New Release Plus December Blog Tour

To celebrate the release of How To Woo... A Reluctant Bride, I'm doing a blog hop & mini-tour next week, with prizes. (see below)

How To Woo… A Reluctant Bride
(Romantic Historical Short Story)
by Lyndi Lamont
http://www.lyndilamont.com/ReluctantBride.html

A marriage contract, nothing more...until darkly handsome Evan Channing and demure Lydia Blatchford meet. Yet the rules are simple for an arrangement such as theirs. There should be no misunderstanding, no illusions of anything more.

But the rules are about to change when Evan is gifted with an intriguing copy of the Kama Sutra.  He sets out to win his high-born bride, blending seductive heat with exotic lessons in love-making. With a little help from Sir Richard Burton's new, provocative translation of ancient wisdom on seduction and arousal, the cold marriage bed of an arranged union is about to combust into a blazing flame of desire

(Previously published under the title Love… By the Book - this new version is less erotic but more romantic)

4 Angels...” a scintillating mix of lust and sexual exploration… Ms. Lamont has done a very nice job of bringing a bit of the exotic into her writing.” - Dawnie, Fallen Angel Reviews

Disclaimer: This is a short 30 page romantic short story. Contains scenes of Victorians breaking rules, hot marital sex and ancient wisdom from the Kama Sutra.

Available now for only 99 cents at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Coming soon to iBooks, Kobo and Sony.

For the Secret Santa Blog Hop, I'm giving away a $15.00 Gift Certificate of winner's choice. (Amazon, B&N, iTunes, etc.)
.
The Grand Prize for the Blog Hop is a Kindle Fire HD 7" preloaded with books by authors on the blog hop, including a copy of my latest release How To Woo... A Reluctant Bride. Must be 18 to win. Details can be found at http://tabithablake.blogspot.com /

I'll also be giving away two ebooks of the winner's choice at the other blog stops from Dec. 20-22. Leave a comment on any of my blogs and you will be entered.

Here is the schedule:

Dec. 17-19, Secret Santa Blog Hop (A Victorian Christmas)  
http://lyndilamont.com/blog/2012/12/16/secret-santa-blog-hop/ ‎

Dec. 20, Servants of the Muse blog (Kama Sutra)
http://servantsofthemuse.blogspot.com/

also: also: Sunlight Sucks blog featuring a special giveaway of Deception, Historical M/M Romance
http://sunlightsucks.com/ 

Dec. 21, The Romance Studio blog (Victorian Wedding Customs) http://theromancestudio.blogspot.com/

Dec. 22, Love In A Book Reviews (Excerpt from How To Woo... A Reluctant Bride) 
https://loveinabookreviews.wordpress.com/2012/12/22/how-to-woo-a-reluctant-bride-from-lyndi-lamont/

I hope some of your will be able to participate and win some prizes.

Happy Holidays!

Lyndi Lamont

Book of Lost Fragrances (Book Review Club)

The Book of Lost Fragrances
by M.J. Rose
Paranormal Thriller

The intriguing notion at the heart of this book is that an ancient Egyptian fragrance could be the key to unlocking the mysteries of past life.

For generations, the House of L'Etoile in Paris has created exclusive fragrances, but now the business is in trouble. The family patriarch is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and children Robbie and Jac (Jacinth) must find a way to save the company. Jac wants to sell two of their premiere fragrances, but Robbie is certain that if Jac, who has a superior nose, will help him, they can find the lost elusive fragrance of memory. Jac, a skeptic, dismisses his ideas. Robbie has an ulterior motive. A converted Buddhist, he hopes to find the lost frangrance and give it to the Dalai Lama to help the beleaguered Tibetan people. He enlists the help of Griffin North, Jac's former love.

As a child, Jac suffered from schizophrenic episodes made worse by the scents in her father's workroom. (Or were they memories of past lives that the young Jac had no way to process?) Since finding psychological help from Dr. Malachai Samuels, a familiar figure in previous books in this series, she has kept her distance from the family business. Then Robbie disappears from the House of L'Etoile, leaving a dead body behind, and Jac and Griffin must work together to find out what happened.

I really enjoyed this book. The main plot about the lost fragrance is quite fascinating and takes from present day to Ancient Egypt and Revolutionary Paris. The subplot about Chinese attempts to prevent the fragrance from reaching the Dalai Lama complicates matters, as does Malachai Samuels's attempts to obtain the lost memory tool. In previous books, Malachai has been a suspected villain, even coming under FBI surveillance, but he now seems determined to clear his name.

