Tuesday, March 25, 2014

VAMPIRES NEED NOT...APPLY? by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff - Launch Day Blitz


 
VAMPIRES NEED NOT...APPLY? by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff (March 25, 2014; Forever Mass Market; $8.00)
Impending apocalypse.  Check.
Leaders of the gods' army captured.  Check.  Check.
 
Three slightly ticked off women now charged with saving the world while the gods fall apart, the good vampires go on holiday, the bad guys are popping up everywhere.  Check.  Check.  Check.
Help is on the way.  Check? 
Meet Dr. Antonio Acero, a world-renowned physicist whose life is about to take a turn for the worst.  And the bizarre.  While on vacation in southern Mexico, Antonio discovers an ancient Mayan tablet.  Local legends say it contains magical properties, properties that could put his stalling research on the map. But is this really his lucky break?  When Antonio attempts to put the tablet to use, he'll discover that Fate has other plans.  And her name is Ixtab.
 
About the author:  
Before taking up a permanent residence in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mimi spent time living near NYC (became a shopaholic), in Mexico City (developed a taste for very spicy food), and Arizona (now hates jumping chollas, but pines for sherbet sunsets). Her love of pre-Hispanic culture, big cities, and romance inspires her to write when she's not busy with kids, hubby, work, and life...or getting sucked into a juicy novel.
She hopes that someday leather pants for men will make a big comeback and that her writing might make you laugh when you need it most.
 
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New Year’s Day. New York City
               “Save me. Please save me.”
               “Dammit. Where are you?” Thirty-four-year-old Antonio Acero frantically searched the dark, empty, cavernous room, helplessly listening to the woman’s cries.
               “Time is running out. You must work faster,” she wailed.
               “I am doing everything I can,” he called out, his voice bouncing off the bare, smooth walls. “But I can’t get to you. If you just tell me…” Two catlike eyes punched through the darkness, sucking the words from his mind. He wanted to see more of her, to touch her. He felt like he might become the one who needed saving if he did not.
               “Save me. Please save me,” the woman repeated. “Time is running out. I have the answers you need, but you must work faster. Destiny—”
               Antonio catapulted from his deep slumber, dripping in cold sweat. “Puta madre, ” he whispered and flipped on his stainless steel reading lamp. It had been the same damned nightmare every night for the last month. Ever since he’d found that fucking tablet in Mexico. Or had it found him?
               Doesn’t matter. It’s what you were looking for, the answer to your prayers.
               “Everything all right, baby?” A silky arm slipped out from beneath the steel-gray satin sheets and rubbed his bare thigh.
               “Uh… yeah. Sure.” He looked down at the mop of brown hair. Her face was as obscure as her name.
               Mierda. What was he doing? It didn’t matter how many women he brought home, he couldn’t wash her—the woman in his dreams—from his mind.
               He slid from bed and plucked his discarded tee and boxer briefs from the floor. On his way to the kitchen, he slipped them on and tried not to punch something.
               Dammit. The dreams were only getting worse, more vivid, more frantic with every passing night.
               He yanked open the fridge, pushed past the Odwallas and beer, and grabbed the soy milk. He knew this madness didn’t make sense, but what the hell did that matter? The dreams kept coming. Scotch—the good stuff—sex, hypnosis didn’t matter. Every night she came. Every night he woke. Every day he worked and didn’t stop until his mind reached exhaustion. And even then, he couldn’t stop thinking about the tablet.
               Or her…
               Shit. What was happening to him?


 
 

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Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Genome Sequencing of Richard III

 
 
 
    It was recently announced that a team led by University of Leicester geneticist Dr. Turi King will attempt to sequence the full genome of Richard III*.  This analysis will allow insight into Richard III’s genetic make-up, including susceptibility to certain diseases, hair and eye color, and Turi King is particularly interested in looking for DNA evidence of a predisposition to scoliosis.
 
   But like many other aspects of Richard III’s life, this too is a thorny subject. While Michael Ibsen, who’s mitochondrial DNA proved the skeleton in the car park was indeed Richard III, has no objections to the testing and has agreed to participate in the project, others are against conducting further testing on the remains of an anointed king.
 
   John Ashdown-Hill, an independent historian that was part of the "Looking for Richard" team, argues that by taking further bone samples the University of Leicester has gone against the agreement they made with Buckingham Palace before the dig began. While he agrees that mitochondrial DNA was necessary to obtain solid proof that the skeleton did indeed belong to Richard III, further testing is futile and will offer no valuable information.
 
