Tara Chevrestt's Blog, page 127

Tons of Prizes in October!

This month is my birthday and my anniversary and I have 4 books releasing, so it's going to be a great month for me.

I've decided to share the joy with a month of prizes. And it's really simple. You like a few FB pages, you follow my blog, la de da, you wrack up entries. But first, let me tell you what I'm giving away and why.

The grand prize is a Halloween goody bag. It glows in the dark! Inside, you'll find a pair of cool Halloween earrings, some lip balm, lipstick, and a cute nail file. Why all this beauty stuff? In honor of my end of the month release, Style Me Sexy, you can get yourself beautified! And that's not all you get...in honor of the witch anthology, Cauldron of Tales, you also get a cauldron of love... The anthology has some erotic tales in it and I've created a little cauldron to get you and that loved one you are spending the holiday with in the mood... It's full of kisses and tootsie rolls (get it??? LOL) and a very special surprise at the bottom! Please note, the cauldrons are not for children.

So, the grand prize is a goody bag, a cauldron of love, and an ebook copy of Taking it Too Far, Style Me Sexy, or Cauldron of Tales. You pick the book! Yay!

Four other lucky folks will be getting cauldrons of love and ebook of your choice from those three titles.



Seven people are getting cauldrons of love.

The contest runs for three weeks, allowing me enough time to get your prizes to you in time for the special day. United States residents only, please.

So...start entering, spread the word, and have fun!!!! And thanks to all!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Random Reading

Got an eclectic selection for you this week, a memoir, a police fiction, TWO women in aviation books...well, take a look for yourself and welcome back to Random Reading!

For those just arriving, here's the low down:

Some people do Libary Loot. Some people do Mailbox Monday. Me, I don't use the library. I have nothing against it; just hate having to read a book in a certain amount of time, and as for Mailbox Monday, I can't say most of my titles come in my mail. I buy them usually or get them via paperback swap.

And I find them the most random ways, these titles. But they all usually have one thing in common: STRONG, SEXY heroines!

So here's what I bought in the last week, scored via PBS, or added to my "to read" and the odd and random way I came across them. Hopefully, you will find some titles that interest you too! 



Credo's Legacy by Alison Naomi Holt. I originally read and reviewed the first book in this tough female police detective series...a year or so ago? I thoroughly enjoyed it, but a lot of time passed between books one and two and shame on me, I failed to keep my eye out for the next in the series after a while. Regardless, when the author contacted me about reviewing book two, I remembered my intense enjoyment of Credo's Hope, and said, "Hell yeah." :) Be watching for a review of this in October sometime, here on Book Babe.




Dirt in the Skirt by Pepper Paire Davis. Came across this title in the most interesting way. Facebook actually does work sometimes. LOL. I had posted about the movie A League of Their Own and how I have been unsuccessfully seeking a novel relating to it and never found one. Did anyone know of one? Friends and comments led to me searching baseball cards on ebay and I found this book. No, I didn't buy the forty dollar signed copy. I scored it on Amazon for my Kindle for 3.99. It's the story that inspired the movie!






Debonair Dyke by Roxy Harte. You won't be seeing this one on my blog, because I'm reading it for Sizzling Hot Books. The reivew will be posted there. Brought to my attention because I am now their f/f reviewer. Currently halfway through. It's incredibly different, shocking in parts, with a strong message though.






Suffragist Hellraiser by Sharon Margolis. I found this title when I did a suffragette search on Amazon. It appears to be a suffragist, a mystery, a romance in one. New author though, so I was a tad weary of the 3.99 price. It's on my wishlist for now. I'm def planning on purchasing it when I read some of the books I already have! Seriously though, love the title! Sounds right up my alley.






Forever Yours by Jackie M. Smith. WWII. Feisty female pilot joins the Royal Air Force. Will love stop her from going? Or will the war stop their love? I. Cannot. Resist. Added to my wishlist. If I bought every single book this week, oye! LOL Really hoping for an Amazon gift card for my birthday next month. *hint, hint, wink* Found it whilst doing one of my many Amazon searches. Woman, Air Force. I love the things I find!!! I swear some of these books were penned with me in mind!