I found the book fascinating, both for plot and the ambience. MJ Rose was clearly inspired by her research into the history of perfume. The book doesn't have the happy ending I wanted but it was satisfying nevertheless. I have read the entire series and this is one of the best, along with The Memorist. I'm hoping there will be more.

As always, click on the graphic below for more great reviews!

Linda McLaughlin
aka Lyndi Lamont

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@Barrie Summy

Book Review Club: Proof of Heaven

Proof of Heaven 
by Eben Alexander, M.D.
Simon & Schuster, 2012

When I heard about this book, I pre-ordered it for my Kindle. Apparently I wasn't the only one. His website says the book debuted at #1 in e-book sales!

I've been interested in NDE (near-death experience) literature since reading Raymond Moody's Life After Life in the mid-1970s. So I didn't approach the book as a skeptic but a believer, and one who is familiar with the genre.

Dr. Alexander's experience is unique in several ways.

1. As a neurosurgeon, he was very much a scientist and a skeptic, so when he went into a protracted coma, he had no preconceived ideas about what to expect. No one was more surprised than he when he had a revelatory spiritual experience.

2. His coma was caused by an unusual condition in adults: gram-negative bacterial meningitis, which shut down the neocortex of his brain, the part that medical scientists say makes us human. That part of his brain was completely inactive during his coma. After he recovered, Dr. Alexander tried, and failed, to find a rational, scientific explanation for what happened to him. In addition, his survival of the meningitis without any brain damage is quite remarkable.

3. His NDE differed somewhat from those reported by other survivors. For one thing, while in coma, he had no idea who he was/had been on earth. Most patients who suffer NDEs have all or some part of their neocortex still functioning. As a result, he felt no compulsion to return to his previous life. Nevertheless, his family gathered around and prayed for him and he was ultimately drawn back to his life on earth.

During the coma, he initially spent a lot of time in a murky, undistinguished state he called the Realm of the Worm's Eye View. In time, a light appeared to him and he rose into a bright and beautiful spiritual realm where a lovely young woman acted as his guide. He traveled through areas of "heaven" he dubbed the Gateway and the Core. The message he brought back is simple:

You are loved and cherished.
You have nothing to fear.
There is nothing you can do wrong.

Before his coma, he would have said that all consciousness comes from the brain. Now he believes we are spiritual beings inhabiting mortal brains and bodies.

If you have any interest in this subject, I recommend the book. I found it quite fascinating and Dr. Alexander does a good job of explaining medical and scientific concepts in ways a non-scientist can understand. You can read more online at http://www.lifebeyonddeath.net/.

Linda

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@Barrie Summy

Book Review Club: Twilight of the Elites

Twilight of the Elites
by Christopher Hayes
Crown Publishing, 2012
Adult Non-fiction

Hayes examines why "America feels broken" and comes to the conclusion that our meritocracy has failed us. We are in a new "crisis of authority".

The last such crisis occurred in the 1960's when the whiz kids of the WASP elite led us into disaster in Vietnam. The Civil Rights struggle triumphed at the same time, which led to the formation of a new meritocratic elite, chosen from the "best and brightest" of the nation, including women and minorities. This led to the election of Barack Obama, the country's first African-American president. But by then we were nearing the end of a decade of elite failure. Hayes writes:

The central tragic irony of the presidency of Barack Obama is that his election marked the crowning achievement of the post-1960s meritocracy, just at the moment that the system was imploding on itself.

Hayes walks us through each elite failure of the "Fail Decade" from the intelligence debacles that led the Iraq War, the engineering failures that led to the busting of the levees around New Orleans, and finally to the banking crisis that created the worst financial slump since the 1930s. He includes the pedophile priest scandal that rocked the Catholic Church in some detail. None of it makes for a pretty picture.

But why has so little changed? For instance, why are there so few bankers in jail? The problem is that at some point elites become self-perpetuating and self-protective, dysfunctional and corrupt. They become so sure of their own merit, they cannot accept responsibility for their own failures.

The rise of the meritocracy, and the rise in compensation to those at the top, has led to an astounding gap of inequality between the "best" and the rest. This is the big downside of the system. Equality of opportunity isn't enough, esp. when it doesn't really exist in some areas of the country. That isn't to say we necessarily want equality of outcome, but the more prosperity is shared by everyone, the better we do as a nation and as a society. Education alone cannot solve the problems, esp. since schools are not funded equally.

