What's 'A Witch Without Magic' To Do

Today's post is the Super Book Blast for Larisa Walk's A Witch Without Magic, her Paranormal Fantasy that is available now. This is a Book Blast, so there is no interview or blog post, but I will post a blurb and excerpt of A Witch Without Magic, along with Larisa's bio and links. I will also post the Tour Links, so you can have more chances to win one of the five $10 Amazon Gift Cards she will be awarding to commenters. Just be sure to leave your e-mail address when you comment.

Larisa Walk, a native Russian, lives in California with her husband and two formerly homeless cats. She writes paranormal fiction that is more often than not populated by characters from the Russian fairy world. Her short fiction appeared in several anthologies and magazines. She has published a historic fantasy novel, A Handful of Earth, and a modern paranormal novel, A Witch Without Magic. See her quirky blog posts here: http://www.larisawalk.com

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/A-Witch-Without-Magic-ebook/dp/B009JGYOQM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363219858&sr=8-1&keywords=a+witch+without+magic+larisa+walk

Blurb for A Witch Without Magic

When her neighbors accuse Belladonna of Satanism and making them age years to days, she must find who is behind it or face a modern day witch hunt. Her mysterious enemy knows where to strike to cause the most damage: Belladonna's only friend is losing his life-force; the garden that feeds her is dying; and her house ghost goes poltergeist. To save her neighbors and friends and prove her innocence, she must travel to the Otherworld where butterflies have razor wings and where her worst fears will come to life.

Excerpt From A Witch Without Magic

The mob on the other side of the wrought iron fence wore no tri-cornered hats or starched bonnets.  They didn’t brandish pitchforks or flaming torches.  Hell, they didn’t even bring a preacher to drive the Devil out.  Still, they had come to flush out a witch and the witch was me.

They were thirty all together, gathered outside my gate under the two California live oaks that shade the sidewalk in midday.  I had to squint into the still hot mid-October sun to study their unfamiliar faces.  The mob included several dwarves.  The youngest dwarf must have been in her forties, a tiny woman that for some reason wore a yellow, red and blue Snow White dress with an appliquéd picture of Snow White on the chest.  She didn’t look like a typical dwarf: no classically high forehead and her arms and legs were proportionate.  She was holding a fluffy purple teddy bear by a front paw and sucking her thumb.

In the sun my forehead sweated under the straw hat.  A mocking bird’s harsh chirrup burst from the oak on the right, piercing as a car horn.  I flinched.

I don’t much like or trust people in large groups - doing time in Greenville State Prison for Women had taught me that.  In prison the exercise yard is the most dangerous place to be: too many inmates in one area, too many chances to be stabbed with a shiv made from a sharpened toothbrush handle or from melted and hardened Styrofoam cups.

1:  Sexy Adventures, Passionate Tales
2:  Wicked Readings by Tawania
3:  My Odd Little World
4:  Worlds of Possibilities
5:  Camille Picott, Author
6:  Wake Up Your Wild Side
7:  Shelley's Book Case
8:  Jodie Pierce's Ink Slinger's Blog
9:  Farm Girl Books
10:  Bunny's Review
11:  It's All About The Romance
12:  Linda Nightingale-Wordsmith
13:  Christy McKee Writes for Women in the Sweet Spot of Life
14:  Passionate Encounters
15:  Sandra's Blog
16:  Paranormal Reads
17:  Wickedly Wanton Tales
18:  Long and Short Reviews
19:  The Cerebral Writer
20:  United By Books
21:  On the Broomstick
22:  Lindsay's Scribblings
23:  Writer Wonderland
24:  Author Jinni James
25:  Chris Redding Author
26:  J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
27:  Author Raine Delight's Blog
28:  Let's Get BOOKED!
29:  Loose the Hounds
30:  Christine Young Romance Writer
31:  Straight from the Library
32:  The Snarkology of a Romance Author
33:  It's Raining Books
34:  Racing To Read
35:  Book Bling Blog

Thanks again to Larisa Walk for bringing this book to us today, I like the sound of it. Looks like it's time for a shopping trip to my favorite e-book store.

