April 2015 edition of The Book Breeze

Reviews, Interviews, New Releases

Vol 5 Issue 4

ys o B ater as in w h Fres h of ide f o las or c h t e u h t he a l about t From s a nove n town. a e com ll Michig a a sm

April 2015

Articles

• The Art of Writing Part 2 Stories & Plots by Barefoot Academy • Promotion Tips Part 1 Name Recognition

Author Interviews ADAM SCHUITEMA

RANDA ZOLLINGER

Review Columns Mystery Barefoot Reviews Roberta’s Ramblings Erotica The Play Room

GLBT Ace Katzenbooks

Interview with the award winning Adam Schuitema on page 2

Romance Jackie’s Jargon

Young Adult Shannon’s Space

Variety Eclectic Express Reviews

And New Releases!

turn the page c

A visit with Adam Schuitema

Adam Schuitema is the author of the novel Haymaker (Switchgrass Books, 2015) and the short-story collection Freshwater Boys, which was named a Michigan Notable Book by the Library of Michigan. His stories have appeared in numerous magazines, including Glimmer Train, North American Review, Indiana Review, TriQuarterly, Black Warrior Review, and Crazyhorse. Adam earned his MFA and Ph.D. from Western Michigan University. He is an associate professor of English at Kendall College of Art and Design and lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his wife and daughter.

Your latest release HAYMAKER comes out April 15th, tell us about it.

Haymaker is about a small town in northern Michigan that finds itself unexpectedly embroiled in a conflict between locals and outsiders. A libertarian group is seeking to create a kind of political utopia and chooses the town of Haymaker as their flagship settlement. Although they’d expected to be largely welcomed by the residents, the rapid changes in the community—and the ensuing backlash—create resentment on both sides. A variety of characters on those two sides are featured, all of them struggling with both personal and town-wide tragedies, all of them hoping to eventually make the town a place that feels like home.

A “haymaker” is a throw-everything-you-got kind of punch. Why choose this for the title of your book?

Haymaker is the name of the fictitious town in which the story’s set, but it also refers to the clashes between the insiders and outsiders. A fighter who throws a haymaker will either spectacularly succeed or spectacularly fail— either connecting with a knockout or leaving himself exposed to attack. That sort of summarizes the tactics involved on both sides.

There’s also one particular character who challenges outsiders to an annual fistfight, amid great pageantry. So beyond just the metaphorical, the novel features some literal knockout punches, as well.

Why is the setting important?

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan, as well as Lake Superior, are places of great beauty and (often) isolation.

From the author of Josh Whoever comes a new mystery.

They serve as perfect backdrops for both the quiet struggles of internal pain and clashes with the environment.

From a logical standpoint, too, an organization seeking to create this kind of utopia would seek out a place with lots of room to grow, where a small group could make a big impact, and where people historically value rugged individualism.

What do you hope readers take with them after reading your work?

The novel deals with politics but isn’t a “political novel.” The narrator doesn’t take sides in the larger debate. Just as in real life, there are heroes and villains on both sides. In a time in our history when everything seems overly politicized, the novel hopefully remind us that both sides usually have the best of intentions, and both sides are capable of making terrible mistakes.

But beyond any sort of big ideas, I hope readers are moved and entertained. I hope they find themselves wrapped up in the lives of the characters. I hope they think about the characters long after finishing the book.

What social media do you participate in?

I’m on Facebook, and people can also follow me on Twitter (@adamschuitema) and on Instagram (adamschuitema).

What’s next for you?

I’ve just finished a new collection of short stories called The Things We Do That Make No Sense, so I’ll be seeking a publisher for the manuscript. And beyond that I find myself with a large, blank canvas in front of me. For the first time in about seventeen years I’m not sure what my next writing project will be, which is both terrifying and exhilarating.

Paul is a simple outdoorsman with a volatile artist wife--until Marta disappears and her body is never found. Paul finds a message in her last painting telling him that she faked her death to draw attention to her paintings.

An insurance investigator questions a $5M policy Marta took out shortly before her death and an enforcer shows up demanding that Paul pay him the $5M Marta stole from his casino. A gallery in Arizona claims to have new Marta paintings.

Paul goes to investigate, followed by the insurance investigator, the enforcer, and a young new-age girl determined to help Paul forget his dead wife.

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 2

Historical New Releases

WAGERS GONE AWRY

(Conundrums of the Misses Culpepper, Book 1)

by Collette Cameron

Spicy Regency Romance Released April 7 by Blue Rose Romance in conjunction with Wind Tree Press in print and ebook

THEN I MET YOU

By Deborah C. Wilding Mild Women’s Historical Fiction Released March 6 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook (review request)

A WOMAN OF LOVE

By Marlow Kelly Spicy Historical Romance Released Mardch 4th by The Wild Rose Press in ebook THE ACCIDENTAL WIFE

By CJ Fosdick Spicy Time-travel/historical romance Released March 18 in print and ebook

Giving our troops the opportunity to escape into a good booki since 1999.

There are so many ways to help.

To find out more visit: http://www.operationpaperback.org

IN THIS ISSUE Articles

Barefoot Writing Academy Presents: Stories & Plots

by Mahala Church . . . Page 4 Promotion Tips Part 1 Name Recognition

by Donna Keihle . . . Page 10

Author Interviews

ADAM SHUITEMA . . . Page 2

RANDA ZOLLINGER . . . Page 7

Review Columns

Mystery Barefoot Reviews . . . Page 9 Roberta’s Ramblings . . . Page 15 GLBT Ace Katzenbooks . . . Page 12 Romance Jackie’s Jargon . . . Page 6

Variety Eclectic Express . . . Page 16

Young Adult Shannon’s Space . . . Page 17 Erotica The Play Room . . . Page 18

New Releases

Historical . . . Page 3 Romance . . . Page 11 Mystery/Thriller . . . Page 13 GLBT . . . Page 13

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 3

Barefoot Writing Academy Presents:

Stories and Plots

by Mahala Church

Last month we looked at creativity and craft.

I hope you had a chance to consider the themes of the three books I mentioned.

Remember, a theme in creative writing is defined as the idea, moral or value the story explores. Theme (cause and effect) must underscore all stories to give them purpose.

1.

Let’s start with Charles Dickens’ novella, A Christmas Carol. Did you get them all? Themes that support this famous story include: Selfishness Loneliness Loss Forgiveness. Amazon lists the message (theme) of the story as love and goodwill, mercy and self-redemption.

2. How did you do with Harper Lee’s book, To Kill A Mockingbird? Some of mine are obvious. Some required more thought. What do you think?

Race, Justice, Judgement, Morality, Coming of Age, Ethics, Fear, Women and Femininity, Family, Compassion, Friendship 3. Finally, Suzanne Collins’ very popular first book of the trilogy, Hunger Games was evaluated.

