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Bloodpledge: Book 2 in the Dantonville series...

22/10/2014

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Today I thought I'd share with you all a little bit about the fabulous Tima Maria Lacoba's book two in her Dantonville series....
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BLOODPLEDGE:
Bloodpledge continues Alec and Laura’s story from Bloodgifted. Having undergone the Ritual and induction into the vampire community, Laura— the prophesised Child of Light and Darkness and last of the Ingenii--takes her place as Alec’s consort and First Lady of the Brethren.

But resentment and anger grow at Alec’s privileged position as daywalker. Among a powerful few, alliances are made and conspiracies formed, threatening a war that could destroy them all and endanger every human on Earth—creatures who would do anything to prevent the curse from ending. Now Alec and Laura must invoke the Pledge, an ancient ceremony that enforces Brethren loyalty to the Principate.

When Laura’s ex-boyfriend, Detective Inspector Matt Sommers, turns up with a threat that could expose Alec, the battle for their world and their lives begins.

Buy Links
Amazon -  http://amzn.to/ZFVw5w
iTunes - http://bit.ly/SpEXHs
Barnes & Noble - http://bit.ly/1pUEypt
Kobo - http://bit.ly/1svXwby
Smashwords - http://bit.ly/1iHUN6K
Extract from Bloodpledge In Alec’s room, a single tall, metal lamp gave off a weak light. There were no windows to allow in deadly sunrays, so presumably it predated the time when he became Princeps. The four-poster, wrought iron bed and I were well acquainted, since we’d made love in it several times.

Alec wrapped his arm around my waist and held me close. With his other hand, he tucked my hair behind my ear. ‘We have a little over an hour before the Prefects start arriving.’

‘Let’s not waste it.’ Every minute with him was precious. Three nights ago, Jean-Philippe nearly murdered us both and, even though he was now dead, the danger was not entirely over—tonight’s incident a stark reminder.

He lowered his head and kissed me with a fervency that left me breathless. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. Our tongues meshed in a delicious tangle of desire and passion.

‘What happened?’ I asked between kisses.

‘We had a disagreement ….’

I knew what he meant by that. ‘You had a fight.’

‘No avoiding it. Two of them are caged down in the cellar. Cal and Karl are keeping an eye on them till the Pledging.’

‘How many were there?’

‘Five—three men, two women.’

My stomach dropped. ‘You could have been killed!’

‘But I wasn’t.’

‘What if Luc hadn’t arrived—’

‘Shhh’, he sealed his lips over mine and, as always, I melted in his arms. A while later, he murmured against my mouth, ‘I probably could’ve handled it alone. After the Pledging tonight there should be no more incidents.' His lips grazed my throat.

‘Promise?’

‘Cross my heart.’ He drew the figure of a cross over his heart. ‘Luc told you about the powers of the rings. If anyone tries anything, they’re ash.’

I nodded. After a previous rebellion, centuries ago, my father forced the surviving Brethren to swear an oath on the Serpent Rings. Those who defied it were killed when the rings flashed fire and destroyed them.

I didn’t want to think about it, let alone witness something like that.

Alec could probably see the anxiety in my eyes, for he smoothed the hair from my face and said, ‘The Pledge worked in the past. No reason why it shouldn’t do so again.’ His confidence was comforting and I released the breath I’d been holding. ‘Besides,’ he said, ‘Pledge or no Pledge, I’ll kill anyone who dares try and harm you.’ A deadly edge to his voice both frightened and excited me. He lowered his head, and took complete possession of my mouth with such passion it ignited a painful throbbing in my core that only he could relieve.

His hands slid down to my waist, untied my sash. Gently he eased my robe off my shoulders. It dropped to the floor, where my camisole soon joined it. He touched the crimson vial Luc gave me, which was nestled between my breasts. It contained three drops of Marcus’s, Antonia’s and Luc’s blood, and it would render the drinker immortal.

‘Luc explained?’

I nodded.

‘Would you take it?’

‘Yes.’ I breathed.