So how to fix the mess we're in?

There are two approaches, according to Hayes:

- the institutionalists, like President Obama, want to fix the system - a tweak here, a tweak there

- the insurrectionists, like economist Paul Krugman and the Occupy Movement, think the system is irrevocably broken and needs to be changed radically.

I lean more to the insurrectionist point of view myself. (I am still royally pissed that the banks got away with massive mortgage fraud.) In any case I agree with Hayes's conclusion that "the answer lies in a newly radicalized middle class" that insists on finding ways to level the playing field.

Whether, or when, that will happen remains to be seen. Either way, it's going to be a bumpy ride for most of us.

Twilight of the Elites is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book, and I recommend it highly.

About the author:
Christopher Hayes is Editor at Large of The Nation and host of Up w/ Chris Hayes on MSNBC (Sat 7-9am and Sun 8-10am.)

As always, click on the graphic below for more book reviews. My thanks to Barrie Summi for organizing our monthly book club.

Linda


P.S. Dear FCC, I bought the ebook from Amazon and read it on my iPad.

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@Barrie Summy

Book Review Club: Drawn/London Eye Mystery

DRAWN by Marie Lamba
Young Adult Time Travel, 2012

Michelle DeFreccio, an American teenager just moved to England, is a talented and sensitive artist. Her father has started teaching at an upscale English academy, which Michelle now attends. She hopes to start over without the baggage of her past, namely her "psychic" mother and schizophrenic brother and the label De-Freak-O.

But life in England has its own challenges. As an American, she's not always sure how to navigate the social divide within her school. More troubling are the pictures she finds herself sketching of a young man in Medieval garb, a young man named Christopher who refuses to stay on the page. Before Michelle knows it, she is drawn into the past where her presence changes things, not always for the better. Worse, she's in love with a man who died long ago and there's nothing she can do to save him. Or is there? She tries to figure out what happened in the past in order to change things, sometimes with terrible consequences.

I am so impressed by this book. I was utterly "drawn" into it by the great story and wonderful writing. One of the best YA novels I've read in recent years. Five stars.

THE LONDON EYE MYSTERY
by Siobahn Dowd
Middle Grade mystery, Random House, 2007

Ted Sparks is budding meterologist who sees the world through the language of the weather. A 12-year-old genius, Ted also suffers with high-functioning Asperger's Syndrome. His brain is wired differently than most people's which allows him to see connections between things and people that others miss.

This comes in handy when his 13-year-old cousin, Salim, disappears while riding the London Eye. Salim and his mother, Aunt Gloria, come to town to visit with Ted, his parents and his older sister Kat, often referred to by Ted as Katastrophe. Salim and Aunt Gloria are on their way to live in New York, but Salim doesn't want to go. Is his disappearance from the Eye a crime or the ill-fated prank of a disgruntled teenager?

Ted and Kat work together (somewhat reluctantly at times) to solve the mystery of Salim's disappearance and are surprised to find that they make a good team. Ted may be the genius, but Kat is pretty smart, too, in a more practical way.

Ted's narration is a delight. I love his voice and the interesting and strange connections he makes in his brilliant mind. Though he doesn't have good social skills, he tries to learn appropriate responses, and his quirks become endearing to the reader. Very enjoyable read.

Barry Summie's Book Review Club is back after a summer break  As always, click on the graphic below to read more great reviews.

Hope everyone had a great summer!

Linda

Click icon for more book review blogs @Barrie Summy

New review: 4 Stars for Tova's Dragon

"This story is fun. Tova is a great example of a strong female character. She sets out on a journey to save those she loves despite her own fears and misgivings. She puts herself in danger, not because it is stupidly brave but because she has no choice. And despite this, she is still nurturing, reaching out to comfort Kane even when she is also in distress...."

Read the full 4 Star review for Tova's Dragon at You Gotta Read! 

Length: Novella (20k words)
Buy Link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/TovasDragon.html

Also available from All Romance eBooks and Amazon Kindle Store



G-rated Excerpt: 

CHAPTER 1

Once upon a time, in the land of Velosia, lived a young earth mage. Tova, for that was her name, dwelt in harmony with the plants of the fields and the animals of the earth. She felt vibrations in the earth and heard whispers on the wind, basked in the sun and gloried in the rain.