Power, Versions of Reality, Identity, Society and Class, Love, Strength and Skill, Appearances, Politics, Competition, and Sacrifice. This list came from www.shmoop.com. I would add coming of age, family, women and femininity, and loss of innocence to it.

Are you surprised to see the number of themes that can appear in a small book? Notice that some of these are the clear foundation of the story, yet, without the other themes, how would the story be developed? It would be like a car without all four tires. You need cause and effect (themes) to move the story forward, just as you need four tires to move your car forward. This leads us to a brief discussion of April’s topic.

There are stories and there are plots.

Creative writing is a vehicle to transport information, but not just the “facts ma’am.” It is also the vehicle, which transmits what’s beneath the information, i.e. emotion. The thrust of writing with creativity is to incorporate the characters’ feelings, emotions, and thoughts about the events in the story. What Hannibal Lector feels about murder bears no resemblance to what Atticus Finch feels when Tom Robinson is killed.

Stories: A series of events in chronological order.

Journalistic style.

Little Red Riding Hood, age eight, walked through the woods and down the path to take cookies to her grandmother. Arriving at her grandmother’s house, she found a wolf. A woodsman saved LRRH and her grandmother.

Plots: A series of events deliberately arranged to reveal their dramatic, thematic, and emotional significance.

Universal appeal is a MUST.

Little Red Riding Hood and her mother baked chocolate chip cookies on LRRH’s eighth birthday. LRRH walked through the green woods and down the sunny path to take some warm cookies to her grandmother, who was sick in bed. When she arrived at her grandmother’s cozy cottage, there was a big, bad wolf dressed in her grandmother’s cap and gown and lying in her bed. “What have you done with my grandmother?” The wolf chased LRRH around the house, and she screamed very loud for help. A strong woodsman walking past the house killed the wolf and saved LRRH. They found her grandmother locked in the closet. LRRH, the friendly woodsman, and the sweet grandmother had tea and cookies, and the woodsman walked LRRH safely home.

In what genre do you write? Knowing our genre helps us to write for a targeted audience.

Romance - the woodsman and LRRH’s widowed mother fall in love after a stormy courtship.

Mystery - who was the wolf and why did he go after LRRH’s grandmother? Was she rich? Her son by a previous marriage?

Mystery/Thriller - was the wolf responsible for all the recent serial killings or a copywolf? Is the killer still out there? Another grandmother murder and the game is afoot.

Sci-Fi - the wolf is lime green with purple eyes. Where did he come from? Has the world been invaded by aliens?

Need to find his vehicle. Send him for blood and tissue analysis. Are there packs of aliens living in the woods?

Fantasy - the wolf is a changeling. The sheriff in the little town of Utopia is a cross-dressing wolf who is trying to take over Utopia. His eyes shoot lasers and he rides in a Jetsonmobile. The grandmother wears Prada and her bed linens are Yves Delorme imported from a distant planet Frenchtopia. The cookies have red chips. LRRH becomes Little Purple Hoodie and wears Birkenstocks.

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 4

Creative Writing Continued

Obviously, I could keep going. There are over 300 genres now, so while it’s important, the lines have progressively blurred. But for those trying to sell our first novel, sticking to a well-recognized genre and following the conventions of that genre, makes sense.

8 Elements for a Story Worth Reading 1. Open by introducing your protagonist and the place and time (grounding) 2. Convince the reader to turn the page with an enticing hook 3. Define what your protagonist wants to achieve 4. Identify the inciting incident (dramatic vehicle) that changes the protagonist’s life 5. Tell the reader everything that keeps the protagonist from success 6. What happens (the climax) to bring the protagonist success or failure 7. How is the protagonist changed from everything that has happened?

8. Close the plot Each of these topics is a chapter in most books about the art of writing. Here are a few of my favorites.

Writing the Breakout Novel and The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass

Sequel to HOME IS THE SAILOR

SAIL AWAY once again with Will Marshall and Davy Archer in this collection of missing moments from their saga. Meet some of the background players from their story as they take center stage in tales of their own. Enjoy a journey through the family album of the Royal Navy series universe.

Written Word

Creating Fiction edited by Julie Checkoway Stein on Writing by Sol Stein

20 Master Plots and How to Build Them by Ronald B. Tobias Writing Fiction by Janet Burroway (a standard on most college campuses)

Tip: Write every day if it’s only the grocery list. Make it a list that will knock off the socks of your husband/wife/partner who will be shopping. Have fun with it. Here are a few ideas and let me know what you come up with. Pull out all the adjective stops on this one! · Emerald green spinach paired with peppery arugula · Plump chicken with large round breasts or robust thighs · Devil’s cake covered in sinful dark chocolate ganache Next month: Tools to help with writing.

Mahala Church is a freelance editor and writer for Written Word, her company that focuses on authors and other small business types who clamor to stay ahead of the pack.

She pens weekly blog posts for a diversity of clients, including herself, and reaches out to writers through Barefoot Writing Academy, a division of Written Word, leading workshops, teaching classes, and providing individual mentoring. A published author of short stories, non-fiction, and book reviews, she lives in the crazy world of rescued dogs, kids, and turtles, one of whom prefers strawberries with his grits.

works with an international group of clients, providing writing and editing services.

Specialties: • Editing manuscripts (line, copy, substantive) • Ghostwriting • Developmental coaching for fiction and non-fiction • Business writing and editing, blogging, and web articles • Press releases and marketing tools For more information on specific services, see Written Word pages at www.lyricalpens.com. www.lyricalpens.com www.twitter.com/mahalachurch www.facebook.com/mahalachurch

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 5

Jackie’s Jargon

ROMANCE REVIEWS

BY JACKIE MCMURRAY

SLIGHTLY NOBLE Lilly Gayle The Wild Rose Press, Inc. (Tea Rose) (February 14, 2015) Historical Romance

Slightly Noble is a captivating tale of Captain Jack, an American privateer who inherits the title of viscount after his estranged father’s death, and Abigail Halsey, a pregnant woman who is sent to a convent while her father tries to find a solution to his unwed daughter’s plight. Captain Jack is faced with the terms of his father’s will— marry and produce an heir or lose his family home to an unworthy cousin.

Jack and Abigail come into their union for very selfish reasons; Jack wants his inheritance and Abigail wants to keep her child and give him a name. Both hero and heroine have past hurts that cause misgivings about one another and challenge them at every turn.

Lilly Gayle paints a realistic picture of the social expectations in nineteenth century England. From the characters of the noble class to the low life who run baby farms, Gayle populates the book with dynamic characters who help the reader understand the time period.

This book is a must read for those who enjoy historical romance with a touch of suspense.

