Tara Chevrestt's Blog, page 88

Tasty Giveaway & Spotlight: Desert Exposure by Robena Grant

She follows her gut—he follows the rules.
Rachel Copeland’s fearless spirit makes life an adventure. Yet when her grandfather goes missing, she finds herself embroiled in an undercover sting operation with a by-the-book detective. Their partnership should be a disaster, but the spark between them is far from boring.
Detective Michael Delaney is hot on the trail of a drug kingpin, and fears Rachel’s grandfather may be involved somehow. That doesn’t mean he’s ready to accept Rachel’s help, though. Despite her sharp intuition, she’s an ordinary citizen and he shouldn’t risk her safety. But as they work together, his respect for her grows…and so does his attraction.

Stolen cameras, a criminal seeking revenge, a cabin at the Salton Sea, and one fluffy white dog make for a complicated case. Can Michael find Rachel’s grandfather and solve the case in time? Or will Rachel’s impulsive spirit get them both killed?

 Excerpt
"Oh, dear God--"
Rachel didn't look back. If she was about to die, she didn't want to see the bullet coming. Another burst of gunfire sounded. A bullet lodged in a tree trunk above her head. She squashed the backpack against her chest, keeping Ralph in place, and pumped her legs hard to get over the slight rise.
Once down the other side, she darted through a field of date palms and got to the old truck, which she'd parked off the main drag. Opening the truck door, she slid into the seat and shoved the key into the ignition. With a quick gasp for air she tossed the backpack onto the floor of the truck. Slick with sweat and trembling with fear, her fingers shook as she turned the key in Grandpa's old truck.
"Please start. Please start." It leaped into action. She yanked on the zipper of the windbreaker, and let Ralph out onto the seat. He ran to the open window and barked."Shh, Ralph," she whispered. "Good boy. Lie down."
There was no sign, or sound, of movement. She pressed the accelerator hard. The truck roared across the unsealed track, and out from under the cover of tall date palms like a raging bull released from a rodeo pen. She headed for the highway and toward the safety of Grandpa's cabin.
"Oh, hell, oh, hell...oh, hell," she said, and tried to slow her panic.
The empty camera case still hung around her neck and it bumped against her chest. Pulling the strap over her head with one hand, she gripped tight to the steering wheel with the other, and then shoved the case on top of the backpack.
I risked my life for a freakin' camera?


Author InfoRobena Grant writes contemporary romance about ordinary women who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. Travel and discovering new places brings her great pleasure, and she often includes travel locations in her stories. She is Australian by birth, and now lives in Southern California. Robena may be contacted at: www.robenagrant.com where she blogs weekly, or follow her on Twitter and Facebook
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Strong is Sexy Heroine of the Week: Claire Simons

Book: Forget Me Not
Author: Nina Blake
Heroine: Claire Simons

What makes my heroine strong? It’s the C word – compassion. In Forget Me Not, the heroine Claire Simons has the strength to show compassion for Stefan, the man who loved her and left her. She puts herself in his shoes and imagines what life is now like for the man who has lost his memory. Claire has to help Stefan. There's only one option for someone who is as caring and compassionate as she is.

What makes Claire sexy? Another C word – confidence. If she didn’t have strength and confidence, she couldn’t be selfless enough to help her ex through his hardest days. And nothing is sexier than confidence.

Blurb:
For fans of the sweet, emotional reads of Susan Wiggs and Kat Martin, an unconventional reunion story that about love, hope, and forgiveness.

Claire and Stefan’s marriage was over. They’d been estranged for six months, living in separate apartments, leading separate lives. Until an unknown accident leaves Stefan with no memory of who he is, what he wants, and the wife he left behind.

Claire’s compassion leads her to caring for Stefan. Though he is back to being the thoughtful, affectionate man she fell in love with, she can’t let herself get too involved. The instant Stefan’s memory comes back, he’ll remember who he was and what he really wants – and it’s not Claire.

