Update:  Thank you for all the great comments!  The winners from Edie’s giveaway are:

Congratulations!

I always enjoy reading excerpts from books–excerpts can give me a taste of the story, a hint about the characters,and excerpts can sure hook me on a good book. I hope that you’ve enjoyed the excerpts that were shared today (and that will be shared–cause I’ve got another one coming up now!). My next guest is very busy author Edie Ramer, a sweetheart of a lady with a gift for spell-blinding stories. (And she comes to the party bringing a lovely giveaway–thanks, Edie!)

***

An out-of-the-world romance and 2 giveaways

by Edie Ramer

Thanks to Cynthia for having me at her fun release party. I’m so eager to read Angel of Darkness. I have a thing about angels. I also have a thing about any of Cynthia’s books!

In July, I published Galaxy Girls, a scifi romance with a lot of humor and some serious stuff. One reviewer called it “a cross between Gilmore Girls and Third Rock From the Sun.” Soon I’ll publish a Galaxy Girls novella, titled Mixing It Up. It’s a stand-alone, but I usually like to read series books in order. So here’s an excerpt from Chapter One of Galaxy Girls, which introduces all of the Galaxy ladies:

***

It was the best day of Phyrne’s life, even before landing on Earth five days ago. She, her mother Liss, her aunt Ki and her cousin Deena strutted through the gleaming casino with the one thing that brought them across thirty-one solar systems to New Jersey.

Money. Bundles of money. Their purses stuffed with money. Lovely, lovely money.

She wanted to laugh, dance and do cartwheels. But not yet. Later. Twenty-five-year-old women didn’t do cartwheels on Earth. Even after they’d known great sorrow and now knew great joy. Double joy. Freedom for the first time in their lives. And money with which to enjoy the freedom.

A plume of acrid cigarette smoke coiled in front of her and she made a face. The casino was just like she’d seen on the monitors on Kergeron, but the constant noise was louder, the motion more intense, the air sizzling with excitement. Music blaring, machines clinking, voices talking, colored lights blinking.

Avid eyes stared at the machines, but a few followed her and her family. She faced forward, careful not to catch anyone’s gaze, but in her peripherals, she saw auras, flashes of colors tinted with the deep pinkish red of carnality.

She clamped down on her pheromones. The worst timing for her make-me-a-mom chemicals to fire up. She didn’t want men following her. She didn’t want men in her new life. She didn’t want men.

Fighting the urge to release stray scents that would make men howl, she kept her gaze on the back of the nice hostess leading them out of the busy casino.

Out into the new life they would live as average Earthlings. The life her aunt Phyrne had envisioned for them ten years ago.

She quivered with an eagerness she hadn’t felt since she was a young girl, before she’d experienced the shock and pain of a fist on her face. Hard to believe she would escape Kergeron while she was mated to Argon and he was ramming her like she was the hill and he was the bulldozer.

But Argon was dead now and here they were. Free.

Better yet, free and rich.

The casino hostess opened a door and ushered them into a corridor. The smile she gave them was strained, brown spikes dulling her peach aura.

“Since you insisted on cash, we thought it would be safer for you to leave from the back.”

Her eyes darted away from theirs, and the brown spikes bled into the peach.

Phyrne shivered, her excitement turning to trepidation, though the darkening aura could mean anything. The hostess could be thinking about a sick child or a lover who beat her. Or she could suffer from one of many health issues they’d seen on the monitors back on Kergeron.

A lifetime of watching Earth TV had primed them for their new life, but they didn’t know everything. Deena could use her telepathic skills to find out what the hostess was thinking, but her jaw was rigid, her thin face tense with the effort of blocking out the cacophony of thoughts.

Phyrne ached for Deena. The plethora of auras in the casino had distracted Phyrne, colors flashing and popping wherever she looked, others shrinking and cringing. Easy to see who was winning and who was losing. But how much worse to have hundreds of thoughts swarming into her brain like an army of buzzing blusts?

The hostess took the lead again, hurrying past a stairway, elevator and bathroom. No glitz here, the walls white and stark, the mud-colored carpet so smooth the soles of Phyrne’s shoes slipped. Feeling like a clumsy udzo, she slapped her palm against the wall to keep from falling.