   Reports that the Church of England, with support from the Queen and government ministers, has declined requests (one made by the Richard III Society in 1993 and another by Channel 4 in 1995) to perform forensic tests to establish whether the bones buried in Sir Christopher Wren's urn in Westminster Abbey are those of Richard III’s nephews is being used as proof that further testing on the remains of Richard III goes against the agreement made with Buckingham Palace.
 
   Another fact that Ashdown-Hill is leaning on to support his claim is that this testing goes against precedents is the 1964 discovery of the remains of Anne de Mowbray, the child bride of Richard of York (one of the two “Princes in the Tower”). The remains of the 8-year-old Duchess of York was discovered accidently on a construction site and was reburied in Westminster Abbey in 1965 without being scientifically investigated.
 
   However the University of Leicester, who was granted the exhumation license for the body, has already collected what they referred to as ‘small samples’ needed to conduct the additional genome testing. And that the testing is soon to be underway.
 
   Those who support Turi King and the University of Leicester in their quest to sequence the full genome of Richard III could argue that the reason the Church of England denied permission to test the remains in Wren’s urn had less to do with the fact they were Royals and more to do with the fact that there is a possibility they may not be the remains of Richard III’s nephews and the question of what to do with the remains then would be raised.
 
   Likewise the handling of Anne de Mowbray’s remains could be discarded as the scientific testing we have now was not available in 1964.
 
   The use of genome sequencing is a huge breakthrough for historians and archeologist. Considering that there are no surviving contemporary portraits of Richard III (the oldest paintings were painted around 40 or 50 years after his death) the ability to ascertain information regarding the appearance and physical traits of Richard III could help to either confirm or deny the king’s posthumous reputation.
 
   It’s a historian’s job to preserve history and with the legal battle over where to bury Richard III raging on, why shouldn’t thy use every tool at their disposal to learn more about the last English king killed in battle.
 
   Whether you are for or against the additional testing, one thing is certain; the discovery of Richard III’s remains has historians and archeologist more determined than ever to discover the lost gravesites of British monarchs. And to avoid future confusion I think it’s time that a new set of laws and regulations is set by the Monarchy regarding how to deal with the discovery of royal remains.
 
 
*The £100,000 ($165,000) sequencing project is being funded by the Wellcome Trust, the Leverhulme Trust and Alec Jeffreys, the genetics professor at the University of Leicester who developed genetic fingerprinting. It will be conducted at  the University of Leicester and in collaboration with Professor Michael Hofreiter of the University of Potsdam.

 
 
 
 
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Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Legacy of Darkness by Jane Godman


Title: Legacy of Darkness
Author: Jane Godman
ISBN: 9781460330692
Publisher: Harlequin E
Release Date: Single Title April 1, 2014
Shivers box set: January 6, 2014
Format: E-book $3.99
How I read it: Purchased Shivers Box set via Amazon
Rating: 4 Cups
 
1837 Cornwall, England

Orphaned, penniless and reduced to the role of lady's companion, Lucy Alleyne is relieved when a distant relation spirits her away to Castle Athal. But gratitude soon gives way to fear—and unlooked-for pleasure.
 
The ancient Cornish castle is a dark monument to family, fortune and blood. Within its walls, the Jago family keeps its wards close…and its secrets closer. Lucy is drawn to Tynan, Earl of Athal. The young heir is handsome and caring, yet tortured in his mind like his father before him. Tynan is utterly different from his uncle Uther—a commanding, seductive presence whose leonine power radiates from his every word and gesture.
These two Jago men have innocent Lucy enthralled—mind, soul and body. But if she remains within the poisonous castle keep, with its history of ill-starred passion and madness, a mere broken heart will seem a mercy. (from publishers website)
 
 
After the traumatic death of her father, Lucia Alleyne was forced to become a companion to an elderly woman. When Demelza Jago, a distant relation on Lucia’s mother’s side, arrives and sweeps her off to the gothic gloomy castle called Tenebris, in Cornwall, Demelza’s brother Uther soon catches her eye.
 
Pulled into a sensual, and if I’m being honest kind of creepy relationship, with Uther, Lucy soon finds herself under the spell of this mysterious man. Although she soon discovers that there is more going on at Tenebris than meets the eye.
 
When she discovers that Tynan, the present Earl of Athal, isn’t as insane as Demelza and Uther would have others to believe, she begins to question just what Demelza’s intentions were in bringing her to Tenebris.
 
Legacy of Darkness is more along the lines of Gothic horror with a hint of romance. Although lacking in the spine-tingling thrill, Godman delivers a thriller of family dysfunction that will have you riveted to your seat as you fly through page after page filled with the horrific goings-on of the Jago family.
 
