Author Interview 14: Desidera 's Interview with Beverley Oakley and Giveaway

 

While reading many books, I found this gem, Rake's Honour by Beverley Oakley. This is one of those books you can't put down until you finish it and Beverley Oakley has now become one of my favorite historical romance writers; she is one of the writers that makes you feel the story and identify with her characters. I can't wait to read her upcoming release, on July 2nd, “Lady Lovett’s Little Dilemma” followed on July 16 by “The Cavalier”.

I recently discovered that she is writing traditional Regency romance under the name of Beverley Eikli. So, welcome here Beverley Oakley, aka Beverley Eikli!

Tell us about you … about what compelled you to start writing.

How did you choose the name Beverley Oakley? Is there a story behind this choice of a pen name for yourself?

Thanks so much for having me here  today, Fashionta.  So, how did I choose my pseudonym? Well, I started writing traditional Regency Romances under my married name, Beverley Eikli which is Norwegian (and rhymes with ‘likely’). Eikli translates into Oak Hill in Norwegian so Oakley seemed a good choice of pseudonym when the time came. And what compelled me to start writing? I can’t actually remember a time when I didn’t passionately yearn to be a writer. However, it was meeting my husband that provided the impetus to go from being unpublished and directionless to getting my first contract.

As I said, he’s Norwegian and was a bush pilot who’d been flying in the beautiful Okavango Delta in Botswana for five years when I met him. I’d been managing a safari lodge and was flying home to Australia the next day when he flew in a group of American tourists.

Sparks flew and for eight months we wrote letters (the old fashioned kind that took two weeks to reach their destination) and he proved his love by ploughing through my lengthy historical romance I’d given him on a floppy disk (which will never to see the light of day!). Then, suddenly, after eight months, he got on a plane and came to Australia to ask me to marry him. I'd only spent four hours in his company but I had no doubt about saying yes. I gave up my job as a journalist on a metropolitan daily in South Australia and swapped a house in the Adelaide suburbs for a thatched cottage in the middle of a mopane forest by an isolated flood plain in Botswana.

This was eighteen years ago but it’s where I started writing seriously.

My first three books were traditional Regency Historical Intrigues written under my Beverley Eikli name and published in hardcover with Robert Hale (UK). They mostly went to libraries in Commonwealth countries.

The plot of Rake’s Honour, however, was racier, and overall a more rollicking read which just wasn’t appropriate for my English publisher so I decided to take a new name and submit it as an erotic Regency Historical to Total-E-Bound who’s proved a great publisher – which, I guess, answers your next question, in part.

I know that your first book as Beverley Oakley is Rake's Honour, what made you alter your style? Did you think to capture a new audience?

I didn’t want to offend my readers who expected that a Beverley Eikli book would be full of intrigue and sensuality – but not rollicking sex. My heroine in Rake’s Honour, Fanny Brightwell, is highly motivated to take enormous risks in order to snare her man - otherwise she’s destined to live the rest of her life enslaved to the hideous and manipulative Lord Slyther.

So while there are many similarities in terms of plot and motivation between my longer Beverley Eikli Regency Romances and my slightly shorter Beverley Oakley erotic Regency Historicals, the bedroom antics of a Beverley Oakley are necessary to understanding the psychology and motivation of my characters.

Are you equally enjoying both styles you write in or is there one you prefer?

I enjoy delving into the characters and their motivations in both styles but the Beverley Oakley erotic romances are faster paced with an ending that has more of a ‘sting in the tail’ or a character who’s ‘hoist on their own petard’.

By comparison the Beverley Eikli romances have a longer build-up of suspense, and there’s lots of intrigue before events are resolved.

What can you say about your alter ego, Beverley Eikli? I haven’t read any of her books, but I intend to. Do you have a favorite book from the three books you wrote under this pen name? Can you tell us?

