Mary’s Musings...about THE COWBOY TAKES A BRIDE by Lori Wilde

Who does not love great cowboy love stories.  In THE COWBOY TAKES A BRIDE by Lori Wilde you get the ride of how love makes you as crazy as it does happy and as sad as it makes you giddy.

I have allot of Texas family and every time an author brings up a town or area in Texas where one of them lives it makes me so happy.  Of course they think I should smile every time I think of Texas but me – not so much!

THE COWBOY TAKES A BRIDE by Lori Wilde came to me from Avon Publishing for a review and contest give away.  All I ask in return for you to be eligible to win is please leave a comment on “what is your cowboy or cowgirl hero?”  Now, you have to come back on Sunday – April 29^th when I post the winners for the week and see if you have won.  If you do not come back, you will not know you won, and you will not get your prize because I am going to need your address. 

Life is about closing doors, opening windows, clearing the air, and celebrating one positive LITTLE VICTORY in a day that may have been full of negatives.  Do not forget to cast your positive votes for me on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  Your vote matters and I greatly appreciate my followers!

~  REVIEW from The Reading Reviewer  ~

THE COWBOY TAKES A BRIDE by Lori Wilde

If I bloom where I am planted, do weeds have to show up?

When everything is taken away in Chicago for Mariah Callahan picking up and moving to Texas makes complete sense.  Mariah’s estranged father left her his little piece of paradise that turns out to be a complete nightmare but she is going to make the best of it especially since she has nowhere else to go.  Mariah’s father was the man she always wanted in her life while he choose to chase dreams and horses.  Mariah hopes that this plot of dirt will turn out to be her second chance in life and maybe bring closure to a pain that will not go away.

After Mariah meets her neighbor, former bull rider, and horse cutter Joe Daniels, she quickly concludes he is absolutely the icing on a wedding cake but not quite as sweet.  He is suffering over his own loss yet the draw between the two is hard to deny.  The pull toward each other is strong but so is the fight to stay away from each other.  Mariah has had one man choose his own life over her and she will not go through that again.  However, Mariah also knows that is nothing wrong with living in the moment where you are living and Joe could be a wonderful added attraction.

Mariah wants to cut and run but the town turns out to be great and everyone is helping her set down roots, dang it.  Joe wants her to stay because he knows with something in his future perhaps he can let go of the past.  Mariah so stubborn and full of determination you would never hold her height against her.  Building a new life is never easy and when unexpected surprises arrive in the mail decisions become difficult and finding out you are the problem in the relationship is definitely scary.  Mariah keeps hearing how she is like her father, like her former boss, and too much like her father when maybe she is just when maybe it is none of the above and she is just as she is supposed to be.

Everyone looks for a great book and since Lori Wilde has written just that put your cowboy boots on and start reading.  Let this story take you on a great ride through the difficulties of romance and the price you have to pay for love.

Contest Winners for WE 04-28-12

I have decided one of these weeks I am going to post on Sunday that nothing happened this week, everything was uneventful, and life is calm.  

But again - not this week.  My oldest son plays on a softball league for men in his age group of which he is 30.  Unfortunately some hot shot short stop who thought he was Ozzie Smith decided to stop my son from rounding 2nd base and threw the ball as hard as he could directly into the right side of my son's face.  This person was successful in completely shattering his check bone, the orbital bone and whatever the bone is below your check.  There is shattered bone fragments in his sinus cavity at a minimum and some dental issues to be addressed later.  

They are going to operate on him Thursday - May 3rd and repair the damage, put in 3 plates to replace those bones broken that cannot be repaired and clean up the damage to his palate.  Right now he has no feeling whatsoever in the extremely damaged areas. we are just praying that after the trauma is gone he will get it back.

Now my son should have been wearing a helmet at the very least and a face mask at the most extreme and he was not - however - the person that did this to him should have tracked him down at a bare minimum to apologize or done something to say "I am sorry".  It is that lack of an act of simple manners that  has me the most angry.

Plus I hate this new version of Google - I'm just saying!

So my winners are:

Cara Elliott - Too Tempting to Resist: MaryAnne B

Cathy Maxwell - Lyon's Bride: Lexi B

Diane Kelly - Taxes, etc: Erin

Pop Culture Saturday - Curses, Spells, and Hexes, Oh My!