Highly atmospheric, Godman brings to life the gloom, deceit, and danger of Tenebris and the Jago family. If ever there was family with skeletons in their closets it’s the Jago’s, who I might add can rival the Addams family in their creepiness and kookiness.
 
Overall, I truly enjoyed this gothic romance and loved the way that Godman showed Lucy growing throughout the book. While some of it was a little predictable, the twists and turns in the plot made reading Legacy of Darkness rather intriguing. And with the way it ended, I would love to see a sequel.
  
 

Monday, March 3, 2014

Hot and Bothered by Kate Meader


Title: Hot and Bothered
Author: Kate Meader
Series: Hot in the Kitchen, Book 3
Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
Release Date:  Mar 4 2014
ISBN: 9781455599653
Price: $2.99 US/$2.99 CAN
Formats Available: E-Book
How I read it: E-arc via NetGalley
Rating: 5 Cups
 
 Although her baby boy keeps her plate full, Jules Kilroy is ready to take her love life off the back burner. Despite a bevy of eligible bachelors, it's her best friend, Taddeo DeLuca, who is fueling her hormones with a generous serving of his mouth-watering Italian sexiness. But Jules learned her lesson once before when she went in for a kiss, only to have Tad reject her. She's vowed never to blur the lines again . . .

After a lifetime of excuses and false starts, Tad has finally opened a wine bar, a deal made even sweeter when Jules joins his staff. Lovers come and go, and he's had his share, but friendships like theirs last forever. Still, ever since he tasted her luscious lips, he can't stop fantasizing about what could be. Then she joins an online dating site-and the thought of his Jules with another man makes Tad's blood boil. Even if he gets burned, Tad can't stop himself from turning up the heat this time. (from publisher)



When Jules Kilroy decided to jump back into the dating pool, she never imagined that her mind and heart would be filled with her sexy Italian friend, Taddeo DeLuca. Although she knows that’s not going to happen. The only time they kissed, he rejected her so she refuses to cross that line ever again. 
 
Taddeo DeLuca has had a lifetime of failed plans and excuses, now he is finally opening his own bar, one step on his path to get his life back on track. He’s no stranger to a one-night stand, but that one kiss from Jules put his player days out of commission. When he discovers Jules has joined the online dating community, he’s determined to show her that she’ll never find another like him. While he wants to rock her world, he knows they’ll never be more than friends.  
 

THE BEST ROMANCE BOOK I HAVE EVER READ!
 
 
I could not get enough of Hot and Bothered. Everything about this book screamed sexy goodness!  
 
Jules was an easy character to like. She’s been through the ringer but doesn’t feel sorry for herself and doesn’t want others to either. Although due to her dyslexia, she tends to put herself down way more than she should. She’s determined to raise her baby boy and be the best mother she can be, but she wants to start dating again, if she can get Tad out of her head. Although that’s harder to do than she thought it would be and you really feel as though you’re in the middle of her friends-to-lovers battle that she is waging in her mind.  
 
Tad is a modern day Byronic hero.  He blames himself for the tragic events of his past and refuses to allow himself to be happy. He also sees himself as unable to love and be loved, although Jules and her young son, Evan, has been the balm to his wounded soul, he still refuses to allow himself to be loved by her.
 
You find yourself rooting (and occasionally, yelling) for the two of these characters to finally get their acts together and admit that they love each other. 
 
The plot was fast paced, making the book feel as though it went by in the blink of an eye. The romance, while it was indeed steamy, was very sensual and was built up with the pace of the book.
 
While this was the third in the series, Hot and Bothered was the first book that I read and I had no trouble following along, although I am most definitely going to read the first two books in the series.
 
 
Overall, Hot and Bothered will leave you hot and bothered with its sensual and steamy romance, loveable characters, and fast paced plot that will have you most definitely going back for more.


 
 

 
Warning: Excerpt contains explicit content.  

“I’ll walk you up,” he said, slipping his jacket on so it was clear to both of them he would be on his way as soon as his chivalrous duty had been performed. Because people put on jackets to, you know, go outside.

“You don’t—”

“I do.” He tucked his hand under her elbow, the touch electrifying his every cell once more. He didn’t let go of her arm as he guided her up to the second flight.

He took the key and opened her door. No problems with the door knob.

“I’ve got it from here,” she said, still avoiding his eyes. Good girl, look away. If she had any sense of self-preservation, she would close the door and send him packing because he was this close to pushing her against the wall and banging her boneless.