My favourite is Lady Farquhar’s Butterfly which my English publisher released in January as an e-book with the following premise:

Falsely branded an adulteress and unfit mother by her vengeful late husband, Olivia Lady Farquhar embarks on a grand charade to reclaim her young son.

When she unexpectedly finds love with the boy’s kind and gentle guardian Max, secrets in her past life far more deadly than just her false identity threaten not only her love but her life.

I’m pretty excited right now because my paperback and e-book rights to my hardcover books have just reverted to me, so in a couple of weeks my three Beverley Eikli Regency Romantic Intrigues will also be available in paperback and e-book. The idea of having complete control is wonderful as I’ll be able to choose my own covers and set the price.

What was your inspiration for Lady Farquhar’s Butterfly? Was this an idea that started to germinate in your mind or did you start writing and it poured out from there?

I always start with a set-up. For example, a ‘What if?” question. For Lady Farquhar’s Butterfly it was, “If the law prevents a woman from rearing her son because her now-dead alcoholic husband falsely accuses her of being an unfit mother, how daring will she be in order to get him back?”

So there’s deception but the intrigue really begins when she becomes an unwitting target for someone she’s always trusted – for a most unlikely reason. Yes, I just love a good intrigue!

Which leads me to ask, what's your writing process like? Mac or PC, laptop or desktop or paper and pen? Do you have a dedicated room for writing? Do you write a set amount of hours in a day or when you can grab time? Do you sketch out your storyline beforehand or write as it flows? Do you ever write material that surprises you in that the storyline takes a direction you hadn't considered originally?

I have a MacAir which my lovely husband bought for my birthday last year. As we have a couple of delightful, demanding daughters, we redesigned the kitchen with a writing nook so I could leap into my Herman Miller chair (shipped by the same lovely husband from the States to Australia in one enormous cardboard box as another surprise!). I then snatch whatever writing time I can between making endless bowls of porridge and whipping up a gourmet dinner if my husband’s returning home after a few days away, flying. My books have become slightly shorter and much racier and pacier as I’ve progressed from being blissfully childless to blessed but manic.

While walking my gorgeous Rhodesian Ridgeback each morning I plot my story to about half way. I never know the ending. When I’m actually writing – which is whenever I can, depending on the children’s activities and final edits from my publishers, etc – I find the characters often take charge and which can send the book in a completely unexpected direction. I’ve always loved spontaneity and chafed at predictability in my life so I guess my writing process is in line with that.

How much time did you spend writing Rake's Honour? Which part of the writing process do you most enjoy?

Rake’s Honour was originally a story called The Courtesan’s Daughter which Avon editor Erika Tsang awarded first prize in a Romance Writers of Australia’s competition eleven years ago. She rejected the full manuscript as I still hadn’t mastered the plot development of the second half of all my books. I then wrote three other books that were published before returning to the characters in Rake’s Honour - whom I loved – but I changed the plot.

Who is your favorite character and why?

The feisty heroine, Fanny Brightwell is one of my all-time favourite characters. She’s based on William Thackeray’s anti-heroine in Vanity Fair, Becky Sharp, who I found much more interesting than the book’s passive, naïve heroine, Amelia Sedley.

You have two more books coming in July, which of these three books is your current favorite and why?

The two July releases couldn’t be more different from each other – or from Rake’s Honour. Whereas Rake’s Honour featured a fiery, feisty heroine, this time it was fun to write about a sweet, passive, happily married heroine.

Lady Lovett's Little Dilemma, which was released at the beginning of this month, is probably my favourite.

As was normal 200 years ago, Cressida is not equipped with the vocabulary or knowledge to explain that while she wants to continue her loving relationship with her husband she can’t bear to be intimate when she knows the consequences may well be another pregnancy.

