One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf Scavenger Hunt, Review & Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the One Breath Away Scavenger Hunt.  Check out my excerpt, then you can visit this link to see other  tour stops and keep up with the excerpts.

“He has a gun. He has P.J. and he has a gun.”

“Who has P.J.?” Terror clutches at my chest. “Tell me, Augie, where are you? Who has a gun?”

“I’m in a closet. He put me in a closet.”

My mind is spinning. Who could be doing this?

If that has you intrigued then let me tell you, you need to get this book.  I have loved Heather's first two books and from the start One Breath Away is no different.  Scroll down more to find my review.  But first check out the Live Chat coming up later in the month at BookTrib.com

ONE BREATH AWAY 

By Heather Gudenkauf

MIRA; July 2012

384 pages; $15.95 U.S./$18.95 CAN.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-1365-6

My Review:

Heather Gudenkauf has now hit three out-of-the-park home runs for me with her books.  After the first two and how blown away by them I was I was almost afraid to open and read One Breath Away.  I mean can she really do it three times in a row, and using a gunman in a school too?  Well let me tell you, if you have any doubts, put them away because Ms. Gudenkauf has managed to do it again.  She manages to take this story and turn it into something completely fresh and unexpected.  So much tension, so many interesting storylines and how they intersect is  just amazing.  She managed to completely take my breath away with this book in a great way.

Ms. Gudenkauf returns to the varying points of view again in One Breath Away and I love that. It's especially important in this book since there is the parent in Arizona, the grandfather whose two grandchildren are trapped in the school in Iowa, the police officer on the outside, and the teacher who is right there in the middle of things.  All the characters are different and Ms. Gudenkauf crafts them to be so real. The struggles of single parenting.  The struggles of teaching and growing older.  Just everyday struggles.  They are all there and add such dimension to each character.  I felt like I got to know each one of them and could really hear their voices in my head.

The plot will just blow you away.  The gunman is not brutal, doesn't go in guns shooting and blazing, but he doesn't have to. That is really not the focus.   I won't giveaway too much. The suspense in this book is tyring to figure out who the gunman is and why he is doing this.  In the beginning Ms. Gudenkauf keeps adding to the list of suspects, but then as the book wears on the suspect list starts to wittle down.  Story lines intersect, things get intense and One Breath Away becomes very difficult to put down.  I think Ms. Gudenkauf will leave you guessing right up until she gives it away, I know I was and I kept trying to figure it out.  I loved it though, the guessing and the story were intense and while there is some violence it was nice to have an intense story without too much violence.  

Extremely well crafted with characters that I cared about as I got to know them through the book, One Breath Away will leave you breathless up until the end.  Ms. Gudenkauf knows how to create suspense and characters that involve you in the book.  She's been on my to-buy list since The Weight of Silence and I believe One Breath Away has moved her to one of my top authors.  Heather Gudenkauf has a gift and I am glad she is sharing it with the world.

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

About One Breath Away

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf follows the phenomenal success of her first two books with her most emotionally charged novel yet. ONE BREATH AWAY (Harlequin MIRA; July 2012; $15.95 U.S./$18.95 CAN.) is a gripping story of a small town caught in the midst of a deadly crisis, as experienced from the points of view of five different people.

On a bitter March day, as a sudden snowstorm envelops the small town of Broken Branch, Iowa, an unknown man with a gun enters the town’s only school and takes a classroom of children hostage. As awareness of the situation spreads, the panicked community is ready to do anything to protect their children, but can only watch and wait.

As a teacher with a long career behind her, Evelyn Oliver is ready to enjoy retirement with her loving husband. But now, faced with a crazy man armed with a gun, terrorizing her classroom, she’d rather die than fail to protect any of her students. But why is he doing this? Evelyn’s been scouring her mind but doesn’t recognize the intruder. Maybe one of the students is the key?

Holly Thwaite left Broken Branch and her family behind without a word eighteen years ago, vowing never to return. But after a debilitating accident leaves her recovering in a hospital in Arizona, she’s forced to send her children to her hometown to be looked after by their grandfather, the man she never wanted them to meet. Will Thwaite never understood why his estranged daughter, Holly, ran away all those years ago. But now that her children are in his care, he refuses to fail his daughter again. One way or another, Will is going to get his grandkids, P.J. and Augie, out of that school safely even if he has to go in and get them himself.  What Will doesn’t know is that thirteen-year-old Augie is just as determined to rescue her little brother from the killer and help her classmates, even if it means putting herself in the crosshairs of the gunman.

