Romance in the Back Seat (which has great author interviews, if you didn’t know) is hosting a contest for unpublished paranormal romance authors. The set up is similar to the American Title or the Next Best Celler: parts of the story are published online for the audience to vote on. The stories with the fewest votes get kicked out of the contest, the others go on to the next round, where more of the story is published and voted on. The contest starts October 1st with 8 contestants, and RITBS is still looking for entries. I’m not sure what the grand prize is.

Aspiring Paranormal Authors can enter by visiting here and emailing RITBS. (All questions about the contest should be directed to RITBS, as I am only passing on the information.) For the rest of us, visit RITBS on October 1st to VOTE for your favorites.

Good Luck!

Title: The Dream Thief
Author: Shanna Abe
Series: The Drákon book 2
Publication Info: Bantam, August 2007
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3

The sequel to the excellent SMOKE THIEF follows Rue and Christoff’s youngest daughter, Lia, who is born with the rare Drakon gift of dreaming the future. Her hero is Zane, her mother’s street urchin sidekick, who has grown up to be a dark, powerful criminal in London.

Plot:

There is a legendary diamond that has the power to enslave the Drakon’s minds. Lia hears it calling her from a very young age, accompanied by disturbing sexual dreams of her mother’s dangerous apprentice Zane. No one believes her, so she grows up hiding her future-telling dreams and her slow-to-come Drakon powers. Her parents learn of the diamond when Lia is off at finishing school in Scotland and send Zane–a human–to find it. He runs into Lia, who has escaped school to find the stone herself. She has dreamed this. Regency road trip!

After a number of misadventures, they find the legendary Drakon castle and its twisted lord. Lia knows that Zane cannot have the diamond, because she has dreamed he uses it to kill her parents and everyone close to her. But she is Drakon, so the diamond enslaves her. Is there enough goodness in Zane’s black heart to set her free?

Discussion:

Ms. Abe’s writing is very good. I have always been a big fan of road trip books, especially when the protagonists get stranded out in the middle of nowhere and must tough it in the wilderness.

There is a lot more of that airy, poetic narration in this book. In The Smoke Thief it was only a long prologue. In The Dream Thief it comes every other chapter or so. I skimmed it.

The hero/heroine age difference bothered me. Zane is 12 in The Smoke Thief, when her parents meet. Lia is 19 in The Dream Thief. Lia has dark, sexual dreams of Zane since childhood. Does she actually love him, or is she merely obsessed? Does Zane take advantage of her youth and inexperience? Should maybe he have woken her up first? These and more questions weighed on my enjoyment of the book. In the first book, I felt Ms. Abe did a good job on coming right up to the forced-seduction line, but not crossing it. In this book, well, you’ll have to make up your own mind. I enjoyed the book, but certain parts made me a little morally squeamish.

I enjoyed The Dream Thief and plan to read book 3. Ms. Abe is a masterful storyteller. I just hope the heroine in The Dragon Queen finds healing and psychotherapy from what she endured in book 2. Maybe she should talk to Hardy Cates?

Title: The Smoke Thief
Author: Shanna Abe
Series: The Drákon book 1
Publication Info: Bantam, Oct 2006
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3

Ms. Abe combines my favorite two romance genres, Historical and Paranormal, for a delightful adventure that soars through the star-strewn sky and delves deep into the fire of the human heart.

Plot:

Clarissa Rue Hawthorne was born an outcast, a half-blood in the mysterious and sheltered clan of dragon shapeshifters. She will never fit in, so she breaks the clan’s laws, fakes her own death and escapes to London. She spends nine-or-so years building a secret life for herself: the proper widow by day and a Smoke Thief at night. But her past catches up with her in none other than the dragon king himself, Christoff, Marquess of Langford, who comes to London dangling the most precious jewel of all as bait. She can’t help but visit the stone and is caught up in Christoff’s deadly claws.