We have winners from last week's posts!


Caption Jodi Thomas and Sarah Wendell:  Elf's caption of hula lessons wins a book choice from my convention stash.

Laura Griffin's TWISTED:  Dorothy wins a print copy.

ML Buchman's THE NIGHT IS MINE:  Danielle wins a print copy.

On Wednesday, I spotlighted Cathy Maxwell's LYON'S BRIDE at SOS Aloha (at this link).   Mary Gramlich also reviewed LYON'S BRIDE here at the Reading Reviewer (at this link).   We both loved the book because it tackled a timeless issue - love conquers all, including fear.   

At SOS Aloha, I borrowed characters from THE WIZARD OF OZ to introduce the book - Cathy, like Dorothy, hails from Kansas.  Cathy's characters from LYON'S BRIDE, like the characters from THE WIZARD OF OZ, have to face their fears.  The lion found his courage.  The tin man found his heart.  The scarecrow found his brain.   Toto found the Wizard.  And Dorothy found her way home.  Yet they all had to get past that Wicked Witch of the West and her flying monkeys!

The opening chapter of LYON'S BRIDE sets up the fear - a centuries' old curse from a Scottish witch:

Watchers of the threshold, watchers of the gate,

open hell and seal Chattans' fate

When a Chattan male falls in love, 

strike his heart with fire from Above.

Crush his heart, destroy his line;

Only then will justice be mine.

The curse continues to plague the Chattan family in 1814.   Three siblings - Neal, Harry, and Margaret - grew up in the shadows of a loveless marriage.  Neal, the heir, walked away from a childhood friend for fear of falling in love with her.   Harry, a decorated soldier, is irreverent to women and wine.  Margaret, their spinster sister, is seemingly cold.  Then Neal takes a chance, challenges the curse, and their lives are forever changed.   Good?  Bad?  You'll have to read the book to see how Cathy's characters try to get past that Wicked Witch.   The siblings do not encounter flying monkeys, but they have other roadblocks to their HEA.   That's the icing on the coco puffs - Cathy makes love relevant!

We all have roadblocks in our lives - what causes the fear? I fear flying.  I live near the historic Hickam Operations Center (which you will see on Monday night's episode of H50 when Danno welcomes Callen and Sam from NCIS).  I watch cargo aircraft and and passenger carriers land safely each day.   I know they have flown for at least five hours over the Pacific Ocean, at an altitude of at least 35,000 feet, with no problem.  Day in, day out, flying is safe.  It works within the laws of nature.  Yet I fear it.   Am I cursed?

When I do fly, I carry rosary beads given to me by a friend who also fears flying.   Logically, I know that I am playing into that witch's curse to fear flying ... yet emotionally I have to approach my fear.   It is all about balance.   The beads remind me that my family and friends are waiting for me.

The lion said to Dorothy,  "I would never have found my courage if it hadn't been for you."   Perhaps fear points us in the direction we need to go.  Perhaps fear breaks us out of our shells.  Perhaps fear motivates us for a better life.  

Have you overcome a fear?  One randomly selected commenter wins a print copy of LYON'S BRIDE.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Friday, May 4, 10 pm in Hawaii.   

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

I respect (not fear) Hawaii's spiritual beliefs.

Mary’s Musings...about LYON’S BRIDE by Cathy Maxwell

To capture not just the heart of a character but the soul of characters is not an easy task.  To absorb the mystique that is romance in a character’s life even harder.  Yet author Cathy Maxwell has done this throughout her career but never as brilliantly as with Lyon’s Bride.  Cathy performed the task so well that at one point I literally wept with the passion of these characters.

         My overall opinion if you have faith everything can and will be cured or resolved, you just have to believe.  You cannot let the burden of life bear down on you to the point of not letting go of the past.  You have to keep moving forward without the bitterness that can weigh you down.

I do believe with all everything I am that life is to be treasured and lived and that someone, somewhere is watching over me.  It is not easy fulfilling your dreams but it can be done.  I have said it before, it is not the baggage in your life that is the problem just make sure it has wheels and you can pull it along not be dragged down by it.

LYON’S BRIDE by Cathy Maxwell came to me from Avon Publishing for a review and contest give away.  All I ask in return for you to be eligible to win is please leave a comment on “what is your life affirmation?”  Now, you have to come back on Sunday – April 29^th when I post the winners for the week and see if you have won.  If you do not come back, you will not know you won, and you will not get your prize because I am going to need your address. 

