness, if that was what was happening here, was only the start.

“So we can start with a clean slate as far as I’m concerned,” she said, fiddling with a few packs of sugar with a nervous gesture he found surprisingly endearing.

“Sure,” he answered as he poured five packs of sugar into his own coffee and stirred it. “That works for me, I guess.” He wondered if she was forgiving him because she liked him, or because she liked Marshall and didn’t want a strained relationship with Marshall’s little brother.

“So,” Emma said, trying to be friendly and change gears on the conversation. “What do you do?”

“What do you mean?” Cole asked in confusion.

“Well,” Emma hesitated slightly, as if searching for the right words. “Darrell rides in the rodeos and Marshall runs the ranch. What do you do?”

“Marshall doesn’t run Silver River!” Cole wished his tone hadn’t been quite so harsh when Emma practically flinched. “We all own the ranch in equal shares.”

“Oh.” Emma wrapped her hands around her coffee mug as if she was trying to warm them up. “I didn’t know that.”

“Trust me,” Cole said flatly. “I do just as much as anybody else on that ranch.”

“More than me,” Darrell offered, clearly trying to smooth the situation over.

It worked, just not in the way that he’d been going for. Emma took the opportunity to change the subject.

“Is the rodeo a lot of work?” Emma wondered.

Darrell nodded.

“I guess you have to do a lot of training too,” she went on.

Darrell nodded again.

“So you really don’t talk much, do you?”

Darrell shrugged and Emma smiled at him.

“At least you’ve got that going for you,” she said, turning back to Cole and giving him a different sort of smile. It was almost shy and one look at it sent his bad day to the back of his mind as nothing more than a memory.

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About The Author:

Amelia Rose is a shameless romance addict with no intentions of ever kicking the habit. Growing up she dreamed of entertaining people and taking them on fantastical journeys with her acting abilities, until she came to the realization as a college sophomore that she had none to speak of. Another ten years would pass before she discovered a different means to accomplishing the same dream: writing stories of love and passion. Amelia has always loved romance stories and she tries to tie all the elements she likes about them into her writing.  

Website | Amazon | Goodreads

 

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The Cold Elf - Promotional Book Tour and Giveaway

 

About the Author

  I'm John Garrett, an author and artist who loves Comics, Art, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Web and Tech stuff -also I prefer food in sandwich form.   My main site is Hypertransitory.com, where I write about all kinds of stuff and show the latest art I've created. Head on over if you're interested in learning more about me. See you there!    

Author Links

Website: http://thecoldelf.com/

Blog: http://hypertransitory.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hypertransitory

Twitter: http://twitter.com/johngarrettx

Purchase Link (Kindle, iBooks and Nook versions available): http://thecoldelf.com

TITLE: The Cold Elf
AUTHOR: John Garrett
GENRE: Fantasy

PRICE (Standard version): $0.99 - for one device (contains 5-piece art gallery)

PRICE (Premium Package): $2.99 - includes epub and mobi versions, 15 pieces of hi-res art plus the Artist's Diary pdf.

SYNOPSIS: A young, bitter Elf undertakes a solitary journey, in search of a weapon that could be the last hope of his people.    

Excerpts:

Jorr had never seen snow before. It wasn't the kind of weather that Elves traditionally preferred, and so they had little to do with snow.

Stepping shakily out of his boat, Jorr's foot sank deep into a mass of the damp substance. If the wetness of the sea couldn't get through his oiled leather boots, he knew this snow would fare no better. Still, the cold was unpleasant.

He stood and stretched, satisfied that he could do so after three long days on the sea. He looked out over the vastness of icy, dark gray water he had just crossed and frowned. It had taken so long, it was hard to believe that he had sailed across the narrowest part. Crossing that water again was not something to look forward to.

Then another thought - depending on what he found here, maybe he wouldn't have to?

In any event, he was here now. He still had a good distance to travel if the maps were correct.

Jorr grasped the side of the small boat that had been his home for the past three days and pulled it completely onto the shore.

The snow had stopped falling, yet there was plenty of it already on the ground here. The day was overcast, but was beginning to get darker, and the wind wasn't helping with cold or visibility. Waves of snow dust were washing over him. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his bald head. He had waited too late. The hood had collected snow inside of it, and now it fell down past the side of his face and down his neck.

What a vile substance!

