Jaci Burton's Blog, page 36

Reviewer/Blogger ARC Winners

Just a heads up that the ARC Contest for Reviewers and Bloggers for THE HEART OF A KILLER has ended. I've randomly chosen from everyone who emailed me (thank you for the response!) and contacted all the winners individually to let them know their ARC is on the way to them.

If you weren't one of the winners, THE HEART OF A KILLER is available for review on NetGalley through MIRA Books.

I'll be back next week to do another ARC giveaway for everyone! So stay tuned and for those in the U.S., have a safe and fun Labor Day weekend!

Review Copies of THE HEART OF A KILLER

I have some ARCs of my upcoming October romantic suspense release, THE HEART OF A KILLER. I'd like to send to bloggers and/or reviewers who are willing to read the book before it's October 18 release and post your thoughts.

If you're willing to do that and you have a place to post your review, please do the following:

1. Email me at jaci AT jaciburton DOT com with THE HEART OF A KILLER REVIEW in the subject line.

2. I need the URL of where you intend to post your review. Note: I don't expect glowing positive reviews of my book. I just want your honest opinion.

3. I need the name and address of where you want the ARC sent. Can't mail it to you without it.

4. I'd like your review posted either prior to the book's October 18 release or during the week of the book's release.

I'll collect entries and pull names randomly on Wednesday, then we'll get the ARCs sent out asap.

This contest is open to international entries.

Void where prohibited.

Please don't post here in the comments section. You need to email me at the email address noted above.

Thanks!

Maya Banks "In Bed With A Highlander" Winners!

Thanks to everyone who commented for a chance to win Maya Banks IN BED WITH A HIGHLANDER! I loved reading all your favorite historicals! You've all added to my tbr pile now. Thanks for that.

I used random.org to select the two winners, and they are:

KAETRIN – Comment #106

and

JOWANNA – Comment #4

Congratulations, winners! I'll be emailing you shortly to get your mailing info.

As for the rest of you, be sure to buy IN BED WITH A HIGHLANDER! It's such a great book.

Maya Banks "In Bed With A Highlander" Giveaway!

NOTE: THE CONTEST IS CLOSED. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED!

If you follow me around here on my blog or Facebook or Twitter , you've heard me singing the praises of my good friend Maya Banks upcoming historical trilogy. I was lucky enough to get an advance read of this series, and it's nothing short of phenomenal. I don't read a lot of historical these days, but reading Maya's series has reminded me why I fell in love with romance by reading historicals.

In Bed With A Highlander is romantic and sensual, with a fierce highland warrior and a smart, brave, beautiful woman who stands as his equal. The storytelling is rich. There's danger, passion and deep emotional stakes that will keep you tied to the pages until the very end. I'm so excited the first book in this series releases next week that I'm going to give away two copies here.

In Bed with a Highlander

Maya's beguiling new trilogy features three unforgettable brothers risking everything to save their clan and their legacy—and surrender their hearts to love.

Ewan McCabe, the eldest, is a warrior determined to vanquish his enemy. Now, with the time ripe for battle, his men are ready and Ewan is poised to take back what is his—until a blue-eyed, raven-haired temptress is thrust upon him. Mairin may be the salvation of Ewan's clan, but for a man who dreams only of revenge, matters of the heart are strange territory to conquer.

Though the illegitimate daughter of the king, Mairin possesses prized property that has made her a pawn—and wary of love. Her worst fears are realized when she is rescued from peril, only to be forced into marriage by her charismatic and commanding savior, Ewan McCabe. But her attraction to her ruggedly powerful new husband finds her craving his surprisingly tender touch; her body comes alive under his sensual mastery. And as war draws near, Mairin's strength, spirit, and passion challenge Ewan to conquer his demons—and embrace a love that means more than revenge and land.

You can read an excerpt of In Bed With A Highlander here

To enter the contest to win the books, tell me your favorite historical romance. If you've never read a historical before, just tell me the last book you read. I'll draw the winners on Friday.

Contest is open internationally.

Must be 18 years old or over to enter.

Void where prohibited.

The Heart of a Killer Excerpt

THE HEART OF A KILLER will be releasing in October, so it's time to start talking about how I excited I am about my upcoming romantic suspense series!

I thought I'd pop a little excerpt up to tease you about this upcoming book.

Blurb and excerpt after the jump. You can also find another excerpt, along with preorder links here

Blurb:

No one said coming home would be easy. But for Dante Renaldi, it's murder.

Before the Special Forces hero has even unpacked his bags from twelve years of active duty, he's embroiled in murder—corpses bearing the brutal trademark he's seen only once before—on the worst night of his life.

The last time Detective Anna Pallino saw Dante Renaldi, they were in love. Now, he's part of the connection to a string of fresh homicides and a horrible assault Anna only survived thanks to him.

