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50 Signs You're Addicted to Reading

BFFs, Shifter Style

Howdy, darlings!  Today I'm visiting Lust with a Laugh (some deeply awesome ladies who write deeply awesome romances with humor and sexiness) and we're talking about besties. The invaluable BFFs and the books that feature them. (Which, of course, includes Jaguar's Kiss!) Come on by!

Fun with Tropes!

Today I'm over at the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Blog talking about Jaguar's Kiss & exploring old, familiar tropes in new genres. Come get your trope, baby.

Excerpt-a-Ganza: Shifter Madness - Moon Shine by Vivian Arend

Wolfies!!!  I adore Vivian Arend to a frightening degree and she has MORE KICKASS SHIFTERS coming your way.  So as I continue the Excerpt-A-Ganza of Shifter Awesomeness, of course she had to be included.  Observe:

When the past hurts, it bites.

Takhini Wolves, Book 4

Meet Evan Stone. Laid-back, in-control Alpha of the Takhini Wolves. Life’s not perfect, but he’s got a good handle on his world. At least, he did—until the night he ends up in jail, soaking wet and wondering what the hell just happened. 

The “what” is Amy Ryba, a vengeful female who’s decided it’s long past time to make Evan pay for his sins. Amy has spent years tracking him down, and the last nine months working in secret to destroy him. She’s ready for anything—except discovering the shifter she hates is her mate. 

Suddenly, Evan’s not so very in control, of himself or his pack. And unless Amy can learn to forgive and forget, she’ll have to do the unthinkable: reject her mate. 

With two packs watching, one thing is certain. Their personal issues won’t stay personal for long. If Amy and Evan can’t find a way to work together, there won’t be a happily-ever-after for them…or any of the wolves of Whitehorse.

---

Product Warnings: Contains angsty wolves. Lots of angsty wolves causing explosions of all sorts, playing bad pranks, hacking computers, and having angry sex against a wall or two. Not all at the same time, though, because that would be silly.

EXCERPT:

Copyright © 2014 Vivian Arend
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication

Amy leaned back in her chair, annoyance rising. Well, that hadn’t gone nearly as well as she’d hoped. Evan had clammed up, and she hadn’t had a chance to set up the next sting.

Losing the ability to drop leading hints would have hurt a lot more a few weeks ago, though. Now she just about had everything in place.

She rose to stare out the window, the nearby leaves trembling in the slight breeze. Her skin itched, as if she’d been too long in a hot tub and was badly in need of cream.

Her wolf nudged her. Hard.

It wasn’t a trip to the spa she needed, but a good long run. Everything she did for the pack drained more of her energy. She loved each of them, cared for them deeply, but they were a group of individuals who required a unique kind of attention. Plus, there was the computer shop that was a real business even though she also used it to hide her presence.

Add in the extra time she’d put into planning surprises for Evan?

Screw it. A run would refresh her so she would have more to give. Amy pulled off her clothes and folded them carefully, stacking the articles to one side of her desk. She pushed open the sliding door behind her that led to the second-storey balcony, and drew in a deep breath of fresh air.

The sound of an email alert stopped her in the middle of taking advantage of her usual route to freedom. She stared longingly at the slim ramp built along the outside of the building at a narrow incline, stopping just far enough off the ground her wolf could make the leap but wild animals didn’t access her domain uninvited.

Amy took a quick glance at the email in the hopes she could blow it off, but this one needed attention ASAP. She left the door open, though, even as she sat, bare-ass naked in her computer chair and put out the pack fire.

But as soon as this was dealt with? She would take her cranky butt into the bush and work off her lingering aggression. The power of her wolf side hovered in the background as always. The beast made her strong and drove her nuts. One of the downfalls of being an Alpha female—she rarely had someone to work out her itch without them caving to her superior wolfie vibes.

The date with Colin on Monday was very much needed. He seemed strong enough to give her physical relief without her wolf becoming pissed off or bored by a weaker partner.

Solitude and frustration had become her constant companions, and she didn’t expect that to change. She’d been alone for years, and she always would be alone. Expectations of anything more had long ago been burnt away. Her heart was devoid of all but two things—love for pack.

And vengeance.

She bent her head and put her fingers to work composing a reply, the fire burning up her spine balanced evenly with the ice in her soul.

Evan stared at the computer-shop signage, every nerve in his body on high alert. This neighbourhood wasn’t his usual stomping ground, and a computer store? The last place on earth he’d ever go for shits and giggles.

But the closer he got to Bytes Unlimited, the more agitated his wolf became. He paused across the street in the shadows to scope the place out. Make sure there wasn’t a hidden assault team from the mysterious Canyon pack waiting in ambush.

Amy might have thought she was safe, but that didn’t mean her Alpha wasn’t checking up on her. Evan needed to get the woman out of danger, his sensation of uneasiness rising by the second.

Damn the risk to himself, this was happening now.