He resigned himself to the sensation, then looked around some more. The snow-covered beach was stark white, contrasted with a row of dark, dead trees a short distance away.

A very lonely place.

Jorr dragged the boat through the snow up towards the trees. He was so tired, but he had to get to those trees and start a fire, or he might fall asleep and freeze to death.

If that happened, the hope of the Elven people would die with him.

Grasping the small pouch he carried reminded him of how painfully little food he had been able to bring. The Elves had little enough at all in these dark times, and Jorr had hidden away as much as he could before his trip. It was not mucht. He had hoped for a bountiful forest where he could hunt, but as the island had grown into view bit by bit he had realized the forest was dead.

Just as the Elders had said it would be.

They were right about this, but that didn't mean they were right about everything. In Jorr's opinion, the Elders were wrong about most everything, and were not relevant any longer. Only a little time left, and they would see that he was right. Although he was but fifty years of age, and considered a child, he felt he was the one seeing reality, while the Elders were content to meekly accept their fate.

Shivering, Jorr realized that he was standing around freezing instead of building his fire.

Leaving his boat by the forest edge, he made his way through the trees and found what he considered to be an acceptable spot to make a fire. There was a row of trees grown tightly enough together to block much of the wind and the snow, so beside them the ground was only lightly covered.

Jorr opened his pack and withdrew the Fire Element.

The dull red rock glowed warm in his hands. Powerful guilt came over him. Although snow was new to him, the Elven people were no strangers to cold. They lived in a land that was nearly all desert, and the nights were as mercilessly cold as the days were hot. It seemed every night you would wish for the same burning sun that you cursed during the day.

Fire Elements were precious. They represented the last vestiges of magic the Elves still possessed. Supposedly they were used as children's fireworks back in the Before-Times, but now the few they had left were critical to surviving the cold nights of the ShirraLand Expanse where the Elves resided.

All Elves were now taught to make a fire as soon as they could hold a stick, so Jorr knew he could make one from the wood in these dead trees if necessary, but he couldn't take the chance that there would be no forest here. He had to be sure he could survive his journey, so he had stolen one of the Fire Elements the night he left.

It would all be worth it. He did this not for himself, but for all the Elven people.

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Betting It All, Cate Masters - Book Tour

It's a real pleasure to welcome Cate Masters to the flight Deck today and to congratulate her on her latest release 'Betting It All'

Can the daughter of a well-known prostitute start a new life where no one knows her family history? Norah Hawkins is sure going to try. When a letter arrives deeding her property in San Francisco, she packs her bags.

Irishman Gerard MacKenzie likes his life free and easy, but is tired of the snobbish East Coast folk. San Francisco has enough vice and folly to suit his needs. Meeting Norah gives him the opportunity to bartend in her saloon. Maybe he can convince her to let him play the piano. She’s a shrewd businesswoman, and negotiating with her makes his blood boil. Damn if she doesn’t make his blood boil in other ways, too.

The morning of April 18, 1906, a terrible earthquake buries their dreams beneath the city’s ruins. Can Norah and Mac rebuild their lives? Will rebuilding their dreams bond them forever, or tear them apart?

Decadent Publishing |  Amazon | All Romance |  Barnes and Noble

Cate Masters has made beautiful central Pennsylvania her home, but she’ll always be a Jersey girl at heart. When not spending time with her dear hubby, she can be found in her lair, concocting a magical brew of contemporary, historical, and fantasy/paranormal stories with her cat Chairman Maiow and dog Lily as company. Look for her athttp://catemasters.blogspot.com and in strange nooks and far-flung corners of the web.

Cate loves to hear from readers! Email her at:cate.masters@gmail.com

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Shadow of a Man - review and Guest PoH

Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing

Date of publication: October 11, 201
http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com/borealis-xii-shadow-of-a-man-epub/
Number of pages: 60
Word Count: 19,000

Formats available: E-book

It's always a pleasure to welcome another SF romance author to my blog and today I'm thrilled to welcome Maria Hammerblad, who not only shares my love of Science Fiction but of animals as well.

Maria has this to say:

"The exotic is attractive

The familiar might be peaceful, comfortable, and secure, but let’s face it: the exotic is attractive. Anything different from what we’re used to tickles the imagination and invokes dreams. Whether they’re dreams about soaking up the sun on a distant beach, going down a glittering slope on skis, or traveling to a distant world, we all have them to some extent.

