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Monday, September 29, 2014

Alpha Male Diner: Wolf Shifter, Luc Black by Jan DeLima (Summer Moon)



Luc Black (wolf shifter)
recipe by Jan DeLima
Summer Moon (Celtic Wolves #2)


Ingredients:-Celtic warrior who can shift into a wolf (also known as the Beast of Merin)
-Protector of the innocent
-Dually honed muscles from fighting in both human and wolf forms
-Ink black hair and mercury colored eyes (his eyes turn blue when influenced by his wolf)
-Remains loyal to his deceased wife for over sixty years… until the female alpha of his neighboring territory temps him with an offer he can’t refuse

Season with:
-A tattoo of an owl from shoulder to waist
-Hunted at birth due to fear
-Raised by an older brother to be a warrior of honor
-A gentle lover despite his fierce reputation and appearance
-Understands women (this final ingredient is dangerous so add with caution)

Directions:
Preheat reading location. Fold ingredients together gently as some of them are combustible when combined. Lastly, oven temperature may need frequent readjustments since this alpha hero tempted the author to write far more loves scenes than she originally planned.


Taste Test:


Luc wrapped the knitted blanket around Rosa and draped it like a shawl. Fisting his hands around the corners, he pulled her forward, like a fish caught in a weir. Before she could guess his intent, she found herself on his lap, cocooned in heat and hot male skin, with her legs dangled over his knees.

“Now, is this so bad?” he taunted while tucking her head under his chin.

“I suppose not.” Pondering where to place her hands, she ended up curling them in her lap, while her shoulder rested in the crook between his arm and chest.

In truth, it was hypnotic setting on him like this—dangerously so, like the hush before a storm. The rise and fall of his torso as he breathed lulled like a male siren, along with the weight of his arms and the lure of his skin against her cheek. The most exquisite scent of forest and man wove around her senses. More tempting, underneath it all lay the hint of musk, of potent wolf waiting in the shadows to protect her if the human failed.

All her tension ebbed like a babe in caring arms. Away from Guardians and wrapped in strength; she’d not felt this safe since childhood. How sad that she’d found peace with a virtual stranger. And how easily she could become addicted.

Oh, yes . . . this was dangerous. “How long do we have to stay like this?”

“Shhhh . . .” His throat moved as he swallowed while his hands trailed up her thighs and under her sweater, but only to knead the muscles of her lower back.

As if she weren’t becoming a puddle of goo already.

Before long, her eyes grew heavy, drifted closed. Had he been waiting for this moment of surrender, she wondered drowsily, when her guard had dissolved enough to welcome his gentle game? And did she care? For this was far more pleasant than any others she’d been forced to play.

He shifted to the side and moved his shoulder, leaned a bit, and her head rolled back, only to be caught by the soft pressure of his mouth on hers. So tender she didn’t even open her eyes. Were a man’s lips supposed to be this soft? Like with other carnal acts, she had little experience with kissing, sadly enough.

Having known only violence or indifference, her perceptions reeled. Indeed, if this was passion, then she didn’t know how to respond. But she was curious enough to try. She would admit that to herself, and even to him if he asked . . . She was so hungry to know what others whispered about in giggly tones. How many stories had she heard, from Tesni and others, of their forbidden trysts and naughty secrets, only to feel like a bystander to their private joy?

“Open your mouth, Rosa.” The order came on a husky whisper against her lips.


Summer Moon (Celtic Wolves #2)
by Jan DeLima
Paperback, 304 pages
September 30th 2014 by Ace

She won’t be ruled again……

Rosa Alban has been obedient her entire life. But when her alpha husband dies, she seizes the opportunity to flee the oppressive Guardians—the rulers of the secret shapeshifter world. Her flight instantly brands her as a pack traitor, and she has no choice but to seek protection from a neighboring tribe by marrying one of their sons.

Known as the Beast of Merin, Luc Black loyally plays the part of unwanted son and devoted brother. He realizes marrying Rosa will strengthen his tribe’s territory, but he has no intention of loving ever again. Still, he’s unprepared for the intense physical need the wild she-wolf awakens in him.

When the Guardians hone in on Rosa, Luc must fight to protect his new bride. And as war descends, the unlikely allies discover their destinies are irrevocably entwined.


You are welcome to read the first chapter of Summer Moon on Jan’s website.