Or is it?


Are you an author with a strong heroine in your book? Want to see her featured? Find out how here.

There's Good and Bad in All Walks of Life. A Guest Post About Ignorance, Suspicion, and Travellers Beneath Irish Skies

Credit goes to Corbis ImagesPlease welcome the new Choc Lit Publishing team, Isabella Connor (pen-name of Val Olteanu and Liv Thomas), as they talk about Irish Travellers, the prejudice against them, and writing Beneath an Irish Sky, their new book.

I'd like to note...I did not know the difference between Gypsies and Travellers until Liv told me. Gypsies are descended from Romanies and may also be Jewish. Travellers are Irish. There is a difference, many actually. 

Travellers are a very close society. It isn't easy to find someone who will open up to you, and initially, we did use a lot of poetic licence in order to get the story underway.

Libraries were the first port of call, before we turned to the internet. Google was useful, as were Facebook and Twitter, and we were able to verify a lot of things thanks to a couple of very helpful Travellers, who were quite fascinated - and surprised - that we'd written a book with an Irish Traveller as the main protagonist. One actually said, "You're brave." That wasn't something we'd thought at the time, but the more we delved into the subject, the more we realised that feelings really can run very deep. We were told at one point, by a professional writer, that our book would anger people who'd had problems with Travellers, and could we not change it.

Well, as shocked as we were, that idea was never an option. There's no doubt that there are issues between Travellers and the settled community, but how much of that is down to ignorance and suspicion - from both sides? We can all get uptight about the damage and the mess left behind when Travellers leave a site - but the truth is, there's filth and damage everywhere, not just from Travellers. Of course, they're not totally innocent, but nor are they, as a community, as black as they're painted. It's an old cliche, but there really is good and bad in all walks of life.

Talking to Travellers, has been an eye-opener. We won't pretend to be experts - we're not, by a long way. Our knowledge is still very limited. We know what we needed to know for the book, and we may have made mistakes in which case, we will plead poetic licence! What we do know is that the subject has become very dear to our hearts and there's so much more we want to learn. This old culture is fascinating, but in danger of being suffocated by modern day pressures instead of being allowed to flourish. Both Travellers and the settled community can learn from each other, but both need understanding and respect.

All we can say is, our limited experience with the Travelling community has been a positive one, and we feel richer for it. There's far more to them than Big Fat Gypsy Weddings.


Blurb:
Jack Stewart thought he'd put the past behind him. On the surface, he has everything success, money, a big house and he is never short of an attractive woman by his side, but a tragic road accident shatters Jack's world.

Raised as an Irish Traveller, Luke Kiernan hasn't had it easy, and when he wakes in a Dublin hospital to find the man he's hated since childhood at his bedside, he's hungry for revenge.Two very different worlds collide, bringing new dangers, exposing past deceits, and unearthing dark family secrets buried long ago. But from tragedy springs the promise of a fresh start with two women who are intent on helping Jack and Luke mend their lives.

Can new love heal old wounds, or are some scars there for good?

About the Authors:
Liv Thomas lives in England. Val Olteanu lives in Canada. They met on a Tolkien fan forum and decided to write a novel together. Despite living some 4,700 miles apart (and with an 8-hour time difference), they succeeded in producing their debut novel, ‘Beneath an Irish Sky,’ which is now available as eBook and paperback. They write under the pen-name of Isabella Connor and are already deep into co-authoring their second novel.

How Rejections and Revisions Made Patricia Borroughs a Better Writer

The first time I wrote Jeff and Cecilia's story, she had three boys. Jeff was a lawyer. Jeff spent the entire book chasing her, trying to woo her. The book almost sold but didn't, for which I am forever grateful.