Therefore, when her awful, jealous, bullying cousin tells her that her hitherto faithful, adoring Justin has returned to the arms of his former mistress, Cressida believes it’s her fault. When she stumbles upon the means to please both her husband and herself, she inadvertently stumbles upon a 20-year-old mystery. It’s now that she uses her sweet nature – and hidden determination – to secure someone else’s happy ending, as well as her own – revealing surprising depths of courage, daring and spontaneity along the way.

What can you share about “Lady Lovett’s Little Dilemma” and “The Cavalier”?

Here’s the blurb for The Cavalier:

A Puritan woman’s loyalties are tested when her husband is imprisoned by the Royalist lover she was forced to surrender through duty.

Do these three books have lines that every time you reread them you smile? Can you share them with us?

Here’s one I like from Rake’s Honour:

Fanny’s objection was truncated by the jolt of the boat as it pushed off from the river bank, which threw her closer against her companion. Drawing back, she said icily, “I am not from the ranks of the Fashionably Impure, sir. Might I remind you that you tore me from the arms of a serious suitor—”

“—whose marital criteria I believe you failed to meet—?”


“His mama’s marital criteria!”

“I beg your pardon.” He flashed her a smile before issuing instructions to the ferryman.

He was a gentleman—his voice, his bearing left her in no doubt about that.

And From Lady Lovett’s Little Dilemma… I just grabbed one at random however this encapsulates the dilemma at the heart of the story.

Horrified, she checked herself. How could she possibly speak so plainly about methods that would prevent her conceiving the second son Justin deserved, desired and, yes, as his mother so frequently reminded her, required?

Her breath hitched in her throat while her mind raced over the best way to navigate these turbulent waters.

And The Cavalier, from an excerpt where my hero and heroine know the depraved commander Reynolds has his eye to the keyhole.

Slowly, Elizabeth nodded once. “This is war,” she whispered, simply, “and I want to live. I’ll struggle and scream as I would if it were Reynolds but you have my permission to take me. I’ve dreamed of it.” She said it so he could be under no illusions as to her feelings and was gratified by the brief shock that crossed his face. Immediately she tried to pull out of his arms. “You betrayed me!” she shrieked. “By God, I rue the day I set eyes on you. You betrayed me. Don’t touch me!”

The play acting had begun.

What's next up for your endeavors? Are you working on a story now you can share some tidbits of with our readers?

I’ve just done corrections on a the first in a series for Ellora’s Cave called Her Gilded Prison about a viscount’s family of two legitimate daughters and his ‘secret’ family consisting of an illegitimate son and daughter. The first story is an older woman/younger man story in which the viscount’s lovely, unloved wife gains the assistance of her husband’s displaced heir to secure the succession of the family line. Once again, there is loads of intrigue together with some very deserving characters and some perfectly awful ones – like the viscount’s daughter. Though she’ll get a story of her own where she’ll get her come-uppance and have to mend her ways.

Thanks so much for being here and sharing time with us.

It was an absolute pleasure. Thank you very much for having me here today.

Beverley Oakley aka Beverley Eikli can be reached here:
http://www.beverleyoakley.com/

We are giving on copy of Beverley's new release Lady Lovett's Little Dilemma away to celebrate release of it

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dead Sexy Entangled Tour - Anna DeStefano Guest Post and Giveaway

Embrace the things that go bump in your nightmares…

Thanks for having me over to play, Dolce. Scoot over, pass the popcorn, and let’s have a little fun!

Her Forgotten Betrayal, a launch book for Entangled’s Dead Sexy line, is full of spine-tingling moments, with my amnesiac heroine fighting for her life, her love and her memory, and ultimately facing her nightmares in order save the day. Oh, and most of the book is set at night, over a forty-eight-hour period, while Shaw Cassidy believes either her mind or her creepy house (or possibly the hero) is trying to kill her. So much gothic-y goodness…

But the nightmares in this story, the things you’ll find at first most terrifying, end up being the key to the solving the mystery. The more Shaw listens to and learns from her sleeping mind, the better she’ll be able to protect herself. And the symbols in her dreams never actually mean what she’s at first afraid they mean. Her instincts are trying to tell her things she needs to know, and they’re using the strongest emotions they can to reach her—exactly the way our dreams work in our own lives. Paying attention to how your dreams make you feel is the key. Emotion is the conduit between your sleeping and waking self.

