So for those of you who don’t know, today is the release day for TANGLED TIDES – Karen Hooper‘s debut novel! It’s about mermaids and selkies and all sorts of underwater creatures. PLUS ROMANCE! The world Karen has created is truly magical and unique…and kind of makes me bummed I don’t have a real mermaid tail.

I mean, CHECK OUT THE COVER. How does that NOT make you want a splashy tail?

And here’s the official blurb:

I mean, how AWESOME does that sound?!

As part of Karen’s release day, she’s thrown the gauntlet for an all-out UNDERWATER WEB WEB WAR! Don’t know what that means? Check out Karen’s blog, pick a team, and leave her a comment to be entered to win a copy of Tangled Tides. SUPER EASY.

Want to know who I’m rooting for? I’ll give you a hint:And why did I choose Merfolk? BECAUSE THEY HAVE TAILS! THEY CAN BREATHE UNDERWATER. AND THEY’RE THE COLORS OF THE RAINBOW. I mean, the choice should be obvious. MERFOLK FTW!

Please go congratulate Karen on her debut release (@Karen_Hooper) and tweet your team choice with the hashtag #TangledTides to take part in all the web war fun! GOOD LUCK!

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY, STEPHANIE!

Please check out Lily of the Nile at a bookstore near you!

Based on the true life story of Cleopatra’s daughter.

With her
parents dead, the daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony is left at the
mercy of her Roman captors. Heir to one empire and prisoner of
another, it falls to Princess Selene to save her brothers and reclaim
what is rightfully hers…

In the aftermath of
Alexandria’s tragic fall, Princess Selene is taken from Egypt, the
only home she’s ever known. Along with her two surviving brothers,
she’s put on display as a war trophy in Rome. Selene’s captors mock
her royalty and drag her through the streets in chains, but on the
brink of death, the children are spared as a favor to the emperor’s
sister, who takes them to live as hostages in the so-called lamentable
embassy of royal orphans…

Now trapped in a Roman court of
intrigue that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, Selene
can’t hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her flesh. Nor
can she stop the emperor from using her for his own political ends.
But faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a
Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined honor her mother’s
lost legacy. The magic of Egypt and Isis remain within her. But can
she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a
political game where the only rule is win or die?

Berkley Trade January 2011 (Trade
Paperback, 430 pages)
# ISBN-10: 0425238555
# ISBN-13:
978-0425238554

Buy Lily of the Nile:

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Constellation Books
• Borders
• Indiebound
• Powell’s

Anyway, Maggie’s holding an awesome giveaway to celebrate the upcoming release of the next book in the Shiver series, Linger. I would’ve posted about this anyway since I usually post about releases on Tuesdays…but this contest forced me to get off my butt and run like crazy to get as many entries as possible because this GIVEAWAY ROCKS MY SOCKS. Yeah. Here are the details for your perusal:

In Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other.  Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack.  And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love — the light and the dark, the warm and the cold — in a way you will never forget.

Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here.

Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie’s blog.

(And as another add, I’ve been lurking and reading some of the short fiction on Merry Sisters of Fate that Maggie shares with Brenna Yovanoff and Tessa Gratton, and there is some seriously good stuff on there. Like goosebumps good. You should really check it out. Just sayin’.)

Here’s the newest release from a Diva – Jennifer Leeland, with her debut Samhain release (WARNING: Shield your eyes if you’re under 18):

“The Christmas She Rules”
Control is her kink…and she’s losing it.

It’s another gloomy Christmas for Pamela Dane. Not only is it the anniversary of a dark period in her life, but all her friends had the nerve to hook up. It’s not easy for a female Domme to find a playmate. Maybe The Cage in San Francisco will be the perfect place to escape—and find a willing man to chase away the memories.

Christian Nolan is at the BDSM club for the hell of it. Yet the minute Mistress Dane takes control of him, she not only stuns him with her talent, he stuns himself with his willingness to surrender. Her offer to meet him there for another night is intriguing—and frightening.

