Saturday, April 25, 2009

THEME WEEKEND WITH A DIFFERENCE AT SIREN BOOKSTRAND

"In the spring and a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love..."..... in ALL its wonderful forms!

Join me for a THEME WEEKEND WITH A DIFFERENCE at Siren Bookstrand, on May 2nd - 3rd. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SirenBookstrand/

We open on Saturday morning with sweet and sensual romance. Grab an early coffee or cuppa and come join us in a celebration of male-female romance for all! Our BOOKSTRAND MAINSTREAM authors will be there to chat and share their excerpts. Come see - you will find many names and friends whom you know. (Many of of the talented SirenBookstrand authors write widely within the romance genre: as youwill discover.)

At 2pm EST until late Saturday night, we feature titles, excerpts and authors from the MENAGE AMOUR line, where love and romance comes in many forms. Chat to our writers about this exciting form! Many best-sellers! I will be participating in this chat and talking about my menage amour stories like my Tri Omega Mates Series.

On SUNDAY MORNING it's GBLT - strong, erotic, loving romance. M/M, F/F and others. Passion, love and trust. Powerful, unforgettable stories! Many best-sellers! This is sure to be a wonderful chat. I have so many books to discuss with everyone.

At 2pm EST until late Sunday night, we will be featuring work from SIREN. Erotic male-female romance with happy endings. Many best-sellers!

Through the weekend there will be a chance for you to put your questions to our writers and for our writers to share details of their latest releases. Bring your coffee and enjoy.

Coming soon!

Calen

by
Rie McGaha
After having witnessed the brutal rape and murder of his mother, and the murder of his father, three-year-old Arion is found by brothers Calen and Caleb MacLean of the Clan MacLean. The brothers bury the boys’ parents and take him back to their castle home to be cared for by their Aunt Margaret, who has lived with them since their own mother, and Margaret’s sister, passed away when Caleb was just an infant.

Their father, William, Laird MacLean, sends his sons on a quest to find the murderers, with a small diamond as their only clue to the identity of the men who had committed the atrocities. When they come up empty-handed and Calen begins having strange dreams, he sets out alone to find the answers he needs.



Excerpt

The little boy leaned against the remains of what was once his home. He sat for a while and rubbed his hands over his chubby cheeks, smearing more dirt across his face. He drew designs in the dirt and occasionally glanced at the dead bodies of his parents that lay not three feet away from him. He didn't understand death. He cried sometimes while he sat by his mother, patting her back and telling her to wake up. He didn't understand why she kept sleeping; she had never done that before. Neither had his father, who now continued to sleep next to his mother.
He was alone and at night he was afraid. Everything looked different to him at night and all of the sounds of the forest were frightening. He lay between his parents in the dark, sucking his thumb and crying until he finally fell asleep. He had dreams of the men who came into the forest on their big, black horses. He had been in the hut with his mother when they came; his father was outside chopping wood. His mother had grabbed him up, wrapped a fur around him and hid him in the deep, dark corner in the back of their home. She had been very stern with him when she told him to stay there and not make a sound, then she had gone outside to where his father was speaking with the strangers. He remembered the shouts, the sound of the horse’s hooves, the ring of steel against steel in the air. He remembered his mother's scream and that was when he crawled out of his hiding place and peeked through the crack in the logs of the hut.

He had seen his father lying on the ground with blood running from his head. And he saw the men ripping his mother's clothes until her skirt was in shreds and she was bare from the waist down. They had tied her hands and threw her over the chopping block and raped her one by one. The little boy didn't know what they were doing to his mother, slapping her, shouting and laughing, and laying on top of her like that. But he knew they were hurting her because he could hear her crying and screaming whenever they hit her. He didn't know the men, but he remembered the tall one with the long, dirty hair. He was dressed in black and had hair all over his face. He was loud and hit his mother more than the others did. The little boy cried as he watched the men hurt his mother, and he saw the flash of a silver ring on the tall man's finger as he raised the sword he carried and plunged it through his mother's back.

The blood ran down her body, down the chopping block onto the dirt. He ran then. He ran back to the place where his mother had hidden him in the dark, secret corner of the hut and made himself as small as he could under the furs. He heard the men come inside, heard them laugh and heard them tear the place up. They broke what would break, kicked over the table and stools, and cursed when they didn't find anything of value to steal. He heard one of them say they should burn it down, but another one, the voice he recognized as the tall man, had stopped them because he said it would attract attention, so they knocked down as much of the small hut as they could with their bare hands, then had ridden away.