Evan strode across the road, jaywalking between moving vehicles. He was at the door in no time, jerking the glass open. Somewhere deep in the shop, a gentle buzzer sounded.

From the back of the store, two males turned to face him, welcoming smiles melting into rigid grimaces. Before Evan could say a word, the men vanished.

Gone. Completely.

It was like the coolest magic trick imaginable, only Evan was more pissed than impressed. He stepped into the shop and closed the door behind him, glancing past shelves that were loaded with computer thingies and plastic packaging.

“Hello?” he called into the silence.

And that’s when it hit him.

Peaches. Sunshine. The aroma of a wind that had crossed miles of seemingly empty tundra—wilderness at its rawest yet full of hidden life. All mixed up into one unique package.

It was a full-on dose of the scent he’d caught a hint of nearly two weeks ago. His stomach tightened, his heart rate kicked into overdrive. Instinctively his legs carried him forward as he tracked the scent that grew stronger and stronger.

His mate.

His mate had been in the computer shop. More than once. Often enough that as he moved toward the cash register and the counter, his head was so full of her he had to work hard to remain alert.

What was the deal with the missing staff? Evan kept his gaze moving as he silently padded forward. To one side, he spotted a couple of doors that explained where the men had gone, but not the why.

Until he hit their scent. Wolves.

Two unfamiliar wolves who vanished when they spotted him? Had to be Canyon pack. He’d deal with them later, though. Spend a little time explaining he wasn’t the enemy.

The enticing trail led him to the back of the shop and a narrow set of stairs. He moved like a wolf, noiseless and invisible. Sensing which treads to avoid stepping on to maintain absolute silence.

Easing his way upward was brutal when everything in him demanded that he run. Rush forward and swoop in on the woman who had to be at the top of the stairs.

His wolf clawed at him, eager for the hunt. Evan wrestled that part of himself under control for long enough to reach the top landing and step through the doorframe.

The room was filled with her, the open door pushing her intoxicating scent toward him like a sledgehammer to the brain.

He got a quick glimpse while she was unaware of his presence. Impressions struck like lightning bolts. Short dark hair worn in a simple style that suited her. Smooth creamy-brown skin, similar in shade to his own.

Lots of naked skin as she sat behind a desk and stared at her computer, and he wasn’t even going to ask why the hell she was working in the nude because she was his mate, and if she chose to wear nothing but skin for the rest of her life, he was oh-so-fine with that.

Then she looked up, and their eyes met. Pupils widened against her dark brown irises. Her nostrils flared, and if possible, her eyes widened farther.

“Amy?” Evan moved cautiously.

His naked goddess didn’t answer. Just blinked, hard, as if in total shock to see him in her office, which made sense.

He lifted a hand to reassure her—

She bolted. Twirled and shot through the open door, naked skin transforming in a flash to midnight-black fur.

He cursed even as he leapt after her, scrambling onto the balcony. The lithe body of a wolf ran full-out down a narrow ledge on the side of the building. Evan stripped his clothes off as quickly as he could, but she’d already hit the ground before he was able to make the shift.

Chasing her wasn’t a good idea. She’d obviously been shocked enough to flee, and having an Alpha on her tail wasn’t a very nice thing to do to any wolf, especially to one who was afraid.

But hell if he could let his mate get away again.

So Fresh and Fabulous!

You guys! Guess who's the Fresh Pick over at Fresh Fiction today? JAGUAR'S KISS, that's who! (Okay, not technically a who, but still.  Wheeeeeeee!)  Check it out!

A Kiss To Build a Dream On

Today I'm over at Delilah Devlin's blog, talking about those all important first kisses kisses, Jaguar Kisses, and my glamorous life as a single romance writer...

And in unrelated news... Jaguar's Kiss is #4 on the Samhain Best-seller list and top among paranormals!  It's the little things that make a girl's day on release week.  Thank you reader-friends for embracing my new shifters!

Jaguar's Kiss Release Day!

It's here!  Jaguar's Kiss release day has arrived!  That's right, boys and girls, it's time to get furry.  Rrrrrawr!

All day today I'm over at the Ruby Blog chatting about the genesis of this new shape-shifter series (and some of my favorite romance tropes).   Also, this afternoon (eastern, morning west) I'll be visiting the Samhain Cafe to share excerpts and gush about all things furry.  Come by and play!

To get what he wants, he’ll have to rattle her cage…
Lila Fallon, the Lone Pine Pride Alpha’s only daughter, has been betrothed since childhood to marry her father’s chosen successor. The match is designed to maintain peace by shoring up any cracks in pride solidarity.
She’s always known she would do her duty—she just never expected to meet a man who would tempt her to throw it all away.
As a black panther, Santiago Flores couldn’t be a less suitable mate for the Alpha’s purebred lioness daughter. But that doesn’t change the fact that for every one of the five years he’s been with the Lone Pine Pride, he’s been head-over-heels in love with her. And when the Alpha announces that Lila’s indefinite engagement is about to end in a very definite marriage, Santiago is through holding his peace.
From their very first kiss, Santiago rattles Lila’s neatly ordered world. But can a lioness who’s always lived to please everyone else risk everything to please herself?
Warning: This book contains tempting lone-wolf jaguars, lionesses who long for fairy tale endings, arranged marriages, tangled emotions and a pride full of trouble.

