Live to Love on the Edge Blog

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Let the Book Buyer Beware?

I came across a very nice site – Penelope’s Romance Reviews – which had an interesting discussion about some of the activities that are going on in the world of books today. In actuality, it may not even be limited to the world of books since things like paying for reviews or even fake reviews have hit several industries.

A recent NY Times article discussed the plague of fake reviews and its impact on businesses.

Why is it so important to pump up the number of reviews for books, especially at sites like Amazon? It’s my understanding the Amazon algorithms have a magic number and once you hit that number, your book starts getting more attention in their world.

So what’s so wrong about gaming the system with scads of reviews offered in exchange for like reviews or for payment? Or gaming the system in a myriad of other ways about which the average reader may not be aware?

I think Penelope hit the issue on the head with one word: Integrity. Are you willing to sacrifice your integrity for a sale?

As many of you who visit are readers, how do you feel about this? Have you been burned by buying a book with dozens of five star reviews only to shake your head and wonder how that was possible? Granted, not everyone will love/hate a book in the same way.

Anyway, I’d love to get your thoughts on this today! Also, look for me to be sharing some photos from my little adventure to BEA. Tomorrow I’m off to Philly for another conference, so I’ll be sharing over the weekend as well.

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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.

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#MAN CANDY Paddleboard Champion Jamie Mitchell

I gotta confess, I love those Aussie accents! Today’s Man Candy is Paddleboard Champion Jamie Mitchell. Thanks to Quiksilver for this interview with Jamie! He’s got a great face and hands. I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for a man with strong hands.

I’m also intrigued by this paddleboarding thing. It sounds interesting. Has anyone tried it? I’d love to hear what you have to say about it.

I’ll be visiting at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews today so take a moment to drop by there. We’ll be having a little giveaway.

Also, the winner of the May SIN HUNTER SHORE Contest is julianaekin! Juliana, please e-mail your postal address to me at cpsromance at att dot com.

But for now, here’s our Man Candy Jamie explaining about a paddleboard event! If you can’t see the video below, you can click here!

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Cover Reveal – NIGHT OF THE COUGAR

So excited that my erotic paranormal shapeshifter novella – NIGHT OF THE COUGAR – hits online shelves today!

Here’s the very sexy cover and I’ll have an excerpt for you from the novella on Wednesday!

Have a great weekend. I’ll be picking the winner of the SIN HUNTER SHORE contest over the weekend.

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Last Chance for May SIN HUNTER #Contest

Sorry if I was silent over the weekend, but my Internet connection was spotty. Plus, I put in major time working on BORN TO SERVE, the new book in THE CALLING/THE REBORN Vampire series. It’s been a blast dealing with Diana and Ryder again, but also difficult to handle what’s happening with them. As you can imagine, there is never really a Happily-Ever-After in the traditional way for them and balancing that with giving you a compelling story has been an exciting challenge.

I’m going to be offline for the next few days as I work on BORN TO SERVE and also prep for a June blog tour for THE CLAIMED. I want to thank all of you who have supported this book and the HOPE FOR WARRIORS project connected to it. Also many thanks to those who have left reviews for the book and have joined my Caridaddicts street team.

Remember that it’s not too late to get some more entries for the May SIN HUNTER Contest! Just follow the instructions below. Be back on June 1 with some new things for you!

SIN HUNTER SHORE SPECIAL CONTEST

From May 1 to May 31, I’ll be running the SIN HUNTER HUNTER SHORE SPECIAL CONTEST to celebrate the release of THE CLAIMED. Winners will have a shot at a handmade memory box, autographed copies of SINS OF THE FLESH, STRONGER THAN SIN and THE LOST, a LOST T-shirt, tote bag, $25 gift certificate and other fun swag!

Memory Box

Due to technical difficulties with the contest site, we’re going to do the Sin Hunter’s contest the old fashioned way!

To be entered, either:

Tweet or share this on Facebook! Each tweet/share will get you another entry. Only one tweet/share per day.

Help our #military with THE CLAIMED & @CaridadPineiro PLZ RT http://awe.sm/5nMDK

Leave a comment on any blog post this month! One entry per day.

Share this blog post any way you want. If on your own blog, please send me a link. One entry per blog, website, etc.

Thank you all for your support and friendship.

Please Also Remember to Help SOS Aloha and me help our heroes!

Help SOS Aloha and me help our heroes in their time of need! I will be be donating a portion of my royalties from THE CLAIMED to HOPE FOR THE WARRIORS. Please take a moment to visit the SOS ALOHA Blog and share this information with others! Here is a little bit more about this project.

In THE LOST, I remembered them by having the heroine, Bobbie Carrera, be a wounded Marine veteran. I also dedicated the book to our military women, men and families.

For THE CLAIMED, I knew I had to do something more. Because of that desire to do more, a portion of my royalties for sales of my paranormal romance THE CLAIMED will be donated to HOPE FOR THE WARRIORS, an organization that seeks to enhance the quality of life for U.S. service members and their families who have been adversely affected by injuries or death in the line of duty. Also, if you’re one of the first fifty (50) to e-mail me with a proof of purchase of THE CLAIMED or proof of a donation to HOPE FOR THE WARRIORS, I’ll send you either a HOPE FOR THE WARRIORS pin or tote bag along with other swag.

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Adventures with Spottie & #Giveaway

On this Fun Friday, take a moment to visit with me at the Romance Author Hotspot! I’ll be sharing some fun stuff with you and we’ll pick someone from all the comments to win copies of NOCTURNAL WHISPERS and A VAMPIRE’S CONSORT erotic paranormal romance novella e-books!

But first . . . The winner of the Tuesday’s What’s Hot and What’s Not Giveaway is: Fannie! Please drop me a line and let me know which e-novella you’d like to receive.

Adventures with Spottie

My dear friend Michele knows that when I get good news I do the “Happy Dance” and so when I got the RITA Nomination for THE LOST, she got me this adorable beagle! It seems apropos not only because of the Happy Dance, but because the hero’s dog in THE LOST is named Spottie. Why Spottie? Well, my hubby’s childhood dog was a beagle named Spotty. Of course, by the time I got to know Spotty, he looked more like a big ol’ bassett hound than a beagle. LOL! Anyway, my new Spottie is going to accompany me for the next two months until the night of the RITA ceremony! Look for some fun posts and things with Spottie in the coming months.

Actually, look for Spottie Does Bamboozle in the next few days!

Spottie Beagle

My husband dug out a photo of Spotty and I scanned it. It’s a little grainy due to age. You can see Spotty’s a beagle even though he’d put on some weight. He was a funny dog. Spotty ate pasta every night and would rub his ears in it if you did not put parmesan cheese on the pasta.

Spotty the Beagle

May you all have a blessed Memorial Day weekend and to all our miltary men, women and families, thank you for your service and your sacrifices.

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