The little boy was so afraid, he stayed hidden under the furs all the rest of the day until it was nearly full dark, but he had to pee so badly, he ventured out of his hiding place. He had to climb under and over logs that once made up the walls of his home. That was when he saw his parents laying on the ground. He stood crying for them and pee ran down his leg. He went to his mother first and shook her, patted her back and called to her over and over, but she wouldn't answer him. He then turned to his father and shook him harder, but he didn't answer either. That was when he just sat down and wailed. After a while, he fell asleep and when he woke, it was dark out and he was cold. The moon was full and he used its light to guide him to the hut, where he found the furs and dragged them behind him to where his parents lay. He covered his mother first and then lay between his parents and shared a fur with his father. When he woke in the morning, he searched through the hut and found some bread and some dried meat to eat. After that, he had no concept of time passing. It was just a matter of sleeping, eating, and playing in the dirt, waiting for his parents to wake up.

Sometime later, it was still light out, he awoke to the sounds of shouting again. He was afraid the mean men had come back. He ran into the remains of the hut and slid under the fallen logs to the secret corner hiding place. He didn't want to see those men again. He could hear the horses snorting and the men talking. Their voices sounded grim and low, not like the loud laughing he had heard from the ones who hurt his mother. He was still afraid to look and tried to make himself very small so they wouldn't notice him. He heard them walking around the hut, he heard them come inside and move the fallen logs around. He felt a very big hand pick him up, but he was too afraid to open his eyes. The man who held him wrapped an arm around him and went back outside and called out to another man.

"Caleb!"

Caleb turned around and saw the small boy, who still refused to open his eyes. "He must've seen the whole thing, Calen. Poor little guy. What do we do with him?"

Calen shrugged. "Can't leave him here, he'll starve to death. Or worse. Take him back to Margaret. She'll take care of him."

Caleb took the boy from his brother and sat him down gently, patting his head. "You just wait right here and we'll take care of your Ma and Da."

The boy squinted his eyes, making them open just enough to see, and watched as the two men buried his parents. They bowed their heads and made the sign of the cross when they were done. Then they spoke to each other in low voices while they looked in his direction. The one called Calen walked slowly over to him and sat down in the dirt right in front of him.

He cleared his throat and looked up at Caleb who nodded to him. He cleared his throat again, "My name is Calen, boy. This is my brother, Caleb. Neither of us is going to hurt you any, so don’t be afraid of us."

The boy sat and stared at the dirt. Calen looked over his shoulder at his brother and raised his eyebrows. Calen shrugged his shoulders; he didn't know any more about this than his brother did.

Caleb spoke, "I know you've seen some bad things here with your Ma and Da, and no babe should be seeing that, but we're going to take you home with us and you'll be taken care of. So come on now and we'll get to it."

The little boy still sat and said nothing or made any sign that he had heard or understood. Calen squatted down beside his brother. "Maybe he can’t hear or speak? Can you, boy?" There was no reply.

The brothers looked at each other and Caleb picked up one of the furs and wrapped it around the boy and hauled him up on his shoulder. They both mounted their horses and Caleb settled the small boy in front of him.
They rode until the sun had set and it was nearly dark before they stopped again. They built a fire and laid out a bed for themselves in front of it and sat down with the boy between them. They pulled oatcakes and dried meat from a pouch and offered some to the boy. He held it in his hand without looking at either of them. They held the skin of water to the boy's mouth and he drank, but still, he said nothing. They all ate and drank, put the rest of the food away and then laid down with the boy between them. He was asleep in minutes.

Around noon the next day the three of them rode into the small village settled in the valley surrounded by mountains. It was lush and beautiful and impenetratable, which is the way William, laird of Castle MacLean, liked it. His people lived and prospered and didn't worry about invasions. They were peaceful and had not been involved in battle in nearly a decade. Not that they weren't trained and ready in the event they needed to be. William made sure his army had the best training and if it were ever necessary, they were ready for battle. But theirs was a peaceful land and he planned on keeping it that way.

The small boy, tucked in front of Calen now, watched everything pass by from under heavy eyelids. He liked the bright colors of banners flying in the wind, the green of the valley, the bright colored flowers growing wild and at the doorsteps of the cottages. He noticed all of the scrubbed walls of the buildings and the smells that were emitted as women baked bread and cooked their meals. His mouth opened in awe when they passed the blacksmith and he saw men beating on metal, shoving the metal into fire and then into buckets of water. He grinned when he saw horses at the stables and the children who were kicking a ball back and forth across the dirt road to one another. He wondered if they would stop so he could watch or maybe even play with the other children, but they continued to ride through the village. They continued on until they had climbed the trail up the mountain and entered the gates of the castle. The little boy had never seen such a place and couldn't hide his amazement. The brothers looked at one another and then at the boy.

