Talk About My Favorite Authors

Today I'm reviewing newly released novel of romance author Wendy Ely who I met through one of the various online romance writing and reading communities I'm a member of. She contacted me about being on my review blog and I was happy to have her because I reviewed an ARC of her debut novel, Jesse's Brother. I interviewed Wendy on this review blog as well as had her guest blog about her debut novel, Jesse's Brothers and I even talked live with Wendy Ely on my live podcast show TAMFA—Phoebe Jordan about what she felt now that her debut novel, Jesse's Brother, was finally released as of Monday, September 21. Now lets get to my review of Wendy's newly released novel, Confessions, which I was lucky enough to get copy of from Wendy to review. Confessions is the first book of Wendy's Desert Secret series and I'm happy that it is because I would definitely love to see these main characters in the future novels of this series. This novel starts when the heroine, Chelsea Montgomery, is at a diner where she first vanished eleven years ago, and we find out that her hometown thought she’d been abducted.

In truth, she'd given up the daughter she'd secretly had with her one true love Jordan Case. Though it's been eleven years since Jordan has seen or heard from Chelsea now he confronts her to help find the child, Elizabeth, that they both created long ago. With a little girl's fate hanging in the balance, will the uneasy partnership—stained by the past—transform into something else? Well I certainly hope so because I know that Jordan and Chelsea were meant to be together with their wonderful daughter. I had fun reading this novel because it kept me on my toes wondering when Chelsea and Jordan would finally get to see their daughter and be together after so many years apart. There was a bit of mystery while reading this novel that I loved during which Jordan and Chelsea had to find their daughter but couldn't since the people that illegally adopted Elizabeth after so many years. Wendy Ely delivers yet another wonderful novel that hooked me from the start and made me crave for more even though the novel finished. I very much look forward to reading any of Wendy's future novels because like I said she has me hooked. I am also anxious to find out more about her Desert Secret series especially since I think there is more to be find out about Chelsea's sisters who have a mysterious background that I would like to find out more about. I give this book 4 Open Books:

Here is the description of the novel from Wendy's website and picture:

Can Chelsea and Jordan find their child, and rediscover each other?

When Chelsea Montgomery vanished eleven years ago, her hometown thought she’d been abducted. In truth, she'd given up the daughter she'd secretly had with Jordan Case. Now he confronts her to help find the child. With a little girl's fate hanging in the balance, will the uneasy partnership—stained by the past—transform into something else?

Content Warning: Contains sexual scenes and sensitive family situations.

Linda Palmer is a former Silhouette romance author now a young adult author that I recently discovered but one that I will definitely be keeping an eye out for in the future after reading her paranormal young adult novel, The Cinderella Swap, which she contacted me to review for her. I also had the pleasure of getting to review her current released paranormal young adult novel, Jaguar Moon, from one of my favorite e-publishers Wild Horse Press as well as Linda's upcoming February 2010 young adult release, Operation Normal, that I was so excited to get the honor of reviewing an ARC since I was totally needing my Linda Palmer Young adult fix since first starting reading her novels. Now today I'm reviewing another ARC of Linda's upcoming December 2009 release called, Storm Swept, from yet again one of my favorite e-publishers Wild Horse Press. I was so happy to get an ARC of this novel because I fell in love with Linda Palmer's first young adult novel, The Cinderella Swap, that I knew this upcoming novel will be just as great a read with some new characters to fall in love with. I've only recently gotten into reading young adult romance novels and since then I've been hunting up as many young adult romance authors I could find to read. I was very intrigued when I read the blurb for this novel and the cover was also really beautiful that I had to read it.

I was so excited when I started reading this novel and I have to say that it actually took me about a couple of days to finish up this novel though her previous YA novels I gobbled up in a few hours. Well the novel starts when the heroine, Jenny Jefferson, agrees to help her sister open a B&B but she doesn't know that Jase Edwards will be working there, too. Jenny and Jase have history—an angry encounter at her sister's wedding four years ago. This time around their chemistry is as intense and supercharged as the lightning snaking down from the storm clouds overhead. Not even a mischievous house ghost can distract them from each other. But something far more sinister lurks in the shadows, and its eye is on Jenny. Can she and Jase unravel the mystery of the house's tragic past before history repeats itself? So this novel wasn't exactly what I was expecting when I read the blurb because I sometimes had a bit of trouble understanding what was going on with Jenny and Jase as well as their mysterious haunting ghost. It took me a while to really get into the story which is completely different from Linda's other novels which just sucked me in from the very beginning.