Yes, I’m obsessed with dream theory. Have been for years. I blog about it weekly in my Dream Theories series, and have written two sci-fi/fantasy novels based on the stuff ;o) It was absolutely thrilling for me to be able to weave these tidbits of accuracy through a fun, fast-paced romantic suspense that most readers will love for a host of other reasons.

For me, and for others who’re fascinated by dreams, and for everyone who revels in cool things that go bump in the night, finding this kind of “creepy” in the midst of a contemporary romance is a blast. Because it’s an almost-real kind of creepy. Dare I say it, an optimistic kind of creepy?

That’s right.

Optimistic.

The underlying message of Her Forgotten Betrayal is to follow your dreams—even the scarier ones. Because your dreams are just that—yours. They’re your thoughts and your intuition and your memories.

And when your dreams go dark, it’s often your mind’s way of focusing you on the tough stuff you’re avoiding in your every day. In Shaw’s case, her mind’s completely shut down so she doesn’t have to face her worst fears. But those realities are bleeding through into her sleep and fighting their way back to her—so she’ll have everything she needs to beat her phantoms at their own game.

Our darkness is a very real part of us. And as you might have guessed, it’s typically a very real part of my writing, whether I’m penning home and family stories, suspense, or psychic thrillers. Because darker emotions are just as real as the breezier things we often prefer to spend our energy on. I’m all about the fun, and as a romance writer I’m all about the beauty of a happy ending. But isn’t the lighter stuff at its best when it’s the product of being real and honest and powerful? I think so.

Pay attention to the tough things that come your way, particularly in your dreams. Value them. Learn from them. You never know when your perfect ending is waiting just on the other side of the spooky thing you’re fighting so hard to avoid…

So, dreams and nightmares, fantasy and realism, lightness and spooky drama. Oh, and I forgot to mention a hunky FBI undercover operative and a sizzling, tense relationship that seems doomed from the start… Bwahahahahaha! Doesn’t Her Forgotten Betrayal sound like a blast?

Really, it’s a sweet romance about reunited love, second chances, coming home again, and fighting through to your perfect happily-ever-after ending. And nightmares ;o)

In the comments, it’s your turn (comment for your chance to win a digital copy of HFB!):

What’s the scariest nightmare image you can remember? I’d love to hear about your experiences. And maybe help you make sense out of what you’ve seen in your sleeping mind.

Or on the lighter side, share your happiest dream memory. Remembering any dream—having it touch your waking world—is a powerful thing. Tell us how a dream has affected you in a positive way. Because that’s the gravy my friends. That’s what this imagination thing all about!

***

Her Forgotten Betrayal

Remembering will save her life.

But will the truth destroy their love forever?

When the CEO of a global technology empire retreats to her ancestral mountain mansion to heal from a brutal shooting, she discovers the danger has just begun. Suffering from amnesia, Shaw Cassidy is at the mercy of nightmares that soon morph into something much more real…as well as a menacing stalker determined to toy with her sanity.

The FBI suspects her of illegally selling top-secret research, and has sent an agent to find evidence of her treason. She doesn’t realize the man who sweeps in from the cold claiming to be her protector, and her former love, is keeping dangerous secrets from her. She begins to trust Cole Marinos, unaware that he is about to repeat the most painful betrayal of her past–a past she doesn’t remember…a past that may kill her.