More than anything, Anna wants to trust Dante. But as the bodies and the coincidences stack up, Anna will have to decide, and fast: Is the man she owes her life to the very same one who wants her dead?

Excerpt:

She skirted around him and went into the living room, picking up empty beer cans. After she dumped them in the trash, she pivoted and he was right there behind her again with a stack of cans in his hand.

"Goddammit, Dante."

"What?"

"Quit sneaking up on me."

"You're a cop. I wouldn't think anyone could get a stealth drop on you."

Unnerved, she shoved him aside and went back into the living room. "Normally no one does. You've got ninja skills."

He laughed and slid onto the sofa next to her, stretching his long, lean legs out in front of him.

"Don't get comfortable."

"You don't have to work, do you?"

"No."

"It's still early." He stretched his arms over the back of the sofa.

She refused to notice the lean muscle of his forearms, or the dark hairs. Or his tan skin that made her want to ask where he'd been outside lately.

"I'm tired."

His grin irritated her. "I make you nervous."

"No, you don't." She leaned forward to pick up the pizza boxes.

"Anna."

He laid his hand on her arm and pulled her back. "Talk to me."

His touch had an effect on her. No man's touch did that. She hated that Dante's did. He was a closed-up mystery, a few pieces of a giant puzzle. She wouldn't ask him again where he'd been.

"We have nothing to say to each other anymore."

He swept her hair away from her face. She knocked his hand away.

Instead of being offended, he smiled. "I like that you're tough. It makes me worry a little less about you."

"You have no right to worry about me at all." She pushed off the couch and grabbed the empty pizza boxes, shoved them in the trash can in the kitchen. This time she knew Dante was behind her, her senses tuning to him. She put the lid on the trash and turned around.

He was so big. Big guys tended to freak her out, at least when they invaded her personal space. Caged between him and her kitchen counter, she expected the normal panic to set in. She took things with men slow and easy. Too much too fast and things took a nosedive.

But everything about Dante was familiar to her, from his scent to the color of his eyes to the way his skin felt under her hand. She balled her fingers into her fists to keep from reaching out to touch him, to find out if he still felt the same to her. She took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp scent of him. Her heart banged a hard rhythm against her chest, but this time it wasn't the familiar choking panic—it was something else entirely.

"I do make you nervous. I never used to do that."

"I'm not nervous. You're crowding me and it's pissing me off."

He took a few steps back, his brow furrowing. "You still freaked out about that night?"

"No."

"Anna."

"No." She walked past him, but he reached out and gently grasped her arm, pulled her against him.

Unlike other men—who she would have clocked for grabbing her—she melted against him. Dante's body was familiar to her. She couldn't help herself, she had to touch, to test her reaction. She slid her palms along his biceps. Hard muscle and soft skin eased across her hands, making her tingle in places that just flat out never tingled.

And he let her, this time not pushing to be the aggressor. He let her explore without moving in to take.

Men and her and relationships—yeah, that didn't go well. Maybe she didn't try hard enough. She put all her energy into her work and there was nothing left over for guys. Sex wasn't worth all the hype anyway. Quick release and out the door—that was her motto. It had worked well over the years for both her and the guys she chose.

When she was a hormone-filled teenager—before that night—and she and Dante had been filled with heat and desire for each other, then yeah, there'd been the promise of something incredible.

But all that had changed.

Now she was chest to chest, hip to hip, thigh to thigh against one solid wall of muscle, and she felt stirrings of something she hadn't felt in a very long time. Something hot and delicious, like her blood had just slowed down in her veins and begun a slow heat.

Her skin prickled with goose bumps, her breasts felt full and her nipples tightened. She jerked her head up and read flat-out desire all over Dante's face. He hadn't budged, wasn't moving his hands, but, oh, man, were there clear signals in his eyes.

She'd never been so tempted to take what was so obviously being offered, to lift her fingers and touch his mouth, to taste him, to forget everything and fall back twelve years and take up where they left off.

And she still had no idea who he was, where he'd been, or what his involvement was in the murder the other night.

In Some Great Company

I'm in some great company over at the Barnes and Noble Heart to Heart blog. The awesome Marisa O'Neill has chosen her top 3 books for August, and Changing The Game is one of them, along with awesome books by Maya Banks and Thea Harrison.

In her review of Changing The Game, Marisa says, "What makes this book a "keeper" for me is that underlying all the romance, sex, tension and baseball are two people who have spent their lives being strong and independent, but finally realizie that mistakes can be overcome, reaching out isn't a weakness, and being honest and open can bring good things like love."

Thank you, Marisa!