Dark Waters

Today is a Virtual Book Tour for Dark Waters, an Erotic Fantasy/Paranormal Romance by Liia Ann White for Evernight Publishing. It has been a while since I had an interview, but Liia Ann was gracious enough to answer my usual questions. Before the interview, a bit about Liia Ann White. I will post the other stops to the tour as well. Make sure you leave your e-mail address with your comment for your chance to win.

 Liia Ann will be awarding a $10 Amazon Gift Card and a $10 Evernight Publishing Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. 

Liia Ann White is an Australian author, hailing from Perth, WA.

She spent her childhood daydreaming about far off lands, creating her own unique characters, reading books about witches, faeries, demons, ghosts and a host of supernatural creatures. Eventually, she gained the courage to put her imagination to work.

A self-proclaimed geek, Liia collects Disney and Star Wars memorabilia and loves all things nerdy.

A vegan animal lover, she wishes to one day have her own rescue shelter for unwanted and 'unadoptable' animals. When not writing, she can be found reading or spending time with her dogs.

Liia is a member of Romance Writers of America, Romance Writers of Australia, Passionate Ink, Futuristic, Fantasy & Paranormal Chapter of RWA and Young Adult Chapter of Romance Writers of America as well as being the webmistress for YARWA.

Always interested in meeting new people, Liia can be found on facebook or twitter almost constantly.

Website: www.liiaannwhite.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/LiiaAnn

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LiiaAnnWhite

Buy Links

Evernight Publishing: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/dark-waters-by-liia-ann-white/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Waters-Water-Lands-ebook/dp/B00B56GX9U/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1359517557&sr=8-6&keywords=liia+ann+white

AllRomanceEbooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-darkwaters-1047801-140.html

Blurb for Dark Waters

Randor is a Fae assassin. As the most feared military officer in the Faery Realm, he only got out by striking a deal with the late King to become an assassin for hire. Something he was only able to do because of his place as adopted family member. When he’s ordered to kidnap the Unseelie Faery Princess and deliver her to the Seelie Queen, he doesn’t think twice, until he sees his target. Adora. Unseelie Princess. Most beautiful being in existence and feared witch warrior and his soul mate. Disobeying orders is something he’s never done before. But when he brings her into the Human Realm; his home, he has no regrets. Until his Elvish friend, Kiel, disapproves and an unexpected attack raises questions about his loyalties. The only way that could have happened was if Kiel tipped off the Queen's witch, Maleficent.

Adora was fearless, powerful and intensely unhappy. Until she was kidnapped by a mysterious stranger, who happens to be her half human, half Seelie soul mate. After being attacked, Adora, fearing she'd lose Randor, admits her feelings for her soul mate. The two of them just need to find a way they can survive together - away from the feuding kingdoms. Entering the Seelie castle, under a pretense of needing the witch's help to bind Adora's immense power, they ask for Maleficent, whom they plan to eliminate so she can no longer track them.

When all hell breaks loose, they're involved in a fight including the witch, Kiel and the Queen. A fight that not all of them will survive. 

Excerpt for Dark Waters

As the most successful faery assassin in the realm, Randor wasn’t surprised when the Unseelie queen ordered him to kidnap a member of the Seelie royal family. The two kingdoms had been at war for over ten decades. It began because of a simple territory dispute. Now, each just wanted to one up the other.

He left the Unseelie army to stay out of the fight he deemed “ridiculous and unnecessary.” Unfortunately he was labelled as a traitor after that. He struck a deal with the late Unseelie king to leave the faery realm so he could lead an anonymous life. The one condition was that he work as an assassin. After all, he’d been the most successful officer in the Unseelie army, rising to the highest ranks before his fortieth year, a feat that took most eighty-plus years to accomplish.

Very little surprised him anymore. He’d always thought he was immune to the emotion—until he saw his target.

Princess Adora. She was officially the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. Long, wavy blonde hair touched the small of her back and was highlighted with every imaginable colour. Her tall, curvy body was covered in a tight top, pants, and boots. She dressed like a warrior rather than royalty. For the first time in his life, he hesitated to approach a target. In two silent steps, he stood behind her, alert and ready. The moment he called for the air, the ability he used to knock out his victims, a wave of power washed over him. With wide eyes, he regarded the princess and reached for his sword.