Christoff has been raised for one thing: to rule his people with an iron fist and keep them safe from the human Others. He is the Alpha and must marry the Alpha female of the tribe, but no woman in generations has been able to Turn into Drakon. When he lays a trap for the outlaw who dares expose their secrets by stealing the Ton’s jewels, he never imagined he would find a female who could Turn, or the lost little girl who caught his notice so many years ago.

But there is another rogue drakon theif in London and he steals the drakon jewel from under their noses. Rue makes a devil’s bargain: her freedom for his. She must join forces with the indomitable Christoff to find the jewel before the week is up. Christoff is injured in their search. Rue has the chance to escape to freedom, or to try to save the Alpha. She might have won her freedom, but she lost her heart.

Discussion:

Christine has been telling me about this book for over a year and I don’t know why I didn’t get around to reading it until now. I couldn’t put it down! The attraction between Rue and Christoff burns red hot and their cat and mouse chase keeps the pages spinning. I loved the descriptions of the dragons flying through the clouds. This is a Cinderella story: Rue’s childhood crush comes to fruition, bringing the now all-grown-up domineering Alpha male to her feet.

The one thing I would have changed is the long airy prologue. I think that backstory could have been communicated through the book, or in a shorter prologue. I’m excited for the next one, The Dream Thief, which stars Rue & Christoff’s daughter and Rue’s street urchin companion Zane.

Title: Passion Unleashed
Author: Larissa Ione
Series: Demonica, Book 3
Publication Info: Grand Central Publishing (formerly Warner), March 2009
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

The Demonica series is hands down one of the best dark paranormal series in print. Fans of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood and Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark take note. Readers will delight in this thrilling tale of demonic love and an epic battle of good and evil.

Plot:

Half vampire, half demon Wraith, the tortured brother of Eidoldon and Shade from books 1 and 2, has turned into a mature Seminous demon. He can’t run from his terrible past, and tries to drown his pain by recklessly killing bad guys and trying to impregnate everything in sight. His brothers have done all they can to save him from his destructive path, to no avail. An old enemy is out to kill the brothers, and Wraith is the first one of the hit list. He gets poisoned by a toxin with no cure. His only chance is to steal a survival charm from its keeper, but when he discovers her he finds the task isn’t as easy as he thought.

Serena Kelley has guarded the charm since her mother gave it to her–sacrificing herself in the process. Her life depends on keeping the charm, but she has to stay a virgin in order to do so. When she meets Wraith, pretending to be human, she thinks she might have found a man worth sacrificing for. But heaven and hell have a stake in the charm too. A fallen angel is bent on using the charm to unleash Armageddon, and heaven can’t let that happen.

Wraith is torn. Is his miserable life worth more than this woman he has come to care for? Wraith has never been the noble type, but the fate of the world rests on his decision.

Discussion:

Another brilliant novel from an excellent author! The world building in these books is rich with demon lore, inter-species political machinations and magic rules. The characters’ transformations are compelling and believable, and their interactions set the pages on fire. Ms. Ione is on my must-buy list. I love how complex the story is, with multiple plot lines and many potential-heroes I’m eager to read about in future books. Reaver is really intriguing, as is the newest Seminus brother, Lore. I also love how Armageddon is set in Jerusalem. Why aren’t more end-of-the-world type battles set where the last battle is supposed to be set? I’ve been to Jerusalem and seen the Dome of the Rock and other sites, which makes reading books set in those locations even more interesting to me.

My favorite is still book 1, because I love protective heroes more than tortured ones, but PASSION UNLEASHED is a close second.