You can check out her full review here

And speaking of Barnes and Noble, Changing The Game is #1 on the Barnes and Noble Trade Romance bestseller list for the third week in a row! Thank you all so much for loving and supporting this book!

Also, I've read Maya Banks' upcoming historical series, and y'all, and they're nothing short of amazing. I highly recommend them. And I've heard nonstop buzz about Thea Harrison's series. I'm going to have to read them.

A Bargain Blast From The Past

As many of you know, and many of you likely don't, I got my start writing erotic romance for Ellora's Cave. All those books are still available, but this one is now on sale at the Ellora's Cave site for .99. Hell of a bargain!

Returning to hot, steamy, Magnolia, South Carolina, is the last thing Jordan Weston wants to do. The death of her grandmother and inheritance of the family plantation mean she can sell the land and make enough money to realize her dream—to open her own theater in New York.

But more than the weather sizzles in Magnolia. Jordan's forced to hire Sam Tanner to repair the old house. Jordan lusted after Sam in high school when he was the bad boy and she was the nerdy drama geek. He'd even kissed her once, firing up her adolescent fantasies, then laughed when she ran away. Though she tries to resist his considerable charm, Sam's not giving her any quarter. He's making it abundantly clear that this time she isn't going to run.

Under a scorching South Carolina sun, her resolve to remain impervious to Sam melts and she gives in to her desire. After all, why not engage in steamy sex with the bad boy of her dreams to while away her time in sultry Magnolia? When the project is finished, she'll go back to New York and forget all about Sam.

If only her heart would let go of foolish dreams.

~~~~~

You can read an excerpt here

My Weekend Project, and In The Spotlight

Over the weekend, Biker Dude and I hit Bed, Bath and Beyond and bought a few things to organize kitchen drawers and closets. Because woe was our organization.

I don't know about y'all, but periodically we'll organize drawers and closets (by periodically I mean every few years), and then over the years we'll toss things in said drawers and closets, making them a giant, cluttered mess. So eventually I cry uncle because I can't find anything in them. I mean I'll pull things out of the utensil drawer and have no earthly idea wtf that item is or what it's used for. That's when I know it's organization time.

The purging of the wtf was a true experience. Plastic and metal thingies that I had no idea were in the drawers. No idea what they were used for. Or items I hadn't used in years. Fortunately I'm not a hoarder and don't place much sentimental value onto things, unless it's something that once belonged to my mom. If I haven't used it in a year or two, I obviously don't need it. To the trash or giveaway pile it went. I'm a big believer in recycling, and I'm too lazy to hold a garage sale, so we give a lot away to Goodwill every year.

So we bought these drawer organizers. Expandable drawer organizers, so they expand and contract to fit the drawers. I'm not kidding when I tell you these things are amazing. Here's the one we bought for utensils, and here's the one we bought for general cutlery. *

I really should have taken a before picture, but here are the after photos:

(Pay no attention to the fact my silverware doens't match. Let's just say I'm…uh…eclectic)

Oh all the space, the neatness of it all! (It won't last)

Also…it's sad and pathetic this type of organization gave me so much pleasure. And if you think this is bad, you should have seen my bathroom closet. No-longer-used-prescription drugs and OTC stuff dating back to 2006. I wish I was kidding. Plus various expired shampoos and tanning lotions. The trash can was full. But now my bathroom closet rocks. And I found things in there I didn't even know were missing. Go figure.

That was my exciting weekend.

Also, today I'm an Author In The Spotlight at RT BookReviews, where I talk about Changing The Game. There's also an exclusive excerpt, in case you haven't read the book yet.

*Note: Bed Bath and Beyond doesn't know me. I'm not doing a product endorsement for them or for the utensil trays. For all I know these trays are sold at 25 other stores, or there are 10 other brands of expandable drawer trays just as awesome. I just happened to find these at BB&B and thought they rocked.

Changing The Game Hits The USA Today List!

I'm so thrilled to announce that CHANGING THE GAME made the USA Today Bestseller list!!

An author is only as good as the readers who buy her books, and books are an extremely competitive marketplace. I realize you have a choice of what books to purchase, and I can't thank you enough for choosing mine. I'm so touched and honored to have made this bestseller list. This means so much to me and it's all because of you.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

(And a big thanks to Maya Banks who gave me the late night phone call with the news once the list came out. You're the bomb diggity, babe and I love you.)

Awesomest Book Video Ever

Back when we were doing Operation Auction, my amazing friend Maya Banks bid on a book video to be designed by the ever so talented author Tessa Dare.

Tessa creates incredible videos using the toys in her children's bedroom. She created this video to highlight Maya's upcoming Highlander series. (The books are amazing, by the way). To say this book video is hilarious and epicly awesome is an understatement.

You don't want to miss it. I wonder if Tessa would create a video for me?