The blog is dead... Vive the blog!!!

It's the end of an era...well ok maybe not really an era. But, it's the end of One Book Away From Heaven.  As much as I loved this blog, it's not been as fun to do it alone. I'm very happy to announce you the birth of a new baby blog! Susi (from The Geeky Bookworm) and I are starting a new blog called Secret HEA Society.  We're very proud of our new baby because it's so very us. It'll be crazy, it'll be simple, it'll be just like us.  It's still very empty but it won't stay that way long.   

I really hope to see you there! 

<a href="http://secretheasociety.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Secret HEA Society" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bveNTFnZWHM/TYim1khcFNI/AAAAAAAABb8/TNKKV_LmoPI/s1600/blogbutton.jpg"/></a>

http://secretheasociety.blogspot.com/

Hope you're having a great Sunday everyone.  And don't eat too much chocolate ;)

Book Lovers Inc 1st Blogoversay!!

That’s right, starting tomorrow is the start of Book Lovers Inc 1st Blogoversary!

To celebrate we decided to take a vacation and have an Authors’ Takeover! So be prepared for nearly 2 weeks of celebration. Many many authors will be taking over with guest posts, review of their own books, character interview etc… and much much more!

There will be a lot of contests every day!  Twitter giveaways…PLUS a huge blogoversary giveaway.

Here’s a little taste of the authors celebrating with us:

• Kieran Kramer
• Lila DiPasqua
• Stephanie Julian
• Nancy Holzner
• Susanna Ives
• Linda Robertson
• Julia Rachel Barrett
• Gini Koch
• Stacia Kane
• Kelly Meding
• Tracey O'Hara
• Dakota Cassidy
• Sara Brookes
• Delilah Marvelle
• Inez Kelley
• Joely Sue Burkhart
• Monica Burns
• Megan Hart
• Cynthia Eden
• Chloe Neill
• Carolyn Crane
• Seleste DeLaney
• Devyn Quinn
• Teresa D'Amario
• ….

Check out tomorrow’s post on Book Lovers Inc to learn more about this Author Takeover!!

The List: 2011 Edition

In 2010 I read 91 books. It’s more than I thought I would but I’m a bit sad I didn’t reach 100 books. Maybe I should start reading more novellas or short stories. *shrug* I did went through reading slumps that slowed me down.  If you want to take a look at what I read in 2010 here’s the link to the post

Anyway, I will update this post all year long with the books I’ve read. Hopefully this year I’ll reach 100 books ;)

Books Read in 2011:

1. Prelude to a Scandal – Delilah Marvelle  (January)
2. Sugar Creek – Toni Blake (January)
3. Shadowfever – Karen Marie Moning (January)
4. Night Watch – Sergei Lukyanenko (January)
5. The Cold Kiss of Death – Suzanne McLeod (January)
6. Angel’s Blood – Nalini Singh (audiobook) (January)
7. The Bitter Seed of Magic – Suzanne McLeod (February)
8. Mind Games – Carolyn Crane (February)
9. When Beauty Tamed the Beast – Eloisa James (February)
10. Touched by an Alien – Gini Koch (February)
11. What I did for a Duke – Julie Anne Long (February)

Tombe La Neige! Let is Snow!

Happy Sunday everyone!

It’s been snowing a lot the last couple of days. We’re not used to snow so it’s the panic in the whole country lol. Snow means I can’t leave the house unless my dad drive me somewhere with his 4x4, but it can also be lots of fun when you don’t have to leave the house. I mean yeah, it’s pretty to look at from behind a window. It doesn’t show well on the pic but the snow  reach the top of my knee. =P

The kids (my parents & I) made a huge Snowman. And an hour later the neighbors made an ever bigger. lol It was very very fun to make.  We were also attacked by the neighbor families on each side, and had a huge snowball fight for more than 30 minutes. We all ended up soaked, frozen to death and exhausted! But it was worth it…every minute of it. I’m not sure we’ve ever had this much fun in the snow before. =)

It also doesn’t hurt that I knew that warm blankets were waiting for me inside. *waves from under the blankets*. Below, my very wet dog, napping under the blankets after playing in the snow. ;) That’s a Dog’s Life for you.

What I love about the Holidays, is being warm inside drinking Cherry beer and eating Foie Gras. OMG I love love love Foie Gras…of course I know it’s a French thing mostly and most people would find the idea of eating fat goose liver paté disgusting. NOM nom nom nom. Such a treat.  My mom made some Onion and wine  jam and it’s delicious on Fois Gras toasts. *drools*

 

So what do you guys like about the holidays?