Police officer Meg Barrett wants to know who the intruder is and why he’s doing this. Whoever it is, there’s no excuse for this. Meg should know. She’s had plenty of hardships herself. But with innocent lives at stake, Meg is prepared to risk her own life to save these hostages, although it means disobeying orders and taking on the gunman face-to-face.

As the standoff progresses and the snowstorm rages outside, anxiety and frustration start to build to dangerous levels. But everyone knows how precarious the situation is. One wrong move, even a breath, could have the most devastating of consequences. 

Heather Gudenkauf is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novels The Weight of Silence and These Things Hidden.  She lives in Iowa with her family.  Visit her website, HeatherGudenkauf.com.

Giveaway
Thanks to Kate at BookTrib, I have one paperback copy of One Breath Away for giveaway in the US/Canada.  This will be mailed by the publicist.  Ends 7/13.  Fill out the Rafflecopter below.


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***I received this book from the publicist (BookTrib) for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Review Copy Cleanup

Oh boy do I ever need this!  Celine from Nyx Book Reviews and Vicky from Books, Biscuits and Tea are organizing another Review Copy Cleanup.  It's simple, read your review books (in any form) during the month of August.  They will be hosting two Twitter parties and two Read-a-Thons (woohoo - I love both!).  For all the details and to sign up go to Book, Biscuits and Tea or Nyx Book Reviews, you only have to sign up at one, the linky is the same.  I'm ready to plow through my review copy stack so come and join me!

Two Great JoAnn Ross Discounted Romances!

Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, has two great JoAnn Ross romance novels on sale for $3.99 until 7/10, so check them out below. There are also links to excerpts buy links to the device of your choice. So enjoy these wonderful books at great bargain prices!

Far Harbor by JoAnn Ross

Publisher: Pocket Star (Simon & Schuster)

$3.99 in ebook format through 7/10 (see buy links below)

A novel of uncommon grace and power, Far Harbor is at once a poignant love story and an emotion-packed account of one woman's journey home.

After her seemingly idyllic marriage turns out to be a mere pretty illusion, Savannah Townsend returns to her hometown of Coldwater Cove, Washington. Determined to live life on her own terms, she  takes on the task of restoring the local Far Harbor lighthouse and making it the cozy inn she had always dreamed of. But she hasn't  anticipated opposition from the lighthouse's owner, her grandmother's  disturbing memory losses, or the problems of an emotionally wounded  teenage girl. Most of all, she hasn't planned on having feelings for Daniel O'Halloran, a caring and passionate man from her past.

As affection moves to attraction and then to something far deeper,  Savannah learns that nothing in life worth having comes easily. She  also discovers some dreams really are forever. 

Find an excerpt here.

Homeplace by JoAnn Ross

Publisher: Pocket Star (Simon & Schuster)

$3.99 in ebook format through 7/10 (see buy links below)

  

In this breakthrough novel, New York Times bestselling author JoAnn Ross pens a deeply affecting tale of a woman struggling with her unconventional family. . . and a deep longing for a love of her own.

Although high-powered attorney Raine Cantrell dreamed that success might make the father who abandoned her take notice, she is still very much alone. Then she gets an urgent call from three kids in trouble in her Washington State hometown, and suddenly Raine is returning to face unresolved feelings, unhealed wounds - and unexpected desire.

Sheriff Jack O'Halloran, a man with a tragic past and a daughter to raise alone, has three teens barricaded inside a house and the media clamoring for a story. He isn't ready for Raine to invade his territory - and Raine isn't ready for anyone to touch her heart.   Unable to deny the attraction, they decide to have a simple affair.   But they are about to discover that love is rarely simple - and that lives can change forever in a heartbeat.   

Find an excerpt here.

Cover Reveal: Witch Born by Amber Argyle

Today I am delighted to share the cover reveal of Witch Born by Amber Argyle, Book II of the Witch Song Series.  Can you say beautiful?  Take a look, read about it and enjoy, it's due out in September and I can't wait!

Brusenna thought it was finished.

She defeated the Dark Witch, saving the Haven Witches from imprisonment and death. She found love and a place to belong.

She was wrong.

Haven is not the sanctuary it appears to be. Even love is in danger of slipping away like water through cupped hands.

Some things can't be saved.

A new threat merges with the old as the Witches’ dark history begins to catch up with them. Only Brusenna knows the extent of the danger and how to stop it, though doing so might cost her everything.
 

