Necromancer's Seduction FEATURE & GIVEAWAY
The Necromancer’s Seduction
The Necromancer Series, Book One
Mimi Sebastian
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: ImaJinn Books
Cover Artist: Patricia Lazarus
Book Description: She has never feared the walking dead. It’s the power required to reanimate the dead that startles her, seduces her. The power that dwells inside her…and is growing.
For Professor Ruby Montagne, being a necromancer has brought her nothing but heartache, and she walked away from that part of her life long ago. However, her quiet existence in San Francisco is shattered when she stumbles upon the body of a slain witch, and the supernatural community insists she transform him into a revenant to track the killer. But his murder was just the beginning, and Ruby soon realizes that the stakes are higher than anyone can imagine—and that revenants have nasty minds of their own.
Now demonic creatures have escaped into the human world, and zombies once again walk the streets. For humanity’s sake, Ruby forms an unlikely alliance with a witch, a zombie, and Ewan March, a demon warrior who sets her senses on fire.
She’s always distrusted demons and Ewan is no exception, but circumstances push them closer together, and Ruby not only finds it harder to resist him, she isn’t sure she even wants to. But she suspects his job of patrolling the portal separating humans and demons conceals a dark and deadly past that may consume them both.
With events spiraling out of control, Ruby unravels a plot that not only threatens the human and demon realms, but puts Ruby’s very soul in jeopardy. Because when the dead walk, no one is safe. Especially Ruby.
Tour Wide Giveaway $10 Amazon Gift Card
About the Author Noemi Ghirghi writes as Mimi Sebastian and raised herself on books and the strange and unusual with an unhealthy dose of comics and Scooby Doo. Loving angst-filled romance thrown in the mix, she decided to blend all those elements in a steamy mix in her first Urban Fantasy series, the Necromancer Books. The first book, The Necromancer’s Seduction, debuts July 15, 2013, with ImaJinn Books.
Noemi spent two years in the Ivory Coast with the Peace Corps and loves to introduce tid-bits from her experiences in her writing. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America and the Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter of RWA. A transplant from the beaches of Florida, Noemi now wanders the desert in Phoenix, AZ, and attempts to balance writing with a day career, fantastic family, and household diva: her Amazon parrot.
http://mimisebastian.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/NecromancerSeriesMimiSebastianAuthor
https://twitter.com/SebastianMimi
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13508578-mimi-sebastian
EXCERPT:
Ewan waved me over to an empty expanse of the porch circled with candles of various shapes and colors, casting an ominous glow that barely chased off the shadows skulking around the room. I walked over, steering clear of the screen.
“Will this do?” he asked.
I nodded. “Where’s Adam’s body?”
“In the basement. Do you want it brought up now?”
“No.” Achieve inner calm while peeking at the dead body, worried it’ll pop up and jump on me? Not likely.
“All right then, I’ll leave you alone.” He didn’t move. The lines around his mouth softened. “I want to apologize for last night. I wasn’t acting very gentlemanly.”
“Gentlemanly?” I smiled. The tension eased from my shoulders. “I’d never use gentleman in the same breath as demon.”
“Now I’m offended.” The crinkle of his eyes told me the opposite. “We demons are quite chivalrous.”
“Chivalrous? I suppose you have a white horse hidden away somewhere?”
He’d somehow moved closer during our exchange and grazed my cheek with his finger. “White horse,” he whispered close to my ear, “boring.”
He lowered his lips to mine but stopped short of touching them, tracing my back with his hand, gliding it up my neck to wrap his fingers in my hair. Our bodies were close but not touching; only our breaths met in a hot exchange. He gazed at my lips before possessing them with his own.
I swayed and caught his shoulders to steady myself. I moaned at the electric shock searing a path from my lips to my core. Feeling, tasting him was better than I ever allowed myself to imagine.
Ewan consumed me.
I wasn’t ready to be consumed.
When A Series Became A Serial Saga…
NOTE: THIS WAS RELEASE NEWS ON THE ARE CAFE FOR A SUMMONER’S TALE.
Please welcome romance author Victoria Danann to the Cafe!
