Author Interview and Giveaway: Carmen Falcone (A Vengeful Affair)

Today I welcome the fascinating Carmen Falcone, author of A Vengeful Affair, which as I am preparing this post I am in the middle of and thoroughly enjoying.  My review will come later today, but for now grab your favorite beverage and enjoy the interview and make sure to enter the giveaway as well  Welcome Carmen!

Carmen: Dear friends at the Reading Room, thank you so much for having me over! I hope you’ll enjoy reading my answers as much as I enjoyed answering your questions.

What three things do you need in order to write? 

A clutter-free desktop, a bottle of water and time. J

What's your favorite season? 

Fall. I think fall carries an understated sensuality.

Describe your ideal reading space (no expense spared here).  

You are spoiling me! I’d love to take Nancy (that’s my Kindle’s name) to the beach. Somewhere in the French Polynesian, where I could read stretching out over a silk-covered lanai. God. This answer will make reading my Kindle on the tiled floor while my daughter takes a bath really depressing! J

Hey we have to read where we can. I've read my Kindle (which doesn't have a name, but I will have to remedy that) while making supper and sitting beside my sick kid in the bathroom (okay tmi, I know, but we were waiting it out one evening) so I'm with you that sounds dreamy. 

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? 

I would love to go to India.

When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? 

I’ve always written. I suffered from a long writer’s block for a while, but I think it was just part of the process. I started to send submissions in 2008, but 2010 was when I realized I wanted to take the next step, so I enrolled in classes, honed my craft and began to learn more.

What's the first sentence of A Vengeful Affair? 

“Almost there. Vivian Foster took a deep breath and wrapped her fingers around the door handle, the steel a cold weight in her palm.” I love that because it sets the perfect tone of the book. There are times when Vivian thinks she’s that close to losing her mind, or getting her coveted revenge. And same goes for Javier: There are times when he thinks she’ll give in to their mutual attraction, or when he thinks he’s that close to figuring out who she really is.

Do you have a favorite line in A Vengeful Affair? 

Yes. I love Edouard’s “The beginning doesn’t dictate the end. You can have the end of your choosing.”

Tell us what A Vengeful Affair is about.  

A Vengeful Affair is a steamy romance about Vivian’s quest for revenge. She believes Javier killed her best friend, and since she doesn’t have enough evidence to lock him up, she wants to steal his billion-pound merger instead. However, he catches her in his office afterwards, and is adamant about keeping her close until he finds out who she really is. Though they are on opposite sides, the time they spend together makes it hard for them to ignore the sizzling attraction and the emotional bond they began to share, despite their best efforts not to.

Dish, who’s your favorite character? 

I love Edouard. I’ve been getting great feedback about him, and honestly it makes me happy readers like him too. He’s a secondary character that steals the scene whenever he’s in it. He’s an old gentleman, and he’s had a tough life despite his empire – he lost his wife and daughter. But he still has that spark in his eye, that serene wisdom you can only experience with age.

How did you feel when you finished A Vengeful Affair? 

Sad. I felt so invested, and I really enjoyed being in Vivian’s and Javier’s minds. It was hard to say good-bye.

For all of us impatient readers, what is up next for you? 

I’m just finishing a book about a feisty heroine who kidnaps the hero to prevent him from expelling a tribe of Brazilian Indians that are illegally occupying his land. Then I’ll get started on a lovely story of a spoiled, broke L.A. socialite and the rough Texan cowboy she gets mixed up with.

Thanks Carmen!

My pleasure. I really enjoyed answering your questions.

I love to connect with readers and writers.

Click here to read the first chapter free.

Title: A Vengeful Affair
Author: Carmen Falcone
Genre: Category – Contemporary
Length: 230 pages
ISBN: 978-1-62266-956-1
Release Date: July 2012
Imprint: Indulgence

Rich people get away with murder every day, but Vivian Foster intends to make billionaire Javier Rivera pay for what he did to her best friend—and how better to destroy a money-grubbing bastard than to sabotage the merger that means everything to him.
Javier Rivera would never hurt a woman much less kill one. But when he catches a gorgeous corporate spy in his office, he knows he can’t let her go—not when even a hint of scandal could ruin his career. Until the merger is signed, he’ll keep her close, even if he has to shackle her to his wrist. Literally.
But the closer Javier gets to Vivian, the more he wants her, and the more time she spends with him, the less she believes he could ever be a killer. Now Vivian and Javier have to discover the truth…and Vivian has to win the trust of her worst enemy.

