FAB Interview - Samantha Graves

As promised, I've got an "interview" with FABulous SIGHT UNSEEN author Samantha Graves. For more about Samantha and her FABulous book, check out her website. You'll be able to get info on SIGHT UNSEEN, her podcast with Lani Diane Rich entitled Will Write For Wine, news on her upcoming releases, and links to her alter-ego, CJ Barry.

Here, Samantha candidly shares info about her writing, why she switched genres, and much, much more. Enjoy!

The new book ~

dee: Tell us about the new book, Sight Unseen, in five sentences or less.

Sam: Sight Unseen is about Raven Callahan, a female art thief with a psychic touch who lives on the edge, and an ex-street cop named David "Dax" Maddox who is on a mission to catch a killer. When Raven's co-worker is kidnapped in exchange for a priceless painting, their paths collide. What follows is a race from the streets of New York City to the heat of Havana as they try to stop a deadly game of revenge. Along the way, Raven and Dax uncover the dark secrets that hide within everyone--Sight Unseen.

The new genre ~

dee: What made you decide to switch genres? Was it hard to make the switch?

Sam: I have wanted to try writing contemporary for some time now, and I figured after five futuristics, it was time. The switch was surprisingly easy. The biggest change was the kind of research I need to do for contemporaries versus futuristics. My futuristics were romantic suspense so that part was the easiest.

dee: How receptive was your agent to your genre switch?

Sam: I'm blessed with a great agent, Roberta Brown, who has enormous faith in me and is willing to listen to any ideas. She was really excited when I pitched Sight Unseen to her and told me to go for it. So I did. It's nice to have that kind of support.

dee: Is there a difference in the way that you write your stories in different genres? By that, I'm wondering if the process is different? Do you research different?

Sam: My process is pretty much the same. I have a slew of charts to fill out for every book. It gives me the foundation to build the story and characters on. That will probably never change.

Research is very different. Since many of my preferred locales are exotic, I do a tremendous amount of research to be sure to capture the essence of the locale correctly. With futuristics, if I need something like a place or a vehicle or weapon, I simply create it. With contemporaries, I have to go find what I want. The world-building changes dramatically.

Support and growth ~

dee: How has your writing changed over the years?

Sam: I think it's grown leaner and meaner. LOL Seriously, I seem to be writing tighter, and my pace has picked up.

dee: Why did you decide to write under a different name in the new genre? Didn't you want to build on your existing fanbase?

Sam: My futuristics never occurred on Earth, always on other planets. Because of that, I felt it was best to write under a different name. Although I think my futuristic fanbase would enjoy my contemporaries, I didn't want to cause any confusion. I wouldn't want someone to pick up a CJ Barry expecting science fiction and be disappointed when they realized it was a contemporary. That said, creating a new writing identity is no small feat! I think I'll stick with just the two.

dee: What writing organizations do you belong to, and how has that helped in your writing career?

Sam: Romance Writers of America was the first one I joined, followed by my local chapter which is the Central New York Romance Writers. Between the two, I learned about the business of writing, and it is a business, just like everything else. I would not have sold my books if it weren't for them. I also belong to the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal chapter and the Kiss of Death chapter. Both are great because they target the subgenres I write in.

Fun, faves and the future ~

dee: What's up with the podcast? Are you guys really as fun as you sound? And how did you end up liking slightly expensive red wines? And what is your favorite wine?

Sam: The podcast! I LOVE doing the podcast. Lani and I have an absolute blast with every episode. I never would have considered a radio show because I don't feel I have a good speaking voice. But Lani kept asking me and I finally gave in. I'm glad I did, because it's really fun. We look forward to it every week.

I have been trying new wines for about eight years now. I love going into a store and picking out a different winery or country. It's like a box of chocolates! I have a few favorites as you might guess, but I really love Duckhorn Merlot from Napa Valley ($45), Wild Horse Pinot Noir from CA ($20), Ruffino Chianti from Italy ($10), any Niagara region ice wine($$$), and Bully Hill Equinox Blush from New York Finger Lakes ($8).

dee: What is your very favorite book ever? Why? What's the most influential book you've ever read? Why? (Yes, they can be the same!)

Sam: I'd have to say Sweet Starfire by Jayne Ann Krentz on all points. It was the first romance I ever read, and it also happened to be a futuristic. That was the book that started me on the journey of reading and writing romance so it's pretty special. I bought a used copy at a bookstore, and it's on my shelf. I still drag it out and re-read it once in a while. :-)

dee: What's next on your horizon? Any current projects? Can you give us a sneak peek?

Sam: Right now, I'm working on Jillian's book Out of Time, which is the second book in this two-book series. Let's just say you can expect more exotic locales, steamy romance, and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing who the bad guy really is.

Thanks so much for having me on Dee and dee. Happy reading everyone!