I loved the characters Jenny and Jase as well as Jenny's older pregnant sister but what kept throwing me off the story was the haunting ghost in the B&B that kept attacking Jenny. I was really not sure what to think of who the hell that ghost is and why it was only attacking Jenny and not her pregnant sister or even Jase. Other than that I loved the way Jenny and Jase really started to get to know each other better though they had a very bad first impression of each other from their sister and brother's wedding celebration. Jenny and Jase are wonderful characters that after some time together can see that they are both really good and caring people who love their family very much. They also have some very intense chemistry going on between them that I sometimes could see the words sizzling while I was reading though they stayed true to their vows of not persuing a phyiscal relationship with one another until they knew each other full in a month or so. I am still so happy that I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Storm Swept even though it took me a while for me to really love reading it. I was a bit sad that it had to come to an end though it was a satisfying end that may have potentional of giving us a follow up story for Jenny and Jase if Linda ever decided to write more on them and their families. Linda Palmer delivers yet another exciting and wonderfully written young adult with suspense, romance and a bit of paranormal elements to have you questioning who the haunting ghost of the B&B is and why is it after Jenny and not any of the other characters. I give this book 4 Open Books:

STORM SWEPT by Linda Palmer $ 5.98 (151 Pages)

When Jenny Jefferson agrees to help her sister open a B&B, she doesn't know that Jase Edwards will be working there, too. Jenny and Jase have history—an angry encounter at her sister's wedding four years ago. This time around their chemistry is as intense and supercharged as the lightning snaking down from the storm clouds overhead. Not even a mischievous house ghost can distract them from each other. But something far more sinister lurks in the shadows, and its eye is on Jenny. Can she and Jase unravel the mystery of the house's tragic past before history repeats itself?

Madonna Lacy also known as M.L. Lacy is a self-published author who I met through my very good friend RITBS creator Terry Kate. I interviewed Madonna here on the blog as well as had her guest blog last month which was pretty fun to learn more about her and her books. Now today I'm reviewing her debut novel, Chrysalis: The Awakening, and the first book in her Chrysalis series. It's a paranormal romance filled with vampires, magicians and other various types of mythical creatures we have only read about in fairytales. All families have secrets, right? But not like 32-years-old, Bree Campbell, who is discovering that her entire life has been a secret that only she didn't know anything about unlike the rest of her family who is keeping the secret from her. Like most people, it never occurred to Bree to question her mortality and that is until she learns that she is a mortal born into a family of Magicals and begins to question everything and everyone in her life. This is a new world filled with so many unbeliveable creatures that go bump in the night and as these doors to Bree’s new world fly open she finally hears the prophecy told at her birth. Now she must face the revelation that she is a Chosen One and to top that the last and greatest of a long line of Chosen Ones. And if this weren't overwhelming enough, she has been charged with saving every living thing on earth by repairing the cosmic tear that binds the mortal world she has always known and the Magical world she is just now discovering. Now that is a burden that no one should be saddled with at birth and not know about it until your older.

But the real question lies in whether Bree will survive the long transformation into the powerful Druid Sorceress that is her destiny or die in the process as many before her have gone. That is something that she is being prepared for by the ancient ones that have come to her in her mind as she slowly became aware of her destiny as the most powerful of the Chosen Ones. Now Bree’s journey will not be an easy one and she must face the realities of her new life and her new family which include a clan of vampires who have been charged with protecting her for all of her mortal life. They have chosen her as a leader in their clan, a position that has really complicated things for her because for no sooner that Bree is finally reunited with her long lost love, Steven, Bree must learn how to navigate the jealousies and emotions within her new family. Meeting Steven again after such a long time being apart because most of her memories were hidden in her mind in order for her to forget him and move on to being a normal human though that had a tragic ending. While Bree tries to free herself from her past, including her cruel and lethal soon-to-be ex-husband, she must determine who she can truly trust. And while her clan loves her immensely, they will continually try to stand in her way while all in the name of protecting her from those set upon her death.