Pamela’s session with Chris shakes her to the core, resurrecting memories she’s afraid to face. But Chris isn’t willing to let her past haunt her…even if it leaves his heart in tatters.

Warning: Hot, strong man on his knees, which will bring you to yours. Strap-on action, anal play, lots of leather and tons of tension. Alpha male who likes to do whatever the right woman tells him to do, including another woman.

BUY IT HERE!
Want a taste? Read an excerpt HERE.

KRESLEY COLE delivers a breathtaking tale of a brutal vampire soldier about to know love for the first time…and a Valkyrie aching to be touched.Murdoch Wroth will stop at nothing to claim Daniela the Ice Maiden — the delicate Valkyrie who makes his heart beat for the first time in three hundred years. Yet the exquisite Danii is part ice fey, and her freezing skin can’t be touched by anyone but her own kind without inflicting pain beyond measure. Soon desperate for closeness, in an agony of frustration, Murdoch and Danii will do anything to have each other. Together, can they find the key that will finally allow them to slake the overwhelming desire burning between them?

GENA SHOWALTER puts a daring spin on a tale of huntress and hunted…and concocts a sensual chemistry that is positively explosive.Aleaha Love can be anyone — literally. With only skin-to-skin contact, she can change her appearance, assume any identity. Her newest identity switch has made her an AIR (alien investigation and removal) agent and sends her on a mission to capture a group of otherworldly warriors. Only she becomes the captured. Breean, a golden-skinned commander known for his iron will who is at once dangerous and soul-shatteringly seductive, threatens her new life. Because for the first time, Aleaha only wants to be herself….

Buy it from Amazon

You can also read about how Gena and Kresley worked together during this project at Borders True Romance.

Scent of Cin by Ella Drake

Death brought Cin her love, a sexy half-demon she can’t resist

Half-demon Vedo resurrects the newly-dead Cinnamon Murphy, detective, bane of the Hellions — and all woman. Vedo needs her to find his son, product of a forced union with a powerful demoness, but Vedo gets more than he bargains for. Once Cin is no longer a shade, her scent becomes a lure his Nephilim nature can’t resist. Cin finds that being raised from the dead gives her uncontrollable cravings for heat, especially for the hot man who needs her help, a man she’s sworn to kill.

Before publication, Scent of Cin was the 2008 novella winner of the Stroke of Midnight Contest, sponsored by Passionate Ink.

This erotic paranormal romance is available at Cobblestone Press.
Excerpt and more information available at www.elladrake.com.

And Kendal Ashby has a new release for her novella, Chasing Sunrise. She has a contest going on until 10/13 with cool prizes. Check out her blog for details.

Here’s her blurb:

Chasing Sunrise

Megan Chase is vacationing at an all-inclusive Caribbean resort when her friend Sadie hits it off with another guest at the resort. She finds herself kicked out of her room. She spends the night in the hot tub and wandering the beach with a handsome stranger by her side. As the two get to know each other, Megan struggles to control her growing desire for a man who is supposed to marry someone else next month.

Keith Gates’s best man, Doug, dragged him on a makeshift bachelor trip to the beachfront resort. Before he left home, Keith learned his fiancee had been cheating on him and now faces the tough decision to forgive her or end the relationship. Ditched by his best friend, Keith spends time with Megan. As the night turns to early morning, Keith fights his growing attraction for Megan. He’s not a free man and refuses to take advantage of her. Is their night together bad timing, or the clear sign he was hoping to find?

Genre: Contemporary
Rating: Sweet
Book Length: Short Story
Price: $2.99

Visit this link to the book: HERE

Check it out:

“Naughty or Nice” in Under the Covers anthology, by Crystal Jordan

Dayna Sharp has the perfect job, the perfect man…the perfect life. So why is the prospect of marrying Mr. Wonderful so perfectly boring? It’s a question Dayna can’t shake when she brings her fiance home to meet her spectacularly un-boring family–and finds herself pursued by a bad-boy bearing gifts that could burn a hole in more than her Christmas stocking…

Read an excerpt here!