About Carmen Falcone

Carmen Falcone learned at an early age that fantasizing about fictional characters and places beat doing Math homework any day. She traveled the world, achieved a B.A. in Tourism in her hometown in Brazil and was soon invited to work in the USA, where she met her Swiss husband. She'd always dreamed of becoming a published writer, and after her daughter was born, she revisited that dream of writing - this time, unwilling to give it up. She lives in Austin and enjoys reading, traveling and spending time with her family and three high energy pugs.
Author Website ∙ Goodreads ∙ Twitter ∙ Facebook

Giveaway:
Compliments of the author and the publisher I have one copy (ebook) of A Vengeful Affair to giveaway to one lucky reader.  Simply fill out the Rafflecopter below.  Open international, ends 8/20. 




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Summer Wrap-Up Read-A-Thon: Where I Read

What a fun challenge! Jude at In Between is asking for pictures of where we have been reading this summer so I thought I would share.

At the beginning of the summer before it got really hot you would often find me in the backyard here:

Then as it got hot, you would more often find me here (my reading/blogging/tv chair):

And sometimes when the breeze is good, on the front porch here:

But my favorite place is with my tail parked in this chair:

With this view (Cape Lookout, NC, which is about a 10 minute boat ride from the ramp that is 5 minutes from my house, yes I live in paradise and if it wasn't cloudy and rainy that is where I would be today!):

Book Review & Giveaway: Chocolate Aftertaste by Liz Grace Davis

Chocolate Aftertaste by Liz Grace Davis

Publisher: Createspace

Publish Date: May 10, 2012

Paperback, 346 pages
Fiction, Women's Fiction, Romance
 ISBN: 9781475184037

My Review:
I enjoyed this novel.  It's one of those interesting stories of hte woman who tries to please everyone and loses herself and then finally decides she is important and embarks on her own to find herself and find what makes her happy.  Of course there are bumps in the road and things aren't perfect, but it would be a boring read if it was.

I'll start with things I really enjoyed.  I enjoyed the set-up of this novel.  How Nora was and  how she was trying to please her father.  I liked how the novel then switched gears to a point where Nora tried to find herself.  I liked this Nora.  I also liked the characters around Nora in Dreara.  They were a varied bunch and a lot of fun.  From Maeve the hairdresser yet true friend to Ethan the hunky neighbor and all the others in-between, I fell in love with the inhabitants of Dreara.  I also loved the setting of Dreara.  A new fun place for me, a small town with small town inhabitants and small town gossip was a great setting.  Another great thing was the twists and turns. Just when you think things are going great for Nora, something pops up to throw a monkey wrench into her plans, but she deals with it with help from her friends.  All of this made me keep reading the book to find out what would happen next and how Nora would handle things and how things would end.

However I did find a few things that bothered me about the book, but they weren't anything that made me stop reading, just things that made my rating a little lower.  The first is how wishy washy Nora was in the beginning.  I know she had to start there to prove that she was growing through the book, but I don't do well with the type of woman she was in the beginning, but I kept reading.  If she had stayed that way much longer I would have given up, but thankfully Ms. Davis proves her point and moves on and Nora starts to change.  And my other problem was things felt just a little jumpy after Nora moves to Dreara.  I would feel like a few weeks would have passed only to find a few days or vice versa.  I always felt a little confused time-wise.  This is minor, but I almost always felt a little lost in this section of the book.  It seemed to improve as the book went along so I think the author fell into a groove (I often do that with my reviews) and the book improved.  Again it was nothing to make me stop reading, just something that made me take note.

Those were my main complaints, otherwise, I really enjoyed the relationships set out in the book.  I especially enjoyed watching Nora grow too.  And I think that was the main point of the book.  I think Ms. Davis picked a wonderful backdrop to set her novel against to keep the reader engaged with the book and she also created characters that readers can relate to.  I think Chocolate Aftertaste is an enjoyable book for lovers of Women's Fiction.