About the Author:
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Jan lives in Maine with her husband of twenty years and their two teenage sons. Unlike many authors, Jan didn't pen stories at an early age but has always been a dedicated reader. She loves stories and storytelling. It wasn't until after her children entered school that she began writing. Raised in a military family, she lived in different countries such as Thailand and Germany, but home base has always been Maine. She brought a mixture of all her experiences to her first published novel, blending castles and Celtic lore with the wild nature of her home.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Comic Review: The Saviors Issues #1-#5 from Image Comics



The Saviors #1-#5
Story By: James Robinson
Art By: J. Bone
Cover By: J. Bone
Cover Price: $2.99
Digital Price: $1.99
Eisner Award winner JAMES ROBINSON (Starman, Earth 2) and artist extraordinaire J. BONE (The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror, The Spirit) present an all-new saga of monstrous alien horror.

When Tomas Ramirez stumbles upon an extraterrestrial conspiracy to take over the world, his life is changed forever. He must now seek out those few souls who share this terrible knowledge. But even united, how can they hope to defeat a shadowy alien cabal that is both indestructible and eager to kill anyone who threatens it?


A stoner versus an alien invasion. Advantage: aliens. I mean, c'mon ... he's stoned. How big of a threat could he be?

Well, for one thing, Tomas Ramirez is a hard little stoner to kill after he inadvertently finds out the sheriff of his hometown in the desert is actually an alien in disguise. It's not like Tomas was looking for a whole lot of excitement in his life. Things were steady with his job at the gas station, getting high as he pleased, and generally coasting through life. But he just had to ruin all that by stumbling upon a covert alien invasion. Way to go, Tomas.

Think Men in Black meets Up in Smoke.

The humor is plentiful, as is the action. Actually, it's the action that really takes over for this series. Five issues in and Tomas has had his entire worldview upended and lost count of the number of times one alien or another has come within a whisker of taking him out. But if it was just Tomas in this struggle against the grand alien conspiracy, he wouldn't stand a chance. Which is why his luck hits an all-time high when he falls in with a rag-tag group from around the world who have banded together to find a way to stop the takeover of Earth. And you just had to know Tomas would play a key in that.

There is a very cool vibe to the series that reminds me of those old sci-fi serials that ran in 15-minute stretches and always--always--ended on some perilous cliffhanger. The Saviors taps into that urgent, always-on-the-run pace with increasing clues and intrigue relating to Tomas' role in the resistance.

If there is a hangup it is that the series that far has hinged exclusively on Tomas as a viewpoint character with no breathing room for any other characters. The aliens, in fact, remain a very mysterious and ill-defined aspect of the series. We're afforded bits and pieces, but in the five-issue run there is still a great deal that needs to be explained about the aliens and their motivations and their methods.

I guess all of that will be left up to the next five issues. It should be interesting.


4 Sheep





Gef Fox

Sunday Swag: Book Edition: The Penguin Book of Witches by Katherine Howe + giveaway


Sunday Swag Team!
Riverina Romantics 
 I Smell Sheep 

Today's feature book:


The Penguin Book of Witches
Paperback, 320 pages
Expected publication: September 30th 2014 by Penguin Classics

From a manual for witch hunters written by King James himself in 1597, to court documents from the Salem witch trials of 1692, to newspaper coverage of a woman stoned to death on the streets of Philadelphia while the Continental Congress met, THE PENGUIN BOOK OF WITCHES is a treasury of historical accounts of accused witches that sheds light on the reality behind the legends.

Bringing to life stories like that of Eunice Cole, tried for attacking a teenage girl with a rock and buried with a stake through her heart; Jane Jacobs, a Bostonian so often accused of witchcraft that she took her tormentors to court on charges of slander; and Increase Mather, an exorcism-performing minister famed for his knowledge of witches, THE PENGUIN BOOK OF WITCHES provides a unique tour through the darkest history of English and North American witchcraft.


About the Editor:
KATHERINE HOWE, the direct descendant of three accused Salem witches, is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, The House of Velvet and Glass, and the young-adult novel Conversion, a modern-day retelling ofThe Crucible set in a Massachusetts prep school. She teaches in the American Studies program at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. You can visit her website at.




Head over to Riverina Romantics and win more Swag!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Interview: Yasmine Galenorn (Priestess Dreaming) Book Tour + giveaways

Thanks for joining us for our stop on the PRIESTESS DREAMING blog tour!! Yasmine Galenorn "creates a world I never want to leave", according to Sherrilyn Kenyon... and this is the next adventure in that world. The amount of world building, character development, and GREAT STORYTELLING in the Otherworld series is why it's lasted so long, and why readers keep coming back.

