And the winner is...

Desere Steenberg is the winner of a copy of WARRIOR MINE: The Claiming, and the ARC of Book Two - RETRIBUTIONS. Both books have been sent to her, and thanks so much to everyone who came by. Book Two will be released over the next 48 hours, and then will come book three, FOUL PREY. Thanks again - everyone!

A series is born... and a GIVEAWAY!

Just for fun, I thought we’d chat today about writing a series of stories that evolve and change with each new chapter. The current work I am very excited about is called WARRIOR MINE, and I’m writing it with a partner. That alone is different for me, but in truth is the least of the “new” part of the approach. Most of my readers who’ve followed me for a time know I’ve had an on-going love-hate relationship with role-playing and indeed, role-players. I try to keep an open mind about it all. In this case, the open mind was a good thing. I met my partner via role-play, and damn–he’s good!

So, my battles with Facebook have become the stuff of legend here, and needless to say, I felt the need to create a back-door that would allow me to not lose all my work and contacts when I was disabled for a few days. I think that ended last year when my pages were investigated and cleared. At least I really hope that’s an end to it. In the meantime, Angelique Devereaux was created, and over time she became an entity in her own right. When she met Asher Elliot, magic happened. Magic and passion that is at times brutal, and other times sigh-worthy, but it sure as hell is never boring! From their burgeoning love affair, a book series was born.

Remarkably, the writing on these stories is atypical, too–we role play it in character, and then it’s turned into book format. What may surprise role-players and writers alike is the fact that we don’t discuss the story with each other–we write improv, and the result is amazing. Next week, if all goes well, book two will be out, published by XoXo Publishing™ once again. XoXo has taken a chance on these books, understanding the innovation in story-telling that is both new and old. The series is even slated to be looked at by a television producer once we have enough written to bring to him for a look. All in all, it’s an exciting time.

So, today, as we gear up for the release of Book Two, called Retributions, I’m giving away a copy of Book One to a reader who drops in and lets us know their thoughts. Leave a comment, and you’re in the running for the book. I’ll announce the winner Monday evening, and if all goes well, you’ll also get an ARC for Book Two!

Feel free to drop by Angie’s Keep, too, and join the group if you’re curious to watch the stories come to life - Angelique's Keep

Book One can be purchased HERE

Also, here's a look at the stunning cover art for Book Two:

Guest: Rozsa Gaston

The Jolie Laide (the pretty-ugly one)

Strolling in the Tuileries gardens on a late March day, Jean-Michel alerted me to a woman who had just passed.

C’est une jolie laide.” — It’s a pretty-ugly one.

Huh?

I turned to catch the back of her henna’d reddish purple hair and bony legs. He motioned to continue walking around the pond until we passed her again.

This time I pretended to look at some children playing behind the smallish woman as we approached. Her sharp, vixenish face had a pleased-with-herself expression on it. Its most prominent feature was a long nose with a definite bump. Her legs were nothing to write home about. No text book from any country would have categorized her as a beauty.

“She is beautiful, no?” Jean-Michel murmured to me, once out of earshot.

“Um, she’s got something going on, for sure,” I replied truthfully, a little envious. What woman with any sense of how crooked and short her legs were, would dress them up in designer tights and stiletto boots? Yet, she’d looked undeniably hot. Apparently Jean-Michel thought so too.

Instead of giving in to my preconceptions, I opened my mind to his. I had so much to learn from him and besides – I was working on becoming comfortable in my own skin these days, wasn’t I? I could at least fake it ‘til I make it, I told myself.

“A jolie laide is a woman who is beautiful even though she is not. She has something that is considered ugly, but on her, it’s not. It’s part of her charm,” he explained.

I was all ears. We circled the pond again, hoping the woman would do the same. She did. This time I pretended to spot something on the ground while I studied the suede, stiletto-heeled black boots she wore over grey and black striped tights covering slim short, legs with knobby knees. The content wasn’t amazing, but the presentation certainly was. Brava, I silently complimented her as we walked by.