No. Really.
That was the first book I ever wrote and for all of its charm (and it did have charm) it had problems, as well. I'll never forget the telephone call from the editor. The Call. Everyone had told me, a letter is a rejection. A phone call is YES! [This was long before email was on the horizon.]
Of course I would be the exception to the rule. Of course. So I got The Call. The Call where the editor told me she was not going to buy my book. ["Only you," my writer friends said. "Only you."] She'd been struggling to figure out what to do with it She loved so much about it, but it had so many problems. She finally decided she needed to turn it down but would send me a lengthy revision letter if I was interested. I was.
I was so excited. All I could think was--the first place I sent it almost bought it; this book may sell!

It didn't. And again, I am so grateful for several reasons. First, because if it had sold, it would be out there somewhere and I would be cringing every time somebody said they'd found it and bought it. I'd be buying all available copies so that people wouldn't see all the horrible beginning mistakes a baby-writer-pooks could make and did make.
But worse--I would have thought I sold my first book with all its problems because I deserved to. Because I was That Damned Good. And I'm very afraid I would never have learned and grown as a writer. Rejections made me work harder, fight harder, and finally get good enough to sell.  Without that experience, that frustrating, back-breaking, heart-breaking experience, I shudder to think how little my writing would have evolved.
How badly did I need to learn that lesson? So badly that I hadn't even held onto the lengthy revision letter. Oh, I hadn't tossed it with the arrogant assumption I didn't need it. But I hadn't prized it and held onto it and studied it, either. And by the time I needed it, I'd lost it.
Time passed and I eventually sold two books. But Cecilia's story was still in my heart. I pulled it off the shelf and reread it, and this time, I saw all the problems. I still loved her, but I had to rip her story apart.
It has been said, figure out what's the worst thing you can do to a character and then make it happen.Cecilia with a lawyer? Meh. Boring. But Cecilia with the bouncing checks falling for a CPA?  Cecilia with the chaotic household of kids and pets falling for a guy who never has a hair out of place and is allergic to kids? Suddenly, this was getting interesting.
And then there was the fact that I had three boys, and now that people were actually buying my books, they were going to see that I'd written about three boys, and assume any embarrassing thing in my book was about my boys. Not fair. Time for a sex change. The youngest became a girl.
The plot changed, too, big time.  So when I say I pulled the first book I wrote off the shelf and rewrote it, I am not kidding.
Many years later, here I am, having just done another re-edit of her story. To bring it out in ebook. I just couldn't leave it alone. You might assume that a book that has been edited before, bought and traditionally published, could be left alone. And I tell you, I try to leave them alone, because it's hard to start tweaking without ending up doing something more like a true rewrite, and that is madness. But Cecilia's story had so many pop culture references, I just didn't see a way not to update it.
First, one of the other writers at Book View Café [Jennifer Stevenson] did a beta read of the scanned manuscript. [I no longer had a digital copy.] She gave me notes where the sex terms were dated. Where I probably should mention condoms. [I only mentioned them once. I hope that doesn't annoy people. I am hoping that these are two careful people will mean the reader assumes they continue to be careful. No? Bad choice? Please let me know in comments!
But I especially had to update the music Jeff and Cecilia listened to in high school, the baseball, basketball and soccer players Cecilia and her kids follow. And guess what. For me, it made the book better. This Cecilia grew up in the age of the great divas, so her own music would have been shaped by listening to Mariah, Whitney, Janet and Madonna. I can't begin to imagine her teenaged dreams of stardom.
Then I had two proofreaders who caught things that my beta and I didn't catch.  Details, details, details! 
Thanks to Lauri Weaver and Barb Tarbuck for diving in at the last minute to help me out.
I think this is the last revision for Cecilia.
Maybe I finally got her story right. 
It took me long enough.
Thank you, Tara, for inviting me to write about my various revision efforts! I love your blog and am honored to be here!
Patricia Burroughs has four backlist romances available as ebooks at Book View Cafe [.epub and .mobi, no DRM] and on Amazon, with one more to come. In Spring 2014, she will be back in printagain with a new book, this one a fantasy, details to be announced soon! You can follow Pooks on Facebook and Twitter.