Sharon: Welcome to I Smell Sheep! Where to even begin with you…so much awesome, so little time. Let’s start with your latest release Priestess Dreaming book 16 of Otherworld Series. My guess is fans of yours don’t need convincing to read this so let’s recruit some newbies. Why would someone want to visit The Otherworld? Who should we try to meet for a good time *winky, winky* and who should we run away from?
Yasmine: Otherworld is so vast, and so evolved by now, that I think there’s something for just about any urban fantasy fan who loves quirky, oddball, dark, and irreverent all wrapped up into one. As for meeting for a good time—oh, so many many many depending on your tastes. You like adventure and poly lifestyles? Camille and her men are always out for a good time. You want sweet and sit-on-the-sofa-with-Cheetos love? Delilah and Shade, it is. Love a bite out of the vampire love-style? Menolly’s your woman. Who should you run away from? Run fast and hard from any of my villains. They don’t pull their punches!


Sharon: Based on your favorite movies and books you qualify as a fellow nerd! What is the nerdiest thing you own?
Yasmine: I’m a dungeon mistress and have a huge bag of dice, all the OLD copies of the first edition AD&D books (back from 1979). Hell, I even inherited chapbooks from the world of Greyhawk from my very first dungeon group. I learned to play D&D from guys who knew Gary Gygax. I also buy my husband every Rubik’s cube I can find (he can solve them no problem), I am an InuYasha fan and own the entire series (Sesshomaru fan girl here). I have Spongebob key chain for the post office key (my actual key chain has been lovingly dubbed the Keychain Flail From Hell by one my assistants—I just keep adding charms to it and could brain somebody easy). Any of those qualify?
Sharon: you had me at D&D <G>. I have the D&D Basic Set (Red Book) Box Set: 1981 - TSR 1011 Basic Rules book only: Tom Moldvay - 64 pages. I tried to play it once, got bored and never used it again…I know, sad <G>.
Yasmine: Oh, you need a really good group who can get down, dirty, and wild. And I mean wild—I don’t handle peeps who have to argue every rule to the letter. I run a wild-west type dungeon in that you can expect ANYTHING to happen (well, not ANYthing but…), but there’s always a method to my madness. And I let the players try the damndest stupid things just to see what happens. ~grins~


Sharon: Isn’t Thor, EVERYTHING! This doesn’t count as a question, just wanted to put that out there.
Yasmine: I want to meet his Mighty Hammer in … battle.

Sharon: Really? I want to meet it in bed…the hammer. ;)
Yasmine: I was being polite and demure, didn’t you know I’m famous for that? ~falls into coughing fit~

*hands Yasmine a cup of Kool-Aid*

Sharon: If you were a flower arrangement what type of flowers would be used?
Yasmine: Deep purple roses, dark green ferns, a spring of purple lilac, a blue hydrangea, and some pink/fuchsia spikes of foxglove. Toss in a little baby’s breath too.


Sharon: You are a big hoarder collector of some cool things. I wanna hear about your teapots! Do you have a favorite (is there a picture?) What is the craziest teapot you own? (pic?)
Yasmine: My favorite is the one that matches my good china pattern—Old Country Roses. And I have teapots for every Sabbat (Witch’s holidays), so …it’s probably a toss up between the corn one and the pumpkin one. Enclosing pictures of both.

But the really crazy thing? I hate tea. Yes, I said it—I HATE black and green tea (in fact, green tea makes me quite sick, not the taste so much as the actual tea affects me badly). I only drink a few herbal blends when I drink it. But I love teapots. Oh, and the term hoarder? Could never be applied to me. I have a deathly OCD hatred of clutter. I know when to stop. Even with teapots and daggers and…usually…corsets. LOL
Sharon: I prefer my tea sweet and with ice. I don’t have a corset yet. Probably the only blogger at conventions who doesn’t. Will be rectifying that soon. Is there a company (website) you suggest using?
Yasmine: I get most of my corsets (yes, I have that many) through www.corset-story.com. And I just want to say something here: I’m a large woman—wide, not tall. And it does NOT matter if you’re a size 12 or a size 24, you can wear a corset if you get the right kind. And it WILL look good. I have lost 100 lbs in the past few years and I’m still considered fat. But I look damned good in my corsets.


kmareka.com
Sharon: What is your favorite Pagan holiday ritual?
Yasmine: Toss up between Samhain and Yule. Love the autumn gloom and mists and feel of Samhain, and then I am so ready for the sparkling beauty of Yule.