I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his eyes. They were filled with such love, such intensity of longing I almost wished the curse wouldn’t be lifted so there’d be no chance of my blood becoming normal. Yet, our children, the future….
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Author Bio 

I'm a fifty-something-young woman who lives on the Central Coast, an hour's drive north of Sydney in Australia. My little house is surrounded by bushland, possums and seed-dropping Rosellas on one side, and waterways on the other. I moved out of the big city a few years ago, and the only thing I miss about it are the quaint shops and cafes. But I've gained fresh air and a home with front and backyards--with a garden swing--and wooded hillside views.
Prior to that, home was a three-bedroom, inner city apartment in Sydney. It was lovely and close to the city and my job. Unfortunately, it was also right under the flight path. Eventually I got sick of being able to tell the time by the passenger jets zooming above my head.
Prior to that I was a practicing archaeologist, and I was lucky enough to have worked on some amazing digs around the world. After several years in the field I was drawn to teaching and ended up as Head of History in a local high school.  While there I took the opportunity to take my students overseas to visit various archaeological sites in Europe and Britain. It was a fabulous way to combine my love of history with travel, and share it with others. On one tour, in Italy, I managed to indulge my other passion--gelato ice cream. We renamed it The Gelato Crawl of Italy!
I've always been a story-teller, but it wasn't until five years ago that I seriously ventured into writing. The result was Bloodgifted. In 2011 it was shortlisted in the Atlas Award and came fourth. In 2012 it was listed among the top ten in the Choclit Search for an Aussie Star Competition. In 2013, I was offered a publishing contract but declined in favour of going indie. I liked the idea of being in charge of my own creation.

Bloodgifted is just the start of a four-part series I've entitled, The Dantonville Legacy. Book 2, Bloodpledge, was released four months ago. Later I intend writing individual books on the other characters in the series, for they all have their own story.

Social Media Links 
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/timamarialacoba

Facebook – http://www.facebook/TimaMariaLacoba

Goodreads – http://www.goodreads/TimaMariaLacoba

My website – http://timamarialacoba.blogspot.com

Amazon Author page - http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00FIZXFJA

Eve xx

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Cover Reveal: Jill Knapp

20/10/2014

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Today we have the first glimpse at the cover art of HarperImpulse author, Jill Knapp's next book, "We've Always Got New York", coming out November 20th!
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This novel is book #2 in the "What Happens To Men..?" series, which is now available in paperback in Great Britain. The first book has gotten rave reviews, and has divided its readers into two groups. Are you on Team Michael? Or are you on Team Hayden?
You can get a copy of book #1 here -
 http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Happens-When-They-Manhattan-ebook/dp/B00KKC43BA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1413380045&sr=1-1&keywords=jill+knapp
"We've Always Got New York" picks up after Amalia Hastings returns to Manhattan from her trip to Brazil to find that life has in fact gone on without her. Fresh off the plane, she is left feeling anxious and unresolved, left alone to pick up the pieces, and deal with the repercussions of choosing her own path over Michael. Amalia finds herself without an apartment, without a job, and starting to wonder if she's even without a best friend!
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Jill can be reached on Twitter at @JL_Knapp and on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jill-Knapp/1488935691330000?ref=hl

Now here's a sneak peak at the first chapter of "We've Always Got New York"!!
Excerpt: Chapter 1- Amalia     
    I could tell by the look on her face that she was expecting something from me. She was expecting something to be different. For me to be, in some way, changed. 
    
I’m Amalia Hastings, and on August 20th at 9:17 pm, I was home.
    
Home. The word seemed funny to me because I didn’t have a home to go back to. I moved out of my apartment right before leaving for Brazil and after my friend-with-benefits, Michael, showed up at my apartment, asking me to stay. I hadn’t thought it through properly; I just knew I didn’t want to live in that apartment anymore. Before my trip to Brazil I packed up what little stuff I owned and put it in storage for when I returned, assuming I would deal with it then. Well, “then” has become “now”. So for tonight I was staying with my best friend Cassandra. Who was currently waving at me.
    