The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin. I LOVED this woman's telling of little Mr.s Tom Thumb's tale. LOVED it. So when I ran across this in a Goodreads American Historical Fiction New/Upcoming releases thread, it promptly went on my to read and wishlist. I just may preorder this at hardcover price because it is certain to be excellent. I've read the author before. She's great, and this is a novel about Anne Lindbergh, wife to Charles and an aviator herself. She was a tough cookie, you know. Her own son was kidnapped from her, and she survived.






Overdrive by Chloe Cole. A conrom coming in January from Samhain. I've preordered this for my kindle because 1. the price is right. 2. Samhain has a good reputation and it's bound to be a good read. 3. It's a lady mechanic! That's strong is sexy. :) I came across this in the most interesting way. I saw a friend tagged on Facebook in a post by StudioSmexy. They have this great section in their photos that shows the before (when it was just two models) and the after (book cover made!) And that is how I found this book. :)





Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan. Was on the Amazon Vine newsletter. Woman spy. Cold war. A heroine that is a book worm and assigned to infiltrate a book club. I immediately nabbed this one. Promises betrayal, intrigue, and love. 






Shakedown by J. Gunnar Grey. Found this whilst browsing the publisher site for submission guidelines. As I contemplated sending my own work there (I did. Fingers crossed!) I couldn't resist the lure of a woman in uniform and of course, a dog. It's about PTSD, a serious issue I'm fascinated with and have wrote about myself and a dog. You all know my passion for dogs. And I don't know how much stronger a woman you can have than an Intelligence Officer and war veteran. Promptly purchased for Kindle.

More Good News

I need to announce my latest Sonia release on top of the good news I shared earlier...


My first stand alone f/f romance and menage is now available. I wrote this one on my own!! LOL

It was just released on Amazon today, but it was placed on the Secret Cravings website earlier this week. As always, likes and tags are appreciated. Also, always feel free to leave an honest review.


Natalie is looking at six really lonely months when she kisses her husband goodbye before he heads to the Middle East on a deployment. So when he suggests she seek comfort in the arms her sexy girlfriend, Mariah, and Mariah appears to be open to the idea herself, she does.A night of passion and peaches and cream body oil turns into a very close relationship, but when Natalie tells Chase in a letter what is going on, she discovers he was joking, and he is now afraid of losing her.How can she convince her husband that she can, will, and does love them both and will part with neither?

Good News!!!!

I'm pleased to announce that the lovely D.F. Krieger and I won best book award on LASR Erotic. I'd like to just take a moment to share this with you, readers.



The book is also up for Book of the Month Award. Follow this link to cast your much appreciated vote!

And if you'd like to read the review in question: Check it out!

Here's just a taste of it... "The plot development in this story was spot on. It was not predictable and each chapter was separated by character, so no issues of head hopping arose. The sex scenes were scorching and left me wanting this book to last for way more than fifty seven pages. The thing I enjoyed the most was the acerbic wit and the all-out real reactions from the characters. This was a one sit read that actually had me going right back to the beginning to start reading it again, I loved it so much. Authors Hightower and Kreiger have done an outstanding job of creating a character dynamic with a flair that really stood out as one of the best books I have read lately. "

And that is not my only good news... I won second place in a cover art contest!!!!!! Much thanks to Staci Perkins for designing my memoir art. So happy to be able to share this and much thanks to all who voted!

Honor Among Thieves by Amy Gaertner

A f/f romance, short story I picked up upon finding the publisher's site. Very attractive cover art, intriguing story line. A woman thief is undercover, working for a shady art collector, while planning to rob him one night and return the artifacts to the country they belong to. Meanwhile, a sexy reporter catches her eye, and she breaks all the rules to bed her, only to have everything go to hell...or does it?

One thing I'm really liking about the f/f romances I have been picking up is the fact there's a rarely a man swooping in to the save the day, but another woman! LOVE that.

It was well written with just the right amount of a suspense, keep me guessing moments. The sex was hot, though I could have done without the m/f part. Wasn't expecting it and was somewhat surprised.

All in all, it's a great treadmill book or before bed read. I enjoy picking up stories that tell you just what you need to know and don't natter on and on about irrelevant stuff. Four stars.

I bought this on Amazon Kindle.

Strong is Sexy Heroine of the Week

Hey authors & readers!