The others moved on, and she scurried to catch up. The hostess opened the back door, bidding them good day, speaking so fast her tongue tripped and she had to say it again. Phyrne didn’t need to read her thoughts to know she was thinking: Go. Get out. Hurry.

Maybe the hostess needed to pee. Kergeronians had elimination emergencies, too. That came with the human body they shared with Earth people, the genetic similarity confirmed by tests conducted in the previous century on a few Earth specimens. Unwilling Earth specimens.

Phyrne’s relatives chirped goodbye to the hostess and hurried out into the air that smelled like salty ocean mixed with car fumes. A black dumpster on one side and a sign on the other said Deliveries Only. Across the street was a huge concrete structure Phyrne identified as a parking building for cars. One lone van was parked by the curb, beige and nondescript.

The door behind Phyrne clanked shut. The Earth sun slunk under a black cloud—on Kergeron they called it a death cloud. The sky dimmed, the air chilling Phyrne’s arms, bare from her elbows to her cold fingertips.

From the beige van, a bright blue aura pierced the gloom, jewel colored and so bright her breath caught. As she twisted to view it better, Liss stopped and Phyrne ran into her.

“Oomph.” She bounced back, her mouth open to ask what was going on, when she saw two men stealing out from behind the dumpster. Blood red auras seethed around both men.

The small hairs on Phyrne’s arms and the back of her neck rose. The last time she’d seen an aura that color, she’d ended up in the clinic, her body bruised from her cheek to her thighs, one eye covered with a patch and an arm in a sling.

Liss stepped back, grabbing Phyrne’s forearm. “Let’s run. I feel the tall one’s anger. He wants to hurt us.”

The men pulled out guns.

“Too late to run.” Deena’s voice quavered. “We’ll have to do something else. I’ll take care of it.” She swallowed but stood tall and tossed her head.

No! Phyrne’s mental scream sliced through Deena’s walls. Deena looked at her, grimacing, lifting one hand to the side of her head.

“I’ll stop them.” Phyrne pushed past Deena. She was older and stronger than Deena, plus she possessed a powerful weapon. The ultimate weapon.

She was ovulating.

***

I’m giving away an e-copy of Galaxy Girls to a commenter. If you’ve read GG already, I’ll be happy to send Mixing It Up instead as soon as it’s available. I’m also giving away Dragon Blues to a commenter, about a saxophone-playing former dragon (now a man) and a martial arts expert who wants to avenge her sister’s murder.

So, here’s my question. What would your ultimate weapon be?

Edie Ramer

http://edieramer.com

Update: Thanks for all of the comments!! The TRUE SHOT winner is…Darkreader. Congratulations!

When I read paranormal romances, I”m a happy woman. When I read romantic suspense novels, I’m a happy woman. But if you put those two subgenres together, and you give me paranormal romantic suspense–I’m so excited you almost need to slap me.  So get ready for some slapping.

My next guest is a woman who perfectly blends paranormal romance and romantic suspense.  Perfectly. I devour her books and look ahead eagerly for her next release. The lady in question? Joyce Lamb–and one commenter is going to win a signed copy of her new book, TRUE SHOT.

Hi, Cynthia’s readers! And congratulations, Cynthia, on your release day! I can’t wait to read Angel of Darkness.

I’ll be celebrating my own release day Dec. 6, when the third book in my True trilogy, True Shot, comes out.

Romance writers who embark on writing trilogies are advised to save the best story for last, and I definitely did that. I so looked forward to writing True Shot that I sometimes had trouble focusing on writing the other True books!

Here’s a little about True Shot:

Samantha Trudeau is a psychic spy for a secret government agency that she’s recently discovered has gone rogue. She goes on the run and ends up at the Trudeau family cabin at the same time as a vacationing Mac Hunter, a burned-out journalist and good friend of Sam’s estranged sisters. The bad guys show up to reclaim Sam (for a sinister purpose, of course), and things go from bad to worse when a drug wipes out Sam’s memory, leaving her dependent on the un-spy-trained Mac to get her to safety.