Including her life.       
                              

Will Brusenna be required to make the ultimate sacrifice?

Add Witch Born to your Goodreads TBR pile.

You can also vote for Witch Born on these Goodreads lists.

 

Guest Blog: If you lived during the Regency era, who would you be by Elyse Mady (+ Giveaway)

If you lived during the Regency era, who would you be?

If I lived during the Regency era, I’d like to think I’d own a dress shop.  Or a millinery shop.  Something where I got to play with gorgeous fabrics and trims all day long.

 

When I’m not writing, I sew.  A lot.  I like to embroider and I love historical clothing.  Just go look at my Pinterest boards if you don’t believe me J) Now I know the conditions were abysmal for apprentices in dressmaking and millinery shops, so I don’t want anyone to think I’m glossing that over.  This is more a ‘you can have any job in the world and it’s guaranteed to be fabulous’ speculation here.   And since everyone who knows me knows that if I was required to rely on my filing skills to get a job, I’d quickly starve and end up in the streets, I think I’ll stick with something I actually know something about.

Historically, there weren’t a lot of jobs open to women who wanted (or needed) to support themselves without a man.  Service was one option but the pay was crummy and the hours really long.   For the more genteel, you had the option of being a governess or a companion.  Having a shop was another option and there were lots and lots of women involved in trade, for sure, but they were often brought up in the trade or ran it with a spouse before they ran it alone.  Dressmaking was one of the few branches where women really dominated and could make a handsome profit.

Hester Aspinall, the heroine in my novel THE WHITE SWAN AFFAIR, helps her brother in his tailor’s shop.  When he is arrested, she tries to continue the business but is driven out by an angry mob.  Robert Aspinall is of course based on a real person, who was a tailor by trade prior to his being caught up in the raid on the White Swan, and given my interest in historical sewing, I think that was one of the reasons I was drawn to him in the first place, as I was plotting my story.  The greengrocer from Essex or the out-of-work servants weren’t quite as appealing.

Here are some random fun facts about sewing and dressmaking in the 18^th and early 19^th century.

·         There were no paper patterns as we know them today.  Those didn’t make an appearance until the 1850s and 1860s.  Clothes were generally draped directly on the body (hence all those trips to the dressmakers that we Regency writers love so!).

·         A skilled seamstress could make a basic daygown in one day, working for approximately 8-10 hours. That would include the cutting, basting, fitting and construction.   An elaborate dress, especially if it featured custom embroidery, could take upwards of six weeks to three months.

·         All needlework was not the same.  There were specialists for all branches of clothing production:  stay makers, coat makers, leather workers, tailors (who made riding habits for men and women), dressmakers, embroiderers, goldwork embroiderers, white work embroiderers, glovemakers, menders and more.

·         Most clothes were not made at home, despite what you were taught in grade school.  Draping a gown takes a high degree of skill which is why professionals did it. What most women sewed for their families was known as ‘plain sewing’: household linens (sheets, pillowcases, blankets), and underclothes like men’s shirts, petticoats, baby clothes.  And if you couldn’t sew (or didn’t have the money for custom garments), there was a booming business in second hand clothing.

·         There were no tape measures.  Really.  There were rulers and yard sticks but no cloth tapes.  So how did a dressmaker know how big to make that gown?  Well, they used lengths of paper tape, and simply marked the tape with a pencil as they needed it.  Width of Shoulder. Length to Waist.  Diameter of Upper Arm.  It didn’t matter what the number was, just its relationship to the clientele’s overall figure. Cool, huh?

Author Giveaway:

I’d like to say ‘thanks’ for having me visit today.  If you could have held one job in the past, what would it have been and why?  I’ll give one lucky commenter a signed ecopy of my latest novel, THE WHITE SWAN AFFAIR in their choice of format!

Elyse Mady is the author of historical romances “The White Swan Affair” and “The Debutante’s Dilemma”, with Carina Press and two contemporary romances.  Upcoming books include the Regency novella “The Debutante’s Desire”.  She blogs at www.elysemady.com.  You can also find her on Twitter at @elysemady, Facebook and Goodreads.

In addition to her writing commitments, Elyse also teaches film and literature at a local college. With her excellent writerly imagination, she one day dreams of topping the NY Times Bestseller’s List and reclaiming her pre-kid body without the bother of either sit-ups or the denunciation of ice-cream.