“DeStefano crafts a tense and touching suspense about forgotten pasts and reunited lovers.” ~~Caridad Pineiro, NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author

***

Best-selling, award-winning author Anna DeStefano wants to you stop, look, and keep digging, until you find the soul of your own fantasies. No matter how moody the setting or impossible the dilemma, Anna’s characters and stories challenge you to hope and dream for your own exciting future, the way her strong heroines and hunky heroes do. Her Forgotten Betrayal has its own Pinterest page (http://pinterest.com/annadestefano/her-forgotten-betrayal/). Scoot over for all the fun details and updates. Then join Anna’s blog each week for posts on The Soul Of The Matter, Dream Theories, Things My Teenager Says, How We Write, Waterfall Challenges, and more. And to keep up with all her 2012 releases, friend her of Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

 http://www.annawrites.com/
https://www.facebook.com/anna.destefano.7
https://twitter.com/#!/AnnaDeStefano
http://www.entangledpublishing.com/her-forgotten-betrayal/

Cathie Dunn Giveaway (INT)

Recently BlackTulip had the pleasure of interviewing Cathie Dunn and the interview can be found here. Now I like to welcome Cathie back with a giveaway . Up for grabs is one copy each of the following books Dark Deceit, Highland Arms which are both full length novels and Silent Deception her new romantic paranormal suspense that was released only a couple of days ago in PDF or Kindle (mobi) form


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Interview # 10 Ryan Loveless and Giveaway

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Giveaway #7 Michelle Garren Flye

Today we are giving away one copy of the lovely Michelle Garren Flye book Winter Solstice. We've the pleasure to reivewed all her books and stay tuned for a early review of her upcoming book and interview with Michelle.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway #6 Zach Sweets

Today is the last day of Zach's Tour promoting Zombie Rain and we are giving away a copy of his book
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just a friendly reminder that the winner has 48 hours to contact me or the prize will be fofitied as per review policy.

Giveaway and Author Interview #5 Hailey Edwards

Today I would like to welcome fantasy author Hailey Edwards to the blog.

Hailey, your blog banner says 'author of winged fantasy' which begs the question, why did you choose to write in this genre and classify it as winged fantasy?
The “winged fantasy” bit started out as a joke among my friends when they noticed each book I’d written up to that point had a winged hero. But the more I thought about it, the more I decided yeah, I do write winged fantasy. I currently have three series, and two of those have winged heroes throughout the series. The third, well, that’s a surprise.

Your new book A Hint of Frost is the first in the series you are calling Araneae Nation. Tell us in your own words what this book about and why did you feel compelled to write it.
Frost is a marriage of convenience story set against the backdrop of an almost medieval world populated by Araneaeans, people with spiderlike traits. They have fangs, some are venomous, and most spin silk. There are mercenaries, herbologists, and spirit walkers. Riding bears and lizards are how the locals get around, and, word to the wise, avoid the Mimetidae clan at all costs.

I wrote Frost because the characters—the world—they were so vivid. I couldn’t walk away from them.

Who are authors you read and why? Who would you say influenced you to become a writer yourself?
I read Kresley Cole for her humor and sizzling romance. I read Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld for the same reasons. I love Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files for his dry sense of humor and—I’m seeing a pattern here.

The author who has most influenced my writing is Karen Moning. It’s not a comparison of my work to hers, but more that I loved her books so much they inspired me to sit down and write my own.

Tell us a little about your writing environment. Do you write in a specific room of your house that you've set aside for that purpose? Do you write freehand or on a computer? How do you lay out the structure of your book so you keep characters and their motivations straight in your head?
Yes. I have an office, and I can only work in there. Everything I need is right there, and I like having my work separate from the rest of the house (and my family).

I don’t freehand anything other than sticky notes. I usually go through a stack per book making notes as I write to remember what I need to tweak come editing time.

Since I’m a pantser, I don’t plot. I go into each book with a general idea of what needs to happen and I let my characters get me there.