Mac and Sam are a hoot together. Sam has a serious, down-to-business, where’s-my-gun attitude, while Mac fights his battles with words and humor — not something that works all that well when you’re dealing with ruthless rogue government spies. Though it is pretty entertaining.

I love Mac and Sam together! Especially when Mac comes out swinging, completely counter to his nature, to protect Sam. Sigh. I’ve fallen hopelessly in love with all of my heroes (as it should be!), but Mac is the one I most wish actually existed.

I hope you’ll get a chance to check out True Shot. To help you out, I’ll give a signed copy to a commenter here!

Oh, and while I have you: I run a new-ish romance novels blog at USA Today, called Happy Ever After (happyeverafter.usatoday.com). HEA is planning to review Cynthia’s Angel of Darkness AND we’re going to run an interview with her in December. I hope you’ll get a chance to stop in and say hi!

Thanks for having me, Cynthia! You rock. : )

Update: Caridad’s lucky winner is…Larena Hubble. Congratulations, Larena!

I hope you’ve been enjoying the guest posts today. I’m so glad that you came to the party (and don’t forget, the fun continues until 11 PM tonight! More posts are coming!), and I’m very happy that you’re celebrating with me. I always love it when a book releases. And I’ve sure been eager for ANGEL OF DARKNESS to release!

I am also very glad that so many of my writing buddies are participating in the release party. My next spotlight is on my friend, Caridad Pineiro. Caridad is a NYT best-selling author. She writes fantastic stories–stories that grab hold of you and just don’t let go.  She’s also an incredibly kind and generous lady.

Because she’s so awesome, Caridad is going to give a commenter a copy of her e-book ROOKIE OF THE YEAR and a $10 Amazon gift card. Very sweet deal, Caridad! Thank you!

Right now, let’s turn to a new release that Caridad has–her sexy paranormal, AMAZON AWAKENING, will be available on 12/1. Yes, I am so ready to load it onto my e-reader!  And once you learn more about the tale, I think you’ll want to read it, too!

***

Counting down the days until the release of my first ever erotic paranormal romance, AMAZON AWAKENING, from Nocturne Cravings. It was so different for me to write a story where I pushed beyond the sexual boundaries I’d explored in so many other stories, but primary for me in writing these novellas (another 5 on their way in 2012 and 2013) was to have an intense and believable romance. For me, it’s all about the romance during whatever physical intimacy is happening. Even if I’m being daring and walking the edge during a love scene, there has to be a growing bond between the hero and heroine.

With that, here is a little blurb for you about AMAZON AWAKENING as well as a sexy excerpt!

Rey Peralta has been sent to persuade Paola Lopes to return to Brazil and take up her place as Priestess of the Guardians, protectors of the sacred realm hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest. He knows Paola is the one they need to ensure their survival—but he doesn’ t expect the instant blast of desire that sparks between them. Her beauty and power call to him, enticing him to merge with her physically and spiritually; a desire that only increases when they give in to their passion and make love. Can he convince Paola to accept her destiny and stay with her people—and by his side?

WARNING

This excerpt contains mature subject matter so do not open unless you are at least 18.

(If you can’t see the widget below, you can cut and paste this link:
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/72902685?access_key=key-7hf866rrigwutty0jsg)

Erotic Paranormal Romance Amazon Awakening Excerpt

To enter Caridad’s giveaway, just tell me a secret (or not so secret!) craving that you have (come on–this is in honor of the Nocturne Craving line!). For me, I’ll always crave chocolate. Always.

Update: The 5 winners of the Kindler version of THE LOOK OF LOVE are: Elisa, Jewel, Sherry, Brenda Hyde, and Anne. Congratulations!

It’s no secret…I love Bella Andre‘s work.  If you haven’t read her yet (What?), then you should definitely try her stories. They’re fabulous.  And, today, I’m going to giveaway 5 Kindle copies of her very fabulous story, THE LOOK OF LOVE. Read on to learn more about this great book.

Here’s the blurb:

With THE LOOK OF LOVE bestselling author Bella Andre introduces you to a fun and emotional contemporary romance series about the Sullivan family. Because when a Sullivan bad boy falls…he falls hard. And it’s forever.