"This is Castle MacLean, little one. This is where you'll be living. Think you might be liking it then?" They were both surprised when he nodded his head.

They dismounted in front of the big wooden double doors as a young lad of about fourteen ran up and took the reins of the horses and led them away to the stables. Calen carried the lad inside with Caleb following along behind them. They entered the great room and found their father, William, sitting before the stone fireplace that made up one wall of the room. Above the hearth hung the family crest crossed with swords and a painting of William's long-deceased wife and Calen and Caleb's mother.

"Da, we've returned with news that you aren’t going to like," Caleb called out.

William stood and turned to the trio. He raised his eyebrows as he surveyed the sight, "So who's this then?" He nodded toward the boy in Calen's arms.

"That's what you're not going to like, Da. We need to get the babe here to Margaret for care, and then we can tell you the tale."

William pulled the rope and a loud bell rang out. A couple of minutes later, Margaret came in from the kitchen wiping her hands on a cloth. "What is it you’re wanting? I've bread to finish kneading if you want it for supper," she said looking at William.

He sighed, the woman had no respect, but without her he'd have never been able to raise his sons after their mother died. Margaret had been the only mother his sons had ever really known since Calen was but two years and Caleb not even of an age that he could sit up on his own when their mother had died of the fever. Margaret had stepped in when her sister had left him widowed and his sons motherless. She had lost her husband a year earlier and had no children of her own, and because of his sons, she had not remarried either. She had taken his sons on as if they were her own babes and had cared for him as well when he was drowning in grief. So if she wasn't as respectful as some thought was due his rank, she was loyal, kind, strong, loving, and faithful. He could live with that.

Margaret turned toward Calen and Caleb and opened her arms to them. It was then she noticed the small boy in Calen's arms. She walked to the three and hugged them all at once. "My boys are home," she put a hand on each of their faces and patted their cheeks. "And what have we here then?"

She took the boy from Calen and hugged him to her. She looked at the two grown men with questions in her eyes, but they shook their heads. She knew she would find out later, so she turned and walked back toward the kitchen.

"Aren't you a sweet one?" She cooed to the little boy. He nuzzled closer to her and she hugged him tightly. "How old are you now? Can you show me?" He held up four fingers. "Oh, well aren't you a big boy then. Can you tell me your name?"

"Arion," he said barely above a whisper.

"Arion," Margaret said loudly enough that the men could hear and then pushed the kitchen door open with her hip and disappeared.

"He wouldn't even look at us," Caleb said.

William just grinned at them, "Like all of us, I s'pose he knows Margaret will get what she wants, so it's just as well to give it to her and get it over with."

They all chuckled and sat together. "So," William looked at each of his sons, "tell me the story."


Buy Link: http://www.nobleromance.com/BrowseListing.aspx?author=8

For more on this book drop by my website or myspace:

www.riemcgaha.com

www.myspace.com/NovelsByRie

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Available April 22nd

MR. WONDERFUL
Contemporary, M/M, Erotic Romance

Julian is looking for Mr. Wonderful, the gentle, sweet man of his dreams that he can spend the rest of his life with. What he finds is Darius Alexander, a self-made millionaire. He's also the sexiest man Julian has ever laid eyes on.

For straight-laced club owner, Darius Alexander, Julian was perfection. His wild ways, his bold colors, his gorgeous good looks, all added up to the man of his dreams. He wants him immediately and is determined to have him any way he can.



Excerpt

“Julian, Dino, I would like you to meet the owner of The Club, Darius Alexander. Darius, this is Julian and Dino. This is Julian’s first time here. From the looks I’m getting from Tim, I think Dino has been here a time or two.”

Julian nodded towards Darius as Dino leaned over to shake his large hand. When Dino went to scoot in next to Darius, Dillon held him back by his arm, giving him a slight wiggle of his eyebrows as he looked from Julian, to Darius, and then back to Dino.

Dino grinned. He leaned over to Julian. “Hey, I’m going to run to the little boys’ room. I’ll be back in just a second. Why don’t you go ahead and save our places?”

Julian shrugged his shoulders and sat down, scooting into the booth as Dino walked off to use the bathroom, followed quickly by Dillon.

“It’s a really nice club, Mr. Alexander.”

“Please, call me Darius,” he replied. “Are you having a good time?”

“Yes, everyone has been very friendly, and the music is really great.” Julian smiled.

“I’m glad you like it. We aim to make everyone comfortable here,” Darius replied.