Jackie McMurray and her husband live on a macadamia nut farm on the island of Hawai'i where they feed a clowder of cats and a flock of hodgepodge chickens. In a past life, she was an elementary school teacher; currently, she writes contemporary romance from the Hawaiian Islands and beyond under her pen name, Jackie Marilla.

Don’t miss an issue.

Subscriptions are free!

Sign up here

CALL DOWN THE MOON Mary Gillgannon The Wild Rose Press, Inc (December 29, 2014) Spicy Reincarnation/Time Travel Romance

Mary Gillgannon takes us to Denver where Connar, a ninthcentury time traveler, hopes to reunite with his true love. He’s managed to learn the language, open a Wiccan store and exercise a great deal of patience while waiting for Aisling to present herself. Unfortunately, when he finally sees her, she doesn’t appear to have any memory of him.

Allison, the reincarnate Aisling, meets Connar while doing research. She’s immediately attracted to him even though these strange thoughts/memories occur when she’s around him. Allison can’t understand where these images are coming from—green hillsides, jagged cliffs, people dressed in medieval garments, burning brands, and swords. She blames the images on alcohol and lack of food, but something nags at her. And all the while, she’s falling for Connar and talking herself out of her feelings. Besides, she’s too busy building her career and the last man she loved taught her love doesn’t last.

To muddy the waters further, someone else from the past followed Connar to present day Denver and will stop at nothing to keep Connar from Allison.

CALL DOWN THE MOON presents a well-crafted plot with a few big surprises. Gillgannon helps us suspend reality as scenes shift from ninth-century Ireland to present day Denver where a Wiccan group both helps and hinders the reunification.

Add this book to your TBR List if you like time travel, suspense, and romance with a little spice. You’re sure to fall in love with Connar, sympathize with Allison, and have a strong negative reaction to supporting characters from the past and present.

READ, PONDER, REPEAT

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 6

Teacher turned writer RANDA ZOLLINGER

Randa Lynne Zollinger is a retired high school teacher of forty-three years. She has played sports all her life, including professional softball. She has always been interested in uplifting the “underdog” and realizes that bullying is the cause of many people’s quiet desperation.

Her first book, Shadow of the Rainbow, addressed that issue. M.K. Black, editor and writer for What’s Happening Magazine said, “Jaden’s quest for HIS rainbow is a heartfelt coming of age story we can ALL identify with…”

Because she always loved her students, in her private life, Randa keeps up with many of them on Facebook. She also likes to camp, bicycle off-road, pilot airplanes, and spend time with her many dachshunds, their schnauzer friends, and one lone Jack Russell, who charmed her way into the pack.

You have two books out in the Rainbow Series about the Hansen family and their son’s sexual orientation.

What led you to write this series?

A lot of books have been written about gay teens trying to navigate their way through adolescence. I chose to begin my book before Jaden Hansen starts to realize that he is different. I want people to realize that kids don’t “suddenly” become gay, and that it’s not a choice.

Shadow of the Rainbow starts before Jaden begins school.

Until he reached the age of four, Jaden experienced life as a typical child. His life begins to change slowly as his sports-minded dad introduces baseball to him and his sister. She is so much better than he, and he becomes frustrated to learn that athletic prowess is the way to his dad’s heart. Although his mother tries to protect him, she is unable to steer him away from her husband’s annoyance at his lack of ability. Unable to understand why his dad is so critical, his world accelerates its downhill slide when his older brother, Brandon, constantly makes fun of him.

Having taught for 42 years and seeing so many kids in high school go through what Jaden went through, I wanted to somehow give those kids a voice, to tell their story.

After writing Shadow of the Rainbow, many people asked to know more about Jaden and his family, so, I wrote the sequel, Promise of the Rainbow. It picks up after the culmination of years of anguish leads Jaden to a suicide attempt.

How does each character represent the various attitudes people experience when a family member comes out?

I live in a very conservative county in central Florida, and it’s been a slow struggle for equality. Jaden’s family is typical of the mindset of many of the people living here.

Jaden’s mother, Alice, was raised in a family (that was highly conservative and strongly religious) personified by the “religious right”. She was sheltered from the outside world and expected to marry as her mother did, which which (meant subservient to her husband, who was a minister)was being at her reverend husband’s beck and call and carrying out all his wishes. Although Alice observed the struggles of her younger son, she was clueless concerning his gay tendencies. She felt it was just a phase he would grow out of.

Jaden’s father, Donnie, was not going to have his son grow up to be “fag”! If you learned how to play sports and rid yourself of “sissy” pursuits, then, you would turn out all right. Hanging around other fags was out of the question, because they would certainly influence you to be one, too.

The closeness found between many twins allowed Jaden’s twin, Jenny, to be the first to understand him, and often, his only support. If it weren’t for Jenny and Miss Bonnie, an older neighbor, Jaden probably would have attempted suicide sooner than he did. Miss Bonnie exemplifies the type of person who lives in neighborhoods that watch over their children.

Brandon, Jaden’s older brother, mirrors his father’s beliefs and has no time for a brother who likes to cook and plant flowers. He is more drawn to his sister, who is as good at sports, as is he. In Brandon’s opinion, Jaden is just a sissy and a source of embarrassment.

In the second book, two sets of parents have polar opposite views of their daughters coming out as lesbians.

What do you hope people will take away from this series?

I would like for all people to become aware that adolescents, and even children, privately agonize over many facets of their lives, and few like to feel different.

Sexual identity is just one of those problems, but historically, society has made kids who are dealing with that issue feel like they are less than their counterparts. Parents and schools should nurture all their kids, not just the ones who are most like them. Some students are denied the right to an education because of an unsafe climate created by their peers and some educators.

What’s next for you?

First, I plan to write the third and final book in the Rainbow Series. With any luck, all the characters will find a way to deal with the conflicts in their lives and will strive to be the best they can be. It is my hope that readers can apply the message in each of these books to their own lives.

After that, I would like to continue writing. It’s fun for me to sit down at the computer and find out what’s going on in people’s lives that I meet on the page.

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 7

Suzanne Lilly Sweet Romantic Suspense for Young Adults

Historical Romance

Contemporary Romance with Supernatural Elements

Marin and Brock must both face their deepest fears and fight with their very lives to save the town they love.

Will Aspen run from her dark secret, or fight for the love she found in Honey Creek?

When Mariah Davis finds a pair of sunglasses that give her the ability to see the future, her life changes in dramatic ways.

http://www.suzannelilly.com

Two strangers with dreams must work together to survive in California’s gold rush days.

Lucinda and George’s story continues during the 1850 flood of Sacramento.