Chloe Peterson is having a bad night. A really bad night. The large bruise on her cheek can attest to that. And when her car skids off the side of a wet country road straight into a ditch, she’s convinced even the gorgeous guy who rescues her in the middle of the rain storm must be too good to be true. Or is he?

As a successful photographer who frequently travels around the world, Chase Sullivan has his pick of beautiful women, and whenever he’s home in San Francisco, one of his seven siblings is usually up for causing a little fun trouble. Chase thinks his life is great just as it is—until the night he finds Chloe and her totaled car on the side of the road in Napa Valley. Not only has he never met anyone so lovely, both inside and out, but he quickly realizes she has much bigger problems than her damaged car. Soon, he is willing to move mountains to love—and protect—her, but will she let him?

Chloe vows never to make the mistake of trusting a man again. Only, with every loving look Chase gives her—and every sinfully sweet caress—as the attraction between them sparks and sizzles, she can’t help but wonder if she’s met the only exception. And although Chase didn’t realize his life was going to change forever in an instant, amazingly, he isn’t the least bit interested in fighting that change. Instead, he’s gearing up for a different fight altogether…for Chloe’s heart.

I hope you enjoy the following excerpt for THE LOOK OF LOVE…

Chase almost missed the flickering light off on the right side of the two-lane country road. In the past thirty minutes, he hadn’t passed a single car, because on a night like this, most sane Californians—who didn’t know the first thing about driving safely in inclement weather—stayed home.

Knowing better than to slam on the brakes—he wouldn’t be able to help whomever was stranded on the side of the road if he ended up stuck in the muddy ditch right next to them—Chase slowed down enough to see that there was definitely a vehicle stuck in the ditch.

He turned his brights on to see better in the pouring rain and realized there was a person walking along the edge of the road about a hundred yards up ahead. Obviously hearing his car approach, she turned to face him and he could see her long wet hair whipping around her shoulders in his headlights.

Wondering why she wasn’t just sitting in her car, dry and warm, calling Triple A and waiting for them to come save her, he pulled over to the edge of his lane and got out to try and help her. She was shivering as she watched him approach.

“Are you hurt?”

She covered her cheek with one hand, but shook her head. “No.”

He had to move closer to hear her over the sound of the water hitting the pavement in what were rapidly becoming hailstones. Even though he’d turned his headlights off, as his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, he was able to get a better look at her face.

Something inside of Chase’s chest clenched tight.

Despite the long, dark hair plastered to her head and chest, regardless of the fact that looking like a drowned rat wasn’t too far off the descriptive mark, her beauty stunned him.

In an instant, his photographer’s eye cataloged her features. Her mouth was a little too big, her eyes a little too wide-set on her face. She wasn’t even close to model thin, but given the way her T-shirt and jeans stuck to her skin, he could see that she wore her lush curves well. In the dark he couldn’t judge the exact color of her hair, but it looked like silk, perfectly smooth and straight where it lay over her breasts.

It wasn’t until Chase heard her say, “My car is definitely hurt, though,” that he realized he had completely lost the thread of what he’d come out here to do.

Knowing he’d been drinking her in like he was dying of thirst, he worked to recover his balance. He could already see he’d been right about her car. It didn’t take a mechanic like his brother, Zach, who owned an auto shop—more like forty, but Chase had stopped counting years ago—to see that her shitty hatchback was borderline totaled. Even if the front bumper wasn’t half smashed to pieces by the white farm fence she’d slid into, her bald tires weren’t going to get any traction on the mud. Not tonight, anyway.

If her car had been in a less precarious situation, he probably would have sent her to hang out in her car while he took care of getting it unstuck. But one of her back tires was hanging precariously over the edge of the ditch.

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Get in my car. We can wait there for a tow truck.” He was vaguely aware of his words coming out like an order, but the hail was starting to sting, damn it. Both of them needed to get out of the rain before they froze.

But the woman didn’t move. Instead, she gave him a look that said he was a complete and utter nut-job.

“I’m not getting into your car.”