Readers, I'm starting a new feature that I hope brings new books featuring strong and sexy heroines to your attention every week!

Authors, every week, I want to feature a strong, sexy heroine from a different book. If you would like to be featured with your book, let me know.
I'd need a blog post from you telling me who the heroine is, what book she is in, and what makes her both strong and sexy. It can be "she's strong because she did this... she survived that..." It can be anything you want, as long as she's strong in some way.
And sexy, what is sexy about her? I'd like to make it about more than just nice legs, big tits, etc. Basically, I'm saying it's more than physical, whatever makes this heroine sexy. Her ability to take care of herself, of business, her persistence, something she does for others? You could even use an example from the book.
I'm going to be posting these every Thursday (sometimes Friday as I have blog tour dates scheduled and it's too late to change those), but only one a week so move fast and spread the word!
To kick this off, I'm going to feature one of my own heroines just this once.

My strong and sexy heroine is Margaret from Votes for Vixens.

She's strong because she takes no grief from anyone. She survived heartbreak, lies, and the loss of a baby. She's buried all her pain under a tough as nails exterior, but every now and then, someone gets past it...like Elizabeth. She has a kind heart despite her gruffness. Her weakness: fear of getting hurt, and she will push you away if you get too close.

She's sexy because she doesn't care what anyone thinks. She smokes, dances, drinks, and even when men attack her in the street, she raises the American flag and marches on. She marches for her right to vote in Votes for Vixens. And the sexiest thing about her...she makes others feel sexy too.

Which one is Margaret? The one smoking and wearing a suit, of course. Told ya she didn't care what others thought of  her. 

Blurb: Elizabeth is a small-town Kansas girl who has grown up under her domineering father's shadow. When she finds out that her father has denied her hand in marriage to the town's most eligible bachelor--a man she's long secretly desired--she snaps. Her father punches her for the last time. She realizes she has no future and with stories of suffragettes, women's rights, and voting in her head, vows to be free. 

She escapes to New York City where she meets Margaret. Margaret believes in the right to vote for women and engages Elizabeth to join in the National Women's Party activities.

Operation: Opera House is underway. In a month's time, President Wilson is due at the Metropolitan Opera House to give a speech. The NWP hopes that a peaceful protest will convince the president to gather congress in order to ratify the 19th Amendment.

As they prepare and plan, Margaret shows Elizabeth how to live and love. Under Margaret's sensual touch, Elizabeth begins to heal from numerous emotional wounds. But on March 4th, 1919, their "peaceful protest" becomes a riot on the streets of New York.

A riot ensues in Elizabeth's heart as well when her former flame shows up in the city…

Battle Dress by Amy Efaw

This was a great read for so many reasons. It's an intriguing look into life at West Point, what the cadets go through their first six weeks, the beat down they receive before they are built back up as new, stronger people. It seems just like a lot of yelling and degradation at first, but by the end, it made sense to me.

Andi comes from a very dysfunctional family. At first, she feels like she's stepped from the frying pan into the fire, but soon in the middle of being called a knucklehead and learning how to be a team with her squadron, she sees the light...and most important of all, she goes from being a follower to a leader. It was in her all along, she just didn't have the confidence to assert herself.

The book contained many LOL moments, but the strongest theme of all, at least to me, was becoming a leader and building confidence. In the beginning, Andi felt her family held her back. By the end, Andi realized she was holding herself back.

Lots of educational stuff. MREs, BDUs, obstacles, marching songs.. It's a fountain of information for anyone wanting to know more about basic training.

I have one complaint only...that we never see Andi take on her family again. There was one part where a higher up said that when they went home for the holidays, their own family wouldn't recognize them. I think that should have been a scene. I'd also like to know what the heck was wrong with her mother. LOL

Still, five stars. The book really impacted me.

I bought it in the store a while back.

With a Sword in My Hand by Jean-Claude van Rijckehem & Pat van Beirs

First of all, major thumbs up to the translator, John Nieuwenhuizen. I rarely enjoy translated books...Something gets lost in the translation and from previous experience, they become more telling than showing. Not so in this case.

