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In Elaine Lyons Bach’s debut novel, Gentle Journey , Eden Barret longs to help society’s downtrodden with her talent as an artist. When her initial plans fail, as a last resort, she finds work as a governess in the home of Colin Ashton, Seventh Earl of Edmund. There she hopes to continue to pursue painting in her spare time.

Her beliefs and her choice to rescue two climbing boys from their abusive master, yet refusal to give testimony against the sweep cause her to cross swords with her handsome employer more than once, putting her employment in jeopardy.

Her charge, Lady Diana, is an intelligent, though lonely preteen, confused about what she perceives as her power to cause things to happen – bad things. Though diametrically opposed in beliefs, against her better judgment, Eden is attracted to the intelligent and chivalrous Lord Edmund. Continue reading »

Jackie Kessler, author of “Hell’s Belles,” the first book in the Hell on Earth Series, has announced a Hell of a contest to help promote her second novel, The Road to Hell.

“The Road to Hell” hits the shelves on Tuesday, November 6, 2007. To celebrate, Jackie Kessler will be giving away an Apple iPod Nano. “The sexy red one,” says Kessler. There is no purchase necessary to win.

The official rules are:
Prizes and entry deadlines:
For the sweepstakes running between November 6 and November 10, 2007:
Grand Prize: one Apple iPod Nano, Product Red, 2G ($199.00)
Three placing prizes: Apple iPod Shuffles, silver, 1G ($79.00 each)
For the sweepstakes running NOW through midnight, October 31, 2007:
One 14k gold, 7-inch, hollow Byzantine bracelet, from Overstock.com ($90.99)

How to enter:
For the sweepstakes running between November 6 and November 10, 2007:
There are two ways to enter. You can buy a copy of “The Road to Hell” between November 6 and November 10 and either scan your receipt and email it (visit: http://www.jackiekessler.com for the email address) to Jackie Kessler (along with a valid return email address) with “ROAD CONTEST” in the subject line, or fax a copy of your receipt (again, along with a valid return email address) to 1-518-320-7177. Continue reading »

Harriet Klausner is Amazon’s #1 Reviewer

More comfortable with horses than with men, Lady Julia Westfall wants to inherit the stable when her ailing beloved father dies. She detests the types of things her female peers love while being very competitive with men when it comes to steeds.

Widow Lord Henry Pelham wants the horses also and needs a mother for his cherished daughter Isbeau. He offers Julia a business arrangement. They marry, share the horses, but not the bedroom as Henry fears insanity flows through his bloodlines with his uncle and aunt as proof. Julia figures he cannot bed a “horseface” like her, but agrees to his terms.

They marry and she moves into the loony bin that is the Pelham extended household. She quickly becomes a favorite, beloved by all, but the one she needs the most remains beyond her reach as she believes her love for him is unrequited. In reality Henry loves her and wants to consummate his marriage, but fumbles each time he tries to talk with Julia.

This reviewer realizes that a zillion historical romance novels center on the marriage of convenience theme. The Mad Marquis is the zillion and one tale to employ that overkilled motif. Yet in the capable hands of Fiona Carr, readers receive a terrific tale starring a strong cast that leads to a delightful novel. Continue reading »

Author Jackie Kessler’s novel of paranormal romance is heating up the bookstores as well as romance reviewer sites and publications.

Hell’s Belles , Kessler’s story of Jezebel–NOT your average exotic dancer–but a 4,000-year-old succubus on the run from Hell (which isn’t easy to do in high heels) is pulling in rave reviews from both the paranormal romance, and mainstream romance communities.

Romance Reader at Heart wrote “Now, I’m no expert on paranormal romances. As of matter of fact, short of the works of Christine Feehan, I can virtually count on one hand the number of paranormals I’ve read in the past. But, after reading Jackie Kessler’s debut work, HELL’S BELLES, I have to say that if this is just a sample of the originality and creativeness that comprises the world of paranormal romance stories now so popular with reading fans, you can count me in as another avid fan.