What the heck could a pretty-ugly woman have that a just plain pretty woman didn’t have over her? Apparently, plenty. I searched my mind to think of a jolie laide I might have known somewhere in my past. I’d never contemplated the concept before, but as soon as Jean-Michel explained it to me, I understood. Something niggled at me, reminding me there’d been a woman like that in my own short past.

In a minute, I had it. Voilà.

Joelle. She had been a waitress I’d worked with back in Hartford, Connecticut, the summer before music college at a French restaurant called La Crêpe. It was a chain of restaurants that served crêpes in the style of Brittany, the region next to the Atlantic Coast of France, west of Paris, where Celts had settled in the fifth and sixth centuries — probably because the food was better than back in the British Isles. The waitresses had worn cute blue dirndl skirts with suspenders, white lace blouses and enormous white Breton head-dresses. They’d looked sexy in a sweet sort of way. I’d applied for the job because I knew in an outfit like that I’d meet guys.

Joelle had been short, bony and chic with a bump in her nose, just like the woman we’d passed in the park. The other waitresses were in awe of her. Her boyfriend had picked her up every day after work. During her shift she flirted with any male customer she found interesting, regardless of whether they were in female company or not. She had been in total command of herself and not surprisingly – French.

I’d soaked up every move she made, marveling to myself that she was not even mildly attractive, but her perception of herself announced to the world she was a knockout. The men appeared to buy it. To me it didn’t matter if she was beautiful or not. She was powerful.

Joelle had been a jolie laide.

“I know what you mean,” I whispered back. “Like maybe a bump in a certain woman’s nose isn’t just a bump on her. It’s a beauty feature?”

“Précisément,” Jean-Michel agreed. “It’s precisely the feature about her that a man falls in love with.”

Something clicked in my brain.

From Paris Adieu (2011) by Rozsa Gaston, available on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and smashword.com

About Rozsa Gaston

Rozsa Gaston is an author who writes serious books on playful matters. She is the author of Paris Adieu, Dogsitters, Budapest Romance, Lyric, Running from Love and the soon to be released Paris Adieu sequel, Black is Not a Color Unless Worn By a Blonde. Rozsa studied European intellectual history at Yale, and then received her master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia. In between Rozsa worked as a singer/pianist all over the world. She currently lives in Connecticut with her family.

You can visit Rozsa’s website at www.parisadieu.com.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon Kindle Store | Smashwords | LinkedIn | Barnes & Noble | Official Tour Page

About Paris Adieu

The first time Ava Fodor visits Paris as a nineteen-year old au pair, her French boyfriend introduces her to the concept of being comfortable in her own skin. If only she knew how…

One Ivy League degree later, she’s back for an encounter with a Frenchman that awakens her to womanhood. If only she could stay….

Five years later, Ava returns to Paris as a singer/pianist. She falls for Arnaud, whose frequent travel tortures her. While he’s away, a surprising stranger helps Ava on her journey to self-discovery. Armed with the lessons Paris has taught her, she bids adieu to Arnaud, Pierre and her very first love – the City of Light.

GUEST: Jessica Chambers

Jessica, how long have you been writing?

Hard to say exactly when I started putting my ideas down on paper, but I’ve been inventing stories for as long as I can remember. I wrote on and off all throughout my childhood, short stories mainly, and the openings of novels I didn’t have the discipline at that age to pursue beyond the first few chapters. Then, after leaving school, I wrote my first full length novel, fell prey to the writing bug and never looked back!

And how long have you been a published author?

Ooh, around eighteen months now. You know, I still wake up some mornings unable to believe my lifelong dream has come true, and of course, I’m learning new things about myself and my writing all the time.

What titles do you have available?