The story really sucks you in, except for some odd moments where it prattles on about war, a battle, or a fairy tale. The heroine...def a strong one. I think much of the tale was preposterous. I had a very hard time really believing a young girl spoke to her king father the way she did and the bath house scene..oi.

It's a mixture of heartache and humor. The humor shocked me, but first the heartache... Marguerite's mother is the first sign of tragedy. She can't bear a son, and when she does, she goes insane. Marg must grow up without a mother...she becomes somewhat unruly. Her father and her are always on the outs.  She gets into a a ton of trouble, fights with boys, learns to sword fight, pelts men with dung, romps in bath houses... a tad preposterous considering the time, 1300s.

But it was enjoyable and funny. There were random bursts of LOL moments.

Chaplain von Izeghem also insists that all girls keep their ears covered when they enter the church, for it has been positively proven that the impregnation of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Ghost took place through her auditory canal. If you want to make the chaplain lose his place when he is reading the gospel, you just nee to pull your cap off and have a good poke around in your ear. 

"Well, if I put Godfried, Hendrik and you together, it occurs to me that you are the only one who has the manners not to break wind when I'm around. I think that's, let's say, knightly of you."

But all good things come to an end as Marg soon discovers when she's declared the fiance of the prince of the enemy England. At first he woos her, then she sees his acne and changes her mind. I began to dislike her around this point. As her father says, she has more whims than a dog has fleas, and at times she treats people appalling. She makes fun of Phillip and when Godfried comes back from pestilience ravaged towns, she cares not...until it's too late.

And tragedy again befalls her.

Told in the  present tense, but not one iota distracting. A strong heroine who stands up for herself. A major dose of humor. And, oh, one really does feel as though they are medieval days as they read this.

Five stars. I bought this via Book Depo a year ago.

New Releases

I've been rather remiss. I've been too busy talking about others' books and have failed to mention some of my own. Well, today, I'm celebrating the release of three. One title I should have mentioned a few weeks ago, but didn't. Oops. So today, I want to tell you about three Sonia books that are just released.

FemDocs is my self published baby. It's just too edgy for a publisher. I mean it is about women killing men via sperm banks. *looks around sheepishly*

It's the near distant future...and women are tired of being passive, of doting on men. It's time to put the cooking pots away.

A group of top-notch woman doctors plan to eliminate the male population one man at a time, luring them to sperm banks, using man's lust and greed against them.
By the time they are done, only the good, the kind-hearted, and the easily malleable will be left, allowing the women to form a new, respectful race of men.
 
But when one doctor falls for an agent, can she save him in time, or does it mean going against all she believes?

Available on Amazon, Smashwords, ARe, and Barnes and Noble.




The Publisher's Proposal is the sequel to The Submission. Those of you who enjoyed Katia and Sylvia may also enjoy Katia, Sylvia, and Ivy... What naughtiness is going down in the publishing world now? You can bet they are at the heart of it. Co written once again with the lovely D.F. Krieger. Be sure to check out her other works.

Sylvia must fess up her secrets to making her authors shine, but things go too far when Ivy, the publisher at Daring Desires Publishing, wants to use Katia as her own personal learning tool for BDSM. What ensues is a catfight between editor and boss, as both try to win over author Katia Lane.

Katia never expected BDSM to come up when she's invited to meet with the publisher for dinner, but sure enough, a ménage is in the making. What Katia can't understand is, if Sylvia asked her to come, why isn't the editor enjoying this too?

Available on Amazon, ARe, and Evernight.

Into the Crossfire is pretty edgy and controversial. It's a political f/f thriller with funny twists. It delves into brainwashing and what ifs. Co written with the talented Kelly Yeakle, it's now available on Amazon, Evernight, and ARe.

Sasha has never been one to follow the rules. Though society is changing around her, she refuses to give in. No one is going to take away her happiness. But as a cult takes over the government, places a president of their choice at the helm of the country, and changes all the laws to suit their whims, Sasha finds herself changing too...her heart anyway. And she finds herself forced to make a life-changing decision.

When she saves the timid Peyton not once, but twice from an overly aggressive boyfriend, they have no choice but to run from the law. While sparks fly and a political war ensues, Peyton must figure out who she really is: a woman with a mind of her own or a woman brainwashed?

And into the crossfire, they go...