DOUBLE DUPLICITY: Dreams…Visions…Murder

On the eve of the biggest art event at Huckleberry Mountain Resort, potter Shandra Higheagle finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. She’s ruled out as a suspect, but now it’s up to her to prove the friend she witnessed fleeing the scene was just as innocent. With help from her recently deceased Nez Perce grandmother, Shandra becomes more confused than ever but just as determined to discover the truth.

Detective Ryan Greer prides himself on solving crimes and refuses to ignore a single clue, including Shandra Higheagle’s visions. While Shandra is hesitant to trust her dreams, Ryan believes in them and believes in her.

Can the pair uncover enough clues for Ryan to make an arrest before one of them becomes the next victim?

Windtree Press http://windtreepress.com/portfolio/double-duplicity/

TARNISHED REMAINS: Murder, Deceit, Greed

Shandra Higheagle is digging up clay for her renowned pottery when she scoops up a boot attached to a skeleton. She calls in Weippe County detective Ryan Greer. The body is decades old and discovered to be Shandra’s employee’s old flame.

Ryan immediately pegs Shandra’s employee for the murderer, but Shandra knows in her heart that the woman everyone calls Crazy Lil couldn’t have killed anyone, let alone a man she loved.

Digging up the woman’s past takes them down a road of greed, miscommunication, and deceit. Will they be able to prove Crazy Lil innocent before the true murderer strikes again?

Windtree Press: http://windtreepress.com/portfolio/double-duplicity/

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 8

Barefoot Book Reviews TRY DYING James Scott Bell Center Street Action Thriller/Suspense

Having followed Bell’s career online— teaching and preaching how to write—I looked forward to seeing if he could do it - write that is. And the answer is Yes! He can. This dynamite story opens when a man shoots his wife, drives to a freeway overpass and shoots himself, dropping 100 feet on a Toyota Camry. The crash kills the protagonist, Ty Buchanan’s, fiancée, Jacqueline, the driver of the Camry. Ty is a young successful lawyer, who at the moment she is dying, is in what could be a career-defining meeting. The oddities continue to mount when a disheveled man shows up for Jacqueline’s funeral and tells the overwrought Ty that her death was not an accident, then disappears.

Ty as the protagonist goes after the truth against the advice of friends, family, and the head of the successful law firm, where Ty was handpicked for greatness. Like James Patterson, Bell doesn’t waste time with lengthy sentences, paragraphs, or chapters. The intensity and emotional ride of this book packs a powerful punch with rarely a moment to catch your breath. The repartee between characters shadows Ian Rankin’s characters in his Inspector Rebus series and keeps things moving and often adds a dose of humor. It’s the kind of dialogue you hear on television or a movie, but due to the intricate timing necessary to make it work, is rarely found in a book. Janet Evanovich is a pro with this style.

Couple the passionate plot line with outstanding sub-plots that draw us into the world of repressed memories, financial debauchery, and enough legal entanglements to keep us guessing all the way to the end. James Scott Bell definitely knows how to write and write well.

THE DRAGON OF HANDALE Cassandra Clark Minotaur Books Historical Fiction/Mystery (Abbess Hildegard of Meaux series)

The fourth book in Clark’s Hildegard series is another dramatic look at 14th Century England, where nuns are sent for their sins to Handale Priory, a house of horrors purporting to be a house of spiritual correction. Hildegard, returning from a pilgrimage in Spain is sent to the isolated castle of sorts hidden in the north of England. Abbes Basilda runs the tightly held environment in the firm belief that she deserves all the good things life has to offer and her charges deserve none of them. She oversees an iron-fisted legion of acolytes, most

by Mahala Church

of whom enjoy giving and receiving penance for their committed sins and any others they consider doing. This book offers an insight into hardships of the medieval period that exceeds ruthlessness, yet is so beautifully written, it keeps you reading, hoping someone will save these poor women.

This intense thriller moves from one dramatic moment to another, constantly leaving you on alert to determine who or what is haunting the priory, the grounds, and its people, clawing them to death so violently and how to help the battered nuns escape. Clark is not frivolous or weak-kneed in explaining the living conditions and the harshness of the environment - physical and emotional. And what is the strange tower Hildegard discovers in the woods, a secret tower that is locked tight and guarded by armed men? She befriends the troupe of builders, living and working close by and soon becomes suspect of their good will. Ulf, a former love interest, comes to her aid.

Good, clean writing with excellent character and plot development that keeps the tension taut and the possible criminals in a long list. I plan to read more about the enticing Hildegard.

BET YOUR LIFE (Jess Tennant series) Jane Casey St. Martin’s Griffin YA (over 9th grade) Mystery/Thriller

In this dark and angst-ridden book, Casey brings back amateur sleuth, Jess Tennant.

Jess is visiting in an English village by the sea when a teenage boy is beaten half to death on Halloween night. She becomes involved in the case when the boy’s half-sister believes the local constabulary and the boy’s own family have no interest in solving the case. As she grows more involved in her investigation, Jess realizes that the victim was a predator on other teens and most are glad he got attacked.

This borderline sordid book is most definitely for older teens that are mature enough to endure the story and plot intricacies and often disturbing cruelty among the characters. Casey does a good job of making you guess who the bad guys/girls really are, but the story simply has too many characters and subplots that are often confusing and become jumbled as you try to sort through them. A series must bring new readers clearly into past events.

Unfortunately, this is missing in Bet Your Life.

Casey has created a viable and interesting character in her protagonist, Jess Tennant, and definitely has a flair for creating tension and complex plots, but a little sorting out is needed to make this serious a hit.

Mahala Church is a freelance editor and writer and teaches creative writing for teens and adults through her Barefoot Writing Academy. An accomplished workshop leader and award winning author, Pushcart Prize nominee, and published editor, she enjoys all aspects of writing. An avid reader of both literary and commercial fiction as well as biographies and memoirs, she particularly likes books set in Britain, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and the Deep South of the United States. You can follow her at www.lyricalpens.com.

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 9

Promotion Tips - Name Recognition

by Donna Keihle

Advertising.

It’s tough to understand because it isn’t tangible. When you buy a car you've got something sitting in your driveway, something to get you from here to there, something your friends can ooh and ahh over. But when you buy advertising you just hope it does something, yet major corporations still spend billions on it.

There is probably no one in the world who doesn’t know these two words: Coke and Pepsi, yet they continue to advertise. They realize the public attention span can be short, they don’t want them lured away by just any soda.

They also sell emotion. Remember the commercial, I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke? It evoked a wonderful feeling, one you could capture again with just the pop of the can.

Studies have determined that the average person needs to see something 7-10 times before it is imprinted enough on their brain to recall seeing it. That still doesn’t mean they are ready to buy, just that they realize it is there.

So here’s my first tip:

Name recognition is invaluable.

A rose by any other name might work for Shakespeare but for the rest of us, not so much.

Pick an author name and stick with it.