“How did your date go tonight?”

Fuck. The self-preservation thing goes both ways, bischero.

There was that flare of anger again. He wished she’d come right out and say what she was mad about.

“I didn’t know Cara was going to bring Darian.”

“So, a pleasant surprise. A doctor.” Merda, that came out sarcastic, which, to be honest, he meant it to be. Judging by the freeze-his-nuts stare she aimed his way, she took it in that same spirit.

            “Think I don’t have it in me to date someone smart like that?”

“Don’t use that card, Jules. You have it in you to get anyone you want. I just don’t think that guy’s right for you.”

“Why?”

Because he’s not me.

None of those idiots understood the first thing about her. Tad did, though. He knew that sometimes she felt dumb because the words on the page refused to cooperate for her. He knew that she had spent her childhood wishing that someone, anyone would see her. He knew she had fought like a tigress to get here so she could provide the best life possible for Evan.

Tad had been there from the beginning, shoulder at the ready for her tears, hand outstretched so she could crush it while delivering Evan. Fancy diplomas, fat bank balances, a McMansion in Schaumburg—none of these things qualified them for shit where this woman was concerned.

“He’s just looking for a housewife to support him and pump out his kids while he does his important job.”

“Wow, you got all this from watching me flirt with him?”

He could feel his teeth mashed together like a trash compactor and he spat out the next words with trouble. “Conor’s no good for you either, so you can forget about that.”

“What’s his problem, then? He owns his own bar, saves people from burning buildings… Oh, is that it?” She kicked off her shoes, an angry smirk crinkling the corner of her mouth as one of the heels hit the leg of her coffee table with a satisfying thud. “You don’t think guys who save lives are good enough for me. You’re not exactly saving any lives when you pair that silky Pinot with the aged manchego.”

As insults go, it was pretty tame, but the sharpness in his chest registered the unintended blow. Saving lives was the last thing he was qualified for.

“I’m just trying to look out for you, Jules.”

“That’s a neat trick. You move your lips and Jack’s words come out. I’ve already told you I don’t need another brother.”

She might not need a brother but she needed a protector. Someone who could be with her through the tough times, who understood the meaning of sacrifice and family. Someone not like him.

But he could be her friend. “What happened to get you so upset tonight?”

Her brows drew together over eyes sparking with determination. “I realized I have to take what I need and fight for what’s mine.”

Whoa, if he wasn’t turned on before, he sure as hell was now. Mine. He loved how that sounded on her lips, even though he had no idea what she was yammering on about. She was grabbing something by the balls—her destiny, perhaps, and he was man enough to say, she had him by the balls as well.

The smoky lines around eyes dark with emotion hit him like a shot of moonshine. Every hair, and more, stood to attention at the sight of her Cabernet-red lips in that beautiful bow shape that would look so perfect trailing scorching kisses across his chest and beyond. Warmth washed through his veins. The edge of desire rose up to meet him and he embraced it fully.

He was only human.

She padded toward him, showcasing the sultry sway of her hips even without the sparkly fuck-me heels. Her eyes turned to shadowy emeralds like the pupils had swallowed the usual sea-green brightness. He recognized that look. He had seen it the other night in the wake of his kiss. Except for one difference: Juliet Kilroy, his friend, hot MILF, was now seducing him.

She brushed by him and closed her fist over the doorknob. Looked like her difficulties with the open/close thing were a thing of the past. Drawing the door ajar a few inches, she speared him with a look that might have flattened a lesser man.

“I’m giving you a choice. You can walk out this door and pretend there isn’t something happening between us or you can stay and give me what I need.”

His cock thickened and grew achy. “What do you need, Jules?”

“You. Inside me. All night.”

Oh, sweet Jesus.

He held her green tilty gaze, aiming to infuse his next words with cut-the-bull clarity. “I’m not like the others, those men you’ve been dating, the ones who slobbered all over you tonight. I’m not boyfriend material.”

“That’s not what you offered, though, was it?”

Leaning past her shoulder, he pressed the door shut, the snick short and final.

Inevitable.

“That’s not what I offered.”

 
 
 
About Kate Meader
Kate Meader writes contemporary romance that serves up delicious food, sexy heroes, and heroines with a dash of sass. Originally from Ireland, she now makes her home in Chicago, a city made for food, romance, and laughter - and where she met her own sexy hero. When not writing about men who cook and the women who drool over them, she works in an academic library. Visit her website at http://katemeader.com and follow her on Twitter @kittymeader.


 
 
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