Thank you for letting me share my own books with you. :)

Random Reading

This week is the second week of Random Reading, where I talk about books that came to my attention in the last week, how I found out about them, and why I bought/marked them.

For those that missed last week's, here's the 411:

Some people do Libary Loot. Some people do Mailbox Monday. Me, I don't use the library. I have nothing against it; just hate having to read a book in a certain amount of time, and as for Mailbox Monday, I can't say most of my titles come in my mail. I buy them usually or get them via paperback swap.

And I find them the most random ways, these titles.

So here's what I bought in the last week, scored via PBS, or added to my "to read" and the odd and random way I came across them. Hopefully, you will find some titles that interest you too!

First up, 




Bootleg My Heart by A.M. Westerling. I just happen to like this series, and I've signed up for the newsletter after having read a few of their titles and been impressed. So I heard about this in an email newsletter. Why I decided to buy it? It takes place in one of my favorite eras: prohibition. And how can I resist a heroine who runs an auto garage in those days? That just says STRONG to me. I immediately put this on my kindle.






Dead Body Language by Penny Warner. Deaf reporter with her own paper, a hearing aid dog, a TTY phone.... 'Nuff said. This is going on my to read and I bought the Kindle book at 99 cents. How did this series escape my attention when it was first pubbed in the 90s? I will never know, but I'm going to read it now. This is book one. I counted at least six while I was on Amazon. How I came across this? Every few months, I do a search on Amazon for "deaf woman" and see what books featuring deaf heroines have been released lately. And this was on my feed. I'm so excited.






The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano. Puerto Ricans. Revolution. Strong young girl. Latino history. Feels like another book written just for me! Even more interesting to me is that it takes place in NYC Barrio, 1969. That's my father's time and place...this could very well be a story of his, stuff he went through. It popped up in a goodreads ad. Who knew those things actually worked? It's on my wishlist. Kindle book was a bit high for me. Dying to get my  hands on this though.






Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. Spotted on Shelf Awareness. Been out for a while, but somehow slipped under my radar. On goodreads, many of my friends gave it five stars. It's about a man who used to be like a super hero in the sports world now confined to a wheelchair and a woman giving him a reason to live again. Sounds wonderful and touching. Promptly went on my wishlist.






In the Kingdom of Men by Kim Barnes. This landed in my mailbox. I had added it to my PBS wishlist when I found it on an upcoming historical fiction/women search on Amazon. It was one of those "I'll read it if I obtain it, but won't go searching for it books." Well, it's appeared so it's gone on my to read. It's the sixties, a young girl finding herself in an Arab land, and a mystery.






Moonshine Murder by Erin S. Gray. Popped up in an Amazon Prohibition search. I happen to like books from that era and periodically do a search for those. It's the author's first book from what I can tell and I'm not certain, but MAY be a YA. I say that due to the teacher's guide I found online. It's on my to read, but I haven't purchased it yet as I'm not sure if it's YA or not and YA hasn't been grabbing me lately. I'm interested, however, due to the era and the woman working undercover to crack a bootleg ring. That says strong woman to me! Waiting to see what reviews pop up.






The Last Honest Seamstress by Gina Robinson. I rarely even look at the Kindle freebie list anymore but in a moment of boredom, I did. Lovely cover caught my eye, but I feared it was Christian fiction at first. Upon closer inspection, the reference to those who liked The Dressmaker had me sold. I loved the Dressmaker! I immediately downloaded this historical romance onto my Kindle. We'll see what happens. :)






Spotted whilst doing a random historical women search on Amazon and it just happened to be free: Spirited Away: A Novel of the Stolen Irish. It's about Irish and African slavery. Apparently, Cromwell attempted to "cleanse" England by spiriting unwanted Irish off in boats. They were sold on plantations in the new lands. I didn't know that. This book is a historical fiction based on an ancestor of the author. I immediately put it on my Kindle.






Scent of Triumph by Jan Moran. A pleasant surprise found on the Freebie list. It just screams STRONG WOMAN. I THINK it may be about a real woman. I need to do some Googling. She loses her husband and son in the war (second one) and proceeds to make an amazing perfume. Blurb promises a story of courage, resilence, and spirit as she tries to gather her family again while navigating the glittering world of Hollywood and drama.