Here's an odd question but I am often delighted with the response it gets. Does a character of yours ever surprise you? Meaning, do you follow a set plan of action for your story or does the character take wing (pardon the pun) and you find yourself writing a scene or dialog you hadn't planned that suddenly takes your thinking in a different direction?
Yes! Being a pantser means you never know what’s going to come out of your character’s mouth until they say it. Sometimes you’re left staring at the page, thinking “what just happened”. I have stopped books pages away from being completed because a character said or did something that made me see them differently. I thought it was in their best interest to rewrite the book with that information in mind than to force them into a story that didn’t fit.

Do you have specific people in mind when you create your characters? Meaning, does it help you to imagine a character as a real person you may know or have seen?
No. I’m not a very visual person in terms of characters and their appearances. I “see” them as their voice and the sum of their actions.

How many books are planned for Araneae Nation series? I know that you are working on the second which you have shared excerpts in Six Sentence Sunday.
I actually submitted the second novel in the series at the first of April. It’s Vaughn’s book. As for the rest of the series, only time and the characters will tell how many books there will be.

Thanks for stopping by Hailey.

Hailey has kindly offered to giveaway to one commenter their choice from her backlist titles (any digital format).

Indie Giveaway Hop

It's finally here. Today is the first day of the Indie Hop, a week long event hosted by Faye from A Daydreamer's Thoughts and Us and supported by three wonderful Goodreads Groups, Shut Up and read, Making Connections, and Blogger Loving.
Thanks to the lovely authors who have contributed to the ebooks that are up for grabs
Emily Guido
Michael Myers
Melissa Hanson
A.M Sawyer
Michael Cargill
John Hennessy
There are two separate giveaways hosted by Booked Up so make sure to enter both.

Giveaway #4

For today's edition of Giveaway Friday I'd like to welcome London Saint James. She's kindly offered to giveaway the first three books in the The Heart of Winter series.

Suzanne Wright Giveaway (INT)

 

Suzanne has kindly offered to giveaway one copy of Feral Sins to one lucky reader which we recently reviewed on the blog.

Author Interview #4 Sharon E. Mamolo

Today I have the pleasure to welcome indie paranormal author Sharon E. Mamolo to Booked Up Reviews.

I must confess that when I saw the request for a review, I fell in love with her book and immediately Fashionta sent off an email asking if she would be interested in doing an interview also. I was so happy when Sharon said yes as this truly is a masterpiece written by an under-appreciated author. I wanted to get the news out and get people reading her!

So without further ado, I'd like to dive right in with some questions for Sharon.

How long had you been writing before you took the leap and published your books?
I’d been writing the DeDe series around five years. Mostly notes and research and formulating how I wanted the story told, by whom and the general arc. Since it’s fantasy I was world building for the first year, making sure I knew my world and where everyone stood in it. The actual writing of the first novel didn’t begin until two or three years ago. After a dozen or so rejections from agents and another dozen or so requests for revisions I became frustrated. At the encouragement of a very good friend, I decided to publish the first novel with Amazon in December of 2011. Heck, I had nothing to lose.

The world that your books are set in has amazing nuanced detail. How much time did you spend in research and where did you mine your ideas from for creating your fantasy settings?
I research as I write. If a particular scene has a detail I am not familiar with, I will spend a ridiculous amount of time on the web researching it. My husband accuses me of having ADD. I can research for hours only to write three sentences.

What is your writing process? Do you write for hours at a time or when the muse hits you?
I write every day. No exceptions. The muse is never silent yet at times, she is shouting and extremely belligerent.

How do you develop your characters? Do you develop them along the lines of real people or are they all in your head?
The characters are all fictional, their personality traits snippets from people I have had the fortune (or misfortune depending on your point of view) of meeting. I worked in the hospitality industry for many years and have had the good fortune of meeting people from all walks of life. Moreover, New Orleans has some real characters walking along its cobble stoned streets.