There was but one element that disturbed her. Whene'er storm clouds gathered and thunder rumbled in the distance, she trembled in dread. And when light flashed in the sky, she hid, for the lightning seemed to follow her every movement. The air crackled around and through her, and in her heart, she feared one day it would strike her dead, as it had her father.

In this time also appeared the Outlaw Kane, last of the dragonlords of Velosia, a man-beast who changed shape at will. Back from exile, he bided his time in his aerie high in the mountains, until the day Tova came seeking his help.

And so begins the tale of the Lightning Maiden and the Outlawed Dragon.

*          *          *

Seek help of the Lord of Drakkenberg. Only he can aid you. You must fly with the dragon.

Her grandmother’s words rang in Tova’s head as she climbed the path into the mountains. Why had Mutti Zee sent her on a fool’s errand? Everyone knew the dragonfolk had abandoned Velosia years ago, driven away by Bruno of Grimmdorn’s crusade against them. Until he was accused of putting the king and queen under an enchantment and forced to flee. Now Bruno was back at the head of a mercenary army, if Mutti Zee’s vision was correct. And Tova knew it was. She’d felt the vibrations in the earth.

And somehow it was up to her to save the kingdom.

Stopping to rest her tired legs, she gazed at the path ahead. It grew steeper and narrower the higher it wound into the mountains. She was glad she’d worn men’s breeches and a tunic with her sturdy boots. A gown and petticoats would be but a hindrance.

She raised her gaze to the sky. “Why me? I’m no hero.” But there was no answer, just clouds forming to her left. She shook her head. Now she was talking to herself, like mad Magnus, the village idiot.

Turning back to the path, she started climbing again. The castle was visible now, high on a cliff, its turrets silhouetted against the sky. For centuries, the dragon lords had resided in the castle, ruling the isolated mountain communities. People in those areas were known as dragonfolk, though Tova knew not why. True, dragon motifs decorated the doorframes of their houses, and rumor had it they worshipped some kind of serpent god.

Over the years, many travelers through the mountains had claimed to see large winged creatures flying in the sky at sunrise, and others swore they’d seen men and women change shape and fly into the night. Old wives tales, no doubt. On the rare occasions she’d seen the dragonfolk, they’d looked much like everyone else. But they kept apart, and visitors to the area were discouraged. It was all a great puzzle, but one she had no time to ponder. Too much was at stake and her chances of reaching Castle Novita in time to warn the king were slim at best.

A shadow blocked the sun, and she looked up to see an enormous bird silhouetted against the sky. Goddess, she’d never seen such a large raptor. It turned and the sun’s rays glinted on its shiny red-gold wings and barbed tail. Halting, she stared after it, shaken to the core of her being.

No, it couldn't be. There was no such thing as dragons.

Linda w/a Lyndi Lamont

You can now follow me on Twitter @LyndiLamont or find me on Shelfari!

A Night To Remember (Book Review Club)

Like a lot of people, I got caught up in the Titanic 100-year anniversary enthusiasm, so I was glad when my library book club decided to read Walter Lord's book about that fateful night in April of 1911.

A Night To Remember
by Walter Lord
Henry Holt, 2005 edition
Trade Paperback (from library)

It has been one hundred years since the Titanic disaster, and people are still fascinated by the ship and her fate. Lord's classic account of the sinking is still noteworthy for the painstaking detail, much of it based on eyewitness accounts by survivors still alive in 1955. Step by step, he takes us through the events of that night, starting with the lookouts who didn't see the iceberg in time because the binoculars they were supposed to be using were locked in a chest and the key was in London. (The result of a last-minute change in the officers assigned to the ship.)

We hear from people from all three passenger classes - the very wealthy, the middle class, and the lowly immigrants - and crew members from the officers to humble stewards. Though at times the book reads like fiction, it is not. He did an impressive amount of research which is detailed in the Acknowledgements section at the end. From the retrospective of the 21st century, the book represents an impressive undertaking in a world of print-only resources.

I also rented the film, produced in 1958, but it wasn't the movie I remembered from my childhood. That one was Titanic, starring Clifton Webb, which came out two years before Lord's book. The film version of A Night To Remember is a British production starring Kenneth More as Second Officer Lightoller and a young David McCallum as Officer Lord. I was surprised at first to realize A Night To Remember was filmed in black and white, but I soon understood why. By not using color, they were able to mix archival footage of the actual ship with the movie reels. So we see the Titanic being christened and sailing off from Southampton as it really happened. There was no such thing as CGI in 1958!