Penumbra by Carolyn Haines

This was a mixture of mystery, horror, and historical fiction. Def. unique. It's ugly, dark, and suspenseful. My heart actually pounded double throughout the last quarter.


It's about how selfishness and greed destroy a person...how karma can get you...how sometimes love causes pain.

Jade is half white, half black. Her adopted father is the chauffeur/handyman for a wealthy white woman--her real mother. He's been in love with the witch for all his life...and his wife knows it, so Jade has been taught to never love, as it only leads to heartache. Her adopted mother loves her father, who loves the white woman, who doesn't love him back. It's a mess. So it's no wonder she has doubts about allowing herself to love Frank, the white deputy.

Meanwhile, people are being beaten up, raped, and chained in cabins around town. A girl is dead. Her father doesn't seem to care. A campsite of evil, depraved loggers is nearby with a chained up, naked woman...

With each page, I was not only immersed in history (5 cent cheese and cracker, 2 dollar gas...the clothing, the songs, the cars), but I felt the edge of a nasty darkness on each page...I knew bad things were about to happen.

This is real, solid literature. It scares you, makes you think, makes you fret, worry, and it doesn't  end with a cheesy, predictable HEA. Matter of fact, I hate the ending. HATE it. Oh, not because there's no HEA--that wasn't possible--but the heroine I liked so much throughout the book lost all my respect on the very last page. After generations of slavery and servitude, she has the chance to break that mold and becomes a slave instead. That's all I'm going to say. It totally disgusted me and that's why I'm not giving it a five. Oh--and well, I found some of the characters just plain dumb at times. I mean, your friend has been raped and left for dead and you still don't lock your doors????? Um... Also, the romance came out of nowhere. It was literally just two people staring at each other on a porch and suddenly they're tearing each other's clothes off. Though by the end, I was totally rooting for them.

Despite that stuff, I really enjoyed this story. I had a hard time putting it down. It's also very well-written. I'll be looking for more of this author's work.

Frank seeing dead people--really awesome twist.

Four Sexy Songs for Four Sexy Stories

The Napa Valley Naughties...are exactly what their series' title implies. They're naughty. Each story introduces readers to a cast of characters getting it on and indulging in their desires in Napa Valley. They're all somehow tied to Vespera's Vineyard...where magic happens.

And I'd say some magic is going on in the following music videos, some of the sexiest videos/songs ever made in my lifetime--in MY opinion.


From Michael Jackson's In the Closet,




It's Just A FeelingYou Have To Soothe ItYou Can't Neglect ItYou Can't Abuse It
The heroine of Ladies Uncorked realizes she's got a feeling that isn't going to go away if she doesn't soothe it, and the feeling only increases as her weekend getaway with her friend Nicole continues...until she finally does agree to make use of that large bed and the willing tour guide.

For Grapes of Lust, Aerosmith's Flesh is a hard one to compete with as Celia and Nicholas turn their grief into a night of passion. There's no doubt desire rules.

The prince of lust has met his match The witch has brewed her baddest batch His sword is sharp and hard as stone Her cauldron begs for one more bone



In Merlot & Men, I imagine Charmaine listens to TLC's Red Light Special when she's in the mood for a tune. After all, she'd def a chick that knows what she wants and who she is. She's also a tad controlling and I can see her telling Dominic and/or Logan to take the "southern route".

Take a good look at itLook at it nowMight be the last time you'llHave a go round

Yea, it may be the last time. After all, she's only there for the Regional Wine Competition...


Talinda in Fine Like Wine has had the hots for Vespera for a long time. Janet Jackson's If says it all.

How many nights I've laid in bedExcited over youI've closed my eyes and thought of usA hundred different ways


If Talinda was Vespera's girl...the things she'd do to her... Maybe she'll get that chance.