And thank you, Samantha Graves, for an enchanting behind-the-scenes look into your life, your upcoming projects, and your wine cellar!

Be sure to get your entries in for the contest. I'm going to extend it until first thing Monday morning, just to give you guys a bit of extra time. We've got a few entries so far, but I happen to know there are more of you out there that would LOVE a signed copy of SIGHT UNSEEN. All you have to do is either copy the blurb and cover of SIGHT UNSEEN onto your blog and link here (and remember to tell us in the comments!) OR you can mention it on your favorite loop, group or forum (again, be sure to tell us in the comments here!). And just because that's the kind of person I am, I'm going to give you an extra way to get entered... drop into the comments and ask Sam a question. Yep, that's right - you'll get one entry for asking a question. Contest will be closed at 12:00pm EST Monday, 16 April. Don't miss this one!

Keep Turning Those Pages!

dee

FAB Pick - SIGHT UNSEEN

This is just a quick little bonus for you guys about SIGHT UNSEEN by Samantha Graves. I've noticed that we've had lots of people drop by to visit, and even a few e-mails telling us this book looks great. So I'm going to encourage you guys to enter the contest. Even if you've recently won a contest here, even if you (like me) aren't sure this is your kind of book. Because I'm telling you, this book is FABulous, it really is. It blew me away, and I'm pretty sure you'll feel the very same way.

So copy and paste that blurb and the cover onto your own blog, or mention the book (SIGHT UNSEEN) and the author (Samantha Graves) on your blog or your favorite loop, group or forum, and then come tell us where to find that info. Besides adding you to the sidebar on the left with Lis, you'll also be entered into the contest for a signed copy of SIGHT UNSEEN. It is so totally worth the 34 seconds it will take you to publish your post or make your announcement.

I'll be posting the interview with Sam in the morning, so get ready to learn some interesting things about her. Also, she's still hanging out over here, so if anyone has a question for her about her writing, her genre-jumping, her favorite wine, or anything else, feel free to ask. She'll be more than happy to answer.

Also, HOPE - get in touch with me. You were the first to guess that Sam was my FAB Pick this month, so I'm going to send out a small prize for you. Great guessing, by the way. How'd you figure it out?

So get out there and start spreading the word, you guys. This is one book you won't want to miss!

Keep turning those pages!

dee

FAB Pick - SIGHT UNSEEN, by Samantha Graves

This whole FAB thing is hard. I mean, we love featuring new authors, and blogging about their wonderful new books. We love getting the word out. But sometimes, it's just difficult to find a book that is FAB. Have you read our FAQ yet? Check out those guidelines for FAB. It's not easy to meet those, ok? There are months where I pull my hair out searching for a great book. Once in a while, I get lucky and know of a book coming out soon, and the author will send me a copy (March). Occasionally, I find a book in my TBR pile that really resonates with me and I feel the need to feature it a few months after its release date (Feb). I have even featured an author, and highlighted all of their books (Jan). Each of those books are special though. I mean, every single one of the books I've picked as FAB has really had something about it, you know that something I mean, that has reached into my heart or mind, and just shaken me. So you understand how it is sometimes hard to find that very unique book to highlight as FAB?

You wanna know how incredibly difficult it was to find a book this month? Ok. I'll tell you. The book was handed to me. At lunch. With the author. Yeah, sometimes my life is SO rough, right? But actually, this brings a different set of issues. What if I don't like it? Do I tell her? What if I find issues with the story? What if there is just no way I'd want this book on my review blog? What if I read it and love it, but just don't want to feature it? Do you get the idea that I worry about stuff excessively? Yeah, you're right. And most of the time, I really shouldn't worry. Because let me assure you - none of those silly questions is true this month(except for me worrying a lot!).

I have an ARC of the book, so I'm hoping my BCC will match the one on the back of the book that YOU are going to buy. Mine says this:

Clues only this psychic can see
Can an art thief earn an honest living? Raven Callahan does, with the help of a rare psychic power that lets her read the emotions locked inside ancient objects. But when her partner is kidnapped and Raven is forced to steal a priceless masterpiece to save him, ESP take a backseat to quick wits, steely nerves, and the lethal skills she needs to survive.

A Killer only this cop can catch
Ex-cop Dax Maddox made just one mistake on the job, but it took a young rookie's life and cost Dax his ability to see color. Now stalking a killer brings Raven into his life - and floods his gray world with vivid and conflicting emotions: anger and lust, suspicion and awe. Are the criminals they seek one and the same? If so, Dax and Raven's growing need for each other could inspire a madman's terrifying scheme for the ultimate revenge.