 For the best sense of what it might have been like to actually be on the Titanic, nothing can beat James Cameron's 1997 epic. Like the fictional love story or despise it, the special effects are overwhelming and incredible. In my opinion, it deserved the Oscar simply for being a monumental and innovative piece of moviemaking. And the musical score is both beautiful and haunting.

After reading A Night To Remember, I think I understand why the story of the Titanic still draws us. It was one of the greatest disasters of all time, and it changed maritime history (and law) forever. But at its heart, it's a very human story-- of arrogance and hubris, negligence, bad luck and denial, bravery and cowardice, indifference and sacrifice. A testament to the bad and the good to be found in human nature. And for that reason, it is a story that will live forever in human memory.

At the end of a recent documentary on the Titanic, James Cameron talks about the ship as a microcosm of 1912 society, with its class distinctions. He also sees the image of the unwieldy ship sailing into the iceberg as a metaphor for a continent about to go over a cliff and into one of the most destructive and unnecessary wars of all time. (WWI) And then he talked about how things are not much different now. We are headed for an iceberg called "global climate change" and it's too late to correct the system in time to prevent the crash.

If you haven't read this book, I do recommend it.

Linda

Don't forget to check out the rest of the Book Review Club June reads!

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@Barrie Summy

May Giveaway

Update: Congratulations to winner Wilma F. 

I've been doing a giveaway each month and May is no different. Prize is a download of one of my Amber Quill Press titles, including the erotic and M/M romances written under my Lyndi Lamont pseudonym. To enter, comment on this post or email me at:

Winner will be chosen the day after Memorial Day and notified by email.

My bookshelves can be found at:

http://www.lindamclaughlin.com/bookshelf.html and
http://www.lyndilamont.com/Bookshelf.html

Linda McLaughlin also writing as Lyndi Lamont

Book Review Club, May 2, 2012

No review for me this month, but as always, you can check out the others at:

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book review blogs
@Barrie Summy

Enjoy! 

Linda

April Giveaway

Update: Congratulations to Estella K. who won a copy of Desperado!

The heroine of my newest release, Tova's Dragon, is an earth mage, so it seems appropriate to have a giveaway this month to celebrate Earth Day (Sunday, April 22).

 The prize is winner's choice of an electronic download of any of my Amber Quill Press titles, those written under my real name, Linda McLaughlin, or the erotic romance written as Lyndi Lamont.

To enter, send an email to lyndi lamont @ yahoo.com (no spaces) with April giveaway in the subject line. Winner will be chosen on Monday, April 23.

Click here to read an excerpt from Tova's Dragon.

Linda McLaughlin w/a Lyndi Lamont

Book Review Club: Crucible of Gold

CRUCIBLE OF GOLD
By Naomi Novik
Del Rey, March 2012
(Fantasy / Alternate History)

I'm a big fan of Novik's Temeraire series, so I pre-ordered the Kindle version and promptly forgot when the release date was. As a result, I was surprised and pleased when it popped up on my Home page on March 6.

This is the seventh book in the series about a marvelous talking dragon and Will Lawrence, an officer in the British Aerial Corp during the Napoleonic Wars. In order, the books are:

His Majesty's Dragon
Throne of Jade
Black Powder War
Empire of Ivory
Victory of Eagles
Tongues of Serpents

Crucible of Fire picks up where Tongues of Serpents left off, with Temeraire and Will still in Australia serving a seven-year sentence of transportation after Will committed treason at the end of Empire of Ivory. The new call to adventure starts when diplomat Arthur Hammond, from Throne of Jade, arrives with an offer to reinstate Will to duty. The catch is he will have to undertake a mission to South America to negotiate with the Tswama (an African tribe encountered in Empire of Ivory) to stop attacking the Portuguese colony in Brazil. After unintended events, Will and Temeraire find themselves attempting to stop Napoleon from forming an alliance with the Incan Empire. (Like I said. alternate history.)

Since Will never refuses to do his duty, and Temeraire never passes up a chance for adventure, they set out on a perilous sea voyage through the southern Pacific. Happily, at least to this reader, they are accompanied by two other dragons, including the unforgettable Isquierka, a Turkish fire-breathing dragon first encountered in Black Powder War. She is my second favorite dragon, after Temeraire, with a fiery temperament to match her fighting abilities. One never knows what Isqierka will do, sometimes with disastrous, sometimes hilarious consequences.