You can check out an excerpt or buy it now from Amazon :: B&N :: Samhain 

Now it is time for my very (un)dignified celebratory dance around the living room.  

Anticiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-pation

It's almost here!  Can you believe it?  Tomorrow is Jaguar's Kiss release day!  Squeee!  My lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) will be released into the world in a few short hours.  If you've pre-ordered your copy, the Kindle & Nook elves are getting ready to sneak into your ereading device and leave you a book at two in the morning.  (Creeepy, creepy e-reader elves who leave us such wonderful gifts.) 

Now if you'll excuse me, I must needs dance around my living room belting out my theme song for the day...

The book will come out, tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be shape-shifter.  The book'll come out tomorrow, so you gotta hang on til tomorrow... then you can binge-read.  Toooooooomorrrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow, you're Jaguar's Kiss release day!!!!

Excerpt-a-Ganza: Shifter Madness - Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

This is my favorite book in my favorite shape-shifter series.  (Arguably my favorite series of all time.)  There's just nothing like Nalini Singh.  I bow down.  Observe:

Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.
Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would’ve been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.
Then Sienna changes the rules and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other’s secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…
A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna’s darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home…and the alpha who is its heartbeat…

Excerpt from Kiss of Snow:

Chapter 1 Hawke folded his arms and leaned back against the solid bulk of his desk, eyes on the two young females in front of him. Hands clasped behind themselves and legs slightly spread in the “resting” stance, Sienna and Maria looked like the SnowDancer soldiers they were—except for the fact that their hair straggled in a wild mess around their faces, matted with mud, crushed leaves and other forest debris. Then there was the torn clothing and the sharp, acrid scent of blood.
His wolf bared its teeth.
“Let me get this straight,” he said in a calm tone that had Maria turning pale under skin that was a warm, smooth brown where it wasn’t bruised and bloody. “Instead of staying on watch and protecting the pack’s defensive border, you two decided to have your own personal dominance battle.”

Jaguar's Kiss Countdown - Teaser Tuesday - One Week More!

Only One Week Until Jaguar's Kiss! One more week! And one more Teaser Tuesday to tempt you! Enjoy!

**

“Everyone wants me to be their version of what I should be. Even you.”

“Then what do you want? Who do you want to be?”

“I don’t know! Don’t you see? If I wanted something more than this life, maybe I would go after it, maybe I would be brave, by your definition of the word, but I don’t. I never have. So what’s so terrible about what I’m doing? What am I giving up, Santiago Flores? What is supposed to stop me from doing what I’ve always known I would when the time came? What is it you think I’m supposed to want?”

“Me.”

He gripped the nape of her neck, his fingers tangling in her hair as he pulled her toward him, his other hand cupping her jaw, tipping her face up to meet him as his lips closed over hers, firm and fierce and demanding and—oh my God, so exquisitely perfect.

She’d been kissed before. Of course she’d been kissed before. In twenty-three years as the pride’s resident flirt, she’d kissed dozens of guys in a sort of playful almost-platonic way that was all the other shifters would dare. She’d even gone a bit further with a few humans who didn’t know Roman to be afraid of him—until her instincts had reared up and put a stop to it.

She knew perfectly well what lips were for, thank you very much. But all those kisses. All those affectionate busses and eager lip locks. They had never been this.

**

Who's ready for some shifters?!  

Pre-order from Amazon :: B&N :: Samhain

Early Jaguar Buzz

Only eight days until Jaguar's Kiss releases and of course the impatience is killing me, so when I saw notices of early reviews popping up in my inbox I simply had to share the early buzz with you, my darlings. 

Two different Fresh Fiction reviewers took a peek at Jaguar's Kiss.  Shellie Surles called it "an outstanding start to this series" (Full Review) and Annetta Sweetko says "JAGUAR'S KISS gives readers an intriguing and steamy look into the world of a pride" (Full Review).

RT Bookreviews said of it, "The forbidden romance between a heroine who is essentially a princess and a 'nobody' is one readers will root for." (Full Review)

And Hollie at Coffee Time awarded it 5 Cups, describing it as "an amazing new series, with lots of exciting possibilities leaving you bouncing in your seat" (Full Review).

I can't wait until you guys can decide for yourselves next week!  Why can't the days go faster?  If I had a TARDIS (time machine, for you non-Dr. Who addicts) I would probably just use it to jump forward and read the next book in all my favorite series.  Not sure if that would be abuse of time machine or the Best Possible Use Ever of time travel.  (I think the latter.)