My recommendation: READ THIS SERIES!! (in order-it’s important)

1. Book 1: Pleasure Unbound (Eidoldon’s story)
2. Book 2: Desire Unchained (Shade’s story)
3. Book 3: Passion Unleashed (Wraith’s story)

Romance is the most maligned genre of literature, despite being the highest grossing. How do publishers afford multi-million dollar contracts for first time literary fiction authors? On the backs of romance. We, romance readers, are the most loyal fans. We are powering through the recession, earning even more profits for Harlequin despite the buying downturn through the rest of the economy. Unfortunately, most people who criticize the genre as “bodice-rippers” and “crotch novels” have never read one. I’ll leave the eloquent arguments to Smart Bitches who Love Trashy Books and Dear Author. Check out the stats on romance readers from the Romance Writers of America to see that we’re a highly diverse, highly educated bunch. Escapist fantasies? What book, besides a textbook, isn’t an escapist fantasy? That’s what reading is. That’s what TV and movies are. ENTERTAINMENT.

Romance novels are delicious. Nom…nom…nomnomnomnomnom.

What I want to share with you now is the time honored wisdom: Don’t Knock it till You’ve Tried it

Here are 13 recommended books (all of which I’ve read and loved) in each subgenre of your reading persuasion. Go ahead, try one. I double-dog dare ya.

1. Contemporary: This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
2. Paranormal: Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
3. Historical: It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas
4. Regency: The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanna Bourne
   
5. Science-Fiction: Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair
6. Fantasy: The Moon Witch by Linda Winstead Jones
7. Suspense: Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard
8. Young Adult: Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith (sigh, or Twilight…but who’s left who hasn’t read it?)
9. Women’s Fiction: Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas
10. Erotica: Go Fetch! by Shelly Laurenston
11. Contemporary Category Romance: Marriage at the Millionaire’s Command by Anne Oliver
12. Paranormal Category Romance: Raintree Inferno by Linda Howard
13. Suspense Category Romance: Strangers in the Night by Kerry Connor

Werewolf romances call to the romantic in me. I crave them, devour them, hunt them down. Perhaps it started with my love of Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series. (Oh, Adam! I want your babies.) Or maybe Kelley Armstrong’s Bitten. Vampires leave me cold (heh, heh), but a hot-blooded, baby-loving Alpha gets me every time. (Jacob rules! Edward…well, you know. Haha.)

SHEWOLF by Teresa D’Amario

A yummy werewolf romance and PRISM finalist. It was my first book from Freya’s Bower and I successfully downloaded it on my iPhone using the Stanza app. (I was quite proud of myself!) The hero is an alpha who embodies everything I love about a true alpha hero: he is a Protector & Provider. Family (pack) is everything to him, and he is willing to go to any lengths to protect what is his.

Anna is a veterinarian with a special gift with animals. She is accosted in a dark alley one night by two inhuman males. A dark predator comes to her rescue. Though she finds him strangely attractive, she can’t forget her terrifying new-found knowledge that werewolves exist.

Kieran stepped down as pack alpha after he failed to stop his parents murder, but he still acts as enforcer, protecting the pack’s secret existence. When he stops two wolven from a rival pack from kidnapping a human woman, he is surprised to find himself attracted to her. More than attracted: the longer he spends in her company, the surer he is that she is his true mate. How can that be, when Anna is convinced she’s fully human?

Anna and Kieran are embattled on all sides, but time is running out. When Anna is kidnapped, both must decide who they are and who they want to be in the future. Will they protect their hearts and stay in their own seperate worlds, or will they risk everything to be with the one they love?

Fertility is a big theme and source of conflict. I love it. If you like werewolf romances, read this book!

FULL MOON OF WEREWOLVES

Ms. D’Amario is one of the guest authors on Lori Devoti’s Full Moon of Werewolves. Many authors are guest posting with excerpts from their werewolf books and giving away free copies. Check out the schedule:

Today’s guest post is by author Cynthia Eden, who asks for your thoughts on alpha werewolves. As I’ve only ever read one beta werewolf hero (Terry Spear’s HEART OF THE WOLF), I don’t have much experience with non-alphas.

What is your favorite type of paranormal romance? Do you prefer werewolves or vampires, and why? Can you recommend your favorite werewolf or shape-shifter romance to me? (Please, sir, I want mooooore!)