Any special tradition?

New French covers spotted in the store!

Holaaaa! This morning I went to the store and decided to take a look at the new books on the shelves. Here’s what I found:

Vampire City by Rachel Caine. Yep I looked at the blurb and this is actually Glass House (Morganville Vampires #1). It’s a nice cover but it doesn’t really catch the eyes.

I had to take a picture of this one. Vampire Academy: Soeurs de Sang <== Blood Sisters.  Which is the 1st book in the Vampire Academy series.

 

• Chamane by P.C. Cast, which is  Brighid’s Quest . I LOVE this cover. SO much better than the original one
• Sauve mon âme ! by Rachel Vincent. Again I like the cover way better than the cover of the original: My Soul to Keep

Those 2 covers look so great in real. The picture doesn’t do them justice.

Now onto the rant part.

This is the YA/Children part of the store.  And yes, True Blood is shelved in this section O_o . I’m pretty sure they didn’t know where else to put this book. O_o. This is frustrating.

When you see a book shelved in the wrong section, what do you do?

I want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes! I had the best birthday ever! So thank you to everyone who helped make it a perfect day for me <3 A special thanks to the amazing members of Book Lovers Inc. You ladies are just awesome!

This week I finally finished a secret project for a Xmas gift (I can’t tell  what it is for now lol), and I made the package yesterday…which was not a good idea. Because yesterday, I was also celebrating my Bday with lots of alcohol lol.  So…to the recipient of that package… I’m SORRY! LOL

Are you all done with your Xmas present shopping/making?

I’m sooooo far from done O_o It’s scary!

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

New Hobby, In My Mailbox and a Winner!!

Hey Everyone! I  Will start by announcing the winner of either a signed copy of AWAKENED BY A KISS or THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED by Lila DiPasqua. Thanks everyone who entered the giveaway. It was a lot of fun to read everyone’s pet peeves!

The winner is…. Jessica (@ Laugh Love Write) who said:

Okay so pet peeves - An unhappy ending! Authors are trying to mix things up by giving a not so happy ending to their romance and it drives me crazy. Romances are supposed to have happy endings, they are love stories, they are not supposed to break your heart and leave it broken. I can handle it if the unhappy ending gets remedied in a sequel but when they leave it unhappy, it drives me nuts and makes me sad.

Congratulations Jessica! I will email you in a few minutes. You have 48h to answer my email or I’ll have to redraw.

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In My Mailbox!

I haven’t done that in quite some time, but this week I received a few review copies that made me Squeeeeeeee *g*

- Lila DiPasqua sent me a copy of The Princess in His Bed with a lovely message in it. Merci Beaucoup Lila!!! I can’t wait to meet these heroes *g*

- Kieran Kramer sent me an ARC of Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right with lots of amazing bookmarks. Again Le Squeeeeee!  I had to laugh at the message encouraging me to keep knitting *g* Thank you Kieran!! (and I won’t give up knitting I promise!)

This week I also got things I’d ordered some times ago:

- Dvds of Downton Abbey. I LOVE this series. I was hoping there would be an ending but since the series will have a 2nd season next year it ends up in some kind of cliffhanger *sigh*. Still it’s one of the best shows I’ve seen in ages.

- My copy of When Harry Met Molly. Which I started yesterday *g* I couldn't resist waiting longer.

I have started reading too many books at a time and now I have to put them on hold to read books for review. I have been a very bad reviewer this last 2 weeks. It’s time I make up for it. =P

Ohhhh and my last Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee moment? Yesterday I opened my Sony Reader to start Arcane Circle by Linda Robertson and OMG, Susi & I are mentioned in the “Extra thanks”…*swoon* 

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New Hobby !

So I decided to start Knitting. It happened less than 2 weeks ago after reading a post by Alea @Pop Culture Junkie . It’s all new to me and I’m learning by myself so we’ll see how this goes ;).  My main problem being that I’m learning by watching youtube videos and reading websites in English, which means I sometimes struggle to find the corresponding yarn in European sizing. Same with needles. But otherwise I think I’m doing ok.

