WELCOME BEST-SELLING AUTHORS SHARON KLEVE AND KARA LEIGH MILLER

 

Be sure to enter to enter to win a bunch of great giveaways through Rafflecopter below! 

 

Click here to see the full list of their month long tour.

 

I had the opportunity to read both Sharon's sweet, Christmas romance, HALO'S WISH and Kara's steamy, erotic romance,JILTED latest releases. I thoroughly enjoyed both.


Review of Halo’s Wish by Sharon Kleve

Halo Carlyle wants nothing more than to prove to her friend and employer, Corny Myers, that she can handle an undercover investigation. Corny is the owner of Green Hornet Investigations (I should specify here, Green Hornet handles cases involving pets). Halo is new to the profession and understandably a bit awkward. The suspect in the case she’s working is an unscrupulous thief with a bad temper and who might be dangerous.

 Kleve does a nice job of getting the reader to emphasize with Halo’s nervousness. Anyone who’s ever lacked confidence in a situation where they wanted very much to make an impression will be onboard with Halo.

Enter local veterinarian, Richard McFarland or as Halo initially names him, Mr. McDreamy. When McFarland enters the office where Halo is working undercover, she must fight the major distraction he presents. But there are distractions and there are distractions. Much as Halo doubts it, McFarland is perfect for her in ways she doesn’t want to acknowledge.

Halo’s Wish is a delightful combination of humor, romance, action, and sweet charm. It is a fast read, great for a lazy afternoon.

 This is part of a series by Kleve that starts with Corny Myers’s story (Corny being a female Dr. Doolittle) and has expanded to include her girlfriends. You don’t have to have read the previous stories but I recommend it as a fun way to spend time.  

Book Blurb:

Halo Ann Carlyle wishes for a home, family, and a boat-load of pets. What she gets is a bruised hip, a lump on the head, a broken ankle, and her new yellow Honda Civic is demolished.

 Rich McFarland, a sexy veterinarian, keeps showing up in the most unexpected places, promising everything she's ever wanted.

 Halo believes she only has time to pursue her career as a pet detective and must ignore her growing attraction to achieve her dreams.

Will Halo trust her heart, and find a way to get both for Christmas?

Author Bio:

 Sharon Kleve was born and raised in Washington and currently lives on the Olympic Peninsula with her husband.

 Sharon is a writer of paranormal and contemporary romance. She loves romance. She loves reading romance, living romance, and especially loves writing about romance. She gets no greater feeling than watching her characters come alive in each other's arms. Most of all, she loves giving her characters the happily ever after they deserve—with a few bumps and bruises along the way.

 One of her favorite things to do is picking up a new book and sinking into the story, immersing herself in the emotions between the characters. She hopes to inspire her readers the same way her favorite authors have inspired her.

 When not writing, she can usually be found either curled up in her recliner with her cat and a good book, or in the kitchen baking sourdough bread or bagels.


Buy Links:

 Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Halos-Wish-Dreams-Come-ebook/dp/B00F4M2N6S/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379080942&sr=1-11&keywords=sharon+kleve

 Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00F4M2N6S

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/356656


Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/halos-wish-sharon-kleve/1116903897?ean=2940148724476
 


Review of Jilted by Kara Leigh Miller

Amy and Brett, the heroine and hero of Jilted are not just friends since childhood but business partners in a dance studio. Amy has always been secretly in love with Brett. As deep as that love is, equally deep is her fear of ruining the close friendship they have if they enter into an affair and it goes wrong. Brett is in love with her too, and like Amy, has been since they met. For his part, he keeps his feelings secret because he has no idea her feelings for him go beyond the best friends category. His impending marriage to another woman forces both he and Amy onto a bumpy road of self-discovery.

 Jilted is a delightful story of two very likeable people finding the courage to let themselves love. *The story does contain several graphic sex scenes and graphic language.


 Book Blurb: 

 Amy and Brett have been friends since they were kids; and their friendship has withstood the test of time. But can it withstand Brett's fiancée, Vanessa?

Brett Hudson has often wondered what it would be like to be more than Amy's friend, but when he's chosen as the newest professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars, he meets Vanessa, one of the shows costume designers and it's a whirlwind romance that ends in a wedding proposal. As the big day draws closer, Brett begins to think that marrying Vanessa might be a bad idea. She wants him to give up Amy. Completely. Will he give up his best friend for the woman he's supposed to marry?