Life is about closing doors, opening windows, clearing the air, and celebrating one positive LITTLE VICTORY in a day that may have been full of negatives.  Do not forget to cast your positive votes for me on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  Your vote matters and I greatly appreciate my followers!

~  REVIEW from The Reading Reviewer  ~

LYON’S BRIDE by Cathy Maxwell

The Chattan Curse

Should one decision be allowed to control your entire existence?

When Thea Martin’s matchmaking skills reunite her with Neal Chattan, Lord Lyon the twists and turns were ones she never expected.  Thea has been taking care of her two sons, surviving on the income from her business, and the icy rejection of his family.  She may have made less than great decisions based on love but nothing could prepare her for Neal’s desire turn away from any type of love in his live no matter what he might say otherwise.  Neal wanted a wife, someone to produce an heir, and nothing more than a woman he tolerated.

Thea tries to accommodate his needs but finds that the relationship and feelings they built as children apparently cannot be dismissed.  Neal talks of saving her from him and the curse that plagues his family, yet Thea sees nothing but the man of her dreams and a future for her family.  Neal believes he cannot fall in love without losing his life and does everything he can to prevent it.  Staying away from Thea should help but it is not as she is more beautiful than any dream woman he could ever have imagined.  The want of her kiss, need of her touch, and desire for her body consume him to the point of distraction.  As much as he fights this pull, it is something that is taking on its own existence in his life, much like the witch that has cursed his family for almost two centuries.  Neal may know what he should do but that is not what he wants to do.

Cathy Maxwell knows how to capture and write the romance of love.  Ms. Maxwell has the brilliant ability to seize every moment in a story and develop it until the reader weeps with the joy that the characters share.

Aloha to ML Buchman and THE NIGHT IS MINE

Nadja, an Army spouse, offers a special insight to ML Buchman's THE NIGHT IS MINE:


NAME: Emily Beale
RANK: Captain
MISSION: Fly undercover to prevent the assassination of the First Lady, posing as her executive pilot.

NAME: Mark Henderson, code name Viper
RANK: Major
MISSION: Undercover role of wealthy, ex-mercenary boyfriend to Emily

Their jobs are high risk, high reward:

Protect the lives of the powerful and the elite at all cost. Neither expected that one kiss could distract them from their mission. But as the passion mounts between them, their lives and their hearts will both be risked...and the reward this time may well be worth it.

I loved this book. A military romance about elite helicopter pilots written by a man? That was all I needed to know. I was immediately intrigued and Mr. Buchman didn’t let me down. THE NIGHT IS MINE is the first book in a four-book series (because there’re four seats on a Black Hawk helicopter) featuring “women pilots who fly for the immensely secretive, real-life U.S. Army SOAR.”  The next book is scheduled for August later this year and I’m preordering.

There were a number of things that really worked for me here. I loved all the technical, military details that dealt with SOAR and the helicopters. Fair warning, though, if you’re not a closeted helicopter enthusiast, there is a chance the flying stuff may be a tad much at times. I loved that Emily knew she could be an overbearing bitch when pushed. She didn’t make it this far in a male-dominated field by playing nice and remaining polite at all times. I really enjoyed the idea of her being grouchy and sweaty and less than feminine. Buchman had a great handle on her. Emily’s references to “guy speak” were spot on.

I have read a review that suggested Emily may have been too good at what she did to be a believable character. I disagree. Buchman made it very clear right from the start that Emily and Mark were the best of the best, the elite in their chosen profession. Clearly they overachieve; they live and breathe their jobs, but then they work in a field where second best puts lives in danger.

The elite pilot becoming a gourmet chef may have been a bit of a stretch but completely in character; Emily would never not be good at what she chooses to do (excluding feminine social interactions and girl talk).

Mark’s exasperation and attraction fit perfectly. The two of them had great romantic chemistry and elevated this page-turner into a scorcher.

No book is perfect, though. I could have done without all that waiting around in The White House, especially on Mark’s part. In fact, the whole Washington/White House angle almost required more suspension of disbelief than Mark and Emily borrowing Black Hawks for training and the story started to veer sharply off the military path. Luckily, by that point in the story I was too invested in the characters and completely ready to read on.