Realizing just how frightening it must be for a lone woman to end up stuck and alone in the middle of a dark road, Chase took a step back from her. He had to speak loudly enough for her to hear him over the hail.

“I’m not going to attack you. I swear I won’t do anything to hurt you.”

She all but flinched at the word attack and Chase’s radar started buzzing. He’d never been a magnet for troubled women, wasn’t the kind of guy who thrived on fixing wounded birds. But living with two sisters for so many years meant he could always tell when something was up.

And something was definitely up with this woman, beyond the fact that her car was half-stuck in a muddy ditch.

Wanting to make her feel safe, he held his hands up. “I swear on my father’s grave, I’m not going to hurt you. It’s okay to get into my car.” When she didn’t immediately say no again, he pressed his advantage with, “I just want to help you.” And he did. More than it made sense to want to help a stranger. “Please,” he said. “Let me help you.”

She stared at him for a long moment, hail hammering between them, around them, onto them. Chase found himself holding his breath, waiting for her decision. It shouldn’t matter to him what she decided.

But, for some strange reason, it did.

* * *

Chloe Peterson had never felt so wet, so miserable…or so desperate. She’d been beating the speed limit for the past couple of hours, before the storm had kicked into overdrive. She’d slowed down considerably on the super-slick pavement, but her tires were old and bald, and before she knew it, her car was skidding off the road.

Straight into a muddy ditch.

It might have been easier—smarter, too—to sit in her car and wait out the storm. But she’d been too keyed up to stay still. She’d needed to keep moving, otherwise the thoughts knocking around in her head were going to catch up with her, so she’d slung her backpack over her shoulders and stepped out into the rain, just as it turned into out-and-out hail.

The hard little pellets hurt her skin, but she’d been glad for the cold, for the sting. Because it gave her something else to focus on, something besides what had happened just hours ago.

She hadn’t been sure exactly where she was—or what she was headed for–but she’d hoped she was walking in the direction of town.

All night long the roads had been strangely empty, but she’d barely starting walking away from her car when she’d realized headlights were coming up behind her.

Fear had knocked into her again as the car pulled over to the side and she’d had to stop to brace herself to withstand it. She was all alone on a dark, wet, country road. She didn’t have her cell phone, and even if she had, she doubted there was enough reception out here in the storm for it to get a signal.

And then a man–a large man–had gotten out of his car and started walking toward her, telling her to get into his car.

No way.

He’d tried to convince her that she was safe with him. He’d said all the right things, but she’d had too much experience with people like that, who easily said one thing, then did another.

“I don’t know you,” she told him. He could be an axe murderer. She had feet. She’d walk and find a place to dry off later.

She could see the frustration on his face, knew he was about to try and reason with her again, when suddenly, the sound of skidding tires came at them. Before she knew what was happening, he was pulling her into his arms. She didn’t have time to think of fighting him, didn’t even consider it when she realized a fast-moving motorcycle was practically on top of them.

She closed her eyes, bracing for impact, when the man effortlessly lifted her and jumped into the ditch, holding her tightly against him.

She opened her eyes just in time to watch the motorcycle’s back tires skid and then finally catch hold just in the place she’d been standing. Her heart, which had all but stopped, started racing again as she watched it speed away.

“Are you okay?”

Chloe looked up at the man who had shielded her from harm with his own body, and for the first time since he’d stepped out of his car, she was hit hard with the realization of just how attractive he was.

No, she silently admitted to herself. Attractive was a paltry word for a man like this. Even in the darkness, she could see that he put other men to shame. As big as she’d first thought, even in the cold rain, he was utterly gorgeous.

And her body was reacting with surprising heat.

Or maybe, she suddenly realized, that heat was coming from the fact that he was still cradling her in his strong arms.

The way he’d moved her out of the way of the too-close motorcycle had her teetering on the edge of trusting him. And on any other night, perhaps it would have been enough. But was it?

They were both splattered with mud from where he’d landed with her in his arms and now that they were safe again, she struggled to stand up, to try and right her thoughts so that she could come to some sort of rational decision.

“Wait a minute,” he said, “let me get us out of here.”