About The White Swan Affair - Goodreads, Amazon, B&N
London, 1810

After the tragic death of her beloved, Hester Aspinall vowed never to be ruled by her passions again. Still, she is drawn to her landlord, handsome adventurer Thomas Ramsay–but she doesn’t fool herself that a man of his station would look twice at a poor tailor’s sister.

With the sea for a mistress, Thomas has no intention of entering into matrimony. And yet, he can’t get the plain-spoken and desirable Hester out of his mind, even though she’s never tried to secure his attentions as other women do.

Everything changes the night Hester’s brother is arrested during a raid on a gay brothel, the infamous White Swan. With no one else to turn to, and terrified Robert will hang for his crime, Hester accepts Thomas’s offer to bear the cost of the defense. A true gentleman, Thomas expects nothing in return–but Hester is no longer able to deny her own desires…

She may offer her body eagerly, but can she protect her heart?


Tour Giveaway (separate from the author comment giveaway)

Win a digital copy of any of Elyse Mady's books, just simply use the Rafflecopter form below.



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Into the Past with Denise Jaden (Never Enough) + Giveaway Entry

Today I welcome Denise Jaden, author of Never Enough who is here to talk about her favorite books and other things at ages 5, 11, 15 and 19.  I love these types of posts and I hope you do too, so enjoy!

Books and Other Favorite Things From the Past

I wasn’t much of a reader as a young person, so I’m expanding this blog post to include a variety of my favorite things from the past. I think it gives a much fuller view of who I was growing up.

Age 5 – At age five, I don’t think I was reading at all yet. I tried a bit of ballet this year, but didn’t do particularly well at it. I was a scrawny little thing, regularly picked on by my older brother. I liked Barbie’s and riding bikes with the neighborhood kids. I have one book that I read to my son when he was younger and my mom says it was one of my favorites, though I don’t remember it. It’s called The Dog Book by Jan Pfloog.

Age 11 – By age eleven, I was really into dancing with my Polynesian dance troupe. I was involved with competing and our group acted as a real team. I loved working together, aiming for excellence, and it kept me focused as a pre-teen. As far as books go, I wasn’t much of a reader, but I did delve into a bit of Nancy Drew and Judy Blume during this time. I especially loved Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

Age 15 – By age fifteen, I was smitten by soap operas. I rushed home from school each day to rewind my VCR and promptly watch my episode of General Hospital. I was one hundred percent in love with Jack Wagner (Frisco).  I would even leave the beach at two o’clock while on vacation because I wouldn’t miss an episode.

As for reading, this was my rebellious phase. Because teachers and parents were telling me how important reading was, I did everything I could to avoid it. I remember watching The Outsiders movie so I could avoid reading the book (which I’ve read and loved since).

Age 19 – This is around the age I started college. I was forced to read a certain amount of literature for school, but surprisingly still remember a few things I read back then. I wouldn’t call them favorites by any means, but the memorable ones included works by author Robertson Davies (I’ve always loved his name) and Geoffrey Chaucer. I was in the theatre program at university, so most of my reading at this age was either plays to perform (I was in Of Mice and Men, playing Curly’s Wife) and non-fiction writing about the stage.

I was in my late twenties before I discovered a love for reading, and people are always surprised when they hear that. I hope my lack of early love for books will serve as inspiration for other late starters, because now I truly can’t stop!

Thank you Denise for the great guest post.  It's interesting to find people that came to reading later in life. I feel you at age 15, I hated everything they made me read, I think I lived on Cliff Notes.  That was my period where I was turned off to reading, but I picked it back up in college when I had more freedom and I haven't stopped since.  And I agree, I hope this encourages people that are starting to read later to keep it up.  Reading is wonderful no matter what your age!

Giveaway:
See this post on Denise Jaden's blog for the wonderful prizes she is giving away during the blog tour.  If you comment on posts during the blog tour, you get an entry into the giveaway, so make sure to leave a comment for Denise here on this post for your entry on this stop!  There are some great prizes up for grabs!

Check out the Trailer for Never Enough:

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Dark Heroes and the Moral Code by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez (Sacrifice of Passion Tour)

Dark Heroes and the Moral Code

I’m a mystery writer.  My Lola Cruz Mysteries with St. Martin’s Minotaur and Entangled are soft-boiled.  My Magical Dressmaking Mysteries with NAL are cozies. 

And Sacrifice of Passion, the first in my Deadly Legends trilogy with Dead Sexy, a new category imprint from Entangled Publishing, is much darker than my other books. 