 Amy King is heartbroken to learn that Brett is marrying another woman. But, when Brett is jilted at the altar, he begs Amy to go on his honeymoon with him. A week on a tropical island with her best friend, the man she's fantasized about for years is a dream come true for Amy. But when Brett suggests crossing the line from friends to lovers, Amy is reluctant. Will she risk years of friendship for one night of passion? 

 Author Bio: 

 Kara is a multi-published romance author who dabbles in young adult, new adult, paranormal, and contemporary romances. However, her genre of choice will always be erotic romance. She's a member of the CNY Writers Haven and the Romance Writers of America. Writing is her passion and she loves to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with her fellow authors and her fans.

Today, Kara resides in Upstate New York with her husband, five kids, three cats, and two dogs. When she's not reading or writing, she's spending time with her family and friends.

Nothing excites Kara more than hearing from her fans. So, send her a note. She'll go total fan girl over it!

 Buy Links:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jilted-ebook/dp/B00F6DFUG0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379161399&sr=8-1&keywords=Jilted+kara+leigh+miller

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jilted-kara-leigh-miller/1116906522?ean=2940148724681 

Social Media Links:

Website/Blog: www.karaleighmiller.com

Email: karaleighmiller@yahoo.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KaraLeighMiller

Twitter: www.twitter.com/KaraLeighMille1 

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/KaraLeighMiller



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 - Entrants must be 18 or older (or age of majority in your country) to enter and to win.

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 - Contest Starts 00:01EST September 15, 2013 and Ends 12:59EST October 16, 2013 and open to International participants.

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-Respond by date to collect prize is 14 days from notification date.

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

KNIGHT BLINDNESS BOOK BLITZ TOUR AUGUST 3RD 2013

 Come stop by the Knight Blindness Book Blitz

Saturday, August 3, 2013


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KNIGHT BLINDNESS BLITZ TOUR JULY 27, 2013

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Come and Join me for Christmas in the Christmas in July Blog Hop

KNIGHT BLINDNESS 

MY NEW RELEASE OUT JULY 21th

Given a choice between
the pleasant life you knew centuries ago or
the possibility of all you want in an
uncertain new world,
 which would you choose?

Two men torn through time find
themselves in the modern but alien world.
Old enemies, one hunting the other,
 one discovering love,
both fighting private battles to survive.

Which time period would you like to celebrate Christmas in?

Leave your answer and your email below for

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CHRISTMAS IN JULY BLOG HOP

We all have wishes... dreams... maybe even the occasional Santa fantasy.* And Books To Go Now wants to celebrate these wishes by hosting a special Christmas in July Sweepstakes.

What could possibly be better than getting a Christmas present in July?

For your chance to take part, you must stop by one of the participating blog hop stops (July 19-22, 2013) and tell us your Christmas in July wish (see official rules below)!

 

Come and Join Me For the Hot Summer Nights Blog Hop

Come and Join me for the Hot Summer Nights Blog Hop      May 22-29th

The sequel novel to the best-selling, thriller, Golden Chariot. 

A sunken warship from the Byzantine Era carrying an unusual cargo of gold has been found off the coast of Northern Cyprus. News of the valuable cache has attracted the attention of a terrorist cell. They plan to attack the recovery team’s campsite and steal the artifacts. On the Black Market, the sale of the relics will buy them additional weapons.

Charlotte Dashiell, an American archaeologist, and her lover, Atakan Vadim, a Turkish government agent, are scheduled to be part of the recovery team that brings up the artifacts. While en route to Cyprus, they find themselves caught in the crosshairs of Maksym Tischenko, a Ukrainian contract killer bent on revenge. Charlotte, Atakan and Tischenko share a grim history. As a result, Tischenko is a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal—seeing them both dead.

If money was not an object, what country would you travel to?

Leave your comment below with your email address for a chance to win one of my great prizes.