I currently have two published novels, both of which can be purchased from Amazon either in paperback or on Kindle. Voices on the Waves, my debut, is a sweet women’s fiction novel that follows the developing relationships between a group of diverse strangers who win a two-week stay in a beautiful old farmhouse in Cornwall. With my second novel, Dark is the Sky, I’ve branched out a bit, combining family drama with a darker element of mystery.

Can you tell us what your latest release, Dark is the Sky, is about?

Twelve years after tragedy tore their family apart, the Camerons are reuniting for the first time since that fateful day. They hope that they will at last be able to put the past behind them and lay their ghosts to rest, but of course, nothing is ever that simple! Some wounds run too deep to heal, and some secrets are too destructive to remain hidden. As the web of hostility and deceit begins to unravel, and the truth about what really happened on that long ago summer’s afternoon finally emerges, family ties are tested to the limit.

Available in paperback

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Sky-Jessica-Chambers/dp/0984721509/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323000484&sr=1-1

or on Kindle

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-is-the-Sky-ebook/dp/B006EQV9N6/

What made you choose the subject of this book?

Like many of my ideas, this novel began with a single character, this time with a vivid picture of a handsome, dark-haired young man. Immediately, I knew several things about him. I knew he was dangerously sexy, a magnet for women and more than a bit of a rogue. I also knew he was dead. This raised a number of questions. How did he die? Was it suicide, or murder, or merely a tragic accident? What part did his family play in his death? And as I unraveled the answers to these questions, the story gradually emerged.

Do you have any new titles coming soon?

I’m currently straying into the unknown and attempting my first young adult novel. Think the grittiness of Melvin Burgess meets the powerful relationships characterized by Cassandra Clare. With dark secrets, a complex love triangle and a kidnapper on the loose, it’s proving enormous fun!

What is your favourite genre and why?

Hmmm. Guess it depends whether you mean in terms of reading or writing. I’m a total book addict, and enjoy everything from sci-fi to crime, paranormal to historical. When it comes to my writing though, whether women’s fiction or young adult, I love stories where the characters and their relationships are central to the plot. Oh, and my creativity is rooted firmly in the real world. No magic or supernatural creatures … at least, not yet!

What, to you, is the most exciting part of the writing process?

The thrill of discovery that comes with a new idea for a novel, then watching it grow into a detailed outline. Nothing can compare to that buzz, except perhaps the immense satisfaction of putting the finishing touches to that final draft.

If you could co-author a book with anyone, who would you choose and why?

Okay, confession time. I’m a total control freak when it comes to my writing. Don’t get me wrong. I’m forever bouncing ideas off my friends and family, and their input has been invaluable, but ultimately my word in law! Only I can determine the fate of my characters, or decide down which path to take the plot. So, although it would be an honor to co-write a book with one of my favorite authors, Cassandra Clare, perhaps, or Jilly Cooper, I have a nasty feeling it would end in disaster!

Where can readers find you on the web?

There’s nothing I love more than chatting about books with fellow enthusiasts, so feel free to connect with me on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Chambers/177537202257347?ref=sgm

Twitter

http://www.twitter.com/authorjchambers

And Goodreads

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4403097.Jessica_Chambers

You can also find out more about me and my books, including excerpts and news on upcoming releases, by visiting my website:

http://www.jessicachambers.co.uk/

BIO:

Jessica Chambers has been inventing stories even before she was old enough to hold a pen. She has a passion for writing contemporary novels packed with emotion, complex relationships and often a touch of mystery.

Visually impaired from birth, Jessica currently lives with her family and Staffordshire bull terrier in the English town of Windsor. In addition to devouring fiction of all genres, she loves watching TV quiz shows and admits to being extremely competitive when it comes to a game of Trivial Pursuit.

Her latest book is Dark is the Sky.

You can visit her website at www.jessicachambers.co.uk.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon | Amazon Kindle Store | Barnes & Noble | Official Tour Page

About Dark is the Sky

Twelve years earlier, Olivia and Joel Cameron invited the family to spend the weekend at their new country home. Olivia hoped to provide them all with a much-needed escape from their anxiety over the recession crippling the nation; instead, the visit ended in tragedy when Scott, Joel’s wild and outrageously sexy youngest brother, was found dead. The repercussions tore the family apart.