While you know that BCCs aren't my thing, you also know that I read them and sometimes remark on them. This one is pretty spot on though. It is honest, without any glaringly obvious "mistakes". It describes the conflict, touches on a few plot points, and basically draws you in. So, no problems with the back cover. It gets a thumbs up from me. :)

The thing is, this isn't really my kind of book from the cover, ok? You guys know that I love books, and I read lots of different genres, but I find myself drawn to "Women's Fiction" (though I hate that name for it, but that's another post!), or straight romance. Once in a while, I'll pick up a mystery or suspense, but most of them have plots that are either really convoluted or incredibly boring. Not my cuppa. So when Samantha handed me this book and I read the back cover, I almost groaned. Then I opened it up and started reading. MyOhMy, I was hooked from the first page!

The heroine. Raven is just the type of heroine that I like. She is strong, independent, stubborn. She has made a name for herself in her profession. She loves her sister Jillian with a fierce passion. She's even got a cool psychic-type gift that helps her get ahead in her job. But she's flawed, as all good heroines must be to me. She can't forgive her Dad for leaving the family so many years ago, and refuses to even see him, regardless of how much her sister pleads with her to do so. To go along with her feelings of paternal betrayal, she's built a wall around herself that nobody but also psychic-type Jillian is allowed to breach. Raven says it herself in the first chapter... That was the problem with sisters - they had ammo and they weren't afraid to use it.

The hero. Dax. Well, that about covers the hero. I mean, think about it. How much more do you need to know than his cool, sexy name? Do you really need to know that he was a cop? That he slipped up on a routine call one night and a rookie cop paid the price? That he's been searching for the person responsible for the death of that rookie since then? Do you need to know that he's also the kind of hero I must have - totally tortured and incredibly sexy? This guy is hot, smart, troubled, and totally perfect for our Raven. Of course, neither of them is willing to admit that, to each other or even to themselves.

The plot. Raven works as an art recovery specialist. She heads to Miami as part of a job, to purchase a painting at an auction in order to authenticate another painting. While there, bad things start happening that put her right in the path of Dax. When Raven's friend is taken hostage in exchange for a piece of art, it becomes obvious to Dax and Raven that the person they are looking for wants them working together. They just have to figure out why. The book goes from underwater in the Gulf of Mexico to New York City, from Miami to Havana, and a few places in between. The places are described with enough detail to be realistic, to actually have you feel like you are there too. One of Ms. Graves talents is being able to paint a picture of a place so well that you feel you are sitting there in the city with the hero and heroine. She did that more than once in Sight Unseen. There were enough twists to keep me guessing, but I didn't feel that she was just throwing things in to muddy up the waters. The sequence of events was fast paced, but believable. I mean, I've actually driven the route that Dax and Raven take from southern Florida to the NorthEast, and the pacing was accurate. That was refreshing. The conclusion was amazing. There were enough clues that I figured out most of it, but there were still a few surprises at the end, which hardly ever happens for me. So that was a BIG bonus. Overall, even without including the romance, I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline.

The romance. Wow! hotHotHOT. Scorching. It sizzled me, ok? No, I'm not kidding. It had me cracking up in a few places (Raven gives us her attitude on foreplay, lol!), panting in others (Dax shows her why her attitude needs adjusting, OhBoy!), and rooting for these two to reach out and grab each other for good. Ms. Graves pulled off quite a feat, in my opinion, by having the first really hot scene be from Dax's point of view. It's not often that I get to read sex from male POV, and I wasn't sure that I'd like the scene. However, it's beautifully written and full of desire, and one of the better scenes I've read in a while. Here's a taste:
Lightning lit her face, unguarded and consumed by the moment. He made her feel like that... she wouldn't do this for other men. He knew that to his soul. Realization shifted to a possessiveness that he acknowledged with a growl.

But frankly, it pales in comparison to a scene later in the book. I won't tell you the details of the other scene, because it's really too amazing to spoil. However, I will say that since reading that scene, like Raven, I haven't felt the same about foreplay either!

Problems. Uh, nope. Pacing, POV, Plot? All solid. Not too many POVs. No crazy twists, no unexplained happenings, no far-fetched love story. Just solid, solid, solid writing. Seriously, solid book. It was so far beyond my expectations that I had to have it as my FAB. I'd originally hoped that it would be ok, but I had no idea how much I would get sucked in, or how I would re-read it 3 times to try to catch more of the breadcrumbs that were sprinkled along the way. It's one of the very few books that has blown away any preconceived expectations for me. Possibly the best part? Jillian's story is next, and I can hardly wait!

Stay tuned for an interview with Samantha Graves later this week. And don't forget to get the book blurb and the cover of SIGHT UNSEEN up on your blog, with a linkback here, for your chance to win a signed copy of the book. If there are enough entries, maybe we can get Samantha to donate more than one copy. You just never know what's going to happen around here! Until then...

Keep turning those pages!

dee

FAB week with SAMANTHA GRAVES!!