The Writer

1) What is the best thing about being a writer? The worst?

The best is being able to bring my imagination to life and see my name in print. There’s no feeling like it. Plus I absolutely love writing. Even if I wasn’t ever published, I’d be writing for fun.
The worst thing is the stress that comes with not having enough hours in the day to write. Keeping a day job (or two in my case), plus trying to write and doing all the other things we need to do in life.

2) What is your method of breaking through writer’s block?

To step back, ignore everything in the writing world, read something and go back whenever the mood strikes me. It works perfectly for me, but I’m a bit odd J

3) Do you bring your own life experiences to your writing? Your own personality? If so, how?

Yes and no. A lot of the time I write about what I would like to be – a strong, independent, sexy, beautiful heroine who doesn’t give a sh*t about anyone else’s opinion. Oh also, having superhuman abilities LoL
For my contemporary stories, I put a lot of myself into them. Their mental attributes, instabilities, weaknesses, strengths, likes and dislikes.

4) Is there any other genre you would like to try writing?

I would absolutely love to write horror. I have a lot of nightmares, a very overactive imagination and a lot of horror stories floating around in my mind, but I just don’t have the voice to write it unfortunately. One day I might try a co-authored horror venture if I’m lucky.

5) What fuels you as an author to continue to write?

Love. I absolutely love to write. If I was in it for anything else, I wouldn’t be doing it.

6) Can you tell us a bit about what book(s) you have coming out next and what you’re working on now?

My latest release, Dark Waters, is the first book in a fantasy romance series I have in the works. It follows the daughter of a Fae leader an a rogue assassin Fae. Dark Waters is about their initial meeting, establishing a smoking hot intimate relationship and battling. Book two will be a continuation of their relationship, but outside the Fae Realm. And it will be even hotter than the first J
It’s been a lot of fun to write and hopefully fun for others to read.

 The Person

7) When you get a chance to read, what books do you love to read?

I love urban fantasy novels, erotic romance, fantasy and paranormal romance novels and short stories and am a HUGE reader of Young Adult. Basically if there’s an element of fantasy or romance and it’s written well, I’ll be interested in it.

8) What bores you as a reader?

The same old storylines. There are a lot of books out there that seem to be the same old thing over and over and over again. I like reading unique and fresh ideas, but not ones that are trying to be unique, ones that are just so well written you really immerse yourself in a whole new world.

9) What is your favorite food and what is your guilty pleasure food?

My favourite food is soy ice cream with oreos crushed up in it. It’s also my guilty pleasure food. I can’t eat it every single night for obvious reasons, so when I do I really enjoy the crap out of it J

10) If you could go anywhere on a vacation where would you go?

Hmmmmm… I think I’d go to Hawaii again. I love sun, the ocean, rolling greens hills and have always wanted to see the volcanoes. Other than that, I’ve always wanted to drive around Australia, mainly across the Nullabor. As an Aussie, most people look at me like I’m mad beause it’s just a bunch of battered down towns and red dirt for miles and miles, but I think it’d be one great experience.

11) What do you think is romantic? What does the word Romance mean to you?

To me, being romantic isn’t just a gesture or a few words, it’s more so knowing that one person would do anything in the world for you because they love you. While I see romance and love going hand in hand, romance often gets left behind. I personally think that making a sweet gesture once in a while is romantic AND easy.

Flash Round – Don’t think, just answer

Ice Cream – Vanilla or chocolate

Vanilla So Good (with oreos in it hehe)

Dogs or Cats

Dogs. Always dogs.

Girly drink or Beer

Uhhh spirits? I’m a tequila girl, don’t drink wine of beer or sweet girlie drinks.

Steak or sushi

Neither, I’m vegan :-P

Mountains or beach

Beach.

Summer or Winter

Summer.

Boxers or briefs (or commando)

Boxer briefs.

 Thanks again to Liia Ann White for being here today, and there will be a review of Dark Waters here soon.

And here is the full schedule of the Dark Waters Tour.