Whatever name you decide to write under should be the only name you use when doing any business concerning writing. This means be consistent in every communication you engage in from signing up for conferences to contest entries and right down to the PayPal or bank account your payments come from.

Because how can you develope name recognistion when you’ve got a half dozen versions of your name bouncing

Mystery, history and intrigue collide in this mesmerizing page turner

around out there?

Be consistent. Multiple personalities might have won Sally Field an Academy Award but it isn’t going to win you readers and ...

Every person you meet could be a potential reader. Make sure they remember who you are!

Now here are some tips from a pro: Maryglenn McCombs:

As a book publicist, I’m often asked what is the single best way for an author to promote a book. The short answer is that there’s no single best way. Effective book promotion involves a numbers of different components: traditional media outreach—generating reviews, interviews and articles to create awareness for a book; social media outreach; advertising; signings and appearances; getting “out there” by attending conferences and events; among others.

A colleague of mine, publishing industry veteran Eric Kampmann of Midpoint Trade Books, tells authors to think of book promotion and marketing as a long runway. Writing the book is only the first step. Effective promotion and planning should start before the book is even published, and should extend well past a book’s release. After all, it takes time, energy and effort to get a book to take off.

I encourage authors to take time to think about who his or her potential readers are. Who are these potential readers?

What do they read? What are their interests? Where do they find information about books? What types of magazines do they read? What do they read online?

Answering these questions will be a good way to start identifying potential areas of concentration for media outreach, advertising, and promotion.

Next month: Branding

If Eve’s closely-guarded secret comes to light, it could change the course of history… www.joelfox.com

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 10

New Releases

ROMANTIC ROAD

By Blair McDowell Mild Romantic Suspense Released Jan 28 by The Wild Rose Press In ebook and print

PROVING GROUND

By Stanalei Fletcher Spicy Romantic Suspense Released April 17 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook

Romance Contemporary Suspense

THE END OF CAMELOT

By Diana Rubino Spicy Romantic Suspense Released April 10 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook PASSION/RETRIBUTION/LOVE

By Jane Leopold Quinn Erotic Contemporary Romance Released March 16 in ebook HER HERO

By Jane Leopold Quinn Erotic Contemporary Romance Released March 6 by author

RISKY BUSINESS

By Dena Garson Spicy Paranormal Romance Released April 10 by Decadent Publishing in ebook

DARE TO RISK IT ALL

By Joyce M. Holmes Spicy Romance Published March 11 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook

NEW YORK MINUTE

By Melinda Dozier Spicy Contemporary Romance Released March 9 by Crimson Romance in print and ebook SKATER’S WALTZ

By Peggy Jaeger Spicy Contemporary Romance Released March 4 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook

LOVE BURNS Babette James Spicy Contemporary Romance Released April 17 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook

A MAN TO WASTE TIME ON

By Nina Barrett Spicy Contemporary Romance Released January 2015 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook

ANDREA & THE FIVE DAY CHALLENGE

By Cindy K. Green Mild YA Romance with humor Released March 6 in print and ebook

Romance Paranormal

A DEVILISH SLUMBER Fantasy

By Shereen Vedam Spicy Regency Paranormal Romance Released Feb 19 by ImaJinn Books / Belle Books in print and ebook

DARKNESS EMBRACED

By Trish Arcangelo Spicy Fantasy Romance Released February 25 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook TORTURED EMBRACE

By Julia Laque Spicy Paranormal Romance Released in February in print and ebook

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 11

Ace Katzenbooks Reviews WALK A MILE

by Sarah Madison Dreamspinner Press (October 2014) Gay romance/suspense/sci-fi

another set of hurdles to overcome.

My standard of a good series is whether the story arc makes sense no matter where you start. I can see, with Walk A Mile, that I would have preferred to start with the first book, but even though I do want to go back and read the first one, this one still makes sense. The reader gets sufficient backstory to understand what's going on, but not so much that the story bogs down.

Not that the story is likely to bog down, when the first scene throws our two heroes, FBI agents Jerry Parker and John Flynn, into an airborne standoff with a would-be hijacker determined to kill everyone aboard the plane. We get a pretty good sense of the relationship between them by the time they have overcome the threat and gone through the bureaucratic gauntlet that follows. And the real story hasn't even started yet.

When I first read the synopsis I thought this might be an old reworked X-files fanfic. If it is – or if the idea came from X-files – it's one of those good ones that surpasses the original series. Flynn may have some issues in common with Fox Muldur, but he's a lot more likeable. And Parker, while as smart as Scully, makes a few cringe-inducing mistakes out of good intentions and a desire to help Flynn get past some personal problems.

Flynn has one great big problem, too: contact with an alien artifact (in the previous book) has turned him telepathic, and there's no 'off' switch—only coping techniques that help reduce the mental chatter. Having a partner who is also his lover and willing to watch his back has probably kept him out of a psych ward, but they need to find out what happened and how to reverse it. Unfortunately, the artifact was stolen, leaving no clues as to who now possesses it.

This story is about the agents' search for a second artifact that has appeared in Flynn's old stomping grounds, the Washington DC area.

Ms. Madison throws several surprises at the reader, and the first one hits you when they find the extraterrestrial McGuffin. Hinting that Parker gets an idea of what Flynn has to deal with from his telepathic "gift" is about as much as I can say without creating a huge spoiler.

And… then, things get complicated. It's a wild ride that ends with the final resolution of a tragedy that has tormented Flynn for all his adult life, a satisfying takedown of a disgusting bully… and yet another twist that leaves both men with a better understanding of each other but

I enjoyed this story a lot, partly because of the sudden surprises and partly because Sarah Madison writes like an adult with some experience of how painful and complicated relationships can be. Parker makes some mistakes, but his well-intentioned mistakes do force Flynn to face and finally resolve some issues from his past that he has been hiding from for years. This author also has an interesting take on how much of a person's "self" is that elusive thing called a soul, and how much is a quality of the physical body and the fall of the DNA dice. The medical tone is good, too—no cheap, tv-style serious injury followed by immediate recovery. When these guys get hurt, it takes time to heal. Also under the "adult" label—in case anyone was wondering—the sex is steamy and just right. It doesn't get in the way of the story but you know these two are really hot for each other. Best of all, an uncharacteristically kinky episode is seen not just as kink, but a symptom of an emotional issue. I don't see that very often and I really enjoyed the way Ms. Madison handled it.

I'd have given this story all five paws-up except for two things: Parker seems to be very careless about sharing extremely personal, private information via online chat with a person he has apparently never met in person. I have to assume that as a Fed, his communication is coded to infinity and beyond, but I also think the FBI would monitor his laptop, so his openness with her is kind of unlikely. (It is possible that the first book explained this seeming lapse of security.) Also, I had expected the "alien artifact" to be explained within this story, and it is not, which hints that the following books are going to be a major Easter Egg hunt for more of the things. That was actually disappointing, because I had hoped that they would resolve the problem and move on to other cases. I would have wanted to read the next book anyway – and I want to go back and read the first one.