This is the first  knitting project I ever made. lol It’s a snood.  It’s ugly and the stitches are very irregular but I don’t really care…I made something!! Woooot *opening Champagne bottle* lol

And here’s my stash! Ohhh and see at the top on the left? This is the bear I knitted, his named is Maurice (my MOM chose the name lol).  I also have a secret project, which is not on the pictures…because it’s a SECRET! lol

So this is it for me…I spent last week knitting and listening to audiobooks. I’m getting very fond of Audiobooks. Right now I’m listening to Side Jobs by Jim Butcher. I love it so much  think that when next book comes out I’ll buy the audiobooks rather than a print copy. The narrator is fantastic!!!

have a great week everyone!

Guest Post by Author Lila Di Pasqua + Giveaway

I’m very happy to welcome Lila Di Pasqua on my blog today. Lila’s new book, The Princess in his Bed was released earlier this week. This is the 2nd book in the  Fiery Tales Collection.  I have to tell you, not only is Lila  a  great author but  she is also a wonderful person.  So it’s with great pleasure that I leave the floor to Lila today . =) Let’s give her a warm welcome!

THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED….Where did you get your ideas for that?—Part 3!

I’m on a blog tour for THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED. Today I’m super excited to be here on another of my favorite blogs - One Book Away From Heaven! Thank you so much for having me back!!

At the last two stops, I revealed where I got my ideas and inspiration for the heroes and heroines in The Marquis’ New Clothes and The Lovely Duckling—found in THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED (see my blog for details of where you can read about the inspiration behind these two “Fiery Tales”: http://liladipasqua.blogspot.com/ )

A quick recap on why THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED was written—When Berkley bought AWAKENED BY A KISS, they fell in love with the whole Fiery Tales concept (my steamy retellings of the three classic fairy tales found in that book). They wanted me to write another book with three more “Fiery Tales”. Since AWAKENED BY A KISS sold the day before the RWA National Conference in Washington D.C., I didn’t have a lot of time to come up with three new fairy tales—not to mention thoughts on how I was going to give them my own special twists.

You see, I was flying down to the conference knowing I was going to meet my agent and new editor in person for the very first time.

By the time my meeting with my editor came along, I had chosen The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling and The Princess and the Pea as my fairy tales. (Thankfully my muse was with me. She can be so fickle and often abandons me on a whim!) I had a pretty clear idea in my mind how I was going to make the first two work (again, check out my blog for what inspired these stories!) But I was having a bit of difficulty with The Princess and the Pea.

First off, the original tale had an overbearing mother-in-law. She ordered her son about. That, in my mind, takes away from the hero. Makes him weak. And no one likes a weak hero! So the mother-in-law/queen in the story had to go.

Also, the story had, well…food shoved under the mattress. Ah, no. Nix the food. When my hero and heroine are in bed, I don’t want anyone thinking about the spoiling veggies under them. NOT sexy! :)

So what am I left with?

A princess who can’t sleep at night because there is something hard in her bed. OOOO!  That had delicious possibilities! Yup, you know I went there. *winks* I told my editor exactly what was hard in her bed and causing the poor princess to lose sleep. There were a couple things, actually---the Marquis on it…and, oh yeah, diamonds! The ones she stole from the palace and shoves under her mattress for safekeeping.

Okay, maybe not stole. Perhaps *borrowed* is a better word. Her half-brother has gambled away his fortune at the Basset tables—a card game recently banned by the King. Knowing she has skill at the game, she dons male attire and is intent on using the royal diamonds to gamble with. If only the gorgeous man seated across from her didn’t unsettle her so. If only he didn’t see through her disguise! If only he wasn’t so stirring to her senses and utterly irresistible!

If only she knew he was a spy working for the Crown, his mission to enforce the ban the King has placed on the card game and see to the arrest of those who dare to play it.

As for our hero, Mathias, Marquis de Montfort, he has no idea that the woman he has thoroughly and deliciously debauched is none other than the King’s own daughter.

Let the games begin! *smiles*

NOTE: I must have pleased my editor because she approved the ideas and in the end, loved THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED as much as AWAKENED BY A KISS! Confession time—After she left our meeting, I ran back and took a picture of the gorgeous spot we met and talked for the first time about THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED. (Isn’t this couch lovely? It’s so old-world, as was the spot we sat. And the gardens beyond the windows were stunning!) Yes, I am dorky. I couldn’t resist taking the picture. You won’t tell anyone, will you? Let’s keep this our little secret. ;)

QUESTION: Let’s talk pet peeves! Do you have any pet peeves when it comes to any romance novels you’ve read lately? Or movies you’ve seen? Do you detest say…overbearing mothers/sisters in the hero’s life? Prolonged misunderstandings? No titles or author names, please! Let’s just keep this a fun *general* discussion. :)

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*~*~*Giveaway*~*~*

One lucky commenter will win a signed copy of AWAKENED BY A KISS or THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED---winner’s choice! GIVEAWAY OPEN WORLDWIDE.