My Rating: 3.5/5.0


About the Book:

At her pre-wedding dinner, Nora Darkin, the daughter of a
wealthy entrepreneur, discovers her fiancé is not the man she
thought he was. As her father hoists his glass to toast them,
she makes an announcement: there will be no wedding to her
father's right-hand man.

Due to the fresh rift driven between her and her father, Nora
escapes to the quaint town of Dreara. Determined to live her
life her own way, she makes new friends and pursues her
lifelong desire of becoming a chef. Ethan Danes, a neighbour
with his own broken heart, helps soothe hers.

Just as Nora discovers what it means to be happy, and she
begins to fall in love with Ethan, a woman from his past re-
enters his life…

Buy Link: Amazon

About the Author (from Goodreads.com): 
Liz Grace Davis grew up in Angola, Namibia, South Africa and Germany. She now lives with her husband in Vienna, Austria.

Growing up, Liz spent most her days in libraries, diving into the world of books. In her spare time she reads a lot, travels, creates jewelry and designs digital scrapbooks. That's of course when she's not weaving stories. She's in her element whenever she is doing anything that requires creativity.

Liz is the author of a young adult fantasy novel, Tangi's Teardrops, and a romantic women's fiction novel, Chocolate Aftertaste.

Website / Facebook / Book Trailer


Giveaway
I have one copy of Chocolate Aftertaste in ebook format to give away to a lucky reader.  Open international, ends 8/16. Simply fill out the Rafflecopter below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway



FTC Information: I received this book Sizzling PR for an honest review.  I received no compensation for my review beyond a copy of the book.

Book Review: Lethal Legacy by Irene Hannon

Lethal Legacy by Irene Hannon
Publisher: Revell
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2012
Paperback, 352 pages
ISBN: 9780800734589

My rating: 5.0/5.0



My Review:
Irene Hannon has scored another winner in the Guardians of Justice series with Lethal Legacy. But don't let the fact that this book is number three in this series scare you away from reading it if you haven't read any of the other books. It makes a great stand-alone with mentions of characters and their happily ever afters from the previous books, but no real spoilers to keep you from going back and reading them. Lethal Legacy can easily stand on it's own, but it is a part of a great romantic suspense series so I suggest if you read this one, you go back and read the others as well!

As usual Ms. Hannon works wonders with her characters. I felt connections to Cole who I met in an earlier book but really got to know in this book and to Kelly who is mourning the loss of her father and dead set on finding who killed him. It is her doggedness that leads her to meet Cole and their meeting seems serendipitous. First Cole is a great investigator and if he can find something he will and second, he feels an instant attraction for Kelly and she feels one for him. Of course to be a romance a problem more than the suspense element has to work it's way in and in this novel it's the fact that Cole has moved away from God and Kelly is a devout and caring Christian. But I like that Kelly never shoves Cole to the side, she cares enough to want to understand and help him like a real Christian would. I have loved all of the romances in Ms. Hannnon's books, but I think this is one of the best. I felt the romance more in this one, felt it was more of an element even with the suspense playing a starring role.

And the suspense, wow, it's great again. We get a peek at the overall bad guy and eventually the hit man and it's surprising, but even with this knowledge, there are still many surpises in store with the book. I pretty much eagerly awaited the end of my workday on Tuesday and encouraged my husband to work late so I could finish this in one sitting. It's just that good.

The suspense is edge of your seat. The romance is just awe-inspiring. Both work so well together to make this one of Irene Hannon's best books to date and that is saying something. I think I have been reading all of her books since 2010 and have loved each one, but this one really resonated with me as a book I loved. If you enjoy romantic suspense this is an excellent choice for your next book to pick up. It has Christian elements, but they are not overwhelming, and they are very well-done. Ms. Hannon is a master at writing a book that doesn't personify the Christians as perfect people and I like that. So give Lethal Legacy a try, it's a great page-turner with a great side of romance to make it a perfect novel for the lover of romantic suspense!