I knew what she wanted. She wanted stories. Juicy ones that involved hot hookups on the sand. She wanted to see pictures. Pictures of the places I went, the food I ate, and the hot guys I met. She wanted me to run up to her in a sun dress, hair braided and skin tanned, and explain, no, to pontificate, to her how life-changing my trip was. She wanted me to playfully link her arm around mine and gush about how amazing it all was. How I was changed forever. That I had a new appreciation for life, food, and music. She wanted me to tell her that I would never be the same.
    
But this isn’t the movies and I’m not Julia Roberts. 
    
The florescent lights above me flickered, making the airport look dark and ominous. I looked down at my hand as I pulled my rolling suitcase across the sticky, tiled floor. Not even my hand had acquired a tan. Three months in the Brazilian sun and my skin remained as pale as ever.
    
Cassandra was looking right at me with wide, unblinking eyes. I walked a little slower.
    
For some reason I couldn’t pinpoint, coming off the plane felt like a surreal experience to me. Although I was relieved to have landed, and I wouldn’t have wanted to stay in Brazil any longer, I still wasn’t utterly happy with being back. I wondered if it merely had to do with the fact that I had no apartment to go back to and was feeling pretty untethered from not having a proper home.
    
There’s an old saying. I’m not really sure where it’s from or who said it first. Kind of the proverb equivalent of The House of the Rising Sun. It proffers, “Wherever you go, there you are”, and up until about one month ago I had no idea what it meant. But now it means everything. It rings in my ears like a scolding mother, repeating itself over and over again until I submit.
    
I finally stood face to face with Cassandra, who was grinning like a fool at this point. She was dressed down for the night, wearing a purple racer-back tank top that showed off her summer glow, jeans, and gold flip-flops. Her blonde hair was pulled into a loose, messy bun and her make-up was minimal, apart from the extra-shiny, coral lip-gloss she was wearing. She reeked of summer.
    
“Hey,” I offered, looking down at my sneakers. I wished I had more energy for her, but after ten hours on a plane it was all I could muster up.
    
Cassandra cocked her head to the side and smiled. Her hair swung back and forth and she popped her hip out like a model in training. She looked as fierce as ever, even dressed-down in comfortable summer clothes. 
    “That’s all I get? Get over here!” she said, pulling me in for a hug.
    
I hugged her back for a moment and then pulled away, overcome with exhaustion and jet-lag. I smiled at Cassandra. She smelled like a salty coconut and I realized she had probably come straight from Fire Island, a beach not too far from Long Island and just outside of the city. That explained the dressed-down attire, but not the lip-gloss. Unless, of course, we were going straight back there from JFK airport. 
    
I looked back at the gate. Most people I knew hated airports, but I liked them. They offered a chance to escape. Get on a plane and in six hours from now you could be across the country. You could be in a different town, in a different house, with a different group of people. I think we all took that for granted.
    
I could go back to Brazil right now. Or I could go somewhere else. I’ve never been to Cincinnati; I wonder what it’s like there. Or maybe Savannah. I could definitely live in Savannah! I took a step backwards, away from Cassie. Back toward the inside of the airport. She just smiled.
    
“Very funny, Amalia!” she said through perfectly white teeth. “Don’t sneak away from me now. I’m so glad you’re back, I really missed you.”
    
Cassie threw her arm over me and smushed our faces together. She whipped out her iPhone and flipped the camera application around so the front lens could be used and snapped a picture of the two of us. Before I knew it, she uploaded the picture to Facebook with the caption “So excited, Amalia is officially home!”
    
Without glancing back, she walked a few feet in front of me and remained glued to her phone. The back of her Havaianas smacking onto her heels echoed throughout the now nearly empty hallway. I let out a long sigh that Cassandra didn’t hear and pulled my suitcase toward the exit. Yep, it was official. I was home.

Eve

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Jazz Baby...