(ends on Friday 12th)

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 THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED

A Fiery Tales Collection By Lila DiPasqua

Historical Romance

Berkley (Sensation)

ISBN: 978-0425237007

OUT NOW!

 

Inspired by “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The Ugly Duckling, and “The Princess and the Pea,” Lila DiPasqua spins three sexy tales that give new meaning to the term bedtime story…

The Marquis’ New Clothes: To save her cousin, Aimee de Miran must retrieve a jeweled ring from the most sinfully seductive man at court, the Marquis de Nattes. But to search his considerable wardrobe she’ll have to get very close to the notorious rake…and soon she finds herself very close to him indeed, with his clothes—and hers—utterly forgotten…

The Lovely Duckling: Reputed for his carnal skills, Joseph d’Alumbert prefers amorous encounters without emotional entanglement—until a quick-witted lady stirs tender feelings and hot desire. Emilie de Sarron suffered burns to her body as an infant, and keeps her scars—and her heart—well hidden. But Joseph is determined to peel away her inhibitions, one slow steamy kiss at a time, to reveal the beautiful swan inside…

The Princess and the Diamonds: Princess Gabrielle can’t sleep at night. There is something hard in her bed. No, not just the stolen diamonds tucked under her mattress, but the handsome Marquis on it….whose carnal talents she can’t resist. But he threatens her secret mission, and worse, she stands to lose far more than the diamonds---her heart is at stake….  

 

“…Strong-minded heroines you can relate to, breathtaking carnally gifted male leads…DiPasqua writes with a comfortable elegance and grace, and in turn, crafts a sexy collection that readers will love.” – Fresh Fiction.

“Ripe with steamy affairs, these lusty stories are hot enough to warm the coldest winter night.” – Publishers Weekly

Read an excerpt of THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED – http://www.liladipasqua.com/princessbook.html

Read an excerpt of AWAKNED BY A KISS—http://www.liladipasqua.com/awakenbook.html

About the Author: Lila DiPasqua writes wicked & witty historical romance for Penguin/Berkley. She lives with her real-life hero husband and three children and is a firm believer in the happily-ever-after. She loves history and enjoys traveling. She has been to four continents so far. Her novels, AWAKENED BY A KISS, and THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED are featured in Doubleday as well as Rhapsody Book Clubs. To learn more about Lila and her books, visit www.LilaDiPasqua.com

Waiting on Wednesday: Crossed by J.F. Lewis

I thought this week i could tell you about a book I can’t wait for. Well there are many, but The Void City series has a special place in my heart. Why? Because this series is unlike anything you’ve read before.

 

Crossed by J.F. Lewis (Void City # 3)

Release Date : January 25th 2011Eric’s plan was simple: Marry Tabitha, his newest undead girlfriend, then kill his sire while honeymooning in Paris. But Eric’s already lousy memory is even further compromised by the machinations of his new bride’s little sister, Rachel, and he forgets about his honeymoon completely (not to mention the last twenty years). Unfortunately, Tabitha goes up against the True Immortal rulers of Europe so she can scour France for her missing husband, and Eric goes exactly the kind of berserk everyone has always feared he would…

This is a fun series, I really love. It’s gory and hilarious. I just can’t wait to read Crossed. Greta, on the cover is a vampire with an eating disorder, she can turn into a real psychopath when she’s hungry (which is ALL the time). Oh and the car on the cover? An undead car eating people…seriously It can’t get any better! *g*

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Crossed is the 3rd book in the series. Here, the blurbs of the first books in the series:

Book #1: Staked

UNREPENTANT. UNIMPRESSED. AND TOTALLY UNDEAD.
Being undead isn't easy. All Eric wants to do is run his strip club, drink a little blood, and be left alone. Instead, he's got business troubles (his best friend is souring on their co-ownership of the Demon Heart) and relationship troubles (his girlfriend is pressuring him to turn her so she can join him in undeath). And then there's the memory loss: He can't recall who he ate for dinner yesterday, much less how he became a vampire in the first place. But when he kills a werewolf in self-defense, things really get out of hand. Now he's got a pack of born-again lycanthropes out for holy retribution--and his head. It's almost enough to put lad off his appetite. Almost.