April 1:  Christine Young Romance Writer
April 2:  Readaholic's Reviews
April 3:  Books and Other Spells
April 4:  Rachel Leigh
April 5:  All I Want and More
April 8:  Review  My Reading Obsession
April 9:  You Gotta Read Reviews
April 10:  Long and Short Reviews
April 11:  The Muse
April 11:  STOP 2  Erotica For All
April 12:  My Odd Little World
April 15:  Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess
April 16:  Dawn's Reading Nook Blog
April 17:  All in One Place
April 18:  Writers and Authors
April 19:  Wicked Readings by Tawania

Spend Six Naughty Nights with Serenity Woods

Today I want to welcome you to my stop on Serenity Woods' blog tour for Six Naughty Nights, the newest in her Love in Reverse series. As with all of Serenity's books, this one is a fun and sexy reading experience, with moments of over the top scorching hot sexy scenes and some fun role playing. First a bit about Serenity Woods, then on with the post. I asked Serenity to discuss what makes Kiwi guys different, kiwi being New Zealanders, of course. Serenity is awarding a $100 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky commenter on the tour, so please check out the Rafflecopter form for your chance to win. I will have a brief review of this one at the end of this post to pique your interest.

Serenity Woods lives in the sub-tropical Northland of New Zealand with her wonderful husband and gorgeous teenage son. She writes fun, flirty, and sexy romances in a variety of romantic sub-genres. She’s won several writing competitions and is a member of the Romance Writers of New Zealand. She would much rather immerse herself in reading or writing romance than do the dusting and ironing, which is why it’s not a great idea to pop round if you have any allergies. You can check out all her books at www.serenitywoodsromance.com.

Links

Website:http://www.serenitywoodsromance.com

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/serenitywoodsromance

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Serenity_Woods

Amazon Page:http://www.amazon.com/author/serenitywoods 

Barnes & Noble Page: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/serenity-woods

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/SerenityWoods

Hi there, it’s lovely to be here on your blog today!

I’m here to talk about Down Under. And the first thing I have to say is I’m not talking about Australia! My books are set in New Zealand, which consists of two long islands nearly a thousand miles from Australia, in the middle of the beautiful Pacific Ocean.

You asked me to tell you about how Kiwi (that’s what we call New Zealanders) guys differ from other guys. They answer is…well, they don’t really. They like food, TV and sex and refuse to pick up their socks the same as their neighbours in Australia, America, England and no doubt every other western country :-)

I’m being facetious, though, because of course Kiwi men are special. They’re practical, resourceful, usually sporty and outdoors-y, and many of them like hunting and fishing, as well as New Zealand’s national sport, rugby. If you’ve never watched rugby and never seen the All Blacks (our national team) do the Haka (a native war dance), do yourself a favour and watch it here. Worth it just to look at the size of the thighs on show, if nothing else :-) Three of these rugby players visited the school where I work to show the students the world rugby cup. Not a lot of work got done that day, I can tell you.

But although the heroes in my Love in Reverse series are very much down-to-earth Kiwi men, they’re also thoughtful and kind. If you love your heroes intense but considerate, sexy but gentle, then you’ll hopefully love Six Naughty Nights, my latest sexy romance from Samhain Publishing. It’s the follow up to Seven Sexy Sins and it features Toby, a friend of the hero in SSS. You don’t have to have read SSS to enjoy the book (but if you’d like to catch up first, you can find out more about it, including all its lovely reviews, on my website.)

Serenity x

Six Naughty Nights blurb

Six nights to remember, six days to forgive…

Esther is grateful for the strong arms that saved her and her young son from an earthquake. But she wishes their rescuer was someone else. Anyone other than the man who left her pregnant after a holiday fling.

Toby’s carpentry skills take him wherever there’s work, and right now that work is definitely cut out for him. He has to get over the shock that the little boy in his arms is his own son—and convince Esther that he’s always regretted walking away from her. 

Esther can’t bring herself to deny Toby his right to get to know Charlie. Besides, with her own home flattened, she has nowhere to go but with him to his apartment…where she discovers a sexy role-playing card game tucked in his suitcase.