Available August 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

About the Book:

The police say her father's death was suicide. But Kelly Warren says it was murder--and she has new evidence that she believes proves it. Detective Cole Taylor doesn't put much credence in her claim, and nothing in his case review suggests foul play. But when Kelly ends up in the emergency room with a suspicious life-threatening medical condition, the incident strikes him as more than just coincidence. Digging deeper, he discovers she's linked to a long-ago crime. Is history repeating itself? And who wants Kelly silenced? 

With her trademark high-intensity action and taut suspense, Irene Hannon closes out her Guardians of Justice series with a story of old grudges and budding romance that is sure to increase her substantial fan base.

About the Author:
Irene Hannon is the author of more than 35 novels, including the bestselling Heroes of Quantico and Guardians of Justice series. Her books have been honored with two coveted RITA awards from Romance Writers of America, a Carol Award, a HOLT Medallion, a Daphne du Maurier Award and two Reviewers' Choice Awards from RT Book Reviews magazine. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

For more information about her and her books, visit her web site at www.irenehannon.com and follow her on Twitter at @IreneHannon.

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

Who is America's Royal Couple Giveaway (Marrying Up by Wendy Holden)

Can’t get enough of that royal fever? Do you find yourself still Youtube-ing clips of Will & Kate’s big day? Don’t worry, Sourcebooks has you covered. 

Named a “Cinderella story for the beach bag”, Sourcebooks is extremely excited to be releasing Wendy Holden’s Marrying Up in August! Marrying Up has all of the crazy love, eye-opening snobbery, and naked ambition to create a juicy cocktail worthy of any royal. After all, what’s a relationship without a title and a tiara? 

In honor of Wendy’s new release, Sourcebooks is hold a contest in conjunction with my blog to find out who is America’s very own Royal Couple!

As women around the world watched Will and Kate walk down the aisle, many of them were plotting how they could find their own prince charming.

Razor-sharp in its wit and as fresh as newlywed royals, Marrying Up (ISBN 9781402270673, Sourcebooks Landmark, Fiction, Trade Paperback, $14.99 U.S., Aug 2012) by Wendy Holden reveals how sometimes a rags-to-riches story can rip a girl to shreds—and how sometimes the crown on your head can nearly crush you.

Only a title, a mansion, and a family tiara will do for a scheming social climber like Alexa, and she will go to great lengths to get it.  Starting by befriending clueless aristocrat Florrie, who fills her life with parties, texting, and, above all, champagne, means that the grandest doors swing open and the prince of her dreams is within reach. But has Florrie’s mother, the formidable Lady Annabel, figured out Alexa’s intentions already?

Meanwhile, beautiful but penniless archaeology student Polly has found herself in love after a chance meeting with a dark-eyed stranger named Max. However, Max is hiding a big secret, a secret that could ultimately ruin any chance of him and Polly living happily ever after. 

About the Author

Wendy Holden (UK) was a journalist for the Sunday Times, Tatler, and The Mail on Sunday before becoming a full-time author. She has now published nine novels, all top 10 bestsellers in the UK. Her novels include Beautiful People, Farm Fatale, and Filthy Rich and feature sassy humor with a great cast of characters. For more information, please visit: www.officialwendyholden.com.
GIVEAWAY:

So tell us who you think is America's Royal couple and you are entered to win the random drawing for a copy of Marrying Up by Wendy Holden, mailed from the publisher.  Open to US/Canada only, ends 8/10.

Book Tour, Excerpt, Interview & Giveaway: Big Sky Mountain by Linda Lael Miller

First up I have today's tour excerpt from Big Sky Mountain.  Make sure to check out the tour website for more excerpts, interviews, reviews, giveaways, guest posts and more fun.

Then he opened his collar halfway to his breastbone and sucked in a breath. “I tried to tell her,” he muttered. He knew it sounded lame, but the truth was the truth.

Although he and Slade shared a father, they had been at bloody-knuckled odds most of their lives. They’d made some progress toward getting along since the old man’s death and the upheaval that followed, but neither of them related to the other as a buddy, let alone a brother.

“Come on out to our place,” Slade said, surprising him. “You’d best lay low for a few hours. Give Brylee—and Walker—a little time to cool off.”