It's been a while since I've posted, and for that I'm sorry. I want to thank Charity for being so wonderful and keeping things going while I've been hiding out, going through some stuff. I can't tell you how wonderful she is! However, today is all about New Beginnings, ok? And on that note, I'd like to introduce my FAB Pick for April - SAMANTHA GRAVES!

Samantha has written a FABulous book that is out right now, Sight Unseen. We're going to spend a few days this week talking about this book, Samantha's other books written as CJ Barry, her podcast with Lani Diane Rich (Will Write for Wine), and all sorts of other things. As usual, I'll have a review of Sight Unseen later this week. We'll have a contest, with a signed copy of Sight Unseen as a prize. I'll also have an interview with Samantha later in the week.

For now though, let me give you a small preview of the book. I'm also going to ask that you help me get the word out about this book. Like last month, we're going to do a little promo. All you have to do is copy the following book blurb and the cover of Sight Unseen and post it on your blog, with a link back here. If you get someone to come visit this site from yours, you'll get extra points. The person with the most points at the end of the week wins a signed copy of the book. Be sure to let us know, in the comments, that you've posted this on your blog. That way we can add you to the blogroll this month.

Raven Callahan doesn’t do it for the money. She does it for the thrills. As a consultant for API, an art recover company, she gets to steal—legally. But when her colleague is kidnapped during an assignment, Raven is forced to steal a priceless master painting to save his life.

David “Dax” Maddox was the perfect street cop—until a botched burglary raid cost his partner his life and Dax his ability to see color. Now, with his world gray, Dax has only one mission: to take down the murderer. And he’ll use anyone—even a sexy thief with questionable ethics—to get justice.

Soon Dax and Raven are forced together as pawns in a madman’s scheme. From the heart of Cuba to the New York art world, they find themselves in a race against time to stop the ultimate revenge.

There you go. Now go post that info on your blog. Stay tuned all week for more info about Samantha and her FABulous new book, Sight Unseen.

Keep Turning Those Pages!

dee

Anne Stuart Fans Get Out Of Print Titles in eBook

Finally got around to reading some e-mail and found this little beauty in my eHarlequin newsletter, so thought I'd share. For those of you that LOVE Anne Stuart, eHarlequin released OUT-OF-PRINT-GEMS in eBook format on April 1st. Included in the set are five titles and at just $15.96 a real find. So head on over to eHarlequin's eBook Boutique and enjoy!

Take Care

"Let's Talk About Sex Bay-Bee...

...Let's talk about you and me. Let's talk about all the good things and the bad things that may be..." And I bow to Salt-N-Pepa for that fabulous opening. I've been lax on reading blogs lately, trying to raise a family, read books, blog books, write a book, volunteer, and run a household, something had to take a backseat and blog surfing took the hit this time. However, the other night I had time to do just that (OK, I took the time to do just that) and I ventured over to Romancing the Blog and scanned the latest entries. And that's when I ran across this entry, Sex by the Numbers written by Kimber An for RTB's Open Blog Night.

It's not often, read never, that I read a post that inspires me to create a blog post on the same topic. But, as a writer and a reader, this topic hit a chord and I wanted to examine it a bit more. If you don't visit RTB often, basically, what the post said is that feeling pressure from all angles of publishing to write a steamy sex scene, the author will turn out a bland, been there done that, sex scene. One readers have read countless times and authors have penned since the dawn of Romance. Kimber An referred to this as "The Standard Issue Sex Scene. Regardless of time period and setting ..., there is one or two explicit sex scenes. The progress of the relationship up to that point is also irrelevant. The hero is always highly skilled (regardless of experience) and selflessly concerned (even if he’s only one step up from a Neanderthal) with pleasing the heroine who is always fantastically pleased."

One of the main things that jump out at me here is - (even if he’s only one step up from a Neanderthal), if a hero is that bad, I'm not going to be reading the story far enough to get to any sex scenes. It also makes me think that if the hero is so unlikable, perhaps the editor wanted that steamy sex scene in there to show a different side of the hero. I don't know. What I do know is that sex sales. Period. It has been this way for a long time now in music, tv, movies, and magazines, why should books be an exception?

But a standard issue sex scene (SISS) isn't found in several books, and yet they sale. So I wonder if the reason so many Romances are adding in more and more explicit sex is because Erotica is growing in popularity? Do authors feel that by giving just one or two steamy scenes, they will be able to stay in the Romance readers TBR or TBB stack? Who are these authors that are turning out the SISS? New to the market authors? Tried and true authors? I don't know, because while I do see many similarities in sex scenes, the voice of the author and the story surrounding them makes a difference.

If it's a new author that is turning out those scenes for the sake of sales, and the scene really does lend nothing to the story, then that author won't be around long enough to pen many more books. Romance readers are not a stupid group. In fact, the more reader blogs I scan, and readers I get the chance to speak to, I'd say that Romance readers should have a special place in Mensa. We aren't going to fall for a sales ploy that slows the pace of the story and has the characters doing something so robotic we can hear the metal clanging. And I honestly don't think that any business savvy editor is going to buy one of those scenes either. It just isn't smart business.

