Around the Bookish World: News Week-in-Review

Welcome to this week’s news post! Got some great goodies, like long-awaited covers and upcoming titles, but also some sad news about some beloved authors.

Sadly the start of this week, news broke about the serious illness that author L.A Banks aka Leslie Esdaile Banks is facing. She has been diagnosed with late stage adrenal cancer. I know there is a couple of auctions being held to raise money, but her family and friends have posted up a donations page to help the costs of her rising medical bills. When I hear the deets about the auctions – I will post them here in the next news post.

I would also like to say that everyone here at BLI – is sending the best of our love and thoughts to Leslie and her family!
Update: This is one of the …

Review: Spiderwork by L.K. Rigel

Format Read: eBookRelease Date: 1 January 2011Formats available: eBookSeries: Book #2 in the Apocalypto seriesSource: review copy provided by author Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author’s Website, Amazon, Free at Smashwords

Blurb:

Her fate was to hold the world together. His destiny was to tear it apart.

As a child, Durga was chosen by the goddess to save the world from sterility and extinction. Now her eighteenth birthday approaches, and Durga must take her place among the chalices, women made fertile by the goddess to ensure more souls for the universe. Durga’s mission does not include love … but Khai, the scion of Luxor, is unlike any man she’s ever met.

Char Meadowlark once played a role in the goddess’s plans. Now her lover, Jake Ardri, heads an emerging city-state whose enemies covet everything he has built. …

Author Interview with L.K. Rigel + Giveaway

Today we welcome to Book Lovers Inc. sci-fi romance author L.K. Rigel, who pens the epic sci-fi-fantasy-romance trilogy: the Apocalypto series (Space Junque, Spiderwork and Bleeder). Linda stopped by to answer my inquisitive questions and scroll down because now you can get your hands on all 3 books of the series!

(To get a first taste of the stories, you can read my review of Space Junque and Spiderwork here on BLI.)

Stella: Hi Linda, welcome to Book Lovers Inc! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?
 
Linda: I live in California with my cat, Coleridge. I’ve been a newspaper reporter, a singing waitress, the lead singer in a band, and a court reporter, and I’ve written stories and songs all my life.
 
Stella: Can you describe a typical day of writing? …

Review: Kisri by Moira Rogers

Format read: E-arc provided by the authorsNumber of pages: 60 pagesFormats available: ebookRelease Date: June 21st 2011Publisher: Samhain PublishingPurchasing Info: Goodreads, Author’s Website, Amazon

Blurb:

After three years at war, Ennon bears the burden of seeing the High Lord’s vast armies home. Keeping thousands of fiercely independent lions in line isn’t easy. When his soldiers discover a beautiful, royal female hidden beneath an illusion spell, the lure of her inheritance threatens the order of his camp.

The men of her family protected Kisri, until the war stole them away. Tired of defending herself from greedy suitors, she’s in search of her only remaining male relative. Instead she finds Ennon, her cousin’s most dangerous warrior. Perhaps the only man in the kingdom who has no interest in claiming her birthright. Which makes him unique…and tempting.

Delivering Kisri …

Happy Highlander Birthday to JoJo (@JoJosBookCorner)!

“Happy Birthday to yoooooooou, happy Birthday to youuuuuuuuu. Happy Birthday dear Jojo,
Happy Birthday tooooooo yooooooooooooooooou!”

If you haven’t deduced yet, today is Jojo’s birthday and we thought what would be better than celebrating it with some sweet and hunky highlander love. ;-p

So lets see who will join us for our little surprise party. But before that don’t forget to grab a yummy piece of the delicious birthday cake Lea made for Jojo.

And guys I swear no need to stand in the corner and pout. I’m sure Jojo will have time for all of you.

Look some of our guests even got their special clothes out for Jojo:

But let’s not talk about those who overdid it a bit. We won’t judge. ^_^

Does anyone else feel the urge to make a kilt test now?

Okay so let’s get the party started. Jojo grab yourself a highlander …

Romance and Me: The Ex-Factor

Hey Everyone!

If by any chance you don’t know what I’m talking about I have to tell you until last night I had no clue there was a phenomenon bearing such a name. Last night when I asked a couple of my fellow Book Lovers if they had any romance issues I should talk about, our lovely Susi mentioned the X-factor, and me being clueless asked what that was. (I imagined it being some sort of romance novels centered around some kind of American Idol setting lol) And she informed me she was alluding to the exes in a couple. Ahh, lightbulb moment! And I agreed with her problems about these plots. So I am here today to discuss exes and their new portrayal in romances.

Until this spring ex-husbands, ex-boyfriends, ex-wives and ex-girlfriends were always portrayed as villains: being jealous, possessive and usually crazy.

But this spring I discovered a new trend when at …

The Secret Black Book of Blogging – How to get your dates with bloggers?

We as book bloggers can imagine that as an author it must be intimidating to reach out to bloggers to get your book read. We know that you worry about how you will be treated and even more how your book- your work and heart, will be judged.

What is the big PRO for doing this yourself and not through a blogtour company? Not only will you save money (and some blogtour companies seem to want an arm and a leg for this), but YOU will have direct contact with the bloggers. If you are nice they will perhaps actually be ready to host you again in the future (FOR FREE). That is how social networking works, helping you to connect with your readers.

1. Research Blogs
One of the most important things is to check the blogger’s review policy. Make sure that …

Review: The Devil in Disguise by Stefanie Sloane

Format read: Print copy from the PublisherNumber of pages: 320 pagesPublisher: Ballantine BooksFormats available: ebook, paperbackRelease Date: May 24th 2011Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author’s website, Amazon

Book Blurb:

Lord William Randall, the Duke of Clairemont, is a rake with little regard for society—a most unlikely suitor for Lady Lucinda Grey. But his latest assignment for the Young Corinthians, an elite spy organization, involves protecting her from a kidnapping plot. To do this, the notorious “Iron Will” must use his devilish charm to seduce Lucinda and convince her he’s worthy of her attention. William never planned to become enthralled by the lovely Lady Grey—or to lose his own heart in the bargain.

Beautiful and fiercely intelligent, Lucinda has managed to gracefully sidestep even the most persistent suitors. Until the Duke of Clairemont, that is. She’s tempted by his …

Review: Paramour by Margaret Ethridge

Format Read: Paperback
Number of Pages: 215
Release Date: 31 December 2010
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press

Formats Available: Paperback, E-book
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon

Book Blurb:

Camellia Stafford has never been alone in her room. For twenty years she’s been engaged in a fierce power struggle with her bedrooms previous tenant, Frank DeLuca, the ghost trapped in the light fixture above her bed.

Caustic and cranky, Frank has one soft spot – Cam. Over the years, their feelings for one another have evolved from grudging friendship to …

New Releases: June 13 – 19, 2011

Passion (Fallen #3) by Lauren Kate

“Every single lifetime, I’ll choose you. Just as you have chosen me. Forever.”Luce would die for Daniel. And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . .Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through …