This is another delightful installment of the series. I won't say any more about what happens because I really do recommend this series, but think it should be read in order. There is more background about the series at Wikipedia, including descriptions of the various types of dragons. And the author's website has a video trailer and examples of lovely fan artwork.

And as always, don't forget to check the other monthly book reviews at Barrie's blog.

Linda

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@Barrie Summy

Book Review Club: Lost Horizon

Lost Horizon: A Novel
by James Hilton
pub. 1933. 1936

Thanks to James Hilton, the concept of Shangri-La is so ingrained in our culture that I almost couldn't believe I had never read the book or seen the movie. So I decided to do something about that. Fortunately, it's considered a classic so it was an easy matter to find a copy of the book at the local library and the movie at Netflix.(And I think this must have been the original American cover. Love the 25 cent price!)

The story starts with a group of old school chums discussing Robert Conway, an old friend who went missing while being evacuated from a war zone. The plane he was in disappeared in the North of India. One of the men, a novelist, surprises them all by saying he had unexpected encountered Conway in a mission hospital in China suffering from amnesia. On a boat home, Conway's memory returned and he told his friend an extraordinary story before disappearing again.

The narrative then switches to Conway's (third person) point of view as we see the kidnapping and subsequent events through his eyes. After crashing in the Himalayas, they are taken in by Chang, a representative of a lamasery called Shangri-La. Perched high on a mountain, the luxurious lamasery overlooks the beautiful "valley of the blue moon" where people live in unimagined harmony. The philosophy of Shangri-La is moderation in all things. The people are moderately industrious, moderately obedient and moderately chaste. And the High Lama who rules over all is moderately strict.

Conway, who is a veteran of the Great War and more than a little world-weary, quickly falls under the spell of Shangri-La, but his assistant, the young Mallinson, fails to adapt. He wants to leave immediately, but they must wait for a party of porters who keep to no particular schedule. In the meantime, both men are falling under the spell of Lo Tsen, a lovely Manchu woman who is a talented pianist. And that is all I will say about the plot.

The book is beautifully written, with a lot of philosophical discussions. I think it is superb literature, though it falls a little short as storytelling. I would have liked to know more about Lo Tsen and her feelings about the two Englishmen, esp. given the ultimate choice she makes, which was never explained to my satisfaction.

The movie was filmed in 1937 and was apparently quite an undertaking. It was directed by Frank Capra and stars the wonderful Ronald Colman as Conway, though this Conway was more ambitious than the one in the book. There were a number of changes to other characters in the film. Conway's assistant Mallinson became his brother George. (That kind of made sense give what happens later.) The biggest change was the disappearance of Lo Tsen, probably because an interracial love affair would have been taboo in 1937. Instead, there were two white women at the lamasery: Sondra, played by Jane Wyatt who falls in love with Conway, and Maria, a young Russian woman patterned after Lo Tsen who falls for George.

Watching the movie, I kept thinking: why on earth did they film it in black and white? It would have been so gorgeous in technicolor. Then it dawned on me that the film was made two years before Gone With The Wind, the first full-color movie. Even in black and white, the film is beautiful. The version I watched has been remastered from original clips. At one point, it was shortened, and they found a complete 132-minute copy of the audio, but not all of the film, so in places, the visuals are filled in by photographic stills. I really enjoyed both book and movie.

What would you have done if you'd been in that plane with Conway? Brave the snows of the Himalayas to get home or stay and enjoy the utopian paradise that was Shangri-La? I'm afraid I'd be inclined to stay.

Don't forget to check out the other reviews, and scroll down to find out about my March giveaway and to read an excerpt from my new release, Tova's Dragon.

Linda

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@Barrie Summy

March Giveaway

In honor of my Irish roots, I'm holding a giveaway this month.  

The prize is winner's choice of an electronic download of any of my backlisted titles by Linda McLaughlin or my Lyndi Lamont pseudonym (erotic romance). To enter, comment on this post or send an email to lyndilamont@yahoo.com with March giveaway in the subject line.

Winner will be chosen on the Monday after St. Patrick's Day.

Linda

Tova's Dragon Now Available

My new release from Amber Heat is now available. Tova's Dragon is fantasy erotic romance featuring an earth mage and a sexy dragonshifter. It's part of the Riding The Dragon AmberPax released on March 19.