4.5 paws up for Walk a Mile!

Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History One Story at a Time

by Elisa Rolle Published July 2014

This book, a compilation of Elisa Rolle's blog entries over a period of several years, is a work that belongs in every college and university that has a Gender Studies or Queer Studies program. If I were wealthy, I'd order copies for every public library in America.

Continued next page

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 12

Ace Katzenbook’s Reviews Continued

Elisa is well-known by gay authors and fans of gay romance for her reviews and film listings – I have found things on her blog that I've seen nowhere else – but I think that this book will outlive her and serve as a lasting resource for anyone who wants to get a sense of the scope of gay history.

That may make this book sound dry and academic. It is anything but. This is a wonderful collection of love stories, sometimes joyful, sometimes tragic, always real. For those of us who came out after Stonewall, Days gives a glimpse of how tough things were for those who came before. For our elders, who lived through it, I hope it gives the recognition that is their due.

If I were doing by-the-number scores, I would give this ten catnip toys out of a possible … 5.

It is just that good.

g

BLUE EYED STRANGER (Trowchester Blues)

by Alex Beecroft GLBT Contemporary Romance Released by Riptide Publishing on 4/6

WEDDING FAVORS (Bluewater Bay)

by Anne Tenino GLBT Contemporary Romance Released by Riptide Publishing on 4/13

DOWN

by Ally Blue GLBT Horror, Sci-Fi Released by Riptide Publishing on 4/20

LESSONS FOR SUSPICIOUS MINDS (Cambridge Fellows)

by Charlie Cochrane GLBT Historical Mystery Released by Riptide Publishing on 4/20

WHERE THERE'S SMOKE (Panopolis series)

by Cari Z GLBT Urban Fantasy Released by Riptide Publishing on 4/27

Mystery Thriller

New Releases

POISON IVY

By Cynthia Riggs A Martha’s Vineyard Mystery Released March 31 by Minotaur Book in hardcover THE DRAGON OF HANDALE Abbess of Hildegard Mystery #5

By Cassandra Clark Released March 17 by Minotaur Books in hardcover (Check out the review in Barefoot Book Reviews) INVISIBLE CITY

By Julia Dahl Crime Fiction Released in paperback March 3 by Minotaur Books YOU CAN TRUST ME

By Sophie McKenzie Psychological thriller Released April 14 by St. Martin’s Press in hardcover MURDER IN THE MIST

By Loretta C. Rogers Spicy Mystery Released March 13 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook

STORM RISING

By Rachael Richey Spicy Women’s Fiction Released Feb 27 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 13

Love, Hawaiian Style by

Jackie Marilla

Š 2015 The Book Breeze Page 14

Roberta’s Ramblings

by Roberta Rogow

It's 1905, and Molly Murphy (now Sullivan) is off to Paris, in CITY OF DARKNESS AND LIGHT by Rhys Bowen (Minotaur, 2014,$15.99). Molly and her 8-month-old son Liam have been sent to safety following an attack on their New York City home, but danger seems to follow Molly, whether she wants it or not. She's supposed to stay with her Bohemian friends Sid and Gus, but when she gets to their flat in Monmartre, they're nowhere to be found. When Molly tires to find them, she runs into murder instead. A well-known artist is dead, and one of her friends may be accused of murdering him. As she makes her way through the avantgarde of Belle Epoque Paris, Molly gets assistance from an excitable Spaniard named Picasso, an American art collector named Stein, and an American artists named Cassat. An old family secret comes to light, but it's the peccadillos of the present that lead Molly to the murderer.

A fascinating look at an exciting time in the world of Art.

Tessa Arlen's DEATH OF A DISHONORABLE GENTLEMAN (Minotaur, 2014, $24.99) takes us to England, just before the Great War, where Lady Clementine Montfort is preparing for the great event of the summer, her annual costume ball. The entire County has been invited, including, unfortunately, Lord Montfort's nephew, whose louche behavior has caused him to be ejected from Oxford. When the young man is found trussed up and head-down on a gibbet usually used for game, everyone in the house is a suspect. Then two young women disappear, one a guest and the other a servant.

What is the connection between them? Why does the footman have bruised hands? Who is the mysterious stranger lurking in the village? And what does any of this have to do with the rash of burglaries in the area? Lady Montfort enlists her housekeeper, Mrs. Jackson, to help her uncover the secrets of her guests and find the murderer before the police can upset the delicate balance that keeps Society moving. It's the calm before the storm, although no one knows it but us readers.

A very different theatrical scene is the background for THE DEATH OF LUCY KYTE, by Nicola Upson (HarperCollins, 2014, $15.99). Josephine Tey, successful playwrite and occasional mystery author, has inherited a cottage in Suffolk, far from her home in Inverness, Scotland. When she goes south to check it out, she finds herself embroiled in a hundred-year old mystery that may have present-day repercussions.

Josephine researches the murder of a local woman that became a major event, inspiring a lurid melodrama that became a staple of the Victorian theater. The name Lucy

Kyte crops up, but who was she? How was she involved in the tragic fire at the Red Barn? And what does her diary have to do with the death of Josephine's godmother, the blind and aging actress who had lived in the cottage for so long? Events in the past impact on the present, as Josephine reveals the truth behind not one, but two deaths, and uncovers a clever, resourceful and embittered murderer, who just might get away with it. The shadow of another war may be lurking in the future, but Josephine finds some peace and makes restitution for Lucy Kyte in the end.

THE PRIME MINISTER'S SECRET AGENT,

by Susan Ella Macneal (Bantam, 2014, $15.00) ranges from the back rooms at Whitehall and the White House to the wilds of Scotland, where Maggie Hope is fighting World War II and her clinical depression, brought on the knowledge of her last mission into Nazi Germany. Now she's training others to go behind enemy lines, knowing that many of them will not return. When one of her old friends invites her to a ballet performance in Glasgow, she goes reluctantly, still suffering from “Black Dog”, as she calls it.

Then two of the dancers die of a mysterious illness, which her friend also catches. What has this to do with the dead sheep on the beach? Meanwhile, messages flying back and forth between Japanese forces are intercepted, then shunted off and disbelieved, until devastating news comes from Hawaii.

Finally, America is in the War! A sordid murder has shocking implications, and Maggie must face some hard truths about winning a war. Winston Churchill makes an appearance, and there's an interesting sidelight about Maggie's mother that may lead to yet more revelations in the next installment of this thrilling series.

