Laurie London– an excerpt from her HQN Vampire series, prizes, and SPICED holiday joy!

Welcome Laurie London!

Is it February yet so we get to read Bonded by Blood? I can't wait! I'll have a contest for today at the end of the post. We have lots of fun stuff today. Bookmarks, a recipe, and an excerpt!

Laurie is announcing lots of fun stuff leading up to the release on her facebook page so go 'like' her and join the fun!

And a quick note from Laurie about bookmarks–

If you'd like a bookmark with

Laurie has already topped 50 people but said she will do no SASE for the readers here on my blog so put a note you saw the offer on my blog.



Email her your snail mail address to Laurie@LaurieLondonBooks.com after you 'like' her on facebook.

The holiday is all but here so why not settle down by the tree to Laurie's holiday Recipe?

Hot Buttered Rum

My family has been making this recipe for years. The kids get hot-buttereds, while the adults drink it with a shot of rum or whiskey. It's just the thing to take off a chill on a cold winter night. Poured into white ice cream cartons from a packaging store and paired with a pint of nice quality rum, it makes an elegant, yet easy gift for neighbors and friends. Each year, one neighbor eagerly awaits my hot buttered rum because they drink it on Christmas Eve when their family comes. Enjoy.

1 pound butter

1 pound brown sugar

Heat in a saucepan until smooth.

Stir in 1 quart of vanilla ice cream.

Pour into several storage containers and keep in freezer.

Add several large spoonfuls to a mug. Fill with hot water and a shot of rum. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Now that you're getting warmed up, we have an excerpt from Laurie's upcoming BONDED BY BLOOD. Get your copy here or visit Laurie's website for details to buy many other places!

About Bonded with Blood:

"Dark and sinfully sexy–I'm totally addicted."

Cherry Adair, New York Times Best Selling author

Excerpt:

The man lay on his back, half-hidden under the leaves and branches, his clothes covered in dirt. Given his disheveled appearance, he looked like a vagrant. But as Mackenzie raked her eyes over him, she noted his expensive-looking boots and pale blue dress shirt, and he, too, was wearing leather pants. Most definitely not homeless.

Torn and muddy, his shirt was unbuttoned, ripped open actually, revealing a dirt-smeared but well-defined chest. Some of his shoulder-length dark hair, tangled with bits of leaves and debris, seemed to be partially captured in a ponytail, but she couldn't be sure from this angle. His eyes, an electrifying shade of ice blue, pierced through her. She stopped a few feet away.

"What happened to you? Are you hurt?"

"I need…your help." His voice, slightly accented, was clearly laced with pain.

At that moment, the wind picked up and swirled at her feet as if urging her to move. The leaves around him danced on the air and settled slowly back to the ground. Stepping closer, she heard his sharp intake of breath. His eyes widened at first then narrowed to slits, and he shrank backwards into the leaves.

He couldn't be scared of her, could he? He was a tall man, athletic and powerfully built. Why would he be afraid of her?

"Stay away," he ordered. Given his condition, his forceful tone surprised her.

She didn't understand. Why the sudden turnabout? He clearly needed her help. He had to be hallucinating. How long had he been here anyway? Squatting down to appear less intimidating, she tucked her phone in her pocket and stretched out her hands like she would to a frightened dog. "It's okay. I won't hurt you. I can help."

Then she saw it. A hole in his mud-encrusted shirt. She hadn't noticed it right away because it was fairly small, the size of a quarter maybe, and he cradled his arm as if it were injured.

"Oh my God. Is that…blood? Have you been shot?"

As she sprang to his side, the last thing she remembered was the way his pupils suddenly dilated. Like a shark rolling back its eyes when it bites.

LOVE the excerpt. Did you guys? What do you think?

Okay so to win a gift pack with Sexy Beast 9, Wrapped in Seduction, Awakening the Beast and a holiday ornament — WHO IS your favorite vampire– in books or on television, and why?

Contest open until Thursday.

Quick update– CD envelopes being written out — will shoot everyone an email as they are mailed — we are late– I hope by Tuesday at the very latest. DH is driving to Texas to pick up his son when his son was going to fly, so we have been scrambling to take care of some prep for the holiday joy to come:) And tomorrow we have Jennifer Haymore visiting with a fun holiday post!

I will post the Olivia Cunning contest winner tomorrow. Looks like everyone had fun with that HOT SANTA!