Shifting from writing smart, sexy, sassy mysteries to small town cozies to darker romantic suspense books sometimes makes me feel as though I have multiple personality disorder!  There's never a dull writing day, that's for sure. 

When I began to think about a darker story, I automatically focused on the dark hero.  The damaged heroine.  And I got into Dexter. 

I should note here that I'm a teacher, as well (Southern Methodist University with the creative writing CAPE program and Savvy Authors).  One thing I love about teaching is that it forces me to continue my own learning in new and unexpected ways.  Discovering a new (to me) television show and realizing it can teach me something about characterization, is thrilling.  I went through this with Supernatural (love love love those Winchester boys).  I went through it with Lost (rife with conflict, those plane crash victims were).  I’m going through it with Breaking Bad (Walter White is one heck of a conflicted cancer victim).  And I’m going through it with Dexter.

If you haven’t seen Dexter, here’s the lowdown:

Dexter Morgan is a forensic scientist. He studies blood spatter. This television series is based on a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay, although, in the vein (no pun intended!) of True Blood, the series has taken on a life of its own.   My observations are based on the TV series, not the books.

The further into the shows I watched, the more I wondered: Is Dexter a Villain or a Dark Hero?

My take on Dexter is that he walks a thin line between being a dark hero and a villain.  This line is blurry and complicated; he is fascinating, which makes him an excellent case study.   One could probably write a dissertation on the subject, in fact.  The bottom line?  He's a layered character who does horrible things for all the right reasons.

The show has been great food for thought when it comes to crafting my own characters (for any of my different series), developing their layers and depths and figuring out how to build conflict into my stories (particularly in the romantic suspense books like Sacrifice of Passion which is, by nature, dark).

When I develop a character, good or bad, I craft his/her moral code.  Even the darkest hero and the villain have a moral code.  It may be twisted or skewed, but it exists and in his/her mind and actions are justified because of the code.  I’ve always written this way, but the point was driven home as I watched the end of season one in Dexter.  We began to see flashbacks to Dexter’s adoptive father and the code he helped Dexter establish.  Harry’s Code.  It’s the guiding force in Dexter’s life, informing all of his decisions.  It’s his moral compass. 

Dexter is an anomaly within humanity in that he doesn’t feel anything. He says he has a hole inside him where those feeling should go. If he could feel something, he’d care about his sister, also a cop.

Harry, Dexter’s father, steps in to help Dexter adapt to the world he lives in. He teaches him how to survive, kill effectively and efficiently, how to never get caught, and, on an emotional level, how to interact with the people around him so that he can fit in.

We all have our own moral code, we just don’t recognize it or live by it as intentionally as Dexter.  But when crafting a character, knowing his/her code can help you stay authentic to him/her.  As I am writing the third book in the Lola Cruz Mystery series, Bare Naked Lola, the mystery takes Lola to a nudist resort.  The big question (one I haven’t answered yet) is, “Will she or won’t she?” Go naked, I mean.  See, Lola lives by a code of striving for gender equality, seeking justice, being true to her sexy, sassy, smart, kick-ass self, preserving her family’s culture within her life, and respecting herself and her family.  She’s also a good Catholic girl.  A few of these elements conflict when I try to answer the question of whether or not Lola’ll take it all off in order to solve a case. (You’ll have to stay tuned to find out the answer!)

Harlow Cassidy, the sleuth in Pleating for Mercy, has her own moral code, as well.  It revolves around the idea of justice, preserving the safe, small town Texas town she grew up in, and keeping family close and safe.  She's not an ends justifies the means kind of woman, but she is a go-getter, willing to put herself on the line if it's the right thing to do.

Just like in Dexter, people can make a choice to go against their code.  There are consequences to those decisions, and in a book, that’s exactly what you want.  If Lola doesn’t go nude, she upholds parts of her code, but sacrifices other elements.  If she does, she may solve the mystery, but will she respect the decision knowing what she did and how she compromised?  Does the end justify the means? 

In Curse of Passion (which will come out in the spring next year sometime), someone is killing women and making it look like the drownings of la Llorona, a 500 year old mythic woman (think Madea).   The killer lives by his own code and sees what he does as justified.  Skewed, yes, but authentic.

In Sacrifice of Passion, the reasons for the killings going on in the cursed town of San Julio are very personal (and justified) to the killer. 