Darius could tell that Julian was nervous. He was too. He almost wished Dino would hurry back from the bathroom so that he could take up the slack in the conversation. Dino seemed to have no problem talking, a lot.

“Dillon said this is your first time here?”

Julian smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I don’t go to clubs much. It’s usually too expensive. And this place, well, it’s way out of my usual price range. Dino dragged me in here. He’s bound and determined to find me a boyfriend.”

Darius grinned as he watched Julian’s face turn slightly red. Yes! Julian was single and gay. Just the way he liked them. If he had been anyone but who he was, he probably would have jumped up and danced a little jig right there and then.

“Sounds like your friend is trying to look out for you,” Darius stated, trying to ease Julian’s nervousness. “Do you have a specific set of parameters in mind, or will just anyone do?”

Before Julian could answer, Dino and Dillon returned. Dino slid in next to Julian, making him move closer to Darius until their thighs were nearly touching. Dillon slid in next to Darius, forcing Darius closer to Julian from the other side.

“Miss me?” Dino laughed.

“Yeah, with every bullet,” Julian mumbled under his breath but Darius heard him anyway. He couldn’t help but chuckle. Darius decided to be a little bold.

“Julian tells me that you are on the search for a boyfriend for him. Maybe I can be of some assistance. What specifically are you looking for in a boyfriend for him? Height, weight, build?” Darius asked.

“Hmmm, tall, dark, and breathtaking…basically…you,” Dino drawled. “We are accepting applications, however.”

Darius tried to keep his face from breaking out in a grin as he saw the hostile look Julian shot at Dino. Oh, this is too good to be true. Dino was trying to find Julian a boyfriend He couldn’t have planned this better if he had tried.

“Where would Darius apply, and what are the job requirements?” Dillon asked.

Darius grinned over at Dillon and Dino, catching on to their game. He leaned forward to rest his arms on the table as he looked down at Julian.

“I oversee all applications. Helps weed out the undesirables. However, Julian does have the final say on who we decide on. But I think I’m a pretty good judge of what he is looking for. As for the qualifications for the job, Darius does have the right height, weight, and build necessary for the—position.”

Julian suddenly started choking on the water he was swallowing. Darius reached over and rapidly patted Julian on the back. Once Julian waved his hand that he was okay, Darius stopped patting his back, but he did not remove his arm from behind Julian. He just rested it on the back of the bench seat they sat on.

“Are there any other requirements we should know about?” Dillon asked.

“Well, obviously, whoever fills the position can’t be a heavy drinker since Julian doesn’t drink. He definitely has to have a sense of humor. It wouldn’t hurt if he was romantic either. A little romance does anyone some good.”

“That’s true. Can you be more specific as to what that might entail?”

“Well—” Dino began, only to be interrupted by Julian’s loud groan.

“Okay, that’s enough. We’ve all had a little fun at my expense,” Julian said as he waved one hand in the air. “It’s time to end this little game. I’m perfectly capable of finding my own boyfriend, thank you very much.”

Darius took a chance and leaned down to whisper in Julian’s ear. “Does that mean you don’t want me to apply for the job? I’m sure I could fill the position—more than adequately.”

Julian looked up at him sharply. Darius watched his eyes widen, groaning when Julian suddenly licked his lips. “Dino, go powder your nose.”

Available April 22nd at Siren Publishing: http://www.bookstrand.com/product-mrwonderful-14354-192.html

For more on this book and others, please visit my website at www.stormyglenn.com

5 Cup Review for Julia's Knight






JULIA'S KNIGHT

Lover's of Alpha Squad 3




Blurb: Julia entrances Caleb the moment he meets her. She's everything he could ever want, but there's one problem--she isn't his woman, she's married to his best friend. But Julia wants Caleb and has every intention of getting him, if she can convince him hers is a marriage of convenience.

Review: Julia is trapped by circumstances and unable to see a way out. She is pregnant by her husband, but they have never been intimate. In desperation her husband turns to his friends for help.

Caleb is remarkably drawn to his friend and teammate’s pregnant wife. Shockingly Julia’s husband has revealed that he is gay. Unsure of what this new revelation means for their future, Caleb is determined that he will be the one to help Julia and her child any way he can.

Julia and Caleb are attracted from the very moment they meet. Julia has been hurt many times in the past by the man who is supposed to love her. Caleb is scared that she will never recover, and Julia is afraid that Caleb is uninterested in being her knight.