Since this is a paranormal and urban fantasy novel, I feel I must ask who influences your writing as there is a large cast of characters ranging from shape shifters to fairies. Also, what drew you to this genre?
I am an eclectic reader. I read anything that is engaging. As far as who influenced my writing I would have to say everyone that I have read thus far; from Dr. Seus to Andy Rooney. What first drew me to speculative fiction is the ability for a writer to create a world. I wanted to create my own myths, to bend the rules. It’s fun and I like creating flawed characters, unsympathetic heroines, anti-heroes and worlds where rules make sense in a morbid kind of way.

How many more books do you plan for the DeDe House Series?
As of right now, the DeDe series is set for five books in total. Yet as you noted, there are many characters and factions and I’ve become enamoured of a few. I’ll likely explore some of the other houses and most definitely Sigmund. I really like the demon.

What can your readers expect next and do you have any plans to release books in other genres? I would love personally to see you try to write a trashy romance novel.
The fourth instalment of the DeDe series will be released no later than December of 2012. I’ve several other projects on the side but my main focus right now is finishing the series. As a reader I hate, absolutely detest, waiting for instalments to anything. So I become obsessive in my writing.
I do have a fairytale I’m working on, a trilogy, and a rough draft for a spin off from the DeDe series featuring one of the minor characters. Yet I work on these projects when I need some time to relax. I have not thought about writing in another genre but you never know.

Do you have any advice to give an aspiring writer?
In the great words of the late Andy Rooney:
“If I’d known how many problems I was going to run into before I finished, I can’t remember a single project I would have started.”

Thank you so much for stopping by, Sharon, and the best of luck with your books.

All of Sharon’s books can be found on Amazon. As a little bonus, Sharon has kindly offered to give away to one lucky person a copy of her third book in her DeDe House series. All you have to do is leave a blog comment below. The winner will be picked by the random.org random drawing app. The competition is open for one week.

Gwenan Haines Giveaway

 To close off the busy month of giveaways here Booked Up Reviews, we are giving one copy of the lovely Gwenan Haines' book Risking Eternity, which we reviewed recently on the blog here.

Blog Tour Part #3

To celebrate Darcy Abriel's new release, she's kindly offered a digital copy of Silver or an autographed paperback of Silver, winner's choice.

Giveaway #3

Today on Giveaway Friday, I'd like to welcome Cecilia Gray multi-genre author to the blog. We had the pleasure of reviewing some her books here at the blog and enjoyed them.

Fading book two was reviewed here
A Delightful Arrangement  reviewed it here

Cecilia Gray  is offering a copy
Falling book one - http://www.ceciliagray.com/products/falling/
Fall For You - http://www.ceciliagray.com/products/fall-for-you/
A Delightful Arrangement - http://www.ceciliagray.com/products/a-delightful-arrangement/

Holly Hood Promo Day #2 Part 2 (INT)

Holly Hood has kindly offered as mentioned in her author interview to giveaway 3 copies each of:
Perfectly Hopeless
Ink
Love Hurts: The Killing of Rose

Giveaway #2

This week on Giveaway Frinday I am happy to offer Karma Kameleon by Stephanie Haefner which was recently reviewed on the blog here

Paranormal Tour part 1

Three lucky winners can each receive a set of the two books on the tour. 

Stella Cameron's Darkness Bound and Cynthia Garner's Kiss of the Vampire

The only rules are: 

-Must live in the USA 

- No P.O Boxes 

They will be mailed directly to you 

Giveaway #1

I'm very excited to start this new feature with the one and only Sommer Marsden who kindly offered her new book Restless Spirits as a giveaway.

Summary:

Tuesday Cane walks out on her life and her abusive man when she inherits her grandmother’s house at Allister Lake.

There she finds plenty of distractions to take her mind off her loss with her sexy neighbour and handyman Shepherd, former TV star Reed and her old flame Adrian.

But , as time passes, she senses that something is not quite right with her new life. And no amount of steamy sexual encounters can hide her anxiety.

