Showing posts with label Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Romance. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Legend Of The White Wolf, Terry Spear--REVIEW

Legend of the White Wolf



By: Terry Spear

Werewolf Series, Book 4
Sourcebooks, Inc



Mass Market
Price: $6.99

Publication Date: February 2010




  • His Wild Side Comes Out With a Vengeance…

    Is She The Hunter Or The Hunted…

In this fourth in Spear's werewolf series, Private Eye Cameron MacPherson and forensic scientist Faith O'Malley are both on quests that lead them into the world of magical wolves, mystery and murder.

Cameron arrives in wintry Maine to search for his partners in his P.I. business who are late returning from a hunting trip, and runs into Faith, there to locate her ex-boyfriend who stole her father’s research. But Cameron and Faith instantly are attracted to one another and keeping their business on a strictly professional level doesn't have a snowball's chance of succeeding in a toasty fire-warmed cabin, the couple snowbound and the setting perfect for an unplanned tryst.Together, the two tumble into an icy world of mayhem where myth, legend, and reality merge, changing their lives forever.




"The vulpine couple's chemistry crackles off the page, but the real strength of the book lies in Spear's depiction of pack power dynamics, as well as in the details of human-wolf interaction."

Publishers Weekly


Arctic Wolf in Full Winter White




My thoughts:

Anyone who knows me, knows I love animals. God knows, I have enough of them, including the privilege of having had Micah, a grey wolf, from pup to death (12 years). My favorite animal is the Wolf and the Cougar. My mother says I always told wolf stories and my favorite one was where I could drink a magic potion and become one.


So, when I had the chance to review Terry Spear's Legend Of The White Wolf, I jumped at the chance. One of the main reasons is I know Terry makes it a point to accurately portray wolf behavior. I've read many of the articles she's written about her research. This is not an easy task when writing werewolves. It's all too easy to fall into what everyone else has done rather than make your own world. Terry makes a very believable world and her wolves and the pack dynamics are very accurate.

I hadn't had the chance to read the other books in her series although they were on my To Be Read list. I came in on this series with her fourth book. No worries as it stands alone. There some reoccurring characters, but Terry skillfully introduces them so you know who they are without scratching your head and going, huh?

Terry captured my interest in the first page and I read this book in one sitting. She writes a Romance with a real bite to it and it is a fast paced, exciting story with a hefty dose of action, suspense and mystery. You have disappearing people, murder, kidnapping, questions as to who's behind it all. Is it the wolves or a strange group of so-called hunters? What's with Cameron's missing friends and Faith's faithless boyfriend? Who's chasing Faith on snowmobiles the hunters or the pack and why?


What's different about this book is one, the Wolf pack doesn't hide in this story but lives in the open among the community. There are some who have no real idea of who or what they are, but many do, including some of the local Indians. Two, both the hero and the heroine are fully human when they begin this adventure. Both tough and skilled in their respective fields. They each have their own agenda and it leads them straight into the world of Mythical creatures with consequences that will change them both forever.

I liked both Cameron and Faith. The sparks between them are fun and build expectation for the romance. Some secondary characters I really liked was Gavin, Cameron's partner and Leidoff (Oh yah, I'm looking forward to his story, yum).

Legend is well written and kept me turning the page. Terry writes hot sex (get out your fans, ladies because you’ll need one) and gives a satisfying ending.


Simply put:
  • I loved the book and it's one that will be sitting in my personal library and soon joined by the rest of the series.



I have two copies of Legend to give out to commenters today. It's well worth the commenting to receive one!

Excerpt:

As soon as she reached her room, she struggled to get the key card to work, then gave the door a shove. The room was dark and cold. She fumbled for the light switch, but when she turned on the lamps, the bedcover wasn’t pulled back from the pillow, nor was a gold foil-covered chocolate waiting for her either. And of course the ice bucket was perfectly empty. She wondered if Cameron got the special treatment because he was a big tipper, or just an incredibly smooth-talking hunk.


She sighed and rolled her bag next to the bed, then headed back for the door. She might as well get this over with before she finally settled down for the night.