If it's one of my tried and true authors, of course the steamier scenes are going to seem the same, I know what to expect from those authors, and I read those books for that same reason. Even if the love scenes they turn out are closely related from book to book, they are on my auto-buy list for a reason, so obviously their formula works for me.

All of that said, do I think that every Romance book should be filled with steamy sex scenes or I won't buy it? Absolutely not. Jennifer Crusie is a master at the steamy scene, but she also penned one of the best Bad Sex Scenes, ever. In FAKING IT, the first couple of times Tilda and Davy hit the proverbial sheets, nothing worked. In fact, it went so wrong that it was right. By the time Tilda and Davy did make it work, I had to have ice water dumped on my head to cool down after finishing those pages.

In Sherryl Woods Sweet Magnolia's trilogy, while you know the characters have sex, you aren't privy to what happens during the actual act and the books are wonderful reads. As a reader of Romance, I don't need to see the actual act to feel the connection to the characters, but when I do, I want it to be so well written that I'm practically panting by the end. If it isn't does that slow my reading or stop it all together? Absolutely not, if the book is well written otherwise, and I genuinely care about the characters, I don't care if the sex they share is as boring and by the book as you can get.

What's your take on all of this? Do you see the SISS a lot in books? Do you think that Kimber An was right and pressure from editors and agents are causing authors to buckle and write something they aren't comfortable with? What can authors do to stay away from the SISS? And how much does sex in the books you buy influence your decision to read them?

Take Care

Feels Like Family

Well, this is it - The third and final installment of The Sweet Magnolias. I'm a little sad, truth be told. I did so enjoy my time with Maddie, Dana Sue, and Helen. But, like all good things, it has to come to an end. I feel pretty lucky, this book wasn't supposed to be released until April, but I found it while shopping out of town with my sis, and grabbed this baby up! So, just to refresh, if you haven't read the other two books, you can check out my dish here, and then go buy these books and read them in order. The good thing is, if you buy one, there is a coupon in the back for a dollar off the purchase of your next Sweet Magnolia book. I didn't use mine, that would mean cutting something out of a book, and I just could not do that. I know - NERD! And now, without further ado...

FEELS LIKE FAMILY by Sherryl Woods
(BCC)

Life can be full of surprises...

Helen Decatur spent a lifetime setting goals - getting through college and law school, opening her own practice, becoming financially secure and establishing herself as one of the most highly respected matrimonial attorneys in the state of South Carolina. Achieving those goals was a breeze compared to the one she's faced with now.

The most driven - and cynical - of the Sweet Magnolias, Helen is forty-two, single and suddenly ready for the family she's put on the back burner for all these years. Unfortunately, having a child at her age comes with lots of complications, not the least of which is the absence of a serious relationship in her life.

But Helen's not the type of woman to wait around for fate to step in. Taking charge of her own destiny puts her at odds with her two best friends, sets sparks flying with a man who doesn't want a family, and leads her straight into the most unexpected complication of all...love.

I actually liked this BCC, but it is a bit misleading, if only in a small way. The only thing I can argue with is the "puts her at odds with her two best friends" part. They do have a tiff, but not really like this makes it sound. That isn't something that would sell the book for me anyway, but perhaps they thought making it sound more serious would entice readers. I don't know, but honestly, the beef I have with this one is so small it's inconsequential.

Helen Decatur has always been focused on being the best divorce attorney she could be. After a less than secure childhood, Helen swore she would never lack for anything, and when the time was right, neither would her children. Unfortunately, Helen was so focused on her career and being the best, she never got around to the children part. At forty-two, Helen's biological clock has started ticking, and it if the noise it's making is any indication, it has a bomb on the other end.

Never the type to jump into something blind, Helen has been reading books, seeing high risk obstetricians, and weighing the options of how to have the baby. But Helen doesn't want her child to be born from some impersonal injection, and when her friends start to question if Helen really wants to have a baby, she starts to question herself.

But when Karen, a single mom with two kids and a deadbeat dad who works for Dana Sue, shows up in Helen's office asking for help, Helen steps in. In order to help Karen save her job and her mind, Helen takes on Karen's two kids as she gets the help she needs to get her life back on track.

Erik Whitney went to culinary school after his wife and unborn child died, and as an EMT he had been helpless to save them. When Dana Sue Sullivan hired him right out of school to be her pastry chef at Sullivan's in small town Serenity, Erik finally felt like he had found a place to forget the pain. Erik and Helen have always had a spark, but coming from opposite ends of the attitude scale, they both knew they would never be more than friends. So why the heck did he kiss her? And why the heck can't he get her off his mind? And now that Helen is taking care of Karen's kids, Erik seems to be spending more and more time with the uptight woman. Only she doesn't seem so uptight anymore, and Erik isn't sure how much longer they can put off the inevitable of ending up in bed.

