Sizzlin’ Stacia in South Beach

After so long, I’m very happy to chat with you about the next book in THE CALLING/REBORN vampire series. KISSED BY A VAMPIRE will be available on October 16 from Harlequin Nocturne.

The heroine in the novel is Stacia, a nearly two thousand year old vampiress who has seen her share of pain and death. She herself experienced it in the days before her wedding when she is turned by her husband-to-be and after, when he enslaves her as she struggles to deal with her new undead life.

Stacia always presented a wealth of contradictions for me. When she first appeared in DEATH CALLS (a 2006 CATAROMANCE Reviewers Choice Winner), you knew she was brash and almost promiscuous as she chased after both Ryder and Diana with equal fervor.

I knew that her sexual pursuit hid a much greater need: To be loved.

That became very apparent in DESIRE CALLS where Stacia and Blake explore their attraction. You can read that story for free by clicking here.

Ever since then, I’ve been trying to find a way to give Stacia her happily-ever-after. There was something about her deep loneliness and the outrageous behavior that she uses to hide it that really called to me. I hope you’ll enjoy her story, KISSED BY A VAMPIRE, when it’s released on October 16.

I also hope you’ll enjoy a slightly different location for KISSED BY A VAMPIRE since I’m moving Stacia’s story to South Beach. It was time for a bit of change from the other Manhattan locales for THE CALLING/REBORN novels.

South Beach was the perfect location for Stacia to meet the man who would challenge her: Sexy DEA Agent Alex Garcia. You might also remember Alex from DEATH CALLS. Alex is Diana’s ex-lover and the events from their brief reunion in New York have had a lasting effect on Alex. KISSED BY A VAMPIRE is as much Alex’s story as it is Stacia’s and I hope you will love this honorable and caring man as much as I do.

I also had another reason for setting the story in South Beach — I’ve been there a few times and wanted to share with you the feel of the sizzling South Beach strip. To get you in the mood, here are some photos of the area where Stacia and Alex will meet and face danger as they fall in love.

I’ll be sharing more Behind the Scenes photos and history with you as we approach the release of KISSED BY A VAMPIRE!

10 Reasons to Fall in Love with Katherine Bordessa by Laura Kaye & #Giveaway

Seduced by the Vampire KingWe’re very lucky to have with us today Laura Kaye, a friend and fellow author who is sharing her latest release with us. SEDUCED BY THE VAMPIRE is the Nocturne Cravings release mate to NIGHT OF THE COUGAR, my June erotic shapeshifter romance. I’m so loving the purple theme here! It’s such a rich and royal color.

So without further ado, here’s Laura . . .

I’m very excited to be celebrating my newest release, a dark paranormal romance called Seduced by the Vampire King, the second in my new Vampire Warrior Kings series. And I’m particularly excited to be sharing release months (again!) with Caridad—thanks so much for having me here! Seduced by the Vampire King offers a twist on an enemies-to-lovers story by pairing a vampire king who desires only vengeance with a human woman who has fled 5,000 from her home to escape her destiny in the service of vampires.

One of the things I love about Seduced by the Vampire King is the heroine. So here are ten reasons you just might fall in love with heroine Katherine Bordessa:

10. She’s multilingual, something I’m not, so I admire it greatly in others! Kate is fluent in English, French and Russian.

9. She knows what she wants and what she doesn’t want. And when something challenges those, she is open minded enough to consider the new information before she acts on it. A lot of this story is about Kate confronting that she wants something she thought she never would.

8. She keeps a level head in stressful situations. Attacked. Kidnapped. Imprisoned. And yet Kate holds herself together! Love that about her!

7. Kate’s not afraid to stand up to the big, intimidating and powerful men she encounters, despite being hurt and imprisoned. They all begrudgingly admire her for that, too!

6. She takes initiative. When she finds an injured man in a dark driveway in the middle of downtown Moscow, she doesn’t freak out. Instead, she assesses his injuries and calls the authorities. And then, when she realizes that man isn’t, well, a man, she takes charge of that situation, too.

5. Kate has more than her fair share of courage. Whether she’s getting bitten by a vampire, ambushed by a group of vampire warriors, or imprisoned, she handles herself, her emotions, and is always looking for a strategy and solution to her situation. She’s pretty bad ass, actually!

4. More evidence that Kate Bordessa kicks ass: when she finds what she soon realizes is an injured vampire unconscious out in public, Kate acts. First, to hide him. Second, to save him. Third, to defend him against would-be attackers.