Glancing at her watch, she hadn’t realized how late it was already. Probably too late to order anything from the kitchen. But if she ate at this hour, the food would most likely just sit like a lump in her stomach when she went to bed anyway. She knocked on Cameron MacPherson’s door.


While waiting for him, she closed her eyes and yawned. Man, she was ready to skip the shower and just collapse in bed.


The door squeaked opened. Wearing only a pair of stone-washed jeans that looked incredibly soft, no shirt, and his feet bare, Cameron smiled, but he hadn’t brought her parka to the door. He looked every bit as sexy as when he was wearing only a towel.

“Are you sure you don’t want to have a bite with me?” He motioned to the tray on the table.


The old werewolf movie with Jack Nicholson was playing on the television, and by the sound of the growling, she envisioned he had shapeshifted and was fighting the bad wolf, if she recalled the movie correctly.

She gave Cameron a tired smile. “Under other circumstances, maybe. I left my parka here?”


“You look like you could use a meal and the kitchen’s closed by now.” His voice, deep and pleasing, sent little chills of expectation through her.


But she resisted the temptation and held out her hand for her coat. “Thanks, but I’m fine.”


He retrieved her coat and gave it to her, his hand brushing hers in a sensuous way, which made her skin heat again. She thought he looked a little wistful that she’d stay and keep him company, but she figured if she did, she would melt right under whatever spell he seemed to cast over her. It wasn’t like her to be that attracted to a guy she’d just met. She glanced down at his hand, no wedding ring. When her gaze returned to his, he was smiling broadly.


Usually a lot less obvious than that when she was scrutinizing a man’s marital status, although he might be married and just not wear a wedding ring, she felt her skin heat even more. “Thanks,” she quickly said before she made any more of a fool of herself, turned around, and left his room. But as soon as she reached her door and slipped her hand in her jeans pocket, she realized she didn’t have the key.
~*~*~*~*~


Terry Spear is an award-winning author of urban fantasy and medieval historicals. She also writes true-life stories for both teen and adult audiences. She is the author of Winning the Highlander’s Heart and The Vampire in My Dreams (young adult). Spear lives in Crawford, Texas.

A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry Spear has an MBA from Monmouth College. She originally hails from the West Coast but now makes her home deep in the heart of Texas.

You can find Terry at the following places: Terry Spear's Website

Wickedly Romantic Blog

Casablanca Authors Blog

Fierce Romance Blog

Facebook

Shifter Romance Blog

Monday, October 5, 2009

The Doomsday Brethren, Interview With Shayla Black

I started reading about an intriguing world created by Shayla Black (aka Shelley Bradley) and knew that I not only had to read the series, but have her as a guest Over Coffee.

I’m pleased to have had a chance to talk with Shayla a bit about
The Doomsday Brethren Series and Seduce Me In Shadow, released September 29th. Shayla Black is a national bestseller and writes various genres, and now paranormal/urban fantasy romance.



When Shayla says, “Magic has never been so devastatingly sexy,” she means it. I have to tell you that her heroine, Sydney, is not the only one that thinks Caden MacTavish is yummy (as you know, I do have a weakness for sexy Scots). Get out your fans, girls, you’re gonna need them, because we’re talking a very hot hero.


  • You've also written Contemporary Romance and Erotica, what made you decide to branch into paranormal romance?

I’ve had this idea in the back of my head for about a dozen years. I finally think all the pieces of the puzzle fell together mentally for me, which enabled me to write the books. But they’ve always been in my head and near and dear to my heart.

  • I love to read paranormals, and especially with a new slant. Your series is called the Doomsday Brethren staring magical knights, wizards, and witches who must fight evil. What drew you choose magical warriors?
I’ve always been fascinated by magical worlds, and this was perfect for me to explore. The immortal human who walks in magical circles (TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS), the wizard who doesn’t want to be a wizard (SEDUCE ME IN SHADOW), the wizard who yearns for more than his born station in life provides (POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT), the double-dealing wizard, the leader of the magical wizards, the broken wizard… These guys just came to me. But despite all their magical abilities, they have very HUMAN problems, and I wanted readers to be able to identify what these characters were experiencing emotionally.