Can friendship mixed with unrequited passion equal happily ever after?

Second Chances
Cover Artist: Heidi Hutchinson
Editor: Devin Govaere
Genre(s): Contemporary, Multicultural
ISBN: 978‐1‐60088‐464‐1
Price: $3.99

When Elaina Matthews ran into Sebastian Ramos at his grandmother’s house, she never expected it would lead to another night of wild sex. Or to a relationship.
Sebastian knows what he wants and that’s Elaina in his life and in his bed, forever. He moves full-steam ahead in getting her to agree to a relationship. But will his desire for Elaina overwhelm her and end their relationship before it really starts. And there is another problem on the horizon for the new couple – what will his family say when they discover he’s dating his brother’s ex?

Read an excerpt

Buy

Myla by Moonlight by Inez Kelley is now available from Samhain Publishing

Magic bites… and its name is Myla.

Created at Prince Taric’s birth, Myla is a spell, an enchantment designed to appear and protect him when he needs it most. She has always been content to do her duty…until one night of forbidden passion leaves her longing to experience life—and love—as a mortal woman. Yet the risk is too great. Even if her blood runs as red as his, she can never give him the one thing he needs: a child.

Taric’s blessing—and his curse—is knowing the kingdom’s future depends on his producing an heir to continue the bloodline. His bond with Myla has always been that of protector and protected. When it suddenly becomes something much more, he unwittingly sentences his people to certain death.

An old enemy is plotting to destroy all he holds dear: his lands, his people, his father, and his lover. And this time, even if they fight tooth and blade, their shared magic may not be enough to save them…

Click here or here to read an excerpt.
Click here or on the cover to purchase.

The Egyptian Demon’s Keeper – Ciar Cullen

Love—it’s the real thing. And complicated as hell…

Archeologist Eliza Schneider assumes her meeting with an exotic stranger in the Egyptian desert was a heat-induced hallucination…until he materializes in New York. She has to give the tall, handsome Egyptian high marks for originality with his pick-up line: they’re fated to save the world together. The master/servant thing goes a long way toward sweeping her off her feet, but it’s easier to believe he’s just another in her long line of poor romantic choices.

Kasdeya, the Fifth Satan, waited eons for his Keeper to find her way to his tomb amongst the ancient ruins. He only has a limited time to convince Eliza that her role is critical to help defeat the loathsome Deumos, a female demon who has laid her claim to bearing his child—a child that will bring down mortals.

Trouble is, Eliza doesn’t even believe Kasdeya is real. If he can’t convince her he isn’t an illusion—and neither is their love—Deumos will win.

Buy it here.

All Fired Up - Kristen Painter

Desire can heal the coldest heart—or burn it to ashes.

Alrik Gunn knows from bitter experience that change isn’t always for the better. From the woman who annihilated his Viking clan to the goddess who tricked him into centuries of slavery, betrayal has dogged his existence. The Goddess of Love is going to let him avenge his family, but for a price. As a Phoenix—a merchant of change—he must grant a human woman three chances to change her life.

When former Irish dancer Calleigh McCarthy tosses a carved-bird statue that belonged to her ex into a roaring bonfire, she unwittingly summons an honest-to-god Phoenix. A sexy, irresistible Viking who offers her an unbelievable bonus—three get-out-of-her-crappy-life-free cards. She’ll take it, even if it means guarding her cautious heart against the dark pain behind Alrik’s eyes.

Alrik has vowed never to let love sway him again, but Calleigh’s innocence and kindness throw him off balance. Yet even as his need for revenge fades and his love for her grows, he is bound to let her make her choices without interfering.

One wrongly chosen word, and any chance for happiness—for either of them—will go up in flames.  Buy it here.

Can’t Stand the Heat – Louisa Edwards