Mahalo, Nadja, for you review!  I am giving away a print copy of THE NIGHT IS MINE to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about helicopters - have you flown on one?   Would you like to pilot one?

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Friday, April 27, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, April 28.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Mary’s Musings...about DEATH, TAXES, AND A SKINNY NO-WHIP LATTE by Diane Kelly

It is appropriate that I finished DEATH, TAXES, AND A SKINNY NO-WHIP LATTE by Diane Kelly book on April 15^th since this is Tax Day in the United States.  In 2012 we have until April 17^th to file but for some reason I am done and the taxes are completed for me just waiting for my return.

Talking about taxes and the IRS would seem to be uninteresting but Dian Kelly has written a second book with a great female lead in Tara Halloway.  Death, Taxes and a Skinny No-Whip Latte shows how a strong woman balances career, relationships and be a great shot.  She is from Texas after all and I think that is mandatory to maintain your citizenship in the state.  Well you have to love guns and blue bonnets – a topic I have discussed on numerous occasions.  Love the flowers get sick of hearing about them every blasted year.

DEATH, TAXES, AND A SKINNY NO-WHIP LATTE by Diane Kelly came to me from St. Martin’s Press for a review and contest give away.  All I ask in return for you to be eligible to win is please leave a comment on “what thoughts come to mind when you think about the IRS?”  Now, you have to come back on Sunday – April 8^th when I post the winners for the week and see if you have won.  If you do not come back, you will not know you won, and you will not get your prize because I am going to need your address. 

 

Life is about closing doors, opening windows, clearing the air, and celebrating one positive LITTLE VICTORY in a day that may have been full of negatives.  Do not forget to cast your positive votes for me on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  Your vote matters and I greatly appreciate my followers!

~  REVIEW from The Reading Reviewer  ~

DEATH, TAXES, AND A SKINNY NO-WHIP LATTE by Diane Kelly

Book #2 in the Tara Holloway Series

When do you know that you have crossed the line and gone too far?

You would think being a Treasury Department Criminal Investigator, a gun toting arm of the IRS would be boring and financially draining.  For Tara Holloway it is anything but mundane, as she keeps being assigned to go after the bad ass tax evaders.  Technically, they are hardened criminals and tax evasion is the only option they government has to prosecute.  Still Tara is a great shot, awesome with figuring out what does not add up, and being a determined woman on a mission.  A great combination when the odds are stacked against you at every turn and everyone avoids having the IRS find them.

Her current case has Tara is going after the prime example of evil.  This nightmare in designer clothes preys on those who think they are doing good when in fact they are being used to launder money.  The lucky ones walk away after their time is up, others have their body parts scattered all over town.  Tara is going to take this person down and along the way figure out what made an agent turn to the dark side.  This is like one huge puzzle where none of the pieces fit without forcing them to. 

Tara is going to crack this case even when she is told to back off.  She knows her objective is trying to throw her off but new reinforcements step up to help her out in ways she never would have imagined.  There is a huge price to pay for going rogue and Tara has to decide if she is willing to risk everything including her life for this one case.  The clock is ticking, and decisions have to be made without hesitation.  Is Tara up for this kind of pressure – of course she is, that is what every Texas woman does.

Diane Kelly knows how to pull the right elements of romance and intrigue into one awesome book.  Ms. Kelly shows what a tough, goal driven woman acts like and it is refreshing to find one in a branch of the government.

Aloha to Laura Griffin and TWISTED

Aloha!  Each Tuesday, I get together with two other military spouses to tour the island - Nadja and Renee.   They just happened to be published authors.   Hence, we discuss books as we soak up Oahu's beauty. 


I asked Nadja  to review Laura Griffin's new book, TWISTED:

New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin chills with her newest novel of suspense and romance in the award-winning Tracers series, when a woman police detective in a small Texas town discovers that the only thing more terrifying than a killer you don’t know . . . is the one you do.

Motive, opportunity, and no alibi—it seems close to a slam-dunk. But while rookie detective Allison Doyle’s department has ID’d a suspect in a young woman’s vicious murder, she is uneasy. Then legendary FBI profiler Mark Wolfe shows up with a startling theory: if he’s right, the real murderer is an elusive psychopath just days away from another kill.