When Toby invites her to accompany him to the Northland to attend his best friend’s wedding, the opportunity to explore their still-simmering attraction is too tempting to resist. As the steamy scenarios heat up, they start to realize this is more than a game. But Esther’s hiding a secret that could cause as much devastation as the earthquake...

Product Warnings
Contains role-playing fun including Roman slave and master, sexy schoolgirl spanking, and interrogation of a spy. Silk scarves included

Six Naughty Nights excerpt

He pulled her hard against him and crushed his mouth to hers. The full force of his passion washed over her, and she gasped. He took the opportunity of her open mouth to deepen the kiss, and she sighed as his tongue stroked hers, warm and inviting. He slid his hands up her ribcage over the tight dress, brushing her breasts, and then pulled back.

“I’m sure you look delightful in this pretty bra,” he murmured. “But I’d rather feel the real you. Can you do that miraculous trick girls do and take it off under your dress?”

“Are you sure?” Nerves filtered through her again. “It kind of props up everything that’s beginning to head south.” He just raised an eyebrow, however, and she cursed beneath her breath, trying to remind herself that she was supposed to be a slinky call girl. Slinky call girls didn’t talk about baby tummies and sagging breasts. “Sorry.”

First she took out the check he’d given her from her bra and popped it into the purse she’d left on the table. “Don’t want to lose that.” She reached behind and unclipped the bra, drew the straps down her arms beneath the sleeves of the dress, then pulled the garment out and tossed it onto the table. She glanced down. The dress was really more of a long, tight tube with small sleeves, and it clung to every part of her body, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. Her nipples stood out like buttons through the fabric, and her breasts looked huge.

“Wow.” Toby’s eyes gleamed. “You have an absolutely fantastic figure.”

Warmth spread through her at his admiration. “Thank you.”

“You’ve lost some weight.”

“Breastfeeding did that.” The words were out before she could stop them, and she bit her lip. Could she think of any more ways to turn him off?

But he didn’t look turned off. He ran his hands up her body to cup her breasts. “You’re so soft.”

“You’re not,” she said breathlessly as he pulled her to him, his erection obvious even through the jeans.

“Is that any surprise while you’re in my arms, so sensual and womanly?” He moved his large, warm hands over her, making her quiver as he ran his fingers up her back, then brought them around to cup her breasts again. He brushed his thumbs over her nipples, murmuring his approval as her eyes fluttered shut. “You smell fantastic,” he said. He nuzzled her neck and ear, and she shivered.

She kissed him again, holding his face with both hands as she delved her tongue hungrily into his mouth. He tasted divine. It had been so long since she’d kissed anyone—since she’d kissed him, in fact. How had she lived without this for so long?

He was coaxing her body awake, stirring long-forgotten sensations, and an ache grew between her thighs. Her nipples tightened in response to his touch, and she arched her back to push them into his gentle hands. He groaned.

Her fingers itched to touch his skin, so she began to undo the buttons of his shirt, gradually revealing his wide, bronzed chest, shaped with firm muscles. He went to slip the shirt off, but she shook her head. “No,” she whispered, “keep your fuck-me shirt on.”

His eyes widened with amusement. “My what?”

“You heard me. That shirt wants only one thing. You look so damn sexy dressed like that.”

He grinned. “Fine.” He held the bottom of her dress. “But I want you naked.”

Instinctively, she grasped his wrists, stopping him. A skintight dress was one thing. Being completely naked and not in utter darkness was another.

He wrested his hands free, and gently but firmly moved hers away. “My check is now in your purse,” he reminded her. “I seem to remember offering you an amount that would cover pretty much whatever I wanted.” He let go of her hands and held the hem of the dress again. “Arms up.” His voice was firm.

Her cheeks grew warm at the desire in his eyes. Closing her own, she lifted her arms.

He peeled the dress up her body and over her head. The fabric whispered to the floor. Fighting the urge to cover herself, she stood for a moment biting her lip. Even though her eyes were shut, she was sure she could feel his gaze burning through her.

Then his hand cupped her cheek, and she opened her eyes to see him smiling. “Hey, beautiful,” he said.

She looked down at herself, finding it difficult to see anything but the stretch marks and the way her muscles had loosened since childbirth. “You want your money back?”

