Virtual Book Blast: Bite Me For Christmas by Megan Slayer

 Good morning everyone! Please welcome back author Megan Slayer!  It's always exciting to see what she's been up to! This time it's Bite Me For Christmas. Intriguing title, don't you think? Megan will be awarding a prize pack featuring a necklace made by her to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on her tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!

 

Bite Me for Christmas

by Megan Slayer

 

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GENRE: Contemporary Erotic Paranormal Romance (Holiday)

 

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BLURB:

 

He came to her in a dream, but he’s more like a nightmare in tight jeans, and she wants a taste.

 

Rachael isn’t good at magic, and she’s not versed in life, but this witch wants to lay her hands on the sexy vampire who’s come to her in her dreams. Can she have her Christmas wish -- the vampire?

 

Gavin wants the witch, but he doesn’t believe he’s worthy of her. Part of him wants to devour her magic and save himself, but what if being saved doesn’t involve dying?

 

Anything is possible with a little Christmas magic.

 

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EXCERPT:

 

 

 

Rachael admired the twinkle lights she’d strung around the kitchen. Somewhere people were enjoying themselves. They might even be making love under the Christmas tree. She’d like to try that -- sex in front of the tree.

 

Instead, she’d pulled the chore of kitchen clean-up. She always pulled that chore and the rest, too.

 

She draped the washcloth over the faucet and surveyed the room. Everything appeared to be back in place.

 

When she peeked into the living room, Serena and Millie were deep in another round of cards. The last Rachael knew, they were playing hearts. Rachael tiptoed out to the back porch to admire the snow. The cauldron bubbled with some batch of potions. She had no idea what her sisters made, only that she had to clean out the pot when they finished. The tangy smell filled the enclosed space and made her dizzy.

 

She crinkled her nose. If she knew how, she’d change the scent to something nutmeg-y or pine -- anything but the overwhelming aroma.

 

Something flashed among the white snow. She folded her arms and stepped up to the screened-in windows. Maybe the flash was the play of firelight on the snow.

 

The snow glittered and mesmerized her as it fell -- that had to be it. The flash was falling snow.

 

She hummed the tune of a Christmas carol and fought back tears. Christmas shouldn’t be this depressing, but she couldn’t help herself. She tried to make the day bright, but Christmas Eve would forever be the day her parents died and her world turned upside down. The loss turned her sisters bitter, too. The official account said nothing about her being at fault, but her sisters swore she’d created the fog, which caused the collision.

 

She wished she knew the truth.

 

One day, she wanted to know, but she also wanted to replace the sad memories with good ones. She’d never forget her parents, but she needed to move forward with her life.

 

Someday.

 

The flash returned, but this time, a man appeared among the snow.

 

Her blood sizzled, and she gasped. She knew this man.

 

Her vampire.

 

“Gavin,” she whispered. “You’re here.”

 

“You did ask for me for Christmas.” He moved across the snow and stood in the doorway to the porch. “Said you wanted a vampire for Christmas.”

 

She longed to touch him, but feared she’d draw her sisters’ attention.

 

“You did request me, didn’t you?”

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Megan Slayer, aka Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and white hot themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been nominated at the LRC for Best Author, Best Contemporary, Best Ménage, Best BDSM and Best Anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com.

When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice. She’s an active member of the Friends of the Keystone-LaGrange Public library.

 

Find out more about Megan and Wendi at: http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm

 

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Buy Links:

 

https://books2read.com/u/4joVMj

https://www.changelingpress.com/bite-me-for-christmas-b-3274

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L6N5CG5

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bite-me-for-christmas-megan-slayer/1140498081

https://books.apple.com/us/book/bite-me-for-christmas/id1594064927

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/bite-me-for-christmas

 

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Virtual Book Tour: Luke's Redemption

Please welcome author Anni Fife, who is here to talk about her new release, Luke's Redemption. Anni will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on her tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!