Romantic Times, who gave Kessler’s debut novel a 4.5 star rating (scorcher!) wrote “Kessler’s debut novel will captivate fans of Sherrilyn Kenyon and Laurell K. Hamilton from the very first page. Adding interesting new characters to the dark fantasy genre, this first novel in the Hell on Earth series is sure to have readers salivating over the release of the next book. The novel is steamy, humorous and fast-paced, with tons of imagery and symbols that take it to a deeper level, similar to that of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series.”

Pick up your copy of Hell’s Belles today and settle in for a fabulous read!

Hell on Earth starts here!

Jezebel’s not your average exotic dancer. For one thing, she’s a 4,000-year-old succubus. For another, she’s on the run from Hell (which isn’t easy to do in high heels).

Hiding on the mortal coil as a human doesn’t protect her from muggers, lactose intolerance…or having feelings for Paul Hamilton, a man haunted by his past.

Demons are closing in, which is enough to make Jezebel shiver in her G-string. But it’s her love for Paul that’s going to have deadly consequences. (Humans, she laments, really should come with instruction manuals.)

In its 4.5-star review of Hell’s Belles , Romantic Times said that “Kessler’s debut novel will captivate fans of Sherrilyn Kenyon and Laurell K. Hamilton from the very first page.”

And Romance Reader At Heart said that “Jackie Kessler is an author whose originality, style, and flair for creating such wonderfully devious and intriguingly devilish characters is sure to propel her to the top.”

See why bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson says the book had her “hooked from the first sentence”. (Excerpt below)

Jackie Kessler’s novel is Winner of the Coffee Time Reviewer Recommend Award.

About the Author
Jackie Kessler is the author of Hell’s Belles (Kensington/Zebra Books, January 2007) and The Road to Hell (Kensington/Zebra Books, November 2007). A third HELL novel and a novella will be published in 2008.

Jackie has also written a number of short stories, which have appeared in publications including REALMS OF FANTASY, FARTHING, and the charity anthology DREAMS AND DESIRES (Freya’s Bower, February 2007). She lives in Upstate NY with her Loving Husband, two precious little Tax Deductions, two cats, and 8,000 comic books. Visit her site to learn more, or e-mail her today: jax (at) jackiekessler (dot) com

Read an excerpt from Jackie’s newest book, Hell’s Belles Continue reading »

Dance of the Heart, a new novel by James Therrian, is the story of a gay male dancer in a long-term committed relationship, who is attracted to his new female dance partner.

Michael Baldwin is a successful professional dancer who has it all; a great career, a wonderful relationship with his partner David, and a brand new lake-view home the two built together on Lake Michigan.

The sudden death of Michael’s dance partner, Margo, sets into motion a series of events that make Michael question his life and his love choices.

This novel explores whether people can actually change who they are for love. As the hero’s own mother says, we can’t always control who we fall in love with. 

About the Author
James Therrian was born in Michigan and spent most of his early years in the rainy Northwest before following the sun to Maui, Santa Fe, New Mexico & California. An avid writer, James has attended workshops with Lew Hunter of the famed Screenwriting 434 class at UCLA. James currently lives and writes in San Diego and works with the University of California San Diego.

No Matter What
by Jordana Ryan

Haunted by her involvement in her parents death at the age of ten, Cassandra has never been confident in the love that others felt for her—not her adoptive parents, her friends and certainly not the man she loved with all her heart.

So, after giving herself to her high school sweetheart on prom night, she flees from the overpowering fears and all those who supported her.

And then after four years of sleeping with one strange man after another—whose names she couldn’t remember or never knew—she decided enough was enough. It was time to return to face those she’d left behind, particularly Brenden Carter.

Brenden should hate Cass for running away from their love and with his daughter, but somehow even after years of telling himself he hated her–and doing a lot of womanizing himself–Cass’ smile still managed to get next to him.

Will he be able to forgive her for leaving him when he needed her most? Continue reading »

Hot Water is Kathryn Jordan’s first novel. 