  • What's special about your heroines, Olivia and Sydney? Any magic? Are they aware of these magical knights or just average women who walk into this blind?

Olivia from book 1, TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS, was unaware of the magical world she was born into, then shielded from who whole life. The heroine of my current release, SEDUCE ME IN SHADOW, is Sydney, a human who is sure this magical world exists…but can’t prove it. She’s a journalist determined to dig until she finds answers. She gets a whole lot more than she bargained for…

  • What was the most fun about writing this series?

Dreaming up the new world, the characters and their interaction. Crossing between their world and ours is a ton of fun, and I enjoy making it accessible for us mere human, but still fantastical enough to take the reader on a journey.

  • What was the hardest to write?

Keeping all the strands of the plots together. These books are intricate, and as I write book 4, most characters have an established history and backstory that I’m working within, so keeping it all straight keeps me on my toes.

  • Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?


Don't give up. Tenacity is 90% of this business. Keep writing. Keep submitting. The minute you stop knocking on doors is the minute you lose all chance of selling. And it may be cliché, but read, read, read. Don't assume that what you like to read most is immediately what suits your voice. Try a few different things and see what feels good to you. Remember, your voice is what an editor is looking for. Tell the story that only you can tell.

  • When will your next book be published? Can you tell me a bit about it?

SEDUCE ME IN SHADOW just released 9/29, so it should be in stores now. Book 3 in the series; POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT, releases 10/27. Here are the “official” blurbs for both:

SEDUCE ME IN SHADOW

  • Ex-Marine Caden MacTavish has shunned his magical heritage all his life, but he will do anything to heal his desperately ill brother, a Doomsday Brethren warrior in mourning for his missing mate. Posing as a photographer, Caden must convince firecracker tabloid reporter Sydney Blair to reveal the source of her recent exposé on a supernatural power clash. Unfortunately, keeping his hands off the sizzling redhead proves as hard as getting them onto the potent and mystical Doomsday Diary he discovers at her bedside. A bloody rebellion led by an evil, power-hungry wizard is imminent. If Sydney divulges the book’s existence, she will jeopardize magickind’s most deeply guarded secrets and become the ruthless wizard’s number one target. Caden has never trusted magic’s cruel and dangerous powers, but he will protect Sydney with his life and magic—even if it means risking his heart.

POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT

  • As a mysterious dark cloud drains the life of her beloved brother, Doomsday Brethren leader Bram, Sabelle Rion can think of little else. Still, every time she meets Ice Rykard’s intense green gaze, her body aches with need for the sexy warrior. Their attraction is explosive, incredible—and forbidden. As dangerous as he is unpredictable, Ice is her brother’s sworn enemy. But as Bram weakens, a more sinister force is gaining power. Evil Mathias and his ruthless Anarki army are on a bloodthirsty hunt for the Doomsday Diary. Sabelle must guard the potent book with her life—and Ice vows to protect the beautiful witch with his. Duty demands that Sabelle deny her lover’s fiery call of possession and mate with a man who can sway the magical Council against the impending rebellion. With the fate of magickind hanging in the balance, will she forsake the burning desires she can’t ignore or turn her back on her people for the courageous man she can’t resist?

Thank you, Shayla, for taking time out of your busy writing schedule to answer my questions.

Be on the look out in November 2009 for a review of The Doomsday Brethren Series, here at Over Coffee.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

SHAYLA BLACK is the nationally bestselling author of more than twenty sizzling contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances, including the Doomsday Brethren novels Tempt Me with Darkness and Possess Me at Midnight. Her novel Decadent was nominated for Best Erotic Romance of 2007 by Romantic Times. She lives in Texas with her family.

Visit her website at http://www.shaylablack.com/.

Check out additional information about The Doomsday Brethren

Be sure to get the first in the Brethren series, and it's trailer: Tempt Me with Darkness.