Now, Olivia’s sister Violet has persuaded her to host a reunion. She claims it’s time they finally put the past behind them and laid their ghosts to rest. However, some wounds run too deep to heal, and some secrets are too destructive to remain hidden. Still grieving for the man she loved, Violet is determined to uncover the truth behind his death—a truth she believes lies within her own family.

As the web of deceit and hostility begins to unravel, family ties are tested to the limit, and no one will emerge unscathed.

Lara Adrian's MIDNIGHT BREED SERIES

Once in awhile someone comes to you and suggests a series of books you've heard about but never had time to investigate. Recently, a friend I love and respect, whose opinions I value, told me to look up Lara Adrian and her books, The Midnight Breed Series. Curious, and the timing was right, I decided that night to make a mass purchase - ten novels and a novella later, I'm buried in the magic of it all. As promised, I was drawn in from the start, and before I was half way through the first compelling and intense novel, Kiss Of Midnight, I was in love with Lucan Thorne and his Warriors. For many of you, you're laughing now because you know already how exceptional this series is, don't you?

So, if you haven't already dropped by to get to know more about these books, get yourself over there now.

Enjoy.... I do!!

GUEST: Kim Antieau

How long have you been writing? I have been writing since before I could write!

When I was about five, I would draw pictures to tell a story, and then I’d make these stories into books. As soon as I could read and write, I started writing stories.

How long have you been a published author?

I was first published in my college literary magazine. My first paid publishing gig was in 1983.

What titles do you have available?

I have many titles available. Here’s the list: Her Frozen Wild, Swans in Winter, The First Book of Old Mermaids Tales, The Fish Wife: an Old Mermaids Novel, The Blue Tail, Deathmark, Church of the Old Mermaids, Ruby’s Imagine, Broken Moon, Coyote Cowgirl, The Gaia Websters, The Jigsaw Woman, and Mercy, Unbound.

What made you choose the subject of this book?

Many years ago I read a National Geographic article about frozen mummies in Siberia. Archaelogy and anthropology are avocations of mine. What fascinated me was that archaeologists believed one of the mummies was the corpse of a woman who had been a Scythian shaman or priestess. She had tattoos and had been buried with a long conical hat. I began studying Scythian tattoos, and I wondered if the tattoos could mean something more than what they mean to people now. Perhaps they were a kind of mystical acupuncture. I’d studied cave art for a long while, too, and I started thinking about them as being a kind of tattooing on the Earth. The story for Her Frozen Wild began to unfold. At the time, I was having intense dreams about bears several times a week, so I began studying folktales and mythology involving bears. Many indigenous people believed they were related to or descended from bears, and the rituals and ceremonies for hunting bear were quite elaborate, particularly in Siberia. The idea that people and bears were related made me think about shapeshifting—another subject I’m interested in. I combinated all of that with a love story, an Amazon-like tribe, and time travelling, and I had Her Frozen Wild!

Do you have any new titles coming soon?

I have several new books coming out soon. My husband, Mario Milosevic, and I have a joint short story collection, Entangled Realities, due out this month. Then I have my own short story collection, Tales: Fairy and Fabulous out the following month. My novel antebellum novel Jewelweed Station will be out this summer. Butch: a Bent Western will probably come out this fall. Sometime soon, The Desert Siren, which is about a women in the borderlands of Arizona searching for a lost herd of magical wild Irish “sea” horses, will also be out soon. I also have a few interesting projects that I’m keeping under wraps right now. I’ll have more to say about them this summer. I’ll just say now that one of them involves Hollywood and the other involves pirates.

What is your favourite genre and why?