In her first novel, Hot Water, Kathryn Jordan depicts a woman who takes wants to escape her abusive marriage for a weekend retreat in a luxury spa. So, she hires a gorgeous man through the Internet as her escort, buys sexy lingerie, and leases a red Lamborghini Murcielago to complete her fantasy. While at the resort, she goes by the name Julia Reeves and names her escort William.

The Hidden Springs Spa is a place of privacy and intimacy for its guests. For Julia and William, Hidden Springs opens and heals old wounds. Their intended encounter was supposed to be only sexual. However, their sexual, emotional and intellectual interaction leaves them questioning the possibilities of the future.

Kathryn Jordan is a talented writer. One of her strongest points is her descriptive ability. Readers are transformed into the moment. Throughout Hot Water, Jordan gives amazing descriptive images of Hidden Springs. Readers are easily taken on a beautiful journey into a world of waves, sand, water, trees, and plush living.

While the backdrop is glorious, the characters needed a little more highlighting. Jordan’s sporadic philosophic conversations between Julia and William begin to highlight their mental strengths. I was hoping for more conversational characterization development. Overall, her novel is provocative, intriguing, and a worthwhile read. I hope to see more novels by Kathryn Jordan in the future. Continue reading »

Want to create characters with depth? Take this advice from Jade Lee, author of the Tigress romance series. 

Is your hero a volcano, seething with fury and ready to burst at any moment?  Is your heroine a skittish crane attempting to fly far, far away whenever trouble startles her?  How about something more basic?  Earth, air, fire, or water.   When they’re angry, do they darken, flash, seethe, or boil?  When they’re excited, do they thicken or sear, experience lightning or rivers of fire?
 
Talk about imagery and even writers roll back to their worst high school English class.  That’s unfortunate because there is no easier tool for characterization than using good consistent imagery.  How many of us have read something like this: His touch was like a hot brand against her skin.  Her heart quivered with longing as he stabbed her with his arrow of luv.  Okay, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea.  Cliche imagery for cliche stories.

So many romance novels end up with Ken and Barbie characters.  Physically they’re perfect, emotionally they’re perfect–except for their one scar that is the focus of their arc.  Barbie needs to learn to trust because she’s been dumped before.  Ken lost his last girlfriend to a fire because he was a coma at the time therefore it was all his fault and he now has a protect the world from its own stupidity.  I’m making fun here, but romance readers know how the same emotional baggage in the hands of one author is farce in someone else’s.

Jade Lee’s latest in the Tigress Series is Tempted Tigress; the series delves into the hidden sensuality of the Dragon/Tigress religious sect in pre-revolutionary China. For more on consistent imagery sets, check out Jade’s novels.  Then e-mail her jade@jadeleeauthor.com with your guesses as to what imagery she chose for whom.  Win a prize if you get it right!

So how do you make your characters deeply emotional people with real problems instead of Ken in a coma?  Hard work.  Ha!  You thought I was going to say imagery.  No, good imagery will not save a stupid book.  But consistent imagery will deepen your characters and–here’s the good  part–keep your themes in your head from the beginning all the way through to the end of the book.  Yup.  Since writing is HARD WORK, anything that makes it EASIER WORK gets a thumbs up from me. Continue reading »

By Kathryn Jordan

The Hidden Springs spa is a place where fantasies can come true, and that’s exactly what this unhappy housewife is looking for. Calling herself Julia Reeves she books a getaway at the spa and hires a man to spend the time with her there making her sexual fantasies come true.

William is a professional, paid by women for a variety of reasons. Taking Julia’s offer and meeting her at the spa should be an easy job, but life is never as simple as it should be. Spending this time with Julia and keeping it professional will prove to be one of William’s most difficult jobs yet.

Hot Water is an absorbing and passion filled story. Julia and William have the kind of instant chemistry that makes for a sexy and very touching read. Wonderfully vivid characterization makes the interaction between Julia and William easy to visualize. Ms. Jordan has penned a delightfully delicious tale that readers will be happy to be lost in.

Buy Kathryn’s book at Amazon