Using Allison’s contacts at the Delphi Center crime lab, Wolfe is finally in striking distance of the monster he’s pursued for ten years. Except that as they work together, Wolfe finds the ambitious, stubborn woman a tempting distraction. And with this brutal predator, every thread of evidence can make the difference between being the hunter . . . and the prey.


TWISTED was my first Laura Griffin book, but she’s by no means a new author. According  to her website, her Tracers novels follow “an elite group of forensic experts who help homicide cops and cold case detectives solve the most unsolvable crimes.” I thoroughly enjoyed this offering in her series and will check out her backlist. I was quite happy with the killer (never thought I’d say that) and completely on board when he was caught and in handcuffs. Naturally there was a twist and it worked for me; it was obvious things were not as they seemed, but Griffin did a good job of keeping me on my toes.


Allison, the rookie detective, was a believably flawed character. Green and new, she made mistakes and struggled with the demands of her job. I liked that she knew she was the token women on the force, which to her was a fact of life and small town realities, not some feminist cross to bear. She knew she had to prove herself as an investigator. Her professional and personal attraction to Mark, the seasoned FBI veteran, was completely in character, but I didn’t feel like the two had any romantic chemistry.


Mark in turn was attracted to Allison’s idealistic qualities and her fresh-faced attitude, which hadn’t yet been tainted by years on the job. Her stubbornness, both professionally and personally, intrigued and impressed him. His initial refusal to act on his feelings made sense; he knew he was living out of a suitcase and didn’t want to make Allison a notch on his traveling belt. Again, I could totally see his attraction, but didn’t feel any romantic chemistry. His character didn’t seem nearly as fleshed out and multi-dimensional as Allison’s. Clearly the man had no life and only lived for his job, which makes giving him dimensions all the more difficult, but that made his epiphany and final decisions less convincing. 


Twisted was a superb mystery. I definitely enjoyed the suspense and had a good time getting to know the Tracers, but felt underwhelmed by the romantic aspect of the novel.


On a side note, I was completely intrigued by Ben Lawson, the beer T-shirt wearing  boy genius cyber sleuth at the Delphi Center and one of the Tracers. I hope he gets his own book. If he does, I’m pre-ordering.

Mahalo, Nadja, for the review!   I am giving away a print copy of TWISTED to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  What attracts you to romantic suspense?

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through  Friday, April 27, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Saturday, April 28.   I'll also post the winner of the caption contest on Saturday, April 28.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

   

Mary’s Musings...about TOO TEMPTING TO RESIST by Cara Elliott

I have always wanted to be able to paint, capture what I feel and put it onto canvas.  However, I cannot even take a picture with the simplest of cameras so the option to paint a picture is a no go for me.  When Cara Elliott writes about the splendor that is the simplest of flowers with such amazing detail it took my breath away.  Knowing that there is someone out there that can paint such a masterpiece always leaves me and Claude Monet will forever be the bar that all other paintings are set for me.

TOO TEMPTING TO RESIST by Cara Elliott came to me from Grand Central – Forever for a review and contest give away.  All I ask in return for you to be eligible to win is please leave a comment on “what talent do you not have that you wish you did?”  Now, you have to come back on Sunday – April 29^th when I post the winners for the week and see if you have won.  If you do not come back, you will not know you won, and you will not get your prize because I am going to need your address. 

 

Life is about closing doors, opening windows, clearing the air, and celebrating one positive LITTLE VICTORY in a day that may have been full of negatives.  Do not forget to cast your positive votes for me on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  Your vote matters and I greatly appreciate my followers!

~  REVIEW from The Reading Reviewer  ~

TOO TEMPTING TO RESIST by Cara Elliott

Book #2 in the Lords of Midnight Trilogy

How much trouble am I willing to get into for this love?

Gryffin Owain Dwight, the Marquess of Haddan is a man with a well-deserved reputation as a notorious troublemaker.  Gryff and his other cohorts have run amok through proper social protocol and enjoyed every minute of it.  What no one sees beneath Gryff’s surface is the heart of a poet and the soul of man who honors not only the beauty of flowers but their meaning as well.  Gryff however has become mesmerized by something he never thought possible, a woman he just met.  Gryff is not a hero but he certainly wishes to be the salvation for Eliza, Lady Brentford who is desperately in need of a white knight.