Luke’s Redemption

by Anni Fife

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GENRE: Contemporary Erotic Romantic Suspense

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BLURB:

Chased by her criminal kingpin father, Katya Dalca runs to New Orleans and straight into the arms of Luke Hunter. Sucked into the carnal world of the French Quarter, she succumbs to Luke’s potent sexuality. He not only steals her breath, he steals her heart and the only leverage she has against her father. She is left with no choice except to pick up the pieces and rebuild her life alone.

Undercover DEA agent Luke Hunter thought his newest assignment—recover a stolen flash drive to gain the trust of the Russian mob—was like any other. But his target brings him to his knees, and after one taste of her intoxicating beauty, he's in too deep. Doing his job means walking away, leaving his heart behind with nothing but a promise to reunite. It's a promise he can't keep.

When Katya's past reaches out and her world unravels, her only hope is the one man she is most vulnerable to—Luke.

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EXCERPT:

We pulled into the underground parking at King Security and Luke parked the SUV in line with several other huge black Ford Expeditions. It appeared King Security had its own fleet.

Unable to stop myself, I blurted, “You were with Anna when you were undercover with my father, weren’t you?”

Luke pulled the keys from the ignition. In the deafening silence I didn’t think he was going to answer. Then he turned to me and bit out. “Yes!”

Wow! I didn’t expect him to be so honest. I sat back and folded my arms, tight. Damn, his answer hurt me. “So you make a habit of lying to your women? Being with them while you’re pretending to be someone you’re not? Is that your thing?”

“She wasn’t my woman,” Luke growled. “She was just a woman. She was there, I was there. It was never deep and it sure as hell wasn’t forever. Then it was over, and I made certain she was clear of the investigation. That was it.” He leaned towards me and said impatiently, “That tell you what you want to know?”

“Not even close. You made love to her didn’t you?”

“Hell no!” Luke snarled. “I fucked her. Like I have all the other women in my life. There’s only one woman I ever made love to Katya. And that was you.”

I went rigid, stunned into silence. Luke turned to open his car door. “You didn’t make love to me, Michael did,” I whispered.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Last year, Anni Fife closed the door on a successful career in television, to fulfill her lifelong passion, writing. In the space of one month, she closed her business, packed up her city life and moved to a small seaside village. ‘My writing has always been constrained by client briefs,’ Anni says. ‘Now, I finally have the opportunity to write to the beat of my own heart.’ LUKE’s Redemption is Anni’s debut novel and she hopes you enjoy reading it as much as she loved writing it. Anni loves to spend hours walking on the beach searching for pansy shells, more hours drinking red wine with her gal posse, and the most hours writing steamy romance novels filled with hot alpha men and the sassy intelligent women they can’t live without. She is currently working on her second novel, GRAY’s Promise.

Anni is published by The Wild Rose Press, and is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA).

Join Anni’s Posse and get regular updates and Bonus Treats

SPECIAL PROMOTION. Join by 17 Nov and you receive Chapters 1-3 of Luke’s Redemption and the chance to win a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Voucher. www.annifife.com

Anni’s Website

http://annifife.com/

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https://www.amazon.com/Lukes-Redemption-King-Security-Novel-ebook/dp/B01M4ITMS7/

Luke’s Redemption is also available from Nook, Kobe, Bookstrand, All Romance, iTunes and The Wild Rose Press. All the Buy Links are available on Anni’s Website: http://annifife.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32331951-luke-s-redemption

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  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fantasy Lover Review

Fantasy Lover    

Author: Sherillyn Kenyon

Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks

American release date: February 2002

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/fantasy/romance/352 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Julian of Macedon was once a great and fierce general whose exploits were legendary. But all of that is forgotten now. He’s been reduced to being a love-slave, stuck for all time in an erotic book, waiting the summons of the next woman who desires him, hers to play with for exactly one month before he must return to the book. His imprisonment is due to his jealous brother, Priapus. You would think with Aphrodite as a mother, Julian would get the help he needs, but that isn’t happening.

Grace Alexander is a sex therapist. Ironically, she has no sex life to speak of. Her one and only relationship was a sham, and the cruel man who used and abused her left her with no desire to try to love again, although she can dispense advice to her patients without difficulty. Grace’s best friend Selena is a practitioner of certain arts, and practices her magic in a public square in New Orleans. She hates to see her friend so alone, and when she accidentally stumbles upon the ancient-looking tome with the hot hunk on it, she gets a scathingly brilliant idea.