Rhys Bowen's aristocratic sleuth Lady Geogiana Rannoch takes a trip to America in QUEEN OF HEARTS (Berkley, 2014, $25.99). It's 1934, the depths of the Depression, and Lady Georgie is carried off by her mother, an eccentric actress, who has decided to get her most recent marriage terminated in Reno, so that she can marry a wealthy German industrialist. These plans get derailed when a chance meeting with movie mogus Cy Goldman sends Georgie and her mother to Hollywood.

Gorgie gets a good look behind the scenes of the Dream Factory, where she evades the attentions of Charlie Chaplin while trying to catch an elusive cat burglar. When Goldman is found dead, it's up to Georgie to untangle the web of lies surrounding almost everyone on the scene. Evil twins, old scores to settle, and the antics of newly rich movie stars all play a part in this light-hearted romp through La-La Land in the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Roberta Rogow is a retired librarian who enjoys books with characters that grab you, often set in exotic places or in other times. She reads a lot of historical mysteries, but also enjoys Alternate History, and has been known to indulge in an orgy of“cozy crafty” mysteries, set in small-town America or villages in Great Britain. Her latest release, MAYHEM IN MANATAS is the follow-up to MURDERS IN MANATAS.

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 15

Eclectic Express Reviews

Eclectic

Mystery

Urban Fantasy

DEAD FLOAT: A Cal Claxton Mystery

By Warren C. Easley Poisoned Pen Press (July 2014) Mystery / 250 pages

LGBT

Paranormal

Sci-Fi

Young Adult

us back into the lives of the residents of 302 Grace Street.

While I usually wouldn’t use the word “delightful” when talking about a mystery, this series is a delight to read.

If you are a fly fisherman, it doesn’t get any better than the salmon fly hatch on the Deschutes River, Oregon’s legendary trout fishing venue. Cal Claxton–a small town lawyer who works to fish–has to pinch himself when his best friend and fishing guide, Philip Lone Deer, asks him to help guide an upcoming trip with a group of executives from a high tech firm in Portland. But the trip through the remote Deschutes River Canyon turns ugly when a member of the fishing party turns up murdered. Everyone in the party is a suspect, including Cal himself. Does the fact that the company’s value is about to explode play into the crime?

And what about the freight line running along the river.

Does Philip’s theory that the killer came and left on a train hold water? Cal better come up with answers because he’s suspect number one…

The setting of this book is Dundee, Oregon and I happen to live in the next town so I know what I’m talking about when I say he captures setting beautifully.

Easley’s characters come alive, his plot complex and full of surprises. Grab a copy and start to read because the only thing better than a great mystery is a mystery that includes a day on the river.

JUST YOU WAIT Grace Street Mysteries

By Jane Tesh Poisoned Pen Press (Feb 2015) Mystery with paranormal elements / 255 pages

Tesh’s series are not an edge-of-your-seat mystery but I find I can’t put them down. Full of surprises and marvelous characters this book delivers.

AN UNTAMED STATE

By Roxane Gay Grove Press, Black Cat (May 2014) Women’s Fiction / 368 pages

Mireille Duval Jameson is living a fairy tale. The strong-willed youngest daughter of one of Haiti’s richest sons, she has an adoring husband, a precocious infant son, by all appearances a perfect life. The fairy tale ends one day when Mireille is kidnapped in broad daylight by a gang of heavily armed men, in front of her father’s Port au Prince estate. Held captive by a man who calls himself The Commander, Mireille waits for her father to pay her ransom.

As it becomes clear her father intends to resist the kidnappers, Mireille must endure the torments of a man who resents everything she represents.

An Untamed State is a novel of privilege in the face of crushing poverty, and of the lawless anger that corrupt governments produce. It is the story of a willful woman attempting to find her way back to the person she once was, and of how redemption is found in the most unexpected of places.

Not always easy to read, but impossible to put down, this book captures the reader and doesn’t turn you loose until the last page.

David Randall, a private detective short of work, invites his psychic friend Camden into a case. Miss Viola Mitchell, an aging local actress, has recently been reported missing. While Cam rejects demands from his fiancée that they marry this month his psychic gifts have expanded. Meanwhile, a new Grace Street client is searching for her arrogant, absconding partner. Randall tracks him to Clearwater, Florida, and soon finds himself chasing shoplifters stealing pharmaceuticals and helping a jazz musician woo his woman while failing to woo his own love, Kary. Will Randall and Cam piece all this together?

Another great addition to the series, Just You Wait brings

The first half of the book is Mireille’s ordeal at the hands of her captives. They systematically break her down until even she has to deny that Mireille exists to endure their torture. In her mind she becomes nothing because it doesn’t matter what happens to nothing.

The last half is her powerful journey back to herself as friends and family struggle to comprehend what she has been through and how to help.

Ms. Gay’s writing is exceptional. If I had to find it flaw it would be the amount of backstory that was integrated into the first half of the book. Most of it was necessary but the constant digression was a bit distracting sometimes. Still, I highly recommend this powerful, haunting journey of a victim who becomes not only a survivor, but an overcomer.

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 16

Shannon’s Space

YA Reviews by Shannon Kennedy REBELLION (Extraction #2)

by Stephanie Diaz St. Martin’s Griffin / Feb 2015 ~ 4 Stars

This is the second book in the Extraction series and some readers may be a bit concerned if they missed the first book.

They don’t need to worry. Clementine, the heroine shares more than enough of her backstory that those readers probably won’t miss the initial volume. She lives or rather survives on Kiel, a planet with a toxic atmosphere. At sixteen, she passes the tests to move to the Core, the safe interior below the surface, and be with the elite society on her world. Yes, this is similar to what happens in Divergent with overtones of Hunger Games. However unlike those books, Clementine doesn’t have any parents to advise her or a kid sister to guide and love. So, where does her community originate? That may have been a question answered in the first book.

Leaving her true love, Logan on the surface to continue being slave labor, Clementine soon discovered that her new perfect home wasn’t a home, wasn’t perfect. So, Clementine unites with the other dissatisfied, angry militants and joins the revolution which is where this book starts. She and Logan are determined to save the day as well as their fellow citizens.

This was a fairly fast-paced story, except for all those flashbacks when Clementine remembered every bad thing that happened to her previously in the Core. The episodes of PTSD felt authentic. More description of Kiel and the social structure would have added to the tension. How did Commander Charlie, the adversary in charge of Kiel become such a dictator? He certainly wasn’t elected to the position, but how was he chosen? When did the people who lived and slaved on the surface give up their autonomy? There must have been previous rebellions. If not, why not? And if there were, what happened to those people? Hmm, another question rose – if the kids on the surface had to worry about being tested for Extraction at sixteen and being killed at the age of twenty when they didn’t pass the tests, then how did Commander Charlie continue to have a labor force?