Blurb:

Tova, an earth mage, rejuvenates through sex magic. She's on a mission to save her homeland, but her magical energy is running low--closing in on empty. How is she to know the handsome half-naked man she encounters is not only a condemned man, but also a dragonshifter? Talk about hot and steamy sex. And nothing is simple after that...

Kane has always loved Velosian women and their sex magic. Tova's warmth stirs his passions and her courage touches his heart, but he dreads telling her of his true nature, certain she will recoil. But Tova is made of sterner stuff.

Together, Kane and Tova have the power to save Velosia. If they survive, can an earth mage find happiness with a dragonshifter? In a land where sex and magic are intertwined, anything may be possible. 

EXCERPT #1:

CHAPTER 1

Once upon a time, in the land of Velosia, lived a young earth mage. Tova, for that was her name, dwelt in harmony with the plants of the fields and the animals of the earth. She felt vibrations in the earth and heard whispers on the wind, basked in the sun and gloried in the rain.

There was but one element that disturbed her. Whene’er storm clouds gathered and thunder rumbled in the distance, she trembled in dread. And when light flashed in the sky, she hid, for the lightning seemed to follow her every movement. The air crackled around and through her, and in her heart, she feared one day it would strike her dead, as it had her father.

In this time also appeared the Outlaw Kane, last of the dragonlords of Velosia, a man-beast who changed shape at will. Back from exile, he bided his time in his aerie high in the mountains, until the day Tova came seeking his help.

And so begins the tale of the Lightning Maiden and the Outlawed Dragon.

*          *          *

Seek help of the Lord of Drakkenberg. Only he can aid you. You must fly with the dragon.

Her grandmother’s words rang in Tova’s head as she climbed the path into the mountains. Why had Mutti Zee sent her on a fool’s errand? Everyone knew the dragonfolk had abandoned Velosia years ago, driven away by Bruno of Grimmdorn’s crusade against them. Until he was accused of putting the king and queen under an enchantment and forced to flee. Now Bruno was back at the head of a mercenary army, if Mutti Zee’s vision was correct. And Tova knew it was. She’d felt the vibrations in the earth.

And somehow it was up to her to save the kingdom.

Stopping to rest her tired legs, she gazed at the path ahead. It grew steeper and narrower the higher it wound into the mountains. She was glad she’d worn men’s breeches and a tunic with her sturdy boots. A gown and petticoats would be but a hindrance.

She raised her gaze to the sky. “Why me? I’m no hero.” But there was no answer, just clouds forming to her left. She shook her head. Now she was talking to herself, like mad Magnus, the village idiot.

Turning back to the path, she started climbing again. The castle was visible now, high on a cliff, its turrets silhouetted against the sky. For centuries, the dragon lords had resided in the castle, ruling the isolated mountain communities. People in those areas were known as dragonfolk, though Tova knew not why. True, dragon motifs decorated the doorframes of their houses, and rumor had it they worshipped some kind of serpent god.

Over the years, many travelers through the mountains had claimed to see large winged creatures flying in the sky at sunrise, and others swore they’d seen men and women change shape and fly into the night. Old wives tales, no doubt. On the rare occasions she’d seen the dragonfolk, they’d looked much like everyone else. But they kept apart, and visitors to the area were discouraged. It was all a great puzzle, but one she had no time to ponder. Too much was at stake and her chances of reaching Castle Novita in time to warn the king were slim at best.

A shadow blocked the sun, and she looked up to see an enormous bird silhouetted against the sky. Goddess, she’d never seen such a large raptor. It turned and the sun’s rays glinted on its shiny red-gold wings and barbed tail. Halting, she stared after it, shaken to the core of her being.

No, it couldn’t be. There was no such thing as dragons.

Tova's Dragon
by Lyndi Lamont
Genres: Fantasy / Shapeshifter / Fairy Tales / Witchcraft / Magic
Heat Level: 3
Length: Novella (20k words)

Buy Link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/TovasDragon.html
http://www.lindamclaughlin.com/ / Lyndi Lamont

Book Review Club: The Breath of God

The Breath of God was recommended to me by a friend, but I didn't have time to read it all, so I asked her if I could use her review instead. Please welcome my friend Teresa Zimmerman-Liu, who is currently in the final stages of earning her Master of Arts degree in Asian Studies.