Eliza has suffered through one bad marriage and is trying desperately to manage her brother from running them straight to the poor house with the money she has left.  Eliza like every woman has a plan to use her gift of painting and illustration to make her own money making it possible for her to support herself free from anymore dimwitted men.  Eliza keeps a private profile to make sure no one knows her secret.  She would never guess the latest book she is illustrating is for Gryff whom she just met and is as spell bound by him as she mistrustful.

These two take an immediate attraction to one another to the next level of secret rendezvous where clothing is optional.  The more they dance around the relationship the more entrenched they both become.  Warning flags are flying high and flapping in the wind but neither of them will listen, they just want to know if the secret each of them is hiding will help the relationship or ruin it.

Cara Elliott is the master of writing a breath taking and romantic book built around an exciting, engrossing story of suspense and intrigue.  I believe she is truly one of a kind in bringing all the pieces and characters to a fulfilling conclusion yet always leaving the reader begging for the next book.

Blog issues, contest winners, and thanks to Diane

First off a big, huge thank you to my follow Diane.  She performed the most generous random act of kindness that I appreciate beyond words and something I really needed right now.  Getting back on your financial feet after unemployment is not easy and her generosity is a huge assistance in that.  Thank you Diane!

I had a busy but productive week at work and was not able to check my bank account (where my tax rebate was loaded) nor my blog (where my Friday post did not post, nor did Kim's Saturday post).  I saw that it was set to go out on that day but it did not and I don't know why, seriously a quandry so I am blaming Google.

BIG FAVOR:  you guys have my email address if there is ever a day without a post please send me an email and I will figure out what is going on.  Kim and I both post here but something should be on there every single day - if only something telling you that nothing is.

But instead of bemoaning my lack of attention to that detail I am rescheduling here and there so if you try to come back on a certain genre day - it may have moved to another day.  This is my fault but better to reschedule than move over it.

Winners this week are:

Lynsay Sands (The Husband Hunt) - Sandy

Jaymie Holland (Bound by Desire) Ophelia

Aloha to RT Booklovers' Convention - Jodi Thomas and Sarah Wendell

Aloha!  I am posting recaps of the RT Booklovers' Convention at SOS Aloha (at this link).   I'd like to share a sequence of pictures following the panel FINDING THE EXTRAORDINARY IN THE ORDINARY.  Authors Jodi Thomas (at this link) and Sarah Wendell (at this link) continued their discussion after the panel.

Sarah frequently asks readers to "caption" pictures on her blog ... so let's caption Sarah and Jodi:

I welcome your captions ... keep 'em clean!  Captions are open through Monday, April 23, 10 pm in Hawaii. I'll post the winner on Tuesday, April 24.  The winner receives a book choice from my convention stash.  This contest is open to all readers.


Mahalo,


Kim in Hawaii

Mary’s Musings...about BOUND BY DESIRE – Jaymie Holland

BOUND BY DESIRE – Jaymie Holland came to me from St. Martin’s Press for a review and contest give away.  All I ask in return for you to be eligible to win is please leave a comment on “do you think a kiss can be intoxicating?”  Now, you have to come back on Sunday – April 22^nd when I post the winners for the week and see if you have won.  If you do not come back, you will not know you won, and you will not get your prize because I am going to need your address. 

Life is about closing doors, opening windows, clearing the air, and celebrating one positive LITTLE VICTORY in a day that may have been full of negatives.  Do not forget to cast your positive votes for me on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  Your vote matters and I greatly appreciate my followers!

~  REVIEW from The Reading Reviewer  ~

BOUND BY DESIRE – Jaymie Holland

Does love always have to tie you down?

Being a gifted artist Annie Travis has always been able to visualize what she wanted to paint.  Right now she is going attempting to paint a place she has never seen with a man walking toward her that she has never met.  Then on a night when she least expects it the King of Diamonds, Karn reaches out his hand to her and draws her into his kingdom.

Annie has no idea what to expect from this man except an intensely sexual relationship.  His kiss is a powerful aphrodisiac that is so intoxicating she is unable to resist him or his dominant requests.  The more time she spends in his kingdom the more Annie realizes her future is here with this man and perhaps she truly is going to be the Queen of Diamonds.

Jaymie Holland has written a sexually charged, wild, and edgy book of life in another world that seems right at home.