Title: Kiss of a Demon King
Author: Kresley Cole
Series: Immortals After Dark, Book #6
Publication Info: Simon & Schuster, January 2009
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3

Kresley Cole is a must read for me because she always delivers an action-packed romance where the women are strong, the men are good looking and the love scenes are off the charts. Her trademark brand of humor lights up her dark world building. The sixth book in her wildly-popular Immortals After Dark series continues the home-run streak.

Plot:

Deposed demon king Rydstrom Woede has fought for a single goal for centuries: to win his kingdom back from evil sorcerer Omort the Deathless. All his hopes hinge on obtaining a sword sworn to kill Omort, but as Rydstrom races toward it he falls into a trap woven by Omort’s evil sister, Sabine the Queen of Illusions. He wakes up chained in the dungeon of his own castle to find Sabine intent on bearing his royal heir.

Though the forces of good and evil are massing in anticipation of the Quickening Accession, Sabine is on no one’s side but her own. She and her sister have stayed alive only through deceit and selfishness; she’s not about to stop now, no matter how much the sexy demon chained to her bed wants her to. Trust is highly overrated. She’s told Omort she plans to conceive Rydstrom’s child to give Omort power, fulfilling a prophesy that the child will open the mysterious well of souls. In reality she hopes to use the child to overthrow Omort and steal the throne for her and her sister.

Rydstrom tries to withstand Sabine’s seductive power, but one kiss and he knows she’s his fated mate. He’s suddenly torn between his kingdom and his woman, but it’ll take every trick in Sabine’s book to make him choose a half-mad evil sorcerous over his own people. When Rydstrom escapes, he kidnaps Sabine and exacts a sensual revenge for every torture she wrought on him in the dungeon. By the time they arrive in Rydstrom’s home in New Orleans, he plans to never let her go. Unfortunately, Sabine has been poisoned by Omort and Rydstrom must make the ultimate sacrifice: will he give up his kingdom for love?

Discussion:

This sexy edition of the Immortals After Dark series has less action and more sensual bedroom scenes than previous books, reminding me in of Anna Campbell’s latest Tempt the Devil. Rydstrom is honorable, protective and sexy as hell. Sabine is selfish, self-centered and rude, but protective of her sister and endearing in her own way. Her treatment of the little boy demon in the refugee camp is both revolting and humorous. I can’t decide whether to love her or hate her…but I think that’s what Ms. Cole was going for. Sabine has her own code of honor, and while it isn’t what I would do, it makes a certain sense.

As usual, KOADK is full of fun dialogue. Best line ever, post first love scene (p172): “I waited five hundred years for that?”

I certainly recommend Kiss of a Demon King and the entire Immortals After Dark series. Keep ‘em coming Ms. Cole!

Larissa Ione‘s second Demonica novel, DESIRE UNCHAINED, debuts TODAY. Book one, PLEASURE UNBOUND, was so good, I can’t wait to read book two. I fully expect Shade’s story to be even better. If you like paranormal romance, this series is not to be missed.

Pleasure is their ultimate weapon . . .

Runa Wagner never meant to fall in love with the sexy stranger who seemed to know her every deepest desire. But she couldn’t resist the unbelievable passion that burned between them, a passion that died when she discovered his betrayal and found herself forever changed. Now, determined to make Shade pay for the transformation that haunts her, Runa searches for him, only to be taken prisoner by his darkest enemy.

A Seminus demon with a love-curse that threatens him with eternal torment, Shade hoped he’d seen the last of Runa and her irresistible charm. But when he wakes up in a dank dungeon chained next to an enraged and mysteriously powerful Runa, he realizes that her effect on him is more dangerous than ever. As their captor casts a spell that bonds them as lifemates, Shade and Runa must fight for their lives and their hearts—or succumb to a madman’s evil plans.