I don’t tend to think in genre. I like all kinds of books as long as the characters and the stories are interesting! I tend to write between genres. I really admire the Latin American magical realists, and many of my books are like that: Ordinary life has mystery and magic woven right into it. Mermaids show up in the desert, along with fairies. People shapeshift into animals and vice versa. I like a little bit of weird in what I write and in what I read.

What, to you, is the most exciting part of the writing process?

I love sitting down and letting the magic happen. It’s as though the story is a memory and I’m just writing down what I experienced—or what my character experienced, and I feel like I’m there. I just love the creative flow of it. When I wrote Her Frozen Wild I was in Siberia hunting the bear, I was shapeshifting with the warriors, I was riding a horse across the Altai plateau, and I was traveling through time in the timeless caves. I love that!

If you could co-author a book with anyone, who would you choose and why?

If I could co-author a book with anyone living or dead, it would be interesting to write with Emily Dickinson, since she was one of my favorite poets. I love Mary Oliver’s poetry, too. I’d love to collaborate with her. Or maybe I’d just like to spend time with both of these amazing writers. But the truth is that I don’t think I could collaborate in the actual writing of a book. Since my stories often feel as real as memories, I wouldn’t be very open to someone else’s view of my story. I can’t change my memory, so it would be almost as difficult to change a part of my story to satisfy a co-author, or to let her/him change something.

Where can readers find you on the web? http://www.kimantieau.com/

FAQ about Her Frozen Wild:

http://www.kimantieaubooks.com/2012/01/her-frozen-wild.html

price: print: $16.99, e-book: $6.99

number of pages: 372

genre: adventure, mainstream, fantasy, science fiction

publisher: Green Snake Publishing

release date: January 2012

buy links:

print • kindle • nook • smashwords

Kim Antieau has written many novels, short stories, poems, and essays. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, both in print and online, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Asimov’s SF, The Clinton Street Quarterly, The Journal of Mythic Arts, EarthFirst!, Alternet, Sage Woman, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. She was the founder, editor, and publisher of Daughters of Nyx: A Magazine of Goddess Stories, Mythmaking, and Fairy Tales. Her work has twice been short-listed for the Tiptree Award, and has appeared in many Best of the Year anthologies. Critics have admired her “literary fearlessness” and her vivid language and imagination. She has had nine novels published. Her first novel, The Jigsaw Woman, is a modern classic of feminist literature. Kim lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, writer Mario Milosevic.

Her latest book is Her Frozen Wild.

Learn more about Kim and her writing at www.kimantieau.com.

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | LibraryThing

About Her Frozen Wild

Scientists in the Altai in Siberia uncover the 2,500 year old frozen mummy of a tattooed priestess or shaman. This mummy has the same mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA) as American archaeologist Ursula Smith whose mother disappeared in Siberia 30 years earlier. Ursula travels from the U.S. to Siberia to unravel the mystery of the “lady” and meets Sergei Ivanovich Polyakov, a Russian doctor who graciously invites her into his home. After they become lovers, she discovers he has the same tattoos on his body as the tattooed lady. He tells a disbelieving Ursula that they have met before and she is destined to save the ancient People, considered as devils by some and shape-changing gods by others. A shaman takes Ursula to one of the sacred timeless caves where Ursula’s mother supposedly disappeared. When Ursula allows the shaman to tattoo her, she is thrown back in time where she must unlock the mystery of the People and their link to her past in order to save them and Sergei—even if it costs her her life.

AVAILABLE NOW from XoXo Publishing™

AVAILABLE NOW from XoXo Publishing™

Book One of an exciting new series for paranormal fans. Told by two distinctive voices, one familiar, one new, WARRIOR MINE: The Claiming sets the stage for a very different kind of story. With roots over two centuries in the past, Angelique Devereaux is a dark legend, once a Chosen Warrior of god, she betrayed her oaths to love one who was forbidden. Cast out, cursed and scarred, she continues her battle alone. Until a soul as tortured as her own stumbles across her path.