Now, Dexter’s backstory is important in framing who he is (as is the case for any dark hero...or any hero, for that matter). Dexter witnessed his mother being killed, which is the catalyst for his emotional emptiness. This also drives his bloodlust and desire to hurt those who are hurting others (as he does with a dog who constantly yaps and irritates his adoptive mother to the point that she can't sleep), thereby achieving a warped sense of justice. With Harry’s guidance, he develops the “Code”--to only kill those who “deserve”  it (those who are killers themselves). The God Complex here is obviously huge, and the whole premise is layered with moral dilemmas.

Things get more complicated for Dexter as he continues to ‘role play’ his emotional attachment to the few people he pretends to care about (his sister, a girlfriend, and her / his children). The other fundamental conflict, or course, is that he works in law enforcement, yet he breaks the law--in a big way--every time he kills.  His secrets are close to being discovered more than once.

But from the beginning, we witness a process of humanization in Dexter because we understand why he is bereft of emotions, where that hole in him stems from, and when he begins to question his own code, we see his deeper moral dilemma. This character truly straddles the line between villain (because how do we ever condone a killer and this God complex?) and dark hero (because we see the good in his intentions). When he begins to recognize ‘real’ feelings within himself, the ambiguity of his ‘hero’ status deepens right along with his moral conflicts.

This is a fascinating, albeit violent and graphic, show (I cover my eyes... A LOT!). Despite the gruesomeness and violence, I love it, as I also love Breaking Bad, because this character is so fundamentally conflicted. The conflicts manifest in very unexpected ways. Watching both of these shows makes me really question and think about moral coded and values, applying what I know to my own characters and their development. 

A great character, dark or not, will force us to look more closely at ourselves, to examine what we think and feel, and any character who can make us do that is well worth watching or reading about, and will, ultimately, help us as we build our own conflicted, real characters--no matter how light or dark the book.

◦ What do you think of Dexter (if you’ve seen the show and know the character)? Do you think he’s a villain or a dark hero?

About Sacrifice of Passion

Texas rancher, Vic Vargas, finds himself facing more than his stubbornly silent son when the chupacabra, a supposedly mythical blood‐sucking beast, starts killing his livestock—and stalking Delaney West, the town’s newly returned veterinary assistant, the sensual woman who ran from the altar and broke his heart twelve years earlier.

Reluctantly, he seeks her help to get to the bottom of the disturbing animal mutilations, only to have her break through to his sullen son...and rekindle the love he’d thought was lost forever. But her refusal to share a terrible secret sends her running straight into the lair of the chupacabra, plunging her back into her worst nightmare, and forcing them both to confront the wrongs of the past—in order to stay alive for the future they desperately want.



Get your copy of Sacrifice of Passion at 

Also available from Melissa Bourbon Ramirez: Bare Naked Lola

Going undercover is second nature for Private Investigator Lola Cruz, but she’s out of her league when the case of a murdered Royals Courtside Dancer leads her to a local nudist resort. Parading around the sidelines of Sacramento’s professional basketball scene in a barely-there cheerleading outfit is one thing—but parading around in nothing but smile? If she has any chance of hiding this from her traditional family and on-again/off-again boyfriend Jack, she’s going to have a lot more than her duct tape bra and killer dance moves to keep under wraps….

Get your copy of Bare Naked Lola at:  

Books-A-Million     The Book Depository     Powell's Books


About Melissa Bourbon Ramirez

Melissa Bourbon, who sometimes answers to her Latina-by-marriage name Misa Ramirez, gave up teaching middle and high school kids in Northern California to write full-time amidst horses and Longhorns in North Texas.  She fantasizes about spending summers writing in quaint, cozy locales, has a love/hate relationship with yoga and chocolate, is devoted to her family, and can’t believe she’s lucky enough to be living the life of her dreams.

She is the marketing director at Entangled Publishing, is the author of the Lola Cruz Mystery series with St. Martin’s Minotaur and Entangled Publishing, A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series with NAL, and is the co-author of The Tricked-out Toolbox and two romantic suspense titles.

Visit Melissa at her website | Twitter Page | Facebook Home | Goodreads | and Books on the House, a website bringing books and readers together!

Giveaway:
Thanks to the author and Entangled Publishing, I have one copy of Sacrifice of Passion in ebook form to giveaway to a lucky reader.  It sounds like a great book and I know I am dying to read it.  And I'm also intrigued even more by the Dexter series as well!  So simply enter by the Rafflecopter below.  Open Internationally, ends 7/9.




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