When Karen is strong enough to have her kids back, Helen is devastated until she realizes that without a doubt she wants a baby. She even has a perfect plan to accomplish just that.

So when an angry and crazy ex-husband of one of Helen's clients goes off the deep-end and decides that Helen must pay for the settlement she got his ex-wife, Erik steps in to protect Helen and she moves into his house for a while. And when opportunity knocks, Helen has never been one to ignore it. If she can just avoid her very astute friends, and protect her heart, she'll have a baby in no time.

What Helen didn't expect was how hard it would be to let Erik go, and how very much he had lost and why his feelings were the way they are. Helen may eventually get what she wants, but it may be just the thing that can turn her entire life into turmoil.

When I first started reading FLF, I wasn't sure I liked how Woods had Helen keeping Karen's kids. I wasn't sure how it would all play out and it seemed really - I don't know - off. But it wasn't long and I was sucked into the story just as I was the other two, and forgot all about my first misgivings. Helen has always been my favorite of the Magnolia's, strong and confident, loves her friends fiercely and would do anything for them. Helen is just the kind of woman that you want on your side, but Lord knows she needs taken down a notch. It was really nice to see the woman that sees nothing good in marriage after so many years in divorce court, find love.

Feels Like Family, was the perfect way to end the trip to Serenity, I would have liked to see Maddie and Dana Sue a little more at the first of the book (it isn't until Chapter 5 we even see Maddie) but eventually they show up and bring the guacamole and margaritas, with a side of tough but unconditional love.

I enjoyed the contrast that Karen's situation had with Helen's, but I also liked that deep down, Karen and Helen both needed the same thing - Love - and watching them tackle their personal demons was wonderful.

Erik was the type of Hero every woman wants. The man can cook, has a protective streak a mile wide, and is good looking. He's flawed and that too, made me really love him more. Erik wasn't the only one with demons to fight, and with The Sweet Magnolias, Erik found himself, too.

So, I'll say it again, READ THESE BOOKS! Grab your best girlfriends, guacamole, and margaritas, and enjoy life with The Sweet Magnolias. Laughter, love, family and friendship can get us through anything in life, and Woods serves it all up in this wonderful trilogy.

Take Care

Just real quick... Books are involved

I want to thank Chari-Dee, for keeping things on track the past few weeks. I've had a bit of a rough ride, and she's been a rock. I'm sorry for letting so many things slip, you deserve better, but I've set aside some time this week to get things back on track.

To that end, I need your help.

If you've won books from a contest that I've run and haven't received them yet, PLEASE - send me an e-mail at deeanddeedish AT sbcglobal DOT net . Remind me what contest you won and remind me of your address. I know I should already have this stuff, but honestly, my head has been in such a fog lately, that it will be a tremendous help to me if you just send the e-mail and remind me. It will be easier than me sorting through scads of e-mails that I just can't even make sense of right now.

I know I owe some of you some books, because they are still sitting here in a pile, all ready to mail out. I haven't forgotten, I've just been otherwise occupied. I'm sorry, I really am. So just remind me. Put "dee, you owe me books" in the subject line, so I can go straight to those e-mails and get your books sent out to you this week. And again, please accept my most sincere apologies. This is not how I normally do things, and there really is no excuse, except that I've been dealing with some stuff that has taken my time and focus away from here.

I'm trying to get back here though. Because I have some really cool things planned for the next few weeks.

I'm still going to do the "Hometown Hero Week", very soon. So get your hometown story ready for me. I'll be giving away signed books for that one. (Sneak peek - books by Elaine Fox and Hope Tarr!)

I've also got my FAB Pick for April lined up, and I'm so excited about it I can hardly stop from sloshing wine all over myself! (Have you guys figured out who it is yet? First one to comment with the correct name will win a book, or something!)

So, to sum up - if you've won, zap me an e-mail to remind me, and please include your address. And check back here often, because I promise to get back here and kick off some great theme weeks. And THANKS, Dee. You're the greatest. But I already knew that. :)

Keep turning those pages!
dee

Hell's Belles - Jackie Kessler

Hey there, Lovelies. I hope your week-end was FABulous, I had a great one, the weather held and we spent lots of time outside with the kiddos, barbecued dinner, and just flat out had a good time. Real quick, I want to shout out, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" to my niece who turned 5 yesterday and "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY" to that wonderful man I call The Hubs, eight years ago today he made me the happiest woman alive. Amazing how fast time flies. And now without further ado...

HELL'S BELLES by Jackie Kessler
(BCC)

SHE'S A HOT DEMON ON THE RUN FROM HELL - WHICH ISN'T EASY TO DO IN HEELS.