The characters in this story are unique and the close-knit unit is amazing. I found Julia and Caleb to be very realistic characters. The men in this story make the reader want to believe in real heroes that will do whatever it takes to keep their loved ones safe. Stormy Glenn has created a diverse series of characters that are all fascinating in their own right and encourages the reader to read the stories in order to experience all the characters.
Delane, Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More



For more information on this book and the rest of the Lover's of Alpha Squad series, please visit my website at http://www.stormyglenn.com/

Saturday, April 11, 2009

New Reviews

Fallen Angels Reviews has given a 5 Angels review for Forbidden Desires

Ms. Glenn has continued her series with this fast paced continuation of her Tri-Omega Mates series. I fell in love with Ryland from the very beginning with his infallible love for life and belief in the good in everyone. Ryland’s ability to forgive and forget, happy personality, and zest for life draws people to him. Why his pack left him for dead is a mystery that is never explained. I enjoy watching how Leyland’s paranormal abilities shock his mates as they continue to unfold. Will Ryland get his chance to find his other mate and his place in the world? Thanks go to Ms. Glenn for a fantastic edition to the Tri-Omega Mates series. I will be waiting to read more stories by this author.

Buy Link: http://www.bookstrand.com/product-forbiddendesires-13928-200.html


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Coffee Time Romance has given a 5 Cups review for The Katzman's Mate

I have two things to suggest about Ketzman’s Mate. Have a big box of tissues and plenty of time, as you are not going to want to put this book down. It is full to the brim with the amazing lives of these futuristic men in a mysterious foreign world. Ms Glen has written a magical tale that will have you smiling through your tears while you want to teach the big macho alpha a lesson in listening.


Buy Link: http://www.bookstrand.com/product-thekatzmansmate-13853-252.html



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Ms. Glenn excels at steamy writing. Her characters are sharp, witty, and caring while trying to hide behind a tough as nails façade. Each member of Alpha Squad is sinfully sexy in his own right and they all work as a team to bring mother and child together. The mix of tender and blatant love scenes keeps the reader rooted to her seat.I liked the dual conflicts. Julia wants to keep Sam safe from the wrath of his father, while also protecting her child. Caleb needs to come to terms with his feelings for Julia. All are things the reader can relate to. Mothers strive every day to keep their children happy and safe. We feel the same about our close friends. When we fall in love, it can be the best feeling in the world and it can also be the scariest.As you read the story, you follow the journey of the characters as if you walk right beside them. This story is fast-paced with a myriad of characters and it can be a little tricky to keep everyone straight. But that makes the plot much richer.If you want a smoldering hot alpha and a cunning heroine with a great storyline, then grab a copy of Julia’s Knight. I give this novella 5 cherries.

Buy Link: http://www.bookstrand.com/product-juliasknight-14312-192.html


For more on these books or others and to read excerpts and reviews go to my website at www.stormyglenn.com

Thursday, April 9, 2009

You think you've had a bad day?

Sometimes, life gets very interesting. You feel that you either have to laugh or cry. I usually try to keep my blog about my books and such but every once in awhile somthing comes up that just has to be dealt with...like today!

My sister-in-law is seven months pregnant. We are very excited about this baby since it is the first one in the family in nearly 15 years.

Friday morning, her and her husband woke up in their apartment to the sewer system exploding through their apartment, the laundry facility, and three other apartment. They came over to my house to stay until repairs could be done.

However, during the repairs, the landlord discovered black mold in the walls. This was from a previous flooding before they ever moved in. Raw sewage and black mold are very hazerdous to anyone, expecially a woman who is seven months pregnant. So, again, until repairs could be made, they stayed at my house.

On Monday, my brother-in-law deployed for Iraq. He will be gone for probably 18 months, missing the birth of his first child and leaving his wife home to deal with everything on her own. But, we do what we must.

Today, the landlord said all of the repairs had been completed and she could move home. I drove her back over to her house. She was excited about going home. She's been gone for nearly a week and tons of new baby stuff to put away.

Problem...when the carpet and tile people did thier repairs, they didn't connect the toilet properly and now the entire apartment, from front door to back door and every space in-bewteeen, is flooded. Antique furniture from my mother-in-law who has passed on has water damage, bags of sopping wet clothes, over fifteen photo albums soaked.

Once again, my sister-in-law is back over at my house trying to figure out what to do and not wanting to spill the beans to her husband so he doesn't have anymore stress. He has enough as it is having to leave his wife and unborn child behind for 18 months.

To top it all off, the landlord had the gall to charge a late fee on the rent. There are words for people like him...bad words...four letter words. This sucks!

So, if you think you've had a bad day...is it really that bad? My day's looking pretty good right about now.