This sense of adventure brings mankind forward. It makes us explore and invent, and forces us to take risks and break new ground. I also believe that our sense of adventure drives science fiction.

Whether literature gives a glimpse of a different parallel reality, a dystopia where men are slaves to machines, or a brilliant future where sleek spaceships rush to the sky, we love it. Real life doesn’t have the same zing. I could write a story about my everyday life. I got up in the morning, walked the dogs, went to work, had coffee… Much too mundane to be interesting.

I think the same attraction to the exotic rules the mind when it comes to romance. In many cases, being a little bad or dangerous just adds to the thrill. Romance stories in books, TV-shows, and movies overflow with vampires, werewolves, and other almost human heroes.

The trick is to be human enough for the romance to seem feasible, while still being different enough to appeal to the sense of danger and other-ness. I'm personally not that into vampires and werewolves, but I love space and science fiction, both when I read and when I write. If we were ever to encounter an alien civilization I doubt they'd be anything like us, but in fiction, I love having an alien similar enough to have a possible relationship with a human, yet different enough to be sexy.


What do you think? Would you go for the safe and well-known, or plunge in to experience the extraordinary?"

Book Description:

PURCHASE ON AMAZON

There might be a place Theresa fears more than Borealis, but she can't think of one. The old and decrepit station houses all sorts of cruelty, and to make it better, this is where her husband Dominic was imprisoned, drugged, and tortured. He returned a mere shadow of his old self, scarred by abuse and Uudon withdrawal.

Borealis is the last place Theresa wants to go, and the only one she can't escape. Dominic's apparent madness does nothing to alleviate her fears. Her once sweet husband has turned into a womanizing monster, and will destroy anyone who gets in her way.


Geo, her faithful and all too handsome bodyguard, appears to be the only one on her side. He once helped rescue Dominic, and pays for the insurrection with a lifetime on the run. This might be a situation not even he can handle, and Theresa fears none of them will make it out alive.

About the Author :

Born in Sweden in the early 1970s, Maria showed a large interest for books at an early age. Even 
before she was able to read or write, she made her mom staple papers together into booklets she filled with drawings of suns and planets. She proudly declared them, "The Sun Book." They were all about the sun. She also claimed, to her mother's horror, that her being on Earth was a big mistake and that her alien family would come and bring her home at any moment. This never happened, but both the interest in space and the passion for bookmaking stayed with her.

As an adult Maria's creativity got an outlet through playing bass in a number of rock bands, and through writing technical manuals and making web pages for various companies and organizations. She did write drafts for a few novels, but the storytelling muse was mostly 
satisfied through role playing online on Myspace. It was here, while writing stories together with people from around the globe, she stumbled onto Mike. They started talking out of character, and she moved over to Florida to him late 2008. Today the two are married and live in the Tampa Bay area with three rescue dogs.

Besides writing and playing bass, Maria enjoys driving off-road, archery, and Tameshigiri.

Upcoming releases

Borealis XII, to be released by Desert Breeze Publishing November 2013

Fun Facts

Favorite color:             Blue

Favorite food:              Chicken with cashew nuts

Doesn't eat:                  Mammals

Favorite TV Show:       Star Trek TNG and Leverage

Favorite animal:           Border Collie

Quotes:                        "Full Speed Ahead" and "Caffeine is good for you"

Find Maria on the web

Website:                       http://www.hammarblad.com

Facebook:                    https://www.facebook.com/mariahammarblad

Blog:                            http://www.scifiromance.info

Twitter:                        @mariahammarblad

Goodreads:                  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4114780.Maria_Hammarblad

Publisher's website:      http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com

My Review

I have to say, that for me, this story was a real page turner and kept me guessing all the way through. Was Dominic really the monster he seemed to have become, and if so, how could Theresa still love him?  Was Geo really the faithful companion and protector he appeared, or was he just a bit too good to be true? 

I loved the three main characters and there are some very moving scenes in this Novella. We are presented with several twists and turns in the story before the thrilling climax, and the ending, although satisfying, had me wishing there were at least another chapter! Altogether a short, fast read, this thrilling story of loyalty, friendship, and love set against warring facations and espionage, will stay with me for a long time, and I can recommend it as an intriguing and moving read

                                                                                     

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