4/10/2014

4 Comments

 
Today I have the fabulous author Téa Cooper on the blog taking us through the inspiration for her latest book Jazz Baby which releases 22nd October. She's given us a lovely excerpt to tempt us with too. Take it away Téa...
Inspiration comes from the strangest places. I work in the local museum and more often than not it is some snippet or artifact that sends my muse into overload. JAZZ BABY was different. She was born in a tiny wine bar in Sydney one wet and rainy evening. Love Tilly Devine nestles a tiny back alley where Tilly once ruled the underbelly of Sydney.
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Tilly Devine, known as the Queen of Woolloomooloo (that truly is the name of a Sydney suburb!) ran a series of brothels. She and another madam, named Kate Leigh fought for supremacy of the illegal grog and prostitution trade. Their battles became known as the Razor Gang Wars.

I couldn’t resist the setting and wondered if there were ever any happy ever after endings …
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Blurb: In the gritty underbelly of 1920s Sydney, a fresh-faced country girl is about to arrive in the big, dark city – and risk everything in the pursuit of her dreams. 

Sydney is no place for the fainthearted—five shillings for a twist of snow, a woman for not much more, and a bullet if you look sideways at the wrong person. 

Dolly Bowman is ready and willing to take on all the brash, bustling city has to offer. After all it is the 1920s, a time for a girl to become a woman and fulfil her dreams. Turning her back on her childhood, she takes up a position working as a housemaid while she searches for her future. 

World War I flying ace Jack Dalton knows he’s luckier than most. He’s survived the war with barely a scratch, a couple of astute business decisions have paid off, and he’s set for the high life. But a glimpse of a girl that he had forgotten, from a place he’s tried to escape suddenly sets all his plans awry. Try as he might he can’t shake the past, and money isn’t enough to pay the debts he’s incurred.
ISBN:  9780857991928
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2014  
Buy Links:
Harlequin Escape http://www.escapepublishing.com.au/author/téa-cooper

Amazon.com: http://ow.ly/B4ybQ

iTunes:  http://ow.ly/B4ym3

Amazon.Aus: http://ow.ly/B4ytq

Kobo: http://ow.ly/B6SJM

For reviewers:
NetGalley https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/show/id/52901
Excerpt:
     Heeled shoes tip-tapped on the black and white floor tiles and she gaped at the vision framed in the narrow hallway. A shiny black, beaded dress, fringed and tasseled, stopped almost at the woman’s knees and her long slim legs, encased in the sheerest silk stockings, led to the most elegant ankle strapped shoes ever seen. Smoothing her hands down her brown worsted coat, Dolly blinked and peered at the woman. Her bobbed hair lay like a waved helmet on her head and the ribbon holding it all in place looked like a fine bandage. 
    
The woman stopped halfway down the hall and gave a little shimmy. “Well hello! What have we here?”
    
“I’m here to see Mrs Mack, about the job.” Dolly screwed up her face cringing at the squeaky sound of her voice.
    
“Oh! A new girl. How exciting!” Lifting her hand to her mouth the woman dragged on a cigarette in an ivory holder, then exhaled a cloud of perfect smoke rings making Dolly’s eyes water. 
    
“Darling!” The woman called down the hallway, “Come and meet the new girl.”  
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Biography:
Téa Cooper divides her time between Sydney and the nineteenth century village of Wollombi, in the Hunter Valley of NSW Australia. When she isn't writing, Téa can be found haunting museums or chatting to the locals, who offer a never-ending source of inspiration. Her first two rural historical romances, Lily’s Leap and Matilda’s Freedom are set in and around Wollombi and Jazz Baby involves both Sydney and Wollombi.

In February 2015 Forgotten Fragrance the first book in a family saga entitled From the Ocean to the Outback, is due for release and there is a sequel to Jazz Baby entitled The Wages of Sin in the pipeline. At the moment Téa is working on a parallel time-line series entitled The Adventures of Miss Abigail Wynter and an Australian Regency – The Great Platypus Hoax. She has also written three contemporary romances.
Find out more about her here:

Website: www.teacooperauthor.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeaCooper
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeaCooper1
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/teacooperauthor
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/teacooperauthor/

Eve xx

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