Once upon a time, Jezebel was a powerful succubus, capable of seducing men and sucking out their souls. But that was before Hell put a bounty on her head. Now her only chance to escape a fate far worse than death is to live as a mortal, losing herself in a sea of unfamiliar humanity, in a place where sinners walk hand-in-hand with saints - a place like Belle's strip club in New York City.

Working as an exotic dancer is a piece of cake for a former demon who once specialized in sex. Taking money from men? Please. It's like leading lawyers to the Lake of Fire. Plus the lingerie is great. But she hadn't counted on meeting sexy Paul Hamilton, a man haunted by his past. Good-bye, succubus; hello, lovestruck. Learning all about how complicated - and pleasurable - love can be, Jezebel thinks she's turned her back on Hell.

But Hell hasn't stopped looking for her. The secrets Jezebel holds are the most dangerous of all, the kind every demon in the Underworld would do their worst to protect. Demons are closing in, which is enough to make Jezebel shiver in her G-string. But it's her love for Paul that's going to have deadly consequences...

Yowzah! That's a long BCC. I'm also not so sure it didn't spoil part of the book for me. It had me right up to the end...

Jezebel is a fifth level demon that works as a succubus. Her job in Hell is to seduce men, have sex with them, suck their souls out and deliver them straight to Hell. But when the ruler of Hell makes an announcement, life as Jezebel knows it is turned upside down. Unable to handle the new rules, Jezebel leaves Hell behind. Only Hell doesn't want to be left, and soon a bounty is placed on Jezebel's head high enough to bring out some of the baddest in Hell.

With the help of a witch from Massachusetts, Jezebel trades life as a demon for that of a mortal, and as long as she doesn't use her powers, the spell will hold and she will be human. Leaving Massachussets for New York, Jezebel meets Paul Hamilton on the train and the sparks fly. When Paul shows up at Belles things really start to heat up. Paul and Jezebel really start to connect, but what does a former demon know of love? Lust? Oh yeah, she has that covered, but love?

And it's true that there is no rest for the wicked, Hell is hot on Jezebel's heels and as a human, she must now learn to deal with emotions she's never had and that pesky little voice we all have known as a conciseness.

I have conflicting emotions about this book. While I enjoyed it overall, I didn't really realize I enjoyed it until it was over. Sounds silly I know, but I spent a rather large portion of the book lost. Each chapter is titled with a location, and the time frame is not always the present. The book starts in the here and now, then goes back a few hours (?) days, I'm still not quite clear on that, and shows events that lead up to the Announcement that rocked Jezebel so badly that she left. You don't find out what the big Announcement is until the end, and that really bothered me. If it was so gosh dern important to why Jezebel is running, perhaps we should have found out sooner. Once again, the time frame thing, we find out near the end, but only after something major happens in the present. I honestly wanted to go through and rearrange the chapters to make for easier reading.

There are some very amusing moments in BELLES, but a few of them were riffs that played through the book, and got old very fast. Two for instances - Jezebel says "Bless Me" a lot. At first, I found this endearing, but after what felt like the hundredth time, I had grown tired. Also, Jezebel does a lot of mental note taking. Once again, at first it was OK, but as time wore on, I wanted to scream, for pity sake, get a pen and write it down!

My FAB pick this month was SUCCUBUS BLUES, and I did enjoy the contrast in the worlds. Aside from both being succubi, Georgie and Jezebel are nothing alike, nor are their worlds. And I did like that, Kessler had a different spin on Hell and it's purpose and I enjoyed that bit of mythology.

All in all, HB was worth my time to read, I'll definitely give her next book a shot, I think now that I know what to expect from Kessler's writing, I won't be so easily confused this next go round. Like I said, I enjoyed the book, I just didn't realize until I finished it and could put all the pieces in an order I could understand.

Take Care

Almost Like Being In Love - Christina Dodd

Hello Lovelies! Today's dish is book two of a trilogy I discovered earlier this month. I know these aren't new release books, but I haven't read them yet, so they are new to me and I want to dish them. For a refresher on the dish I did about the first book, JUST THE WAY YOU ARE you can click here. And now, without further ado...


ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE by Christina Dodd
(BCC)

As the middle child, Pepper Prescott's rebellious nature helper her survive when her parents disappeared and she and her siblings were sent to different foster homes around the country, Now an independent young woman, Pepper finds herself on he run after witnessing a shooting. Fearing for her life, Pepper flees to the only place she ever considered home and is shocked to find her old lover, Dan Graham, living on the remote mountain ranch, A battle-hardened ex-Special Forces soldier, Dan no longer strikes Pepper as a man she can trust with her secrets, her life, and her love. Bit as long-simmering desires flare into a deep, sensual passion, Pepper realizes the only way she can reclaim her life is to ally herself with the enigmatic warrior who's willing to help fight for her future by solving he mysteries of her past - and making her his wife today.