Asher Elliot is lost in his own darkness when he first sees the tall warrior known to legend simply as The Slayer. Tortured by the deaths of his wife and children, this grieving warrior is nonetheless drawn to the timeless, cold being he witnesses at work. Like him, she deals in death and her justice is swift, sometimes messy, but always final. He follows her, watching, growing ever more captivated by her, until finally he must reach out to claim what his reawakened heart wants most…

Now, here’s an excerpt, and our first review:

Inside, the Keep was quiet as a tomb, the way Angelique liked it. The sound of her boots on the stone floors was near-silent, her step light and sure. The stealth wasn’t necessary within these walls, but she’d learned the hard way that permitting herself to be too at ease anywhere was a huge mistake.

She keyed in a security code, darkly amused by the modern technology that was so out of place in this ancient castle. A soft beep and the heavy door swung open with a whoosh of displaced air. A wave of her hand and the vast room began to light, torches flaring to life, casting dancing shadows across the rough floor.

She walked to the far wall, steps steady, her eyes moving over the weapons wall with the affection of a lover. She had favourite tools of her trade, as all warriors did, but today she was inclined to challenge her patience by experimenting with some of the modern toys she had acquired through an unknown friend. Asher Elliot’s gift had arrived with a note that told her clearly he was aware of her work and her archaic weapons. He had also assured her the new weapons would become part of her impressive arsenal and she would find them useful if she allowed herself to become familiar with their efficiency. She should have asked him if he’d consider instructing her, she was a quick study.

Far above her, she sensed people in her home. It was still a strange awareness, to know she was not alone here, but it was a knowledge she was finding more and more pleasant. Tanith had arrived weeks earlier, and Angelique’s welcome should have chased her away, instead the silly witch had laughed and made herself at home. Though she’d never admit it, the slayer was glad of the company, and their history was long. The Little One had clearly allowed some of the nearby villagers into the castle.

She reached out to lift a gun from the rack, then shook her head. Another time, perhaps when or if Asher was around. She had no fear, but she did prefer to know a weapon’s capabilities before she began working with it. When he’d had the small arsenal delivered to her, she’d stored it here, but for now she’d dance with her own devices. She chose a long, slender blade and tested the balance - knowing it was perfect, but enjoying the smooth passes through the air that would loosen her muscles.

She practised alone for what was likely hours, until the air around her was suffocating, though whether it was the heavy dampness of the stone chamber, or the smouldering burn of rage, Angelique couldn’t be certain. She had drawn in too much of the turmoil of others recently, felt their betrayals clawing into her flesh with poison-edged talons. No amount of meditation or internal discussion was calming the need to breathe without choking. There were only two cures for this amount of tension, and neither was available to her at the moment.

Spinning on her heel, Angelique approached the rack of weapons again, and took down the weapon she favoured over others, the perfectly balanced and weighted blade that had been forged for her a thousand years earlier, and sealed with binding magic. She walked to the centre of a circle visible only to her, and began the ritualistic flow of motion, her mind citing the familiar litany of ancient prayer that she offered before each battle. It didn’t matter that this was not battle but therapeutic movement to calm the frenzies tormenting her soul.

The sword became an extension of her being, slicing the air in smooth, precise arcs of silvery radiance. She parried, thrust, dodged the strikes of an invisible adversary... She had no way of seeing herself through the eyes of her silent watcher, and was in fact oblivious to the presence that was part of the shadows. Few living beings could hide their presence from her keen senses, but this one did...

Review of Warrior Mine: The Claiming

by Elliot Devereaux

Angelique Devereaux, an ancient warrior, once one of the chosen and Asher Elliot, a hunter whose prey exist outside human understanding, defy destiny as they fall into a seduction so dangerous it threatens to damn them both for eternity.

Asher waits, hidden in shadows—a voyeur of Angelique’s self-loathing and pain. The torture she suffers is well-earned, a judgment passed when her forbidden love for her prey betrays the vows she made. Her punishment casts her into darkness, one that only Asher can understand.