I fell in love with paranormal romance after reading Kresley Cole’s A Hunger Like No Other. I’d been a fan of paranormal for most of my life and had read everything by Anne Rice and Stephen King, among others, but found that adding the element of romance is like putting the ice cream in the cone. I began to see that I could write romance using paranormal elements to mold male characters into the stuff of fantasy – what men should be.
I spent two years reading every PNR that had enjoyed any success at all so that I would know what had already been done. Armed with that information, I set out to write a series unlike anything that had been done before. All went well. The first book flowed almost like it was being channeled. I took care with the world building and the finished result was lengthy (475 pages), but I was satisfied that it fulfilled my vision and perhaps exceeded it.
The book, My Familiar Stranger, was so well-received that I’m still humming with the vibration. It was nominated for Best Paranormal Romance of 2012 by the Reviewers’ Choice Awards and has broken all kinds of records for the first work of an unknown author.
This note, however, is about what happened when it was time to begin Book Two. Put simply, I had fallen in love with the characters from the first book and wasn’t ready to let them go. There was more story to tell. I knew from feedback that readers felt the same way. So Book Two, The Witch’s Dream, picked up where Book One ended.
I knew that creating a series that is also a serial saga was going to be a lot more trouble than a collection of books that are loosely related, but I decided it was going to be worth the risk. The third installment, A Summoner’s Tale, was just released. If you have not read any of the books, it will be a real treat for you to read the story as it was meant to be told, from Book One through Three without interruption.
http://www.arecafe.com/cafe-news/victoria-danann-when-a-series-becomes-a-saga/
Beauty Awakened – Why I Love Being an Indie…
Beauty Awakened by Gena Showalter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Typical of Showalter which means I have read every one and will buy the next. An entertaining escape and good for a late night read.
I do have a huge complaint, but it is not with either the author or the book. It’s with the publisher who has control over the cover. The protagonist in this book is a BRONZE SKINNED, BALD GUY WITH A BEADED BEARD. Every time I opened the book I had to re-experience the irritation of looking at a white guy with smooth face and a full head of hair.
Perhaps a personal quirk, but I can’t stand it when covers lie! Did the publisher determine that they would sell more books with the clean shaved, white guy with hair? In that case they should have insisted that the author make her hero conform to the cover image. The incongruency bugged me big time. (Visual here.)
P.S. One more thing. The couple on the cover suggests more eroticism than is presented in the story. Is this whole thing a simple case of follow the money, Mr/Ms Publisher? Or is it a simple matter of the graphics department not giving a frack?
Redemption FEATURE & GIVEAWAY
Redemption
The Seven Signs, Book 2
Erica Hayes
Genre: paranormal romance, urban fantasy romance
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
ISBN: 978-0425258385
Number of pages: 330
Word Count: 100K
Cover Artist: Kris Keller
Paperback: Amazon BN Book Depository
Book Description:
Japheth the Tainted is on the hunt for a mysterious demon vampire. But meeting her face-to-face might disarm his warrior spirit—and spark an unquenchable passion with apocalyptic consequences.
As a fallen angel, Japheth is determined to make his way back to heaven by staying pure and slaying hellspawn. With a new scourge of vampires unleashed by a blood-drinking demon, the Prince of Thirst, there’s plenty to be done. But Japheth is after one vampire in particular—the one they call the Angel Slayer.
Rose Harley never wanted to be a vampire, but the Prince of Thirst can turn even the kindest soul into a soldier of hell. Feeling abandoned by God, she stalks the West Village taking revenge on his angels—until she meets her match.
When Japheth and Rose encounter each other, the battle is fierce and charged with desire. But when they discover a common enemy—the Prince of Thirst himself—they form a dangerous alliance that could either cost them their eternal lives, or spark a love more powerful than heaven or hell.
GIVEAWAY Tour Wide Giveaway: Kindle Fire or if the winner lives outside the US they will receive an equivalent value Amazon gift card
About the Author: Erica Hayes was a law student, an air force officer, an editorial assistant and a musician, before finally landing her dream job: fantasy and romance writer. She writes dark paranormal and urban fantasy romance, and her books feature tough, smart heroines and colourful heroes with dark secrets. She hails from Australia, where she drifts from city to city, leaving a trail of chaos behind her. Currently, she’s terrorizing the wilds of Northumberland.
http://erica-hayes.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/ericahayes.author
The Alpha Male Diner on I Smell Sheep
Copy the recipe for A Summoner’s Tale and enter the raffle to win one of seven copies of the Collected Tales, Books 1-3. All 313,000 words!