Sharon: Last book you read that made you cry?
Yasmine: Um…I don’t usually cry over books. I do over some movies…the only books I can think of offhand that made me cry are Watership Down (my favorite book and yes, I do cry over that every time I read it), the Velveteen Rabbit, and the ending of Winnie the Pooh.


Sharon: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. Did you know we have a dungeon? Let’s go take a tour. Grab a Nerf weapon, and a handful of gummy bears for Jake, our dragon.
Yasmine: Can I just bring my big assed antler-handled sword instead? And dragons and I, we get along. We understand each other. ;)

*Sharon covets antler-handled sword*
Yasmine: Watch out, my blades are sharp. I don’t *do* unsharpened weapons. ;)
*Sharon back slowly away from sharp assed antler-handled sword and possibly crazy assed wielder of said sword*

   
We're the D'Artigo sisters: savvy half-human, half-Fae operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. My sister Delilah is a two-faced werecat and a Death Maiden. Menolly is a vampire married to a gorgeous werepuma. And me? I'm a Moon witch married to three gorgeous husbands, and I'm about to journey through the veils to search for a long lost legend...

With the war in Otherworld raging, the Queen of Shadow and Night summons me to her court. Aeval orders me to embark on a hunt through the mists to find an ancient ally she once knew. I must seek out The Merlin and wake him from his long sleep. But Morgaine and Bran are along for the journey, and the pair pose a threat to both me and my quest. Now, surrounded by danger on all sides, I must pray they are allies rather than enemies, as we undertake a perilous search through the labyrinth of time...


Here's how YOU can pre-order your copy...

Preorder Priestess Dreaming from  Amazon Preorder Priestess Dreaming fromAudiobook Stand Order Priestess Dreaming Order Priestess Dreaming Order Priestess Dreaming Order Priestess Dreaming Order Priestess Dreaming Order Priestess Dreaming Order Priestess Dreaming Order Priestess Dreaming Order Priestess Dreaming


About the Author:
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Hi, I'm New York Times, USA TODAY, and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn. In April 2012, I won a Career Achievement Award in Urban Fantasy at the Romantic Times Convention. I write urban fantasy/paranormal romance for Berkley: the Otherworld Series, (aka Sisters of the Moon Series), the Indigo Court Series, and the upcoming spin-off series in the Otherworld altaverse--the Fly By Night Series. And yes, I'm a shamanic witch and am considered an elder in the Pagan community, having been in the Craft since February 29th (yes, leap year day), 1980. I walk an eclectic path and consider my life to be a blend of teacups and tattoos--the former in my china closet, the latter on my skin--I'm heavily inked. I collect teacups, teapots, Old Country Roses china (Royal Albert), antlers and skulls (of the non-human variety), daggers and crystals. And of course, my bookshelves are overflowing with books. I cannot walk out of a bookstore without buying at least one book. My TBR pile is huge!

Tour Wide Giveaway
Click the rafflecopter link below to enter a tour wide goodie bag prize hosted by Yasmine!!! (including random goodies, swag, and a $50 Gift Card!) 

PRIESTESS DREAMING GOODIE BAG CONTEST


Blog Giveaway
one flock member will WIN a copy of WITCHLING!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to visit the other blogs on the tour for more fun posts, interviews, reviews... and more chances to WIN!! Also, check out Yasmine's blog for another exclusive contest! Here are the rest of the blog stops leading up to PRIESTESS DREAMING's release on Tuesday:


Thursday 9/25 Bea's Book Nook Books, Life, Coffee Blog


Witchling Witchling Book 1 Changeling Changeling Book 2 Darkling Darkling Book 3 Dragon Wytch Dragon Wytch Book 4 Night Huntress Night Huntress Book 5 Demon Mistress Demon Mistress Book 6
Bone Magic Bone Magic Book 7 Harvest Hunting Harvest Hunting Book 8 Blood Wyne Blood Wyne Book 9 Courting Darkness Courting Darkness Book 10 Shaded Vision Shaded Vision Book 11 Shadow Rising Shadow Rising Book 12
Haunted Moon Haunted Moon Book 13 Autum Whispers Autumn Whispers Book 14 Crimson Veil Crimson Veil Book 15 Priestess Dreaming Priestess Dreaming Book 16