Drawn together, desire consumes them, erupting into a sensual explosion of passion too intense to be denied.

The language is lush and evocative, the characters powerful, seductive and compelling. When Asher claims his warrior, it is but the first step on a journey fraught with peril. The Claiming is a set piece, introducing us to a darkly indulgent world of unbridled passion.

This reviewer, for one, waits with bated breath for the next episode.—Nya Rawlyns

AVAILABLE NOW from XoXo Publishing™

Nicole Morgan is back with a sexy new book!

Romance author Nicole Morgan has a HOT new release out, so say hello, then drop by and check out all her wonderful and very sexy titles at her WEBSITE

BIO:

Nicole Morgan was an avid reader who kept having one recurring problem. Ideas of stories kept popping into her head. Today Nicole is an author of erotic romantic novels, which more often than not have a suspenseful back story. Erotic romance mixed with a good old fashioned who done it. She tries to place strong emphasis on the characters emotions while also throwing in some spicy and hot love scenes. Her alpha male of choice will most often than not have a uniform of some kind. From military to police officers, she has a love for writing about those who protect and serve.

BOOK: Intimate Confessions

http://bookstrand.com/intimate-confessions

ARC Winner is....

andieleah - you are the winner of the ARC. Contact me via email, and I'll send you your book.

MANY, many thanks to everyone who came by - and remember, the book is available for everyone on Monday - a bargain at $1.50 - will post links then!

Thanks again, and have a fabulous weekend!!

WARRIOR MINE: The Claiming - WIN an advance copy!

Coming Monday March 5^th 2012 from XoXo Publishing™ is the beginning of an exciting new series for paranormal fans. Told by two distinctive voices, one familiar, one new, WARRIOR MINE: The Claiming sets the stage for a very different kind of story. With roots over two centuries in the past, Angelique Devereaux is a dark legend, once a Chosen Warrior of god, she betrayed her oaths to love one who was forbidden. Cast out, cursed and scarred, she continues her battle alone. Until a soul as tortured as her own stumbles across her path.

Asher Elliot is lost in his own darkness when he first sees the tall warrior known to legend simply as The Slayer. Tortured by the deaths of his wife and children, this grieving warrior is nonetheless drawn to the timeless, cold being he witnesses at work. Like him, she deals in death and her justice is swift, sometimes messy, but always final. He follows her, watching, growing ever more captivated by her, until finally he must reach out to claim what his reawakened heart wants most…

So, in a few days, the first part of this on-going tale will be available to readers. BUT, after receiving a brilliant review in advance of release, I thought I’d give one reader a chance to sample the book before anyone else. All that’s required is a comment telling us why you’d like to be the one we give the book to? Not hard… The draw will be random, and I’ll toss in a surprise gift just to sweeten the deal.

Now, here’s a look at the cover, and what our first reviewer thought:

Review of Warrior Mine: The Claiming by Elliot Devereaux

Angelique Devereaux, an ancient warrior, once one of the chosen and Asher Elliot, a hunter whose prey exist outside human understanding, defy destiny as they fall into a seduction so dangerous it threatens to damn them both for eternity.

Asher waits, hidden in shadows—a voyeur of Angelique’s self-loathing and pain. The torture she suffers is well-earned, a judgment passed when her forbidden love for her prey betrays the vows she made. Her punishment casts her into darkness, one that only Asher can understand.

Drawn together, desire consumes them, erupting into a sensual explosion of passion too intense to be denied.

The language is lush and evocative, the characters powerful, seductive and compelling. When Asher claims his warrior, it is but the first step on a journey fraught with peril. The Claiming is a set piece, introducing us to a darkly indulgent world of unbridled passion.

This reviewer, for one, waits with bated breath for the next episode.

—Nya Rawlyns

WINNER to be announced Friday at 6PM, ET.