3. Kate is selfless, giving and compassionate. Despite her rejection of a future serving vampires, she allows the dying vampire she finds feed from her to save his life. Then, later, she comforts him when he discovers just how bad the bite wound is. She is the perfect balance of standing up for herself and giving to others. And that slays Nikolai!

2. Kate takes such good care of Nikolai. She recognizes right away that he is hurting and grieving, and despite her fear, she offers compassion in return. And it’s exactly what she needs.

1. When the time comes, Kate gives herself over to the bloodlust that will bring her and Nikolai together once and for all. She’s magnificent in her desire for him in that moment, and her desire for his blood totally rocks Nikolai’s world! Don’t you love when a heroine has the power to do that to the hero?

For me, all of these add up to one fierce, kick-ass heroine, and I hope you’ll agree that she’s completely lovable and totally worthy of Nikolai, Warrior King of the Russian Vampires.

GIVEAWAY!

Would you like to know more about Kate? Post a question for her or her author lady, and we’d both be happy to chat with you! One commenter will win an ebook of Seduced by the Vampire King!

Thanks for reading!

Laura Kaye

Buy Laura’s Books

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About Seduced by the Vampire King:

Book 2: Vampire Warrior Kings Series

American exchange student Kate Bordessa has fled to Russia to escape her family’s hopes that she’ll become one of the Proffered, human women who feed and mate with elite vampire warriors. But when she stumbles upon a wounded vampire in the streets of Moscow, she’s instinctively driven to protect him–and feels an undeniable spark of desire.

Grieving over the deaths of his brothers, Vampire Warrior King Nikolai Vasilyev has thrown himself into battling his enemies, focused only on vengeance. Until the attack that brought him to Kate. Their sexual attraction explodes into a night of uncontrolled passion–a night that marks them as mates. Is their connection strong enough to convince them to embrace a destiny neither of them was expecting?

About Laura Kaye:

Voted Breakout Author of the Year in the 2011 GraveTells Readers’ Choice Awards, Laura is the bestselling and award-winning author of over a half-dozen books in paranormal, contemporary and erotic romance. Hearts in Darkness is the EPIC eBook Award Winner for Best Novella and HOLT Medallion Award of Merit Winner for Best Romance Novella, Forever Freed is the NJRW Golden Leaf Winner for Best Paranormal of 2011 and is a finalist for two GDRWA Booksellers’ Best Awards, and North of Need, the first book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, is a finalist for a FF&P PRISM award, was named GraveTells’ Best Book of 2011 and won their 5-STAR Gold Heart Award, and won Sizzling Hot Read of the Year at Sizzling Hot Books. Laura lives inMaryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of theChesapeake Bay every day.

Manic Monday, #Giveaway & Some Amazing #ManCandy!

It’s a wet, dreary and depressing Monday, but I hope I can get you up and going with this little video to get you feeling better! But first:

Join me today at Froggarita’s Bookcase for an interview and giveaway! Also visit with me at the Forever Romance Summer Book Club which kicks off with a behind-the-scenes look at the SIN HUNTER mythology in THE CLAIMED and an 8 pm chat with me, hosted by the wonderful Cynthia Garner.

But now, if this Man Candy from Down Under doesn’t put a smile on your face, I don’t know what will! These Aussie footballers are stunning, but you’ll have to wait a minute or two until you can truly enjoy them. My favorite was John, how about you? He could be my Christopher any day!

And those accents. YUMMY! If you can’t see the video below, you can click here!

#Giveaway and some Behind the Scenes Secrets about THE CLAIMED

First of all, don’t forget that you have until Friday to leave a comment on Dorothy’s Virtual Blog Tour Blog to possibly win a free Blog Tour!

But now, how about some Behind the Scenes Secrets about THE CLAIMED!

This is a snippet from the book at a restaurant in Avon-by-Sea. The restaurant is a real place and you can visit it here: http://www.columnsnj.net/

The Columns was a perfect choice, Victoria thought as she sat across the intimate width of the table opposite Christopher. The summer sun had begun to set, creating rosy pink and blue cotton candy clouds along the beachfront. The golden hues cast by the lights along the edges of the veranda and the votive candle in the middle of the table bathed Christopher’s face. Thanks to the dimness of the light, she could detect the thin aura surrounding him. Too weak to be full Hunter power, which relieved her somewhat, but not entirely, since Shadows could hide their energy fields also.

Here’s a picture of The Columns. Can’t you just picture Victoria and Christopher sitting there, dusk settling in, the two of them cozy at a small table? Sigh. Can’t wait to go eat there again!