The Breath of God: A Novel of Suspense
by Jeffrey Small

Reviewed by Teresa Zimmerman-Liu:

Jeffrey Small is a professor of Religious Studies, and the book stars a PhD student who is doing his dissertation on the Issa manuscripts, which are supposed to be located in Bhutan. The book opens with the grad student, Grant Matthews, shooting the rapids in a kayak in a river in Bhutan with his guide. The rapids are a class 5; Grant makes it through with a broken leg, but his guide does not survive. A monk from a nearby monastery saves Grant and takes him back to the monastery's infirmary. The only monk in the monastery who can speak English is also interested in the Issa manuscripts, which happen to be housed in that particular place. 

When Grant emails home about his new data to his dissertation adviser at Emory University in Atlanta, the email is leaked to the press, and a group of fundamental Christians in Atlanta stage a protest. One member of that group is a former Marine, who is not quite stable after traumas suffered in Iraq. The pastor is hoping to use the event to become leader of the evangelical political coalition and wield power in the US like Jerry Falwell used to. His inflammatory sermons convince the ex-Marine that he must kill Grant. Things get really exciting when Grant has to return to Bhutan to rephotograph the texts because the ex-Marine hacks his computer and deletes all his data. The monk in Bhutan is forced by the political situation there to take the texts and flee to India. 

I really liked the book. It has a lot of good information about the major world religions (as one would expect from a professor of Religious Studies), but it is woven into an exciting story. It also shows how important religion is to world politics and power structures. I highly recommend the book.

My thanks to Teresa for the review and for recommending the book which I am enjoying very much. FWIW, FCC, we both bought copies of the book to read on our Kindles.

If you would like more background on the Issa story, may I also recommend Jesus In India, a documentary filmed in India detailing author Edward T. Martin's "quest across 4000 miles of India in search of answers about where Jesus was during the 'Hidden Years' from ages 12 to 30". I got the DVD from Amazon, but it's also available from Netflix. I enjoyed it a lot, too. 

Linda McLaughlin
http://www.lindamclaughlin.com/

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@Barrie Summy

Book Review Club: Jack Kennedy, Elusive Hero

When I heard about this book, I checked the local library website and saw that they had ordered it, and wonder of wonders, there was no reserve list yet, so I got my name in quickly. It arrived in mid-December and I checked it out to read over the holidays.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was one of the towering figures of my childhood, and like everyone who was alive in the early 1960's, I have vivid memories of the Cuban missile crisis and the assassination. Over the years, Jack has become even more fascinating to me, so I was anxious to read the book and I found it quite interesting.

Author Chris Matthews is a political pundit, so the emphasis here is on JFK as politician. If you are looking for juicy details about his private life, you'll have to look elsewhere. 

This is a political biography. Some of the things I learned about Kennedy are:

- Jack was the spare, not the heir, so in typical patriarchal tradition, most parental attention was focused on his older brother Joe. As a result, Jack developed an independent streak.

- His health problems were more serious than were publicly acknowledged at the time. Jack was a sickly child who spent a lot of time in bed reading. This experience made him a deeper and more original thinker. I suspect it also made him more empathic than might normally be expected of a young man from a wealthy family.

- In 1947 he was diagnosed with Addison's disease, a disorder of the adrenal glands. He also had a bad back and failed the physical to join the Navy the first time. He exercised to build up his strength and passed the second time. (A few moments ago, I read and reviewed a book called A First Rate Madness by Nassir Ghaemi that talked about Jack's health problems and the steroids used to treat him.)

- He was close to death on more than one occasion and was given Last Rites several times before becoming president. Matthews quotes a close friend of Jack's who said he was "deeply preoccupied by death" and that "quick... was the key". That gave me chills.

- Matthews talks more than once about their being "two Jacks" - the wealthy bon vivant and the serious politician. He was able to compartmentalize the different areas of his lives in order to focus on one at a time. He was anbitious and single-minded in pursuit of a goal, and could be ruthless when he had to be. 

- JFK and Richard Nixon were elected to Congress the same year (1946) and became friendly. Nixon was very upset when Jack became gravely ill. The friendship did not survive the contentious 1960 campaign, however.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to those interested in politics and/or Kennedy. But read it now, before we all get heartily sick and tired of politics. It's an election year, after all.

Happy New Year and don't forget to check out the other reviews in the Book Review Club. Click on the graphic below.

Linda

Update: I finished the book last night and have a few final thoughts. I grew up in a family of Republicans who had no love for JFK when he was alive. In retrospect, I have come to realize what a great president he was. Matthews makes that apparent in this loving portrait of a remarkable man who accomplished so much in such a short time and at such great personal cost.

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@Barrie Summy