In reply, he kissed her.

Buy Links

        Amazon                    Barnes & Noble

Tour Schedule

3/26/13
Guilty Pleasures
Reading, Eating & Dreaming
Smardy Pants Book Blog
Scorching Book Reviews

3/27/13
herding cats & burning soup
Hesperia Loves Books
A Little Fiction of Every Flavour
Under the Covers Book Blog

3/28/13
Blackraven's Erotic Cafe
Reality Bites! Let's Get Lost!!
Brunette Librarian
Melinda Dozier

3/29/13
Lori's Book Blog
Sugar and Spice Book Reviews
Queen of the Night Reviews

4/1/13
My Odd Little World
Scandalicious Book Reviews
My Life With Boys and Books

4/2/13
Shh Mom's Reading
Have Book Will Read
Sunset Reader Reviews
My Fiction Nook

4/3/13
My Life Beyond Labels
Harlie's Books
Way Too Hot Books
Jessy's Book Club

4/4/13
Cocktails and Books
Tattooed Book Review
StoreyBook Reviews

4/5/13
Read Your Writes Book Reviews
Bookworm Brandee
Simply Ali

4/6/13
Reviews By Molly
The Muse Unleashed
Feeling Fictional

a Rafflecopter giveaway


One thing you can say about any of Serenity Woods' books, is whether she is Making Sense, Whistling Dixie or dealing with Mr. Insatiable, there will be laughter, tears and lots of hot and heavy sex in really unusual locations. If it is a Summer Fling you're looking for, or maybe you'd like a White Hot Christmas to tempt your holiday nights, well, Ms. Woods has an Uncommon Sense for those things we all enjoy. Having read Seven Sexy Sins, I really wanted to see what Ms. Woods would give me next. She did not disappoint, and the result is Six Naughty Nights.

Six Naughty Nights is Toby's story, one of the group from Seven Sexy Sins. Toby has always been the one who makes a mess of things, the screw up, the lightweight. When an earthquake hit, devastating the Christchurch area, Toby is right in the middle of it, shopping at the grocery store. When he spots a woman and her young several checkouts over, he steps up to the rescue, recognizing the woman he had a hot yet brief affair with on a vacation in Fiji three years before. As all hell breaks out in the supermarket, Toby is able to get them to relative safety under a table out of harm's way. As he looks at her young son, he realizes that Charlie is his son, and he is determined to get to know him. 

When Esther sees Toby, she refuses to lie, and tells him Charlie is his. When they discover that Esther's apartment is no longer livable, Toby takes her to his place to stay. While there, she spots a card game that his friend Faith gave him to try and get research on, a sexy role-playing game, and with the attraction between them still burning hot, Esther decides to get Toby out of her system and have another fling. But all Toby wants is a chance to win her over, and convince her he made a mistake three years earlier when he walked away. When he convinces Esther to go to his best friend's wedding in the Northland, he hopes to convince her to stay and build on what they are feeling.

The characters in this are a delight. Toby is easy-going and sweet, always caring more for others than himself. He wants to change how people see him, to think he is worth something like his brothers and his friends. He never complains when everyone puts him down, even though it is undeserved and hurtful to him. He thinks if he goes to university and gets a degree, he will earn the respect he doesn't seem to get. But he doesn't see the talent he has, as a master carpenter and craftsman, and what an impact that talent can have.  Esther is alone in the world except for Charlie, and she is wary of Toby and his attempts to bridge the gap he created when he walked away. But I loved her spirit and her innate sense of fairness, knowing Toby had a right to be in Charlie's life. And I absolutely loved it when Esther blasted everyone who kept belittling Toby, even his family. 

I must warn you, there are some tear-jerker moments, when I wasn't sure these two would get their Happily Ever After. But there was also laughter, tender romance and childish antics, as Toby and Charlie bonded as father and son. And because this is Serenity Woods, there is lots of scorching hot sex in some very unusual locations, along with some very sexy role playing. This is a terrific follow up to Seven Sexy Sins, and it was also fun to revisit the whole group of friends from that one. I recommend this to everyone who likes lost and found love stories, and lots of sentimental moments mixed with the heat.