A few moments later, he put her down on the side of the road. “It really isn’t safe to be out here. Not for either of us.”

Common sense told her he was right, and yet, she was still wary. Incredibly so.

But at this very moment what other choice did she have?

Replaying in her mind the way he’d protected her from harm, Chloe finally, said, “Okay. I’ll go with you.”

She sincerely hoped she didn’t end up regretting her choice.

…Excerpt from THE LOOK OF LOVE by Bella Andre ©2011.

***

***Book 2, FROM THIS MOMENT ON, is also now available. http://www.amazon.com/This-Moment-Sullivans-Book-ebook/dp/B005KB9WJO. Book 3, CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE will be released December 15th!***

REVIEWS…

“The Look of Love is an emotionally compelling, thoroughly sexy, lovely read. I can’t wait for more Sullivan brothers!” Carly Phillips, NYT Bestselling Author

“The Look of Love is the perfect combination of sexy heat and tender heart. This character driven romance has brains, brawn and the perfect bad boy to launch a whole family’s worth of fun.” Barbara Freethy, #1 NYT Bestselling Author

“Pure sensual fun! I couldn’t read fast enough. I loved everything about Chase and Chloe’s story. I’m hooked on the Sullivans!” Marie Force, Bestselling Author

“No one does sexy like Bella Andre.” Sarah MacLean, NYT Bestselling Author

THE LOOK OF LOVE (Sullivans #1) ~ Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Smashwords, Goodreads & AllRomance

FROM THIS MOMENT ON (Sullivans #2) ~ Kindle, Nook, Apple, Smashwords, Goodreads & AllRomance

Sign up for my newsletter for upcoming release info!

www.BellaAndre.com

Want to win one of those 5 THE LOOK OF LOVE copies? Then tell me, have you ever been in love?  If so…how’d you know it was love?

Update: And the lucky ARC winner is…Krissy Holstein! Congratulations!

Now it’s my pleasure to welcome paranormal author Cynthia Garner to the blog.  I cannot wait for Cynthia’s new book, KISS OF THE VAMPIRE, and I’m actually feeling very jealous right now…because one commenter will win an ARC of her book. Yes, it’s one of those win-it-before-you-can-buy-it-in-stores prizes. I love, LOVE those.  But I am incredibly jealous. Someone is going to get a fantastic read!

***

Congratulations, Giving Thanks…and More

First, let me start this post by saying congratulations, Cynthia, for the release of ANGEL OF DARKNESS.  I’m looking forward to another great read! Second, thank you for giving me some time here at your place. One of the things I love about romance authors especially is their willingness to support each other!

I’m also thankful for readers who have picked up my books and enjoyed them. Thank you all so much for your support! Starting next year I’m beginning a new series with Grand Central Publishing. In my Warriors of the Rift series, vampires, werewolves and other creatures of myth are no longer stuck between the pages of fairy tales and mythology. They’re loud and proud and living next door. Every 73 to 74 years the Moore-Creasy-Devon comet passes by Earth, opening a rift between dimensions. Entities from the other dimension–mostly criminals though some are political dissidents or persecuted as religious heretics–come through the rift and, in their drive to survive, enter and take over the bodies of human hosts. Their original species dictate the effect this possession has on the human bodies they now possess–some become vampires, some werewolves or other shapeshifters, etc.

The first book, KISS OF THE VAMPIRE, is available for pre-order now! Half-demon, half-human, Nix de la Fuente is accepted by neither and mistrusted by both. Determined to prove she’s more human than not, she devotes herself to solving crimes between the world’s mortals and its most unsavory undead. But her latest case brings her face to face with the one vampire she could never resist . . .

Called in to investigate a string of violent murders, special agent Tobias Caine isn’t interested in rekindling his relationship with Nix. Yet one look and the vampire knows his need for her is as strong as ever. Once, their all-consuming passion nearly cost Nix her fragile hold on her humanity. Now, as their hunger for one another intensifies, exposing them to an unimaginable danger, it could cost them both their lives.

For everyone who leaves a comment on this post, I’ll toss your name into the hat to win an Advance Readers Copy of KISS OF THE VAMPIRE.