Hutch stiffened slightly, though he found the invitation oddly welcome. Home, being Whisper Creek Ranch, was a lonely outpost these days—which was probably why he’d talked himself into proposing to Brylee in the first place.

“I have to talk to Brylee,” he repeated.

“There’ll be time for that later on,” Slade reasoned.

Follow the tour at BookTrib and make sure you enter to win a necklace and a paperback copy of Big Sky Mountain at BookTrib's site!

Enjoy this interview with Linda Lael Miller:

1.      Do you allow friends or family to read early drafts of your work?

Yes.  My cousin, Mary Ann, reads all my manuscripts as I’m writing them.  We’ve been close all our lives and have a lot of the same memories, but she’s pretty objective and bone practical.  I take her comments seriously.

2.      What sparked your interest in Tarot card reading?

I’m not sure, but it was probably the beauty of Tarot decks in general.  I read them from a sort of Joseph Campbell/mythological point of view, and I believe the images stimulate ideas and insights because they are all archetypes.  I don’t read the future, but I can get a pretty good take on an individual I’m reading for or for a character in a book.

3.      If you could go back and change anything about Big Sky Mountain, would you?

Well, there’s one thing I’d change—I got so wrapped up in the excitement of the story that I forgot to let the cat, Lucy-Maude, have her kittens.  Rest assured, in Big Sky world, those kitties are all thriving in loving homes.

4.      What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

See number 2.  I LOVE to read and also to listen to audio books—I’ve always got a couple of volumes going at once.  I can get lost in my craft room downstairs, and not just because it’s usually a mess.  Spending time with my horses, dog and cats are high priorities, too.

5.      How long does it take you to write a novel, from initial idea to finished manuscript?
Wow, that is a hard question.  I think the ideas for some of my books were sparked when I was a child, listening to all those great stories about cowboys and rodeos and horses, not to mention the ones my grandma told me about Jessie James sleeping in her family’s barn and the day the Dalton brothers tried to rob the bank in Coffeeville, Kansas.  I probably spend between three and six months on the actual writing process.

The “First Lady of the West,” #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller, brings you back to Parable, Montana-where love awaits in the second book of her new Big Sky Series!

With his rugged good looks, vast wealth and family name, hell-raiser Hutch Carmody is still the golden boy of Parable, Montana. But he’s done some growing up, making peace with his illegitimate half brother and inheriting half of Whisper Creek Ranch, which should have been all his. These days, Hutch knows there are some things money can’t buy: like the heart of loving, ladylike divorcé Kendra Shepherd.

Kendra’s quiet mansion reminds her of what she wants most – a devoted husband and the pitter-patter of little feet. She can’t get Hutch Carmody out of her mind. But a rough-and-tumble cowboy like Hutch, coming home for family dinner? Seems crazy! Then again, crazier dreams have become reality under the vast Montana sky.



Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than one hundred historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West. Raised in Northport, Washington, the self-confessed barn goddess now lives in Spokane, Washington. Linda hit a career high in 2011 when all three of her Creed Cowboys books—A Creed in Stone Creek, Creed’s Honor and The Creed Legacy—debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.  To learn more about Linda, visit www.LindaLaelMiller.com.

Giveaway:
The publicist is offering one copy of Big Sky Mountain by Linda Lael Miller to one lucky reader.  Open to US/Canada, and mailed from the publicist.  Ends 8/13.  Simply fill out the Rafflecopter below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wicked Summer Cover Challenge #SWUR

What a fun challenge, it's simple, look for the following items on the covers of books I'm reading and on the covers of other participants books.  Here are the items and as I find them I will come back and add more "finds".  Thank you to Wickedly Bookish for hosting this wonderfully innovative challenge.  I will have a great time with this one all week!

Sun

A teeny bikni

Beach umbrella

Sandcastle

Oceanscape or a beach scene

Sunflower

An American flag (4th of July)

Lemonade/Iced Tea

Sunset (I'm going with this as sunset, it looks like it to me)

Sailboat

Camping equipment (tent, sleeping bag, etc.)

Sunglasses

Swimming Pool

Sun bather

Picnic