My Ever-Growing TBR List 8/3/2013

After reading a book called Wildlower Hill by this author, every single title by her promptly went on my wishlist and to read. However, one of them cannot be found in the States. Grrrr. Cross your fingers for me and hope I nail a copy one of these days, will ya?


Gold Dust by Kimberley Freeman. (This is the one I can't find) In Cold War Leningrad, Sofi and her cousins Natalia and Lena hope for a different life for themselves. Their dreams of the West – of fame, wealth and beautiful things – sustain them through creeping poverty, the long shivering winters and the loss of their fathers. When the fall of the Soviet Union brings them new opportunities, the three girls decide that they will stop at nothing to make their dreams come true.

Each woman grasps at a new life in Europe and, for a while, it seems fortune has smiled on them. But gradually, things unravel as reality fails to live up to their teenage dreams.

Sofi’s life in a small village in rural France is idyllic, but her husband is remote and cool. Natalia shines on the red carpets and at the fashion shows of London, but her success is precariously reliant on another’s whims. Lena has two beautiful children and a loving husband, but in her mind her sister casts too long a shadow, and she becomes obsessed with the past.

Dissatisfactions prompt jealousies, rivalries and betrayals. As their relationships splinter, none of them is aware of a dark figure from their Russian years, and the bad luck that still lies in wait for them…


***

Duet by Kimberley Freeman. A story of passion, greed, secrets and lies. Present day: A reclusive woman living in outback Australia receives a letter acknowledging a terrible secret from her past. Thirty years before, she stole another woman's life. From the moment the letter is opened two women are on a collision course with destiny. From the London pop scene, to the opera stages of Europe; from a tiny Greek island, to a stifling manor house full of secrets and deceptions; from the sun-drenched Queensland coast, to the silent outback; Angela and Ellie are two women both looking for something. One in search of her identity and her memory; the other in search of the love that she had and lost; theirs is a duet whose last note will not be sung until the heart-stopping climax, when a shadow from the past returns to claim them both.


***
Lighthouse Bay by Kimberely Freeman. From the author of Wildflower Hill, this breathtaking novel travels more than a century between two love stories set in the Australian seaside town of Lighthouse Bay.

In 1901, a ship sinks off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The only survivor is Isabella Winterbourne, who clutches a priceless gift meant for the Australian Parliament. This gift could be her ticket to a new life, free from the bonds of her husband and his overbearing family. But whom can she trust in Lighthouse Bay?

Fast-forward to 2011: after losing her lover, Libby Slater leaves her life in Paris to return to her hometown of Lighthouse Bay, hoping to gain some perspective and grieve her recent loss. Libby also attempts to reconcile with her sister, Juliet, to whom she hasn’t spoken in twenty years. Libby did something so unforgivable, Juliet is unsure if she can ever trust her sister again.

In these two adventurous love stories, both Isabella and Libby must learn that letting go of the past is the only way to move into the future. The answers they seek lie in Lighthouse Bay.

Can you tell I really really liked the book I read by her this week? LOL


***
This one I spotted on Amazon in some book's "People also bought" list...I added it to my wishlist. Even though it's Christian fiction, the premise is SO intriguing... a bunch of women running a ranch. I like cowgirl books. Nice change. Seems usually it's a man that's a cowboy and a ditzy woman who just loves him but can't rope a cow to save her life.

Cowgirl Trail by Susan Page Davis. Cowgirl Trail is part of a six-book series about four generations of the Morgan family living, fighting, and thriving amidst a turbulent Texas history spanning from 1845 to 1896. Although a series, each book book can be read on its own.In 1884 Maggie Porter returns to the Rocking P Ranch. The sanatorium was not able to save her mother and now her father's health is failing. When the cowboys walk off the job leaving no one to drive the cattle to market, head ranch hand, Alex Bright, cannot convince the men to stay. How could Alex let this happen?
Maggie is desperate to save the ranch and she turns to the town's women for help. The new cowgirls must herd, rope, and drive the cattle to market. With only two days left, outlaws charge the small band of cowgirls in an effort to start a stampede. The cattle begin to scatter. Will they lose everything? Where will their help come from?