Turkish Jewelry, Tote bag and Rose Petal Soap

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Tension comes in different forms

Tension Comes in Many Forms

 

Tension is one of the best means to hold a reader’s attention and keep them from putting your book down. It is also a feeling that isn’t always clearly defined. If you ask for an example of what adds tension to a story, the first response you often hear is actually an action scene. The problem with that answer is: action isn’t necessarily tension. The car chase through Paris in the movie “Ronin,” is fantastic action. However, the movie’s tension isn’t the high speed pursuit and crash at the end, but comes from the conflict within the group of mercenaries gathered together to obtain a valuable suitcase. Some are trustworthy, others are not. The viewer is on the edge of their seat throughout the movie, wondering if Jean Reno, or Robert De Niro, or Stellan Skarsgard is a traitor.

In any genre there are different ways to inject the story with tension. I write romances so I am going to use a scene from my story Golden Chariot. Charlotte Dashiell, my heroine, believes that the characters from The Iliad, by Homer, may not have been fictional but real. She engages in a heated discussion with Atakan Vadim, the hero. For every point she makes, he presents a challenging counterpoint. I will paraphrase the dialogue form the scene.

Charlotte said, “The story of Troy and the war was retold through the centuries. I’m saying it wasn’t a mere war story. It had to be more.”

“No. The bones of the story were given to him (Homer)...a tale which happened to include a few accurate details. Like many bards, he filled it with people from his imagination.”

“Something made the story unique. I say it’s the people.”

“He took bits of old tales, injects the legends with heroes and villains for entertainment purposes. Why do you dispute the logical?”

This is a small section of the scene’s dialogue. Atakan’s disbelief, his doubt and the fact he forces her to defend her beliefs is a source of tension between them.

Combining tension with action can be especially fun to write. As authors we can vicariously live experience with our characters. In the following, Charlotte, who’s a nautical archaeologist and part of a shipwreck recovery team, is out swimming in the sea near the team’s campsite. Unbeknownst to her, there’s been an undersea earthquake, which has triggered dangerous riptides. What was a relaxing swim becomes deadly dangerous for her.

Here’s an excerpt:

Like all the team, she was a strong swimmer and tried to power through the swells and turn back. Fighting the tide, she wasn’t making any progress. The current was sweeping her the opposite direction and toward the open water. She kicked harder as the waves surged over her head, pushing against her strokes, the salt irritating her eyes. The bigger rollers kicked her ass. They were followed by rapid, much smaller rollers. Those piddling whitecaps were kicking her ass worse. Every time she opened her mouth to take a gulp of air after the first set, the second-string whitecaps smacked her in the face, sending more seawater into her lungs than air.

She caught glimpses of the increasingly distant beach. If she screamed for help no one would hear.

With some scenes, worry and fear for our characters evolves and grows like a layer cake of tension. In Journey in Time, my time-travel romance, the hero, Alex, and heroine, Shakira, find themselves in medieval England. Shakira wakes to find the Alex has left to go hunting with the prince. In his absence, the king orders her to stay with a wool merchant for a few days. We, the reader, know outside the palace walls she is without protection. We worry for her. The king informs heroine the merchant is a favorite of the queen. More worry, if a situation arises, she must consider the queen will believe the merchant over her. The king alleges Alex knows of arrangement but the reader and Shakira know he doesn’t. The king can tell him any story he wants when Alex asks where she has gone. Our worry turns to fear for her. As merchant and Shakira ride to his home and further from the palace, she begins memorizing landmarks in case she must flee. Fear turns to tension the closer she gets to the merchant’s house. What is the king’s intention? What kind of man is the merchant? If she has to run, she has no means to defend herself, no money, and no guarantee she can gain entry back into the palace. Her tension becomes the reader’s.

Tension doesn’t always have to be big. We can connect with readers by giving our characters moments of tension that we all experience in our daily lives. For example: In your story, your protagonist absolutely must make a particular flight. But as writers, we are compelled to make things difficult. We torment him in all kinds of ways: He can’t find his car keys. The drawbridge he must cross to get to the airport is up and what seems to be the slowest boat in the world is passing through. He misses the shuttle bus at the long term parking by seconds. The TSA officer chooses the protagonist to pull out of line to perform a thorough and lengthy search of him. Haven’t we all had days like this?

In conclusion, I’d suggest look for a way to ramp up the tension in every scene, whether in a small or big way. There’s a little of us in most of our characters, even the villains. It’s only fair they share in our fears, frustrations, and worries.