Cursed FEATURE & GIVEAWAY
Cursed
Lynn Ricci
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 1481276034
ASIN: B00AQO2ISW
Number of pages: 259
Word Count: 70,000
The story takes place over the Christmas holiday… it involves a witch . . . and other surprises…
Book Description-
When Sarah Carter moves to Boston to escape her past she realizes there’s more than meets the eye with the landlord and her mysterious new best friend.
What happened to the owner of this Boston brownstone and what secrets lie within its walls and continue to torment?
And is she actually running back to her past instead of from it?
TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY 2 Kindle copies of Cursed, 2 print copies of Cursed
About the Author:
Lynn Ricci was born and raised in the Boston area. Her professional background is in financial communications and she pursues her artistic endeavors of writing and painting while enjoying an active family life with her two children and dog, Fenway. In the summer, she enjoys relaxing in Chatham on Cape Cod.
A writer of several published short stories including Daydreams which was picked up for an anthology collection through Outskirts Press, The Dating Intervention is her debut novel and Cursed, a paranormal romance, is her most recent novel released December 2012.
More information on novels available and underway can be found at www.lynnricci.com
Website: http://www.lynnricci.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Lynn.Ricci.Author
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lynnricci
Excerpt Chapter 1
Staring out of the small dormered window, he could just see the corner of the street. Leaves on the trees lining the sidewalk were moving past their prime of orange and red and turning brown as autumn made its way through Boston. The ones still clinging to the trees blocked part of his view. Absentmindedly he pulled his pocket watch out of his pants and checked the time although he instinctively knew it was still early. Purposely, he had chosen this spot to watch the street for a sign. He didn’t want to miss a thing.
Mrs. Casey was nearly three stories below waiting on the sidewalk next to her white BMW. He gazed down at the plump woman in her camel jacket and brown plaid scarf. She had just arrived and was on her mobile phone, trusty bag over her shoulder. As he watched from above, he wondered if he might keep her for a while. She had proven to be discreet and respectful in their dealings thus far –always keeping her eyes conveniently averted. That was a big plus in his book.
The sky had been bright blue and clear all morning but now the sunlight dimmed and small gusts of wind kicked up from time to time, stirring up the brittle leaves, scratching at the sidewalk and causing drifts against the wrought iron fence. He would go out and clean up the two small patches of grass in front of the building later, when it got dark. After all these years, he was comfortable working outside after nightfall.
A flicker of yellow caught his eye as a taxi turned from Columbus Avenue onto Dunhill – a small side street in Boston’s South End, lined with fashionable brownstones. He straightened his bent frame as best he could and intently watched the cab’s approach, completely absorbed in his surroundings and on high alert. Below, Mrs. Casey tucked her phone away and pulled her coat closed. Is it getting colder, he thought, touching the glass pane in front of him, the chill spreading through his fingertips.
The yellow checker taxi glided to a stop in front of the building and a young woman with ash blonde hair stepped out but held the door and leaned back in. His heart clenched as if it had been submerged in cold water and he grasped the windowsill to steady himself. From his vantage point, he could see the cabbie handing her some bills. She closed the car door and turned to Mrs. Casey, shaking hands. He wished he could hear the conversation, but knew that it would be pleasantries and then the expected basics.
Both women squinted up towards the window and he faded back as quickly as possible. He was sure he was a moment too late, but what did it really matter? He snuck another quick look and relaxed, realizing Mrs. Casey was pointing out items on the ground level – most likely the security system, or flower boxes. But as he continued to watch he finally saw it: the sign he had been waiting for.