***
I found this title through Twitter...Every Wednesday I see what women writers are up to by following the hashtag #wwwblogs. The author of this title actually went and took flying lessons in a Cessna to make sure she wrote her flying scenes right!!! While I'm not sure the heroine in the story flies, this still went on my wishlist.


Sparks Fly by Cheryl Cooke Harrington. What happens when a thoroughly modern woman, longing to return to her roots, meets an old-fashioned hero on her first day home? Sparks Fly. And it doesn't take a forest fire, smoldering in the distance, to turn up the heat between high school science teacher Logan Paris and bush pilot Mitchell Walker.

Logan's dream of a bright future for her grandfather's lodge at remote Thembi Lake hits an unexpected snag when Gramps introduces the handsome pilot as his new partner. It seems that Mitch has plans of his own for Casey Lodge, and Logan is certain they don't include a partnership with a "city girl." Determined to prove herself and protect her heritage, Logan sets out to unravel the many mysteries of Mitch Walker. Where did he come from? Why is Gramps so willing to trust him with the future? And most disturbing of all ... what's she going to do about the undeniable attraction she feels whenever he's around?


***
I got a review request for this and hope to acquire it to feature on Book Babe. Return of the Heroine by Kaye Michelle. I've always been fascinated by Joan of Arc and this has a modern-day military girl twist.


For Joan of Arc, it was about surviving in a man's world. Nearly six hundred years later, at West Point, not much has changed.

One of the greatest heroines of all time returns and reveals the wisdom she received from Archangel Michael. "When you dare to commit to your deepest desires, your heart grows to accommodate the task at hand, no matter how daunting," Archangel Michael advises Joan of Arc before she embarks on a mission that will change the course of history. With only eleven days left to live, she must take yet another leap of faith, surrender to the guidance of Archangel Michael, and set the record straight to ensure those in the future know the truth.

Her legacy reaches across the veil of time to awaken the heroine in all women. And for one twenty-first-century woman, Jane Archer, a West Point cadet, it means finding the courage to expose a cultural crime that has been disempowering women for centuries. In the process, she must learn to trust her own inner guidance.

***
And here we have two FREEBIES. At this time , they are still free. Go download em.

Chick Flick by Deryn Warren. I like the whole women getting revenge thing.


The funniest book about heartbreak you will ever read. Sometimes a single sentence can change your life. "There's been an accident." "We need to talk." Or, in the case of Sara, a mother of four getting ready for a dinner party she's hosting for her husband's boss, the almost offhand admission from her husband that he's having an affair. Sara is a film director (when she can get the work), and when her life becomes overwhelming, she slips into a cinematic world in her head. The novel becomes a script with Sara its star - an action hero drop kicking the other woman, or crawling across a table at a dinner party to slash her husband's cheek. It's her mental escape when life runs off the rails. But soon her awkward, awful and often hilarious attempts to patch up the marriage make her real life feel something like a movie - one with a private detective, cold revenge, and eventually . . . handsome new leading men. Each chapter is named after one of the old films from the 40's and 50's - the ones where the villains are punished and everyone lives happily ever after.

***
Live from the Road by P.C. Zick. I used to drive on Route 66 everyday when I lived in OK. This caught my attention. Made me think of Thelma and Louise.


Meg Newton and Sally Sutton seek a change in the mundane routine of their lives. “Is this all there is?” Sally asks Meg after visiting a dying friend in the hospital. That’s when Meg suggests they take a journey to discover the answer. Joined by their daughters, they set off on a journey of salvation enhanced by the glories of the Mother Road. Along the way, they are joined by a Chicago bluesman, a Pakistani liquor storeowner from Illinois, a Marine from Missouri, a gun-toting momma from Oklahoma, and a motel clerk from New Mexico. Meg, mourning for her dead son, learns to share her pain with her daughter CC. When Sally’s husband of almost thirty years leaves a voice mail telling her he’s leaving, both Sally and her daughter Ramona discover some truths about love and independence.