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Book #2:  Revamped

Eric's club is in ruins, not to mention his love life, and he doesn't even have a body anymore... but he's just not going to give up!In REVAMPED, Eric takes on one of Void City's most powerful demons to rescue his beloved Marilyn's soul. With a little help from his friends, Eric manages to re-form his corporeal body, but his treasured Mustang gets caught up in the magic and winds up with an unlife of its own. While Eric and his newly made retinue of thralls go up against the demon, Eric's current almost-girlfriend Tabitha gets a first-hand look at how High Society vampires act behind closed doors and why maybe... just maybe... she never should have left Eric after all.As Eric matches wits with the soul stealing demon, he comes face to face with the origin of his powers and the history behind his family name. He'll have to delve into the depths of his own worst nightmare -- Vampire High Society -- if he's going to get what he wants and find out who's really behind this latest string of attacks. Someone's after Eric's soul, too, and it just might be someone with whom he's all too familiar...

J. F. Lewis is a member of the League Of Reluctant Adults.  Which is proof that you should read the books. I love the League, so many crazy fun authors!!! Is it January yet??? *puppy eyes*

So, which book are YOU waiting for?

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Ohh and I wanted to ask you which books with a Male lead character you who recommend me? I LOVE  the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. And I love the Void City series by J.F. Lewis…what else would you recommend me?

New Tv Shows: As if I needed another addiction!

2 new shows, 2 new addictions!

I’ve been to the movies earlier this year to see Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr (my future husband lol). And I really enjoyed it. I am very happy there will be a second movie in 2011…but I found a better Sherlock! (yes it’s possible)  The BBC did it again, they created a show I just love to pieces. Sherlock is a new series set in 2010. Here’s the pitch:

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson's adventures in 21st Century London.  A thrilling, funny, fast-paced contemporary remake of the Arthur Conan Doyle classic

I had my doubts (I always have with adaptations), but I can tell you, it’s brilliant. Sherlock reminds me a bit of Dr House and Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory…for those who don’t know the references, let’s say he is some kind of sociopath. He is absolutely hilarious and crazy. I love the actors playing Sherlock and Dr Holmes.

One of the best things in this series, is that often we can see what Sherlock is thinking or read his texts on the screen. It’s an inside into his head that makes it even more interesting. This season is made of 3 episodes of 90minutes each. And I am very happy to say there will be another season *squeeeeee*

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The other show I’m loving is Downton Abbey by iTV.

And here is a feature about the House, where you can see the some of the actors from this amazing cast:

This series is fantastic. Fans of period dramas, will recognize many actors from our favorite TV series. I am utterly addicted to this show. I’m so happy there will be a second season next year. 2 thumbs-up to iTV

I recommend you take a look at this post, it’s full of info about the show: HERE (and here to see all the posts about the show) . BTW this blog, Enchanted Serenity of Period Films   is heaven for period drama lovers.

What do you think? Anything tempting you?  Any idea when we’ll get a new BBC adaptation and what it’ll be about? Since Emma last year, I’ve suffered from serious withdrawal. I need my fix.

When ‘Currently Reading’ gets intimidating. O_o

I think I need an intervention. I’ve always been the kind to read at least 2 books at the same time, but once in a while, I over-do it. I had a wake up call this morning *snort*, when I got my brand new and shiny copy of The Iron Duke *squeeeee* and I thought… ‘Hey, I should start it now!’ (in my defense I’ve been waiting for my copy for a long time!)<== yeah…right!

Only NOW, I’m currently reading quite a few books already!  Here is proof:

Which means that all those books are constantly on my bed (to my mom’s despair…apparently beds aren’t nightstands) , waiting to be read one after the other. And yes I do pick them up  all for reading. (proof is the update %)

The reasonable thing now would be to pick ONE book and read it all. The intelligent thing would be to stop picking up new books. lol Only I am not reasonable I guess since  I still want  to start The Iron Duke now!  Please someone tells me to stop starting new books!

I love GoodReads, it’s really a great way to lose hours and end up adding books to TBR list…ahem…I mean keep track of what I read. I am a sucker for all those neat GoodReads widgets. Lol I think there’s enough proof of that on my left sidebar. ;)

Are you also an adept of multiple reading? Or are you a one-book-at-a-time kinda person? I am crazy? <==Wait don’t answer that one, it’s a rhetorical question lol