Title: Raintree: Inferno
Author: Linda Howard
Series: Raintree book 1
Publication Info: Silhouette Nocturne, May 07
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

The chemistry is burning between these two strong protagonists in Linda Howard’s first book of the Raintree Trilogy. Their quick repartee is strongly reminiscent of Ms. Howard’s MR. PERFECT (another highly recommended read), complete with short, feisty, sharp-tongued heroine and tall, totally Alpha, arrogant, domineering hero. I often find “Alpha” is short for “A$$hole,” but Dante’s intelligence, protectiveness and humor helped balance his domineering tendencies. Besides, I’m a sucker for a man who says those three little words: “Have my baby.”

There are two groups of magical beings that live among the humans: the Raintree, who use their powers for good, and the Anasara, who use their powers for evil. These powers range from psychic abilities to control over the elements, similar to the paranormal protagonists in Jacquelyn Frank’s Nightwalker series. Dante, the king of the Raintree, controls fire, so when his casino bursts into flames he can’t control, he immediately suspects the strange woman who has been cheating him out of money. She must be an Anasara in disguise. Lorna Clay doesn’t know anything about magic or psychic abilities. All she knows is that she’s always been uncommonly lucky with numbers and that this powerful man poses an extraordinary danger to her. Unfortunately, she seems to have been hypnotized to obey his every command. Don’t move. Don’t talk. Follow me. How can she trust a man who would force his will on her? She may have to, because someone is trying to kill them. Risking her life is terrifying, but it’s a walk in the park compared to risking her heart.

The writing in this book is, as typical of Ms. Howard’s work, flawless. Her prose is quite plain, but it gets the job done with a fast plot and engaging, well-rounded characters. The dialogue between the hero and heroine is excellent. My favorite passage:

That was a dirty game of pool he was playing, saying Have my baby as if he meant it. He couldn’t mean it. They had known each other two days. That was something men said to seduce women, because hundreds of centuries ago some cunning bastard had figured out most women were pushovers for babies, (p238).

Yeah, I know it isn’t true for all women, but, boy!, is it true for me. *grin*

Can’t wait to read the next two in the trilogy!

Book 1: Linda Howard Raintree: Inferno – May 07
Book 2: Linda Winstead Jones Raintree: Haunted – June 07
Book 3: Beverly Barton Raintree: Sanctuary – July 07

Tonight, at midnight, the wait will finally be over. Doors will open to movie theaters everywhere for the debut of MTV’s TWILIGHT movie, based on the bestselling book by Stephanie Meyer. Have you bought your tickets yet? You can bet your last pair of fake vampire teeth that I have.

So what to do when you’ve seen the movie and you grow tired of rereading every book in the saga? There is a whole world of heart-stopping vampire romance out there just waiting for you to sink your teeth into. Really, there are a lot of fanged love stories that are a thousand times better than Twilight. *gasp!*

In a previous “IF You like the Twilight Saga” post I recommended books aimed at Young Adults, since TWILIGHT is a YA, but for those of us mature readers, here is a list of Adult Vampire Romance books for Twilight Fans:

1. DARK LOVER by J.R. Ward
2. A HUNGER LIKE NO OTHER by Kresley Cole
3. THE REST FALLS AWAY by Colleen Gleason
4. HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE by Jeannine Frost
5. NIGHT PLEASURES by Sherrilyn Kenyon
6. HIGH STAKES by Erin McCarthy
7. IF ANGELS BURN by Lynn Viehl
8. HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE VAMPIRE by Kerrelyn Sparks
9. A QUICK BITE by Lyndsay Sands
10. AFTER MIDNIGHT by Teresa Medeiros
11. DEAD UNTIL DARK by Charlene Harris (inspiration for HBO’s True Blood)
12. DEMON MOON by Meljean Brook (but read book 1: Demon Angel first)
13. DARK PRINCE by Christine Feehan

Additionally, check out my list of recommendations for Black Dagger Brotherhood fans for a wider variety of awesome paranormal romance novels.

Happy Reading!