To tell you the truth - I'm not sure how I feel about that BCC. It sounds OK, but then I think about it and realize that no, it's not quite right. That fine line that some of these BCC's walk, well this one has one foot firmly planted on both sides. I think I like that even less than the ones that out and out lie to me. Hmmmmmm. I must think on this new type of BCC wrongness.

As an eight year old, Pepper Prescott often got in trouble, even with a strong will and ornery nature, Pepper always felt safe with her family, knowing they would love her no matter how she acted out. But when her parents died and she was ripped away from everything she knew, Pepper used those same traits to keep people at a safe distance and her heart safe. Angry at her parents for dying and her older sister Hope for not keeping the family together, Pepper went from foster home to foster home never feeling loved. Then, when she was 16, Pepper went to live with Mrs. Driess, a widowed woman in her sixties, that loved to garden and loved Pepper just as much. Pepper started to love her back and the small town but realized she would never really belong. Losing her virginity to Dan Graham, the most popular good looking guy in school, left Pepper scared of things to come, so before he could hurt her, Pepper ran that very night. But she could never run far enough or long enough to forget Dan Graham.

Dan Graham has lead a dangerous life since Pepper ran out of his life nine years ago. Working in Special Forces, Dan has seen more than his share of death, caused it too. When he kills the son of one of the nastiest terrorist out there (and almost loses his in the process) that terrorist wants revenge, and nothing but Dan's life will do. Dan wants this man dead as well, so heading back to his hometown, Dan sets up a trap while staying at the deceased Mrs. Driess' ranch. He's been trying to find Pepper, the one woman who haunts his memory as much as anything else he's ever seen, he needs to let her know that she has inherited the Driess Ranch, but he needs to finish his mission first.

General Jennifer Napier has been an inspiration to Jackie Porter, aka Pepper Prescott. Reading about the General and how she pulled herself out of self-destructive behavior, Pepper has followed her books and advice to become a very strong and successful businesswoman. But when going back to a signing to get the General's latest book signed for Mrs. Driess, Jackie hears the General being confronted about selling information to the terrorists. When the General kills the man, Jackie drops her signed books and takes off running for her life. How will she ever escape one of the most powerful women in the military, especially since that woman will now want to use her as the scapegoat for the murder.

Saying Good Bye to her Jackie Porter image, Pepper takes off running for mountain ranch and the safety and wisdom of Mrs. Driess. Only once there, it isn't Mrs. Driess she finds, but Dan Graham. And when Pepper learns the truth of Mrs. Driess, she's not sure what to do next. She's never forgotten Dan, never been able to be with any other man. But Dan isn't the same boy she left nine years ago, he very well could now be working for the same woman that wants her dead.

Dan hasn't forgotten Pepper, either. And the effect she has on him is every bit as strong now as it was when he was a teenager. But Pepper has a secret, and Dan can't stand secrets. Is she working for the enemy? Or can he take the ultimate step and trust her? Can he find her family this time around and convince her to stay with him?

I had really enjoyed the first book in this trilogy, so I had very high hopes for this one. And while I enjoyed it, I'm not sure it lived up to the expectations I had. Pepper isn't longing to be reunited with her family as Hope is, and Pepper and Dan already know each other and have quite the past. I think, for me, I was disappointed that it wasn't a book about Pepper finding her family like Hope's story had been.

I wasn't very fond of Dan Graham either. He used sex to manipulate Pepper, and she let him. There were times, she would say NO and he kept pushing her until it happened. I noticed that Dodd had done this in one of her historicals that I read, and while I didn't much like it then, it didn't put me off as much as it did with this one. I felt that Pepper allowing Dan and sex to have that much control of her mind, made her weak and that underscored everything Dodd was trying to get across about Pepper, for me anyway.

Also, the reunion with her family at the end felt - well, just wrong. The language they used would have been more at home in a Dodd historical than it was in this contemporary and something Pepper didn't even work for during the course of the book, so it just felt off and like it didn't really fit with the first book.

I did like that we had a few scenes from Hope's world. I like to see recurring characters in trilogies, and I like to see what is going on in their lives NOW, instead of just getting a short re-cap. The action of the book was also well written, if out of place in my mind.

All in all, I'm glad I read it, because I want to know what happened with their parents, I wish we would have gotten more hints, though. We really learn nothing new on the great mystery that surrounds her parents death and the small Texas town that is trying to cover it up, and that did bother me some. I'll definitely have to read the last book, if nothing more than to find out what happened with the parents. I sincerely hope that it is just as entertaining as the first and this second installment was simply a miss with me because of my mood when I read it.

Since this isn't a newly released book, if anyone has read it, I would love to know how you felt about it, and if you've read the third and final book, I'd LOVE to have some thoughts on that as well!

Take Care