I'll Read it When I'm Darn Good and Ready!

First of all, let me say, I've been on both sides of this fence. 

As an author, I understand your anguish. Just in the month of April alone, I was in charge of sending out review copies for HerStory. I sent out a good twenty. It's now August and I've only seen three of those reviews.
I figure, okay, maybe they didn't like it and just didn't want to post a crappy review. Fine. Though I'm not anti-bad review. Frankly, I don't think a book looks very legit if it has nothing but 5-star reviews. I wonder if the authors paid or bribed folks to get them.
But what good will it do me to email those reviewers every single day and harass them? "When are you going to read my book? I need a specific date!!! Have you read my book yet? When are you going to post a review?"
I have over 200 books on my Kindle. I LOVE reviewing them, but sometimes, SOMETIMES, I LIKE TO JUST SIT DOWN AND READ WHAT I DARN WELL FEEL LIKE WHEN I DARN WELL FEEL LIKE. So lay off, authors!
Do NOT send me harassing me emails everyday nagging me. If I say, "I should have a review in September", take that. Do not send me two emails hint dropping that you want one sooner. Do not email me five times asking me for a specific date in September. I don't know! I haven't read it yet! What if I hate it and can't finish it? You want a one-star on Book Babe?
If I don't feel I can give it at least a three, you're going to get an email from me that says, "I didn't like your book because....I can't give it a three. Do you still want a review on Book Babe?"
I've never had an author say YES to the bad review. So the bad review goes up on Goodreads only and I get on with my life.
The more you harass me, the less I want to read your book. And that is all I have to say.

A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison

This was an incredibly suspenseful read and a bit different from my usual fare. It follows a man mostly, one that I didn't like some of the time, but I was still hooked on the story as he goes from the U.S. to India to France searching for a sex-trafficked girl who lost her parents in the tsunami.


I found this eye-opening. I've know there was sex-trafficking, but all the people knowingly involved...how easy it is to get away with exploiting these girls...shocked me. It's not a pleasant read as we're subjected over and over to the nasty, disgusting sexual impulses of men. Can't they control themselves??? Really? Everyone was a horny bugger--even the hero himself. In his defense though, the women offered themselves. He isn't a rapist, just a very confused married man.

The narrative goes back and forth between the lawyer/hero, Thomas, and the two girls who have lost their parents and been sold into servitude against their will. Threats keep them compliant and every time one attempts escape, she ends up running right into the arms of bad people again. From one pimp to another, from drug trafficking to France to strip clubs in New York, one girl especially can't seem to catch a break.

This was really really suspenseful, like "can't put it down 'cause I have to know what happens next" suspenseful. It's also very well written. The side story with the guy's failing marriage, however--I could take it or leave it. It didn't do anything for me or feel necessary. I also found it frustrating that twice one of the girls escapes, only to run straight into another bad person...I mean, not a soul willing to help her? Is the world that horrible a place?

But I recommend this if you want a dose a reality, a look at India, an eye-opening and shocking account of the plight of young girls facing this lifestyle, and entertainment. It have everything but romance, really, which is fine with me. I found the India law especially interesting and surprising. It serves as a reminder just how good we have it in the States. Sometimes we need to be reminded.