Grace doesn’t really go along with what Selena does, and she certainly doesn’t believe. But after a few drinks, anything is possible, so she tells Selena to bring it on. But when Selena intones the words to produce Julian of Macdeon, nothing happens and Grace is not surprised. However, in the middle of the night, after Selena has gone… things do happen… and Julian arrives looking more naked and glorious than a man has a right to.

Although he’s incredibly sexy, Grace refuses to use him to scratch her itch, and for the first time in a very long time, someone sees Julian as a man, and not a sex-slave. He finds himself falling for Grace, hard. But what purpose does it serve to love her, when at the end of the month he’s cursed to return to the book?

Not if Grace has anything to say about it.

I’ve read this book three times and loved it each time. Technically, this isn’t a Dark Hunter book, but I consider it a must-read if you wish to read the series because it introduces important characters. Plus it’s just damn hot.

I fell in love with Julian and Grace and wished only the best for them. The writing is amazing and very emotionally charged, as well as visual. I love the author’s sense of humor, and her turns of phrases. You can’t help but love these people, as well as their friends and family. Who doesn’t love stories that involve the gods and Greek mythology?

It’s hard to believe Ms. Kenyon can top this, but I already know she has, as I’m re-reading the series. If you enjoy romance, if you believe that love will find a way, and if you like to see people get what’s coming to them, this is a great book for you! This book has a lot of heart and soul. It’s a definite keeper.

Fifty Shades of Grey review

 Fifty Shades of Grey  

Author: E L James

Publisher: Vintage

American release date: April 3, 2012

Format/Genre/Length: Novel/Romance/528 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: Mature Audience

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Frustrated that her best friend/college roommate has come down with the flu on the day of an important interview, Anastasia Steele—Ana, to friends and family—agrees to help her out, although that entails driving some 165 miles in order to do so. But what are friends for, right? So she drives to downtown Seattle to keep the bedridden Kate’s appointment with the CEO of Grey Enterprises Holdings , Inc., one Christian Grey, who is scheduled to be the commencement speaker at their graduation. What begins as simply an annoying favor for a sick friend becomes the catalyst to the biggest change imaginable in the innocent college student’s life.

Synopsis:

Technically, Ana is only the conduit for the interview. The questions are written out, all she needs to do is ask them, and record all the answers. Good thing, because when she meets Christian, she is so flustered by his amazing good looks, and his youth that she is a bit tongue-tied (and mentally curses Kate for not having prepared her for him).Of course, part of the fault is Ana’s for not having read the questions through, and blurting out, “Are you gay?”, before she wishes a hole would open up and swallow her. She barely makes it through the interview, and his slightest touch produces reactions she’s never experienced before.  All in all, Ana is greatly unnerved by Christian Grey.

Ana goes back to her life—her studies, her part-time job at the hardware store, her friends, including Jose, a photographer whom she suspects of liking her a bit too much in the wrong way—but she can’t stop thinking about Christian. When he turns up unexpectedly where she works, she is flustered as she helps him gather the things that he requests—cable ties, masking tape, rope—although she can’t begin to fathom why he should need these things, and he isn’t exactly forthcoming with details. When Ana mentions in passing that Kate wishes they had better pictures of the young CEO to go along with the interview, Christian offers to do a photo shoot, to her amazement. An ecstatic Kate strong-arms a reluctant Jose into taking the pictures, and the next day all three show up at Christian’s expensive hotel. After the photo shoot, he invites Ana for coffee, and she accepts—even though she doesn’t even like it.

Ana cannot stop thinking about him. Especially after he makes an overly generous gift to her of some very expensive first editions. She goes out with Kate and Jose to celebrate their graduation, and consuming too many drinks makes her bold; while waiting in line for the ladies room, she places a drunken call to Christian. She won’t tell him where she is and hangs up on him, but the man has resources, and luckily so, saving her from an unfortunate situation, also introducing Kate to his brother Elliot. While they hit it off, Christian takes Ana with him to his hotel, where she passes out.