Here’s another little teaser for you down below! This scene takes place in the Shark River and yes, in part it is named for the sharks in the area. Fresh water sharks you may be wondering? Actually, there are fresh water sharks in some parts of the world, but the Shark River is filled with salt water for the most part. In fact, some consider that this area is actually a tidal basin since it’s fed by four small streams that provide little fresh water and the Shark River Inlet provides large amounts of salt water into the bay area. This is a picture of the Shark River Inlet and the Shark River Bridge which is a drawbridge that allows larger boats to come and go.

In this scene deep in the Shark River, Shadow Hunter Christopher is playing around with his energy and shapeshifting abilities. Moments later, Christopher will meet Light Huntress Victoria face-to-face for the first time!

He swam out until he was in about thirty feet of water, released the diving flag, and then sank below the surface. As luck would have it, a small school of brown-green weakfish were spawning along the estuary floor. With a gush of energy, he formed a vortex and directed it downward. It acted like a vacuum cleaner, sucking up a large fish and bringing it up to his grasp through the swirling tunnel of water.


Two feet of angry fish squirmed and flailed in his hands until he sucked in a bit of its life force and it weakened. Focusing his gathering, he took only a smidgen of the fish’s vitality within him. He needed the weakfish’s energy to partially shapeshift so he could stay below the surface long enough to do the exchange needed to rein in the demands of his Equinox.


He forced the fish’s life force through his body, and his power drained while he directed it toward his throat. He gritted his teeth and battled the pain as his skin tore open and the muscles beneath the surface reformed, developing gills. Blood vessels rerouted themselves to those new organs, creating an avenue for the oxygen to flow from the gills throughout his body. He grew lightheaded for a moment, but then the outpouring of oxygen flooded through his gills and revitalized him.


With the skill of a surgeon, he dissected a piece of the power he had absorbed and directed it to his eyes. He created a thin membrane with the life force to protect them against the salt water.


Satisfied with the adaptations to his eyes and lungs, Christopher stopped his shapeshifting. He released the fish and expelled as much air as he could from his lungs. With nothing to keep him buoyant, he easily drifted down to the sandy bottom, scattering the swarm of fish when he settled in the midst of their school. Crossing his legs, he assumed a traditional Lotus position and opened his eyes.


I hope you enjoyed these Behind the Scenes moments from THE CLAIMED

THE CLAIMED #Paranormal #Romance Release Day!

As an author it seems as if you wait forever and ever for a release and then BAM – It’s release day!

Today is the release day for THE CLAIMED, the second book in the Sin Hunter Paranormal Romance series. This is the follow-up to my RITA® nominated book, THE LOST.

Here is a little teaser for THE CLAIMED:

Victoria Johnson loves her life. She’s her own boss in a quaint beachside town, and has great friends who keep her grounded. If only they knew who she really is: an heiress to an ancient race who possesses astonishing superhuman powers. It’s Victoria’s duty to restore her clan of Light Hunters to their former glory by choosing the perfect mate. In Christopher Sombrosa, she just may have found him. Strong, smart, and successful, Christopher exudes a powerful energy. Their connection is sensual, irresistible-and forbidden.


A member of the Shadow Hunter clan, Christopher has defied his own father to lead his people away from affliction and violence. Yet he cannot ignore his duty to carry on his ancient bloodline. Stunningly beautiful and brimming with an erotic life force, Victoria is everything Christopher ever hoped for in a mate . . . but as a Light Hunter, she’s his mortal enemy. Together, they could unite their warring tribes. But murderous factions on both sides don’t want peace-and they’ll stop at nothing to keep light and darkness apart forever . . .



Also sharing some reviews and a little excerpt for you. If you can’t see the excerpt below, you can click here to read it.

The CLAIMED Paranormal Romance

#ManCandyMonday Jeffrey Dean Morgan & a Guest Blog & #giveaway

Every time I see the ads for MAGIC CITY and Jeffrey Dean Morgan walks out in that cream-colored dinner jacket and shades, my heart goes pitter patter! LOL! He is ALL sexy beast in that 1950s attire.

Yes, I know many of you have loved him since SUPERNATURAL, but there is just something about him now. WOW!

If you’ve had a chance to watch MAGIC CITY, I’d love to hear what you think about it. If you haven’t you can click here to watch the first three episodes online!

I hope you enjoyed today’s Man Candy Monday and I also hope you’ll drop by and visit my guest blogs at Literal Addiction and Book Monster Reviews where I am chatting about THE CLAIMED which releases TOMORROW! OMG! I can’t believe the release day is finally here! There is also a little giveaway going on at the sites, so please drop by.

Photo Credit: Ian Smith from London, England