Strong is Sexy Heroine of the Week: Evie Thompson

Book: Red Moon
Author: M.A. GrantHeroine: Evie Thompson
Evie Thompson has this habit of getting under your skin slowly. She appears reserved and unobtrusive, but it didn’t take me long to figure out that the woman has a backbone of steel. She is like the women in my life for whom I have the most respect - there is a quiet strength to her, one that rises to attention in those darkest moments because she is the rock you cling to when your world is falling apart. I was blessed that she decided to talk to me and let me share her story.
Evie introduced herself at a party, pale face staring down at her unpainted fingernails, realizing that her every flaw was laid bare in that moment. She’d lost herself for years while trapped in an abusive relationship. I adored her the moment she “faced that tired reflection, staring herself down, searching desperately in the depths of her soul for some sign, some spark that she was still there. That Evie still existed. Slowly, as if unsure it could be done, her reflection carefully raised a hand in the mirror before extending a delicate-pink tipped finger in a distinctly unladylike universal gesture.” She left Trevor behind the next day, and caught a flight to Alaska where she would start a new chapter of her life.
She started fresh, with a new career and new goals. And although she’d sworn off men until she found some inner peace, her first encounter with Flynn Sinclair left her reeling from physical attraction. She was wary about letting another man into her life.
In Flynn’s case, it was unwittingly wise to take it slow - he was a werewolf, a former pack enforcer, and up to his eyeballs in familial turmoil. Unfortunately, he also fell desperately in love with her intelligence, her sense of humor, and her unwavering loyalty. She was his role model, teaching him how to confront his demons and live out his personal moral code. She was clearly his perfect woman, and he wouldn’t give up on his hope to find a life with her. It wasn’t until Evie recognized these qualities in herself that she was able to accept Flynn’s love and make the life she’d always dreamed of.


Blurb:Dark, moving and original, a story of family, survival, and getting on with life...
Flynn Sinclair understands pack loyalty — for years as his Alpha father’s enforcer, he has done things in the name of duty that he can’t ever forget. But the vast expanse of Alaska offers him a peace he’s never known. Alone, removed from pack life, he can focus on his research and try to forget his life before.
But duty has a way of inviting itself in, and Flynn finds himself doing two reckless things in one week: leaving the safety of Alaska to save his brother Connor’s life, and unwittingly falling in love with Evie Thompson, a woman who doesn’t deserve to be drawn into his terrifying world.
Connor carries news of their father’s descent into madness, and it looks like neither geography nor Flynn’s attempts at disengagement will put off a confrontation. Flynn had finally begun to believe that he might deserve something good in his life — something like Evie — but to move forward in the light, he must first reconcile with the dark.
Excerpt:                And then Flynn caught that scent. Vanilla and amber, clear as day. He followed it out the aisle, completely unaware and uncaring whether Connor followed or not. He traced it toward the back of the store, past the furniture and books, and found himself standing on the edge of a small crowd near the cooking section.                 “Serve it with your fresh rice, and presto! A simple, healthy, filling meal for a fraction of the cost.”                Hearing the rich, full voice instantly shot Flynn back to the gas station. Even though he couldn’t see her, he was positive this was her, his girl. He could hear the murmurs of people as they were given food samples, noticed the crowd thinning. The man in front of him moved forward to get a sample, and Flynn caught his breath.                 There she was, just like she had been at the gas station. Only this time, instead of looking flustered and nervous, she seemed perfectly calm and composed. He could see her curves under the store uniform and apron as she reached to hand out samples, took in the length of her pale neck and the delicate taper of her jaw. Her full lips moved as she smiled and chatted, quirking in the corner as her cooking partner, a pretty redhead, made a joke.                 Look at me, Flynn willed. Look at me.                Dark eyes turned, looked out at the crowd one more time, that cursory glance catching his. Her eyes widened and the warm wave of her scent, mingled with the sharp wood smoke smell of anxiety, crashed over Flynn.                     He stood absolutely still, hoping he didn’t scare her away, taking in every detail, down to the smear of teriyaki sauce on her right glove. He slowly toured her body with his eyes and when he finally looked back up to her face, he noticed that she had been watching him intently. She stared right back at him, meeting his challenge. The wolf inside snarled its approval. And then her scent shifted, the smokiness fading and in its place...a blooming of sandalwood, of...arousal?



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