Tuesday's Reading - Under a Viking Moon

Ever have some books sneak up on you? That's how I feel about this one, "Under a Viking Moon," by Tami Dee.

The book is published by Desert Breeze Publishing and that's how I found out about it since Tami's a fellow Desert Breeze author. The initial attraction to me, was of course, the cover. It's gorgeous, PLUS it's got the moon on it and anyone who knows me knows I LOVE the moon. You can do so many things with it in your stories. hehe. (smiles)

So the cover had me intrigued. Sadly, restrictions on my time forced me to put it off and put it off and put it off until....

Tami posted an excerpt for her new book in the series, "Dawn of a Viking Sunrise" and I was like wow - I have to stop putting this off.

That day I went to the Kindle store and downloaded "Under a Viking Moon." It's the first book in the series and I figured I better start with the first book.

(Yes - it's an ebook and I'm reading it on my Kindle. I love my Kindle by the way and with a little help from Mobi Pocket, I can read PDF files, too.)

In the book, Jarl Leif is getting married in 900 AD. Unfortunately, his bride marries him attacks him and throws him overboard, leaving him for dead.

Leif turns up on the beach in San Franscisco in 2006. The woman giving him mouth to mouth is a DROP DEAD LOOK ALIKE for his traitorious bride.

After Leif and Katla get over their intial shock, Lief appears to be adjusting to life in 2006 with Katla's help.

I am really enjoying the story. I love time travel and I love historicals, for me, that's the appeal of the book. The characters are interesting and Leif gets a "Poor Leif" award from me for all that he's been through.

Kudos to Tami for putting together a great book. I'm where Katla is attacked at the dry cleaners. She's lost her job there and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Hopefully, my trainee won't come to work tonight...

Smiles
Steph

Tuesday's Book Shelf - What I'm Reading

TIES THAT BIND is by author Keena Kincaid and the book is published through "The Wild Rose Press." It's also available on ebook, but I have it in print. I enjoy reading romance, which this book is, and "The Wild Rose Press" has it listed in their Faery Line since it involves "light" magic.

So why am I reading this book? Because I loved the first book, Anam Cara by Keena. In that book, Bran ap Owen came to Carlisle looking for his soulmate, Liz. He had to make things right for them so they could finally be happy. His brother, Aeden, was tied into the "making things" right aspect. In that book, Aedan, and Liza's daughter, Tess, have a "first love" love affair, but are seperated when the book ends.

Ties that Bind is the sequel and tells Aedan and Tess's story. I've been looking forward to reading this book since it came out.

What I enjoyed about Anam Cara is that it's set in an historical setting, England in the 1160s during the time of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitane. Aeden and Bran are mistrals. There's a also a nice dose of "magic" laced into the storyline. The clan from Duncarouch (sp?) are Sidhe and have magical abilities. Both Bran and Aedan have magical ablities. Lace in a little of magic, a little history, and a compelling love story and I'm hooked.

In "Ties That Bind," Aedan is sent to Carlisle to solve a mystery and encounters Tess. The chemistry between them is undenable to everyone around them. They try to deny it themselves, but I doubt they won't get far. There's also intrigue as to who fathered "Daz," the boy that Aedan looks after.

Here's a blurb for the book:
Out of place in the Plantagenet court, minstrel AEDAN ap OWEN misuses his Sidhe gifts for the king's dark business. Sent north to investigate rumors of treason and dispatch the troublemakers, Aedan discovers someone is murdering monks and stealing saints’ relics. And all clues point to Carlisle.

TESS, LADY of BRIDSWELL, refuses to rekindle her relationship with Aedan. She knows his reputation as a secret stealer—and she has a secret that must be kept. But her resolve falters when her uncle promises her hand to a man she despises and Aedan hounds her steps.

A would-be king uses the stolen relics to amplify his power, wielding it like a weapon. Meeting the traitor's magic with magic will prevent war, but it will also destroy Aedan’s chance to show Tess he has at last mastered the temptation of the ancient wisdom. Can Aedan renounce his magic to win Tess' heart anew or will he choose magic over love?


You can find Keena on the web at: http://www.keenakincaid.com if you want to check her out.

Welcome Guest Author - Kelley Heckart

Blurb: Cardea is cursed to live an eternity as a blood drinker.

Aedan mac Gabrain, prince of Dal Riata, trusts no one after suffering a curse that keeps him from touching any females.

Can two tortured souls find love while battling a dark goddess determined to destroy them?

Cat's Curse is a Celtic historical romance with fantasy elements. This is the first book in a trilogy titled Dark Goddess. This series revolves around the entangled destinies of an Irish clan and an ancient Fae/Goddess. Cat's Curse is my first book featuring a vampire-like character, though she differs from a European vampire because she was cursed by her enemies to live an eternity as a Lamia (Greek vampire), half-woman, half-serpent. This is also my first book based on an actual person in history. My hero, Aedan mac Gabrain did exist in sixth century Scotland. He is mentioned in various texts from Adomnan's Life of St. Columba and in the Welsh poems, he is called Aedan the Treacherous. He was a formidable king feared by his enemies, but his younger years were shadowy and he may have fathered a king of the Picts. This fascinated me and I imagined what his earlier years might have been like and what kind of woman he would be drawn to.

I came up with the idea for this trilogy when I was researching the Picts. I came across this Irish king named Aedan mac Gabrain who had a shadowy past and fought the Picts for many years. He fascinated me because he was a contemporary of kings like Urien of Rheged, the Briton King Riderch of Strathclyde and a close friend of St. Columba, but not much was known about him other than he was considered one of the most feared warlords of his time.

4 cards! Ms. Heckart has written an entertaining tale that combines both history and fantasy in a way that will enchant the reader. Definitely put this one in your “I’m gonna read it next” pile! Reviewed by Rie McGaha of Book Reviews by Rie McGaha
Link to full review: http://thepaganandthepen.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/book-review-cats-curse-by-kelly-heckart/

4 Cups! Cat’s Curse is a wonderful story full of spells, trust, betrayal, and for the two, unconditional love. I love how the subplots built up the main story. Every character is developed. The dialogue and action keeps the book fast paced…The action blends into the story and love scenes are sensuous instead of graphic, along with being very compelling. This well thought out story is a very easy to recommend historical. I look forward to more of this trilogy. Anya Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/catscursebookone.html

Kelley's website: www.kelleyheckart.com