In addition to those unanswered questions, sometimes the characters felt too familiar. There were so many similarities to other popular dystopian YA novels. Despite those similarities, this story actually worked very well. It had an interesting setting which needed more details, a strong female protagonist that whined a bit more than necessary but she was willing to put her life on the line to save others, and a decent plot with a climax that successfully leads toward the third book, the culmination of the series. It may not happen until this summer, but readers can look forward to learning what happens next and root for Clementine and her allies as they continue and hopefully win their war.

DREAMFIRE

by Kit Alloway St. Martin’s Griffin / Feb 2015 ~ 4.5 Stars

This well written debut novel introduces readers to Joshlyn Weaver, a dream walker who like other members of her family saves people from their worst nightmares. She either solves the problem, wakes up the person who is actually dreaming or aborts the mission – escapes from the nightmare. Dreamwalkers are just as human as those they try to protect and they can die in the nightmare worlds too. Joshlyn knows this better than anyone. She lost her boyfriend and her mother in one of those realms.

Now, on her 17th birthday, Joshlyn is considered an adult by her society and one of the best, most talented dreamwalkers of her generation. With the new status, comes a new responsibility. She must train an apprentice.

Will delivers pizzas and never expects an introduction to literally strange new worlds when he agrees to a job interview at the Weaver household. Abandoned by his own parents, he finds solace in self-help books. This knowledge will not only help when he begins entering other people’s nightmares, it also helps with his “trainer,” who suffers from PTSD. Despite his background or perhaps because of it, Will is kind, empathetic and a healer who doubles as a warrior.

Then again, he could be a warrior who doubles as a healer.

As the nightmares intensify during Will’s training, the two find themselves contending with gas-masked adversaries who break what Josh thinks of as the tenets of dream walking.

Her usual allies in the so-called, “real” world just aren’t there for her this time. Tensions mount, not just with what she faces, but also between her and Will when she finds herself attracted to him. And then she has high school too! Aargh!

The story started out a bit slowly, but the pacing eventually picked up by about a third of the way into the book. Kit Alloway’s descriptions of the nightmare worlds entranced, horrified and trapped the reader as much as the characters.

Some of these characters weren’t as well developed as they could have been, but there were sufficient hints at the beginning to let me know who Josh trusted and didn’t trust.

Hopefully, this is the beginning of a series since there were unanswered questions and unresolved issues between Josh and Will. They are falling in love, but more importantly they “like” each other and they are “real” partners, which will hopefully save both their lives. Now, if Alloway will only write another book about Josh and Will to share what happens to them after this story because it simply can’t end here

Shannon lives on the family farm, a riding stable in the Cascade foothills, where she organizes most of the riding programs and teaches horsemanship around her day-job as a substitute teacher. She writes books in her spare time, mainstream western romance as Josie Malone for SirenBookStrand and young adult novels for Black Opal Books and Fire & Ice YA. She’s a member of RWA, YARWA, the Greater Seattle RWA and Evergreen RWA chapters.

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 17

The Play Room Erotica Reviews by Susanna W olf

EXPLORING ELLORA’S CAVE

This last month I went spelunking through Ellora’s Cave. If you have not yet discovered this publisher’s site, for what is dubbed "Romantica," or erotic romance, grab your headlamp and go exploring.

The site is user friendly for searching, whether you already know an author or book you are interested in reading, or if you want to look for books of a certain theme. There are many rooms in this cave, from Historical by Centuries, to Paranormal Elements, Shapeshifter, Urban Fantasy, Male Male, Female Female, etc. I decided to read three books from three different themes. I enjoyed what I read, and the reviews follow.

PACK RESCUE, Book I of the Western Wolves, by Gwen Campbell can be found in the Shapeshifter room of the Cave, although Menage or More would also be fitting. I originally read the new release of the series, PACK OF HER OWN, Book III. It turned out to be very short, but sparked my interest to go back and start at the beginning.

Fina is a young woman, daughter of the Alpha of a pack of werewolves in the South. She is excited to be going to college with her best friend, Helen (who by the way does not know about the whole werewolf thing). However, her college hopes and dreams of the future are dashed in dramatic fashion when she comes home to find that rogue wolves have killed, not only her whole family, but her whole pack. She begins a journey with young boy of the pack who had remained hidden during the massacre and ends up with a pack in Wyoming.

The Alpha and his brother take her in as she begins to heal.

Life in this new pack requires maneuvering and proving herself worthy to the whole pack, especially the young, single female pack members. What I find interesting about the werewolf world Ms. Campbell has created is that her characters seem more like wolves who most of the time are shaped into human form. I tried not to be overly sensitive to how many times the word “bitch” was thrown around, keeping it in context. The love scenes are not puppy love, but full-on, unadulterated earthy wolf love! The menage aspect was very sexy and hot, but sometimes I think even the author lost track of whose what was where. I am looking forward to reading book II, PACK’S BROKEN HEART.

IN THE STACKS, by Marie Carnay is Book I in the Degrees After Dark series, is a contemporary erotica story that can be read in one sitting.

As the title implies, the story takes place in the stacks of the library where Leah works the nightshift.

She is described as a punk rebel and would rather be out at an underground club on a Friday night.

Instead she does her work while wearing headphones and dancing through the rows of books.

Her reverie is broken by the appearance of Bruce, her total all-American opposite. However, the sparks that transpire between them remind us how true it is that opposites attract. The story is short, but the sex is hot and I look forward to more in the series. There is a caveat added on the site that these stories should be read in order.

WINTER OF THORNS, by Charlotte Boyett-Compo Is described in the Cave as a Futuristic Erotic Romance. I must say that in reading the book, it was somewhat impossible to pin down a century.

Lady Jana Reynaud falls hopelessly in love with the young man she nurses back from a battle injury, Lord Seyzon Montyne. When he feels the same way, the decide to marry, but without the permission and blessing of of their overlord, Prinde Vindan Brell.

Seyzon and Vindan have been life-long best friends who were raised together like brothers. There is also a rivalry, and when the Prince arrives at the joining hell bent on punishing his friend, he decides to exercise the Right of the First Night and makes love to the virgin Jana on the wedding night, while Seyzon is thrown in the dungeon. At first the plot feels old and tired, but the author’s characters blossom into ones the reader cares about, who are three dimensional and interesting. Of course, the Prince has now fallen for the Lady Jana and is determined to not only have her body, but win her heart. The reader advisory for this is that their are graphic sexual language and scenes. The de-flowering of the Lady Jana is a beautiful, erotic piece of writing.

We hope you enjoyed this edition of The Book Breeze.

Contents of this emag are repeated on our blog throughout the month.

For more information on how you can be a part of The Book Breeze visit our website at: http://www.thebookbreeze.com/For_Authors.php

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 18