Small gusts that had been making the crunchy, dry leaves rise and dance with their still colorful counterparts whipped up again a few buildings further along the street and came towards the women like a mounting wave. The leaves blew up waist high, swirling and twirling onto themselves until the force reached the women and spun around them in a leaf tornado. Mrs. Casey stepped back towards her BMW parked at the curb to get out of the maelstrom and the leaves continued, picking up energy and speed; surrounding the flaxen-haired woman, lifting and tossing her long hair like a Medusa at the center of the funnel. In reaction to the onslaught, the young woman covered her head with her arms and ran up the front walk toward the building to get out of its path. The wind disappeared and the leaves fell to the ground on the sidewalk as quickly as it had started. Overhead the sky was once again blue.
She’s here, he thought.
The leaves settled gently on the sidewalk. Sarah laughed, removing a few dry leaves that had snagged on her scarf and sweater.
“My goodness! It’s getting blustery!” Mrs. Casey exclaimed as she hurried across the brick sidewalk to the open gate that Sarah ran through, moments before. “Are you ok, dear?”
“I’m fine, really.” Sarah said almost to herself while smoothing her hair. “Just a little wind.”
“Well, dear, if it was any more wind it would have swept you away to Oz.” Sarah heard the deep Boston accent in the woman’s voice and felt immediately comfortable with the realtor. The cadence was almost like she was listening to her maternal grandmother, Rose. Growing up in Connecticut, her grandmother’s Boston accent was fodder for jokes, but she always associated the distinctive pronunciations with happy childhood memories. Sarah waited as Mrs. Casey reached into her oversized bag and easily pulled out a business card.
“Thank you, Mrs. Casey,” Sarah said as she examined the card. “I’m so glad you were able to meet me on short notice.” Sarah stood on the bottom step and waited as Mrs. Casey dug paperwork out of her briefcase. Glancing around the small front enclosure she wasn’t sure was big enough to qualify as a yard, she noticed the black wrought iron flower boxes mounted below the bay windows, full of deep russet, red, and burnt orange mums. Mrs. Casey finished pulling out the listing sheet and noticed where Sarah was looking.
“The flowers are lovely, aren’t they? You should see this place in the summer! I don’t know how he does it. No one ever sees him working in the garden but it’s always immaculate.” She leaned over and pointed to the side of the building indicating she actually meant around the corner. “Over there are the rose bushes. This is actually one of the few brownstones that has a little side yard since the alley cuts through there.”
Sarah looked at the old-world cobblestone alley. Mrs. Casey continued her garden tour, “Not big enough to do much with, but he keeps pink roses in the summer all along those wooden trellises.”
“It’s very nice. You can tell the property is well kept; it’s wonderful that he cares so much for the landscaping.”
“Everything is kept well. This was a grand house in her day.” Mrs. Casey stressed the last sentence as she looked lovingly up to the front door. The realtor continued with a tone of letting Sarah in on a fact already well known in certain social circles, “This is one of the prime rental properties in the South End, dear.”
Mrs. Casey started to climb the front steps slowly. Sarah wondered if it was her age that slowed her down but this seemed different, almost hesitant. As if on cue, the woman turned and looked down at Sarah, two steps below. She put one hand on the railing to steady herself before speaking.
“Before we go in, I must tell you something. We will be meeting with the owner in a few minutes. He’s very particular about his renters since he lives on the first floor.”
Sarah started to say she would make a good impression but the woman laid her gloved hand on her arm to quiet her.
“There’s more.” Mrs. Casey looked down at her feet in discomfort with what she was about to say. “He had an accident . . . of some sort. I am not sure exactly what happened but he is disfigured and very, very self-conscious.” Her eyes darted back to Sarah’s and locked. “Don’t act like you pity him. Don’t ask any questions about it. And, whatever you do, don’t look straight at him.”
“Is it that bad?”
“I really don’t know the extent of it. He tries to cover as much he can and I pretend like nothing is wrong. But it’s bad. I always keep myself busy and interested in looking at something else.”
“I will avoid looking at him. Promise.”
“I’ve lost some good tenants by them being too interested in him. He’s a proud man. He has done a lot of beautiful work; everything in this home has been lovingly maintained. The whole building possesses a charm you just don’t see anymore.”
Mrs. Casey searched Sarah’s face, making sure all this had settled in.
“Ready, dear?”
“Ready.”