Surrounded by so many interesting men and erotic enticements, Tuesday has no intention of committing to one man ever again. But the more she insists she's nobody's girl, the more she wants to be somebody's girl. Will she continue to be a restless spirit and run from love or will she be won over?

Valentine's Day Giveaway

In celebrating Valentine's Day I've decided to change the Giveaway Friday feature and giveaway a book courtsey of the author who happens to be a favourite of ours here at Booked Up Reviews. So I give you the one and only Eve Langlais.

Hello, my name is Eve. I'm a stay at home mom who works as a webmistress/customer service rep and in between juggling my three kids, hubby, and housework, I write really raunchy stuff--usually with werewolves lol.

I was born in British Columbia, but being a military brat, I have lived a little bit everywhere--Quebec, New Brunswick, Labrador, Virginia (USA) and finally Ontario. My family and I currently just outside Ottawa, our nation's capital.

I am the first person to admit I am totally boring and lead a mundane life. Seriously. My idea of fun is shopping at our local Walmart lol. I like to play video games, cook, and read. My inspiration, hmm, I guess you could say hubby as he is a total alpha male which means I often want to club him over head with a frying pan. But, despite his ornery, 'I-am-man' nature, I love him dearly. I do have a twisted imagination and a sarcastic sense of humor something I like to let loose in my writing.

I'm writing romance, my way. I like strong alpha males, naked chests and werewolves. Lots of werewolves. In fact, you'll notice most of my multi partner stories revolve around great, big, overprotective Lycans who just want to please their woman. I am also extremely partial to aliens, you know the kind who abduct their woman and then drive them insane...with pleasure of course.

My heroines, they kind of run the gamut. I have some that are shy and soft spoken, others that will kick a man in the balls and laugh. Many of them are chubby, because in my world, girls with curves ROCK! Oh and some of my heroines are a teeny tiny bit evil, but in their defense, they need love too.

Some of my work does push boundaries and cross lines. Good and evil aren't always clear in my tales, and in some cases, I've stomped on well known religious ideologies. Have I mentioned my imagination is a tad bit warped?

I tend to have a lot of sexual tension in my tales because I think all torrid love affairs start with a tingle in our tummies. And when my characters do finally give in to the needs of their flesh? Well, let's just say, you shouldn't be reading my stuff at work. The door is wide open, explicit and hot. Really, really hot.

I love to write, and while I don't always know what my mind is going to come up with next, I can promise it will be fun, probably humorous and most of all romantic, because I love a HEA.

Thanks so much for coming by and checking me out. I wish you many hours of happy reading--and sexy times with your partner.

More information about her books can be found here
Review of her upcoming Claiming her Geeks will be posted this week.

Eve's offering up her newest book C791 and an excerpt from it is available on her site.

You can find more reviews of Eve's work on the blog:
The Geek Job
Bunny And The Bear (Furry United Coalition 1)
Swan And The Bear (Furry United Coalition 2)
Accidental Abduction (Alien Abduction 1)

100-Followers Giveaway

I promised a 100 follower giveaway and sorry for the late start as I had problems with the organisation of things. Let me just say I never hated a certain email service so much.
First up, let me introduce the author who has kindly donated a prize to this giveaway.

First up, is Lisa Kumar

Lisa Kumar is a wife, mother, and romance writer who grew up in small-town Indiana. She now resides in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband and son, who are used to sharing her attention with her not-so-trusty computer.

When not spinning tales of romance and fantasy, she can be found with her nose buried in a book, or more accurately, her e-reader. Her scholastic background is in psychology, which enabled her to get low-paying jobs in the human services sector. Needless to say, she’s now writing full-time.

The review of her book Bounds of Mist which is up for grabs will be posted next week
More information about her books can be found here

Review of her book Through the Rabbit Hole can be found here

---

The second prize has been donated by one of the team for the mm readers
Gift of Love Anthology

---

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway will end next Friday and I will try to announce the winners as soon as I can.