Friends With Benefits Holiday Reading

I have to admit, one of the best things about being friends with other authors is I often get to beta read some awesome material, get ARCs of upcoming titles, and have an entire bookcase of autographed books.

It's good to have friends with benefits. ::wide grin::

I received an ARC the other day from friend and fellow author Grace Draven. I have often said that I'm not a big fan of historical romance, but there are exceptions to the rule (Cia Leah sweet romance westerns, Morag McKendrick-Pippin historical romances, and Grace Draven fantasy romances that have this immense historical layering).

Her book Master of Crows was perhaps the best fantasy romance I'd ever read, up until now. Her upcoming book Entreat Me is a masterpiece of storytelling. You will fall in love with Ballard, the man and the beast. His character is drawn with precise lines, layer by layer, adding such depth that he feels so real you connect with him on a level so deep, you forget you're reading a novel. Yep, I got swept away. The heroine is a perfect match for him. Louvaen is no wimpy too stupid to live girl. Nope, she comes across as real and vibrant, determined and smart, witty and strong.

The story blends fantasy and magic with incredible living history, never mind that the book is a fantasy novel, it reads like the best historical folktale. Like other wordsmiths of storytelling such as Anne McCaffrey and Ursula K. Le Guin, you are drawn into their world of fantasy with a realism that is so pure, you can't help being a part of the drama and the romance. You feel that tug of recognition, knowing that Grace Draven tapped into something special, a part of the universe, where time and space collide, that this incredible romance had to have happened.

Yes, I guess you could say I am a total fan girl and am on Team Ballard. ::grin:: Watch for Grace's book, coming soon!

Blurb for Entreat Me by Grace Draven

Afflicted by a centuries-old curse, a warlord slowly surrenders his humanity and descends toward madness. Ballard of Ketach Tor holds no hope of escaping his fate until his son returns home one day, accompanied by a woman of incomparable beauty. His family believes her arrival may herald Ballard’s salvation.
…until they confront her elder sister.

Determined to rescue her sibling from ruin, Louvaen Duenda pursues her to a decrepit castle and discovers a household imprisoned in time. Dark magic, threatening sorcerers, and a malevolent climbing rose with a thirst for blood won’t deter her, but a proud man disfigured by an undying hatred might. Louvaen must decide if loving him will ultimately save him or destroy him.

A tale of vengeance and devotion. And how!

Another friend with a new book!

My friend Lu (aka L.K. Campbell) has a new book out and it's also available in paperback! Oh yep indeedy! I love her stories, they are sweet romance, with intriguing plots, and are pure romance at heart.

Inheriting Evergreen
by L.K. Campbell

Kristy Miller’s aunt dies suddenly, leaving Kristy a large portion of her multi-million dollar estate including her mountain home, Evergreen. Kristy soon discovers that Aunt Leslie had kept a few secrets from her family, not the least of which is how she earned her fortune. One of her aunt’s secrets leads Kristy into a new relationship with the charming but stubborn Drew Stone.

Each of Drew’s young sons received a large inheritance from Aunt Leslie, but Mr. Stone maintains that he has never met or heard of Kristy’s aunt. The other secret may be the biggest of all—Evergreen might be haunted, sending Kristy in search of a ghost.

Amazon ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Inheriting-Evergreen-L-K-Campbell-ebook/dp/B00GNQZ9V0

Amazon trade paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Inheriting-Evergreen-L-K-Campbell/dp/1494705303

About the Author

L.K. Campbell has been writing for most of her life. Her professional writing career began with a weekly newspaper column called Scenes from Real Life. She wrote this column for her hometown newspaper for four years. She began writing fiction in her early twenties, choosing the romance genre because she enjoyed reading books by Victoria Holt as well as the Harlequin and Silhouette lines. From 1986-2007, she worked for her hometown, daily newspaper, becoming the paper’s composition supervisor in 2000. In 2007, she left the newspaper and now does e-book formatting for “indie” authors and for two publishers as her full-time business, LK E-Book Formatting Service.