It’s obvious that this attraction between them is very mutual; although Christian continually tries to warn Ana away from him, telling her he’s no good for her, she cannot resist him. When innocent Ana says to him, “You’re quite the disciplinarian,” he responds with, “Oh Anastasia, you have no idea.” And when it reaches the point where it’s obvious that something’s got to give, then he reveals to her some of his nature, what he’s looking for in a relationship, and he gives her a contract to sign, outlining everything in black and white. You see, Christian is a Dominant in search of a Submissive—this is the type of relationship he has with women, albeit one at a time, for he is monogamous. Although there is something he hasn’t realized about Ana, which could be a deal breaker.

Loving Christian Grey will not be easy, but Ana cannot help herself. When she’s around him, she wants him so badly she can taste it. He does something to her, something very elemental, and being away from him is painful to her. But can she live with his very exacting rules? Does she even get a voice in this matter? And is there any wiggle room? Enquiring minds want to know.

Commentary:

There is no denying that Fifty Shades of Grey has become a phenomenon in the short time since its release. I became aware of the hoopla and wondered about it, especially after hearing that the story was originally a fanfiction penned by author EL James, based in the Twilight fandom. So I decided to see what the fuss was all about, and I was more than half prepared to find it unmitigated tripe, and highly questionable erotica. I’ve never read anything in the bdsm genre before, so I was also apprehensive that I would not like this aspect of the book either. All in all, I prepared to dislike this book.

But a strange thing happened. From the beginning, I found the author’s voice engaging, easy to read, and well developed. It flows very smoothly, and her narrator, Ana Steele, is easy to like, and I enjoyed watching her story unfold. As for Christian, well, that man is just hotter than hot, and incredibly sexy. Yet no cookie-cutter romance hero is he; he is multi-layered and multi-faceted, and very riveting as we peel away the layers, trying to find out what makes Christian tick.

While this book is definitely for mature audiences because of its dark themes and open sexuality, it is not what I consider to be erotica. To me, erotica is sex with a bit of plot thrown in, just a step above pure smut that makes no pretense at plot. In the world of fanfiction, this is often referred to as pwp—plot, what plot? But Fifty Shades is first and foremost a romance between Ana and Christian, a very sensual romance, and the sex enhances that romance but it isn’t everything, it’s a part of everything.

As for the fanfiction aspect, if I hadn’t been told that was the origin, I would never have guessed it. Even knowing it, I don’t really see it (and I have read the Twilight books, so I am familiar with the characters). You might make a case for Christian being the controlling Edward Cullen, while I can see a little bit, perhaps, of Bella in Ana Steele, mostly in her clumsiness and naivete, but honestly, these characters are their own, and very well developed. She basically took Twilight and reshaped it into her own story, in the same way that Leonard Bernstein took Romeo & Juliet and made it into West Side Story. Fifty Shades of Grey is its own story.

The question still remains as to why this book, the first in a trilogy, has gone so very viral, and for that I have no real answer. It’s a good book, and I like it, but there are others out there, I know. This isn’t the first bdsm romance, far from it. There are m/f and m/m books out there with the same theme. My only explanation is exposure. Those other books never gained the same sort of exposure. I can only speculate that some great promotional efforts took place before its release, and if so, more power to everyone involved. It worked. Perhaps it doesn’t hurt that EL James is a former TV executive, and probably has friends in high places. I should be so lucky.

While Fifty Shades is not erotica, in my opinion, it is erotic, sensual, and romantic. I understand there is a nickname for it—Mommy porn. Intrigued, I asked a friend what that was all about, and learned that it’s because the largest part of the audience that makes up the readership are women over thirty. Okay, I guess I fill that bill and then some. I think that anyone who enjoys romance will love this book, whether you’re into bdsm or not. I can’t say I’d read another one, outside of the trilogy. That wasn’t the part of the story I found the most satisfying. For me it was all about the romance, the love.

I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the trilogy.