Bree’s arch nemesis is Esmeralda, a powerful sorceress in her own right who will stop at nothing until this Chosen One is dead. Now if Esmeralda can claim Bree’s blood, heart and soul and restore her Demon to his body, she will be so strong that none will be able to oppose her and she will be free to rid the world of all mortals and rule as she chooses. But with the help of the Guardians and her dreams, Bree begins to awaken the powers hidden within her and begins to embrace the responsibility she has been born to. And even while these changes make her body weak, Bree begins to find an inner strength she never knew she had within herself. Will it be enough to save the world? Well that question is yet to be answered since this book is part of a series that it yet finished so we are going to have to hold our breaths and wait to find out if Bree will have enough in her to save the world. I have to say that it took me a bit of time to get into this very complex novel since there was so much going on with the various characters in this novel. There was a small part of the story that was written in the third person and when it switched to the first person through Bree's point of view I was a bit confused but I got into the story after a couple of chapters to get use to the change. In the end of this long and character driven story I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next between Bree and her love Steven as well as the rest of her family and clan. Madonna Lacy delivers a wonderfully written debut novel that will have to captivated from start to finish in this world filled with vampires, magicians and other various types of mythical creatures we have only read about in fairytales. I am very much looking forward to getting my hands on the second book in the Chrysalis series because I seriously want to read what happens next to end my curiousity at least for this next part. I give this book 4 Open Books:

Here is the description of the book from the back cover and picture:

CHRYSALIS: THE AWAKENING by M.L. Lacy $ 14.99 (Book 1)(589 Pages)


All families have secrets. But at 32 years old, Bree Campbell is discovering that her entire life has been a secret. Like most people, it never occurred to her to question her mortality; that is until she learns that she is a mortal born into a family of Magicals and begins to question everything and everyone in her life. As the doors to Bree’s new world fly open and she finally hears the prophecy told at her birth she must face the revelation that she is a Chosen One; the last and greatest of a long line of Chosen Ones. And if this were not overwhelming enough, she has been charged with saving the earth by repairing the cosmic tear that binds the mortal world she has always known and the Magical world she is just now discovering. But the real question lies in whether Bree will survive the long transformation into the powerful Druid Sorceress that is her destiny or die in the process as many before her have gone.

Bree’s journey will not be an easy one. She must face the realities of her new life and her new family; a clan of vampires who have been charged with protecting her for all of her mortal life. They have chosen her as a leader in their clan, a position that has really complicated things for her. For no sooner than Bree is finally reunited with her long lost love, Steven, Bree must learn how to navigate the jealousies and emotions within her new family. While Bree tries to free herself from her past, including her cruel and lethal husband, she must determine who she can truly trust. And while her clan loves her immensely, they will continually try to stand in her way; all in the name of protecting her from those set upon her death.

Bree’s arch nemesis is Esmeralda, a powerful sorceress in her own right who will stop at nothing until this Chosen One is dead. If Esmeralda can claim Bree’s blood, heart and soul and restore her Demon to his body, she will be so strong that none will be able to oppose her and she will be free to rid the world of all mortals and rule as she chooses. But with the help of the Guardians and her dreams, Bree begins to awaken the powers hidden within her and begins to embrace the responsibility she has been born to. And even while these changes make her body weak, Bree begins to find an inner strength she never knew she had within herself. Will it be enough to save the world?

Stephanie Adkins new contemporary erotic romance suspense novella, Between Heaven and Hell, is now available from Liquid Silver Books!


Blurb: Somewhere between Heaven and Hell…there are nightmares. After being forced to confront an abusive ex-lover in court, Elaina Richmond wanted nothing more than to get away from the trial and the nightmares that came with it. Escaping to her Aunt and Uncle's vineyard in the rolling hills of Sonoma, California, she is reunited with her first love, Caden Russell. An old flame is rekindled. Though Heaven is found in his arms once again, Elaina soon discovers that the Devil has a way of finding you … especially when there's hope to destroy.


Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to purchase.

Visit Stephanie at www.stephanieadkins.com

Love's Blessings is now available with Red Rose Publishing, please go check it out. They have a different excerpt on the site than I use on mine, so that will give you a little extra.

A groom in lust, an unwilling bride, one night of dominance both won’t forget.

Tanesha did the sensible thing when her Brazilian family arranged a marriage of convenience to another jaguar shifter. She made a run for it. Now living a cushy life as a call girl in Manhattan, she lost her virginity and her desire to have a lifelong mate in the same second. Up until the crashing stock market robs her of all her savings. Broke, she considers returning to Brazil.

Danilo, bitterly scorned when his virgin bride escaped from under his nose, is none too pleased to hear of her plans to return to Brazil. Gone is his desire to marry, even if a promise given still binds him. Seeking her out, he brings one million dollars, a leather cat-o’-nine whip, and the heated determination to settle a score.

And on her knees—the smacking sound of leather against her bare skin—Tanesha fights against surrendering to the carnal attraction toward the shifter she once scorned.

Jaguar's Claim by Amy Redwood. Read excerpt here.