Bruno DiCesare is enjoying Carnevale in Venice. This is the one week each year he can wander the streets freely, since everyone wears costumes and masks throughout during the wild festival. He is not the only unusual creature drawn to Carnevale, although he is one of a kind. Transformed centuries ago into a half-man, half-chimera, Bruno cherishes the change from his usual solitary existence. (more…)

The First Spell is the prequel to Rachel Carrington’s Hot Magic Series, but can be read as a standalone if you’ have not read the series.

Charlemaine has amnesia, she does not know who she is let alone that she is a wizard. What is worse is that she is picked up by Jensen and his brother Remy, who are from differing wizard clans/guilds, and they are not exactly friendly with one another. Still, Jensen cannot seem to leave her alone, and after they kiss, Jensen realizes he needs to keep her close.
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Arianne Farrell was paying for the actions of her sister, Briella, and had been trapped in a bubble, away from the world, for far too many years. The only thing that could save her was love, though she was certain her protector, Devin, was not the one she sought. Ari was attracted to Devin yet would not give him the satisfaction of saying those three words or of allowing him access to her body in any way outside of his dreams. Her magic was powerful, yet she remained confined based on Devin’s whims, subjected to Daemon’s Fire and the lust spell cast upon her. (more…)

The Goblin King by Shona Husk reads like a more romantic, less-80’s version of Labyrinth, sans the awesomeness of David Bowie. Eliza, our rich and confused damsel in distress, summons Roan, the Goblin King, in an act of drunken idiocy. She doesn’t understand that he is not a man to be trifled with, and spending several lifetimes being summoned out of his prison-like home in the Shadowlands doesn’t make him the most reasonable person to deal with. (more…)

When Lucy Rackmore shows up at his door, Gray Calhoun practically slams the door in her face. After all, why would he want anything to do with the sister of the woman who tried to kill him? He obviously has already been unlucky with the Rackmore family once, he does not want to go through pain and betrayal again. However, despite all that, he starts to feel sorry for Lucy and decides he had better help her. (more…)

Almost Persuaded by Mary Balogh – 5

Robert and Jane have loved one another for lifetimes—literally. With each life passing, the two soul mates manage to miss the mark with one another, only to start over again. The two lovers now have another chance at a happy union—one that would last through eternity—if only they can learn to trust the words of their hearts, not the judgments of others. (more…)

Plots using girls who were princesses but are either disowned or have run off and become peasants are ones that have been done before: Dawn Cook wrote The Decoy Princess, Shannon Hale wrote The Goose Girl and The Princess Academy (remember, her friend was one hiding), and there are others. O’Neal, though, adds to this genre and does so well. (more…)

Side Jobs is a series of short stories about Harry Dresden, Wizard and Private Investigator, and his oh-so-fascinating world, friends and family (although his relationship to his brother, a vampire in the White Court, is a secret, so mum’s the word). The first story, “A Restoration of Faith,” was written two years before the first Harry Dresden book and the last, “Aftermath,” was written after Changes, the last Dresden book. (more…)

Simon Northam, Duke of Hurstgrove, meets his brother Mason’s fiancée days before he is to stand up beside his half-sibling and watch him take Felicia as his bride. With only slightly more than a handshake, Simon knows he has found his mate. Of all times, and of all people in the world, how could he live with that knowledge? To make matters worse, Mathais is after her. For some magical reason she is an Untouchable and magic will not work within 200 yards of her, but he has plans to make use of her powers to bring back Morganna leFay and take over the world with their combined power. And Simon must make her see that he has loved her from first sight.
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Please note that the contest portion for the Rachel Aaron event is now closed. Winners will be chosen at a later date and contacted via email.

BBB: Given a choice if you star in any movie what would it be about?

RA: An action movie where I play an Angelina Jolie style badass (with the personal trainer, make up, CG, and special effects team required to make me into said badass).

BBB: Do you have an e-reader?
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The Stealing My Heart anthology by Total Ebound Publishing has been put together to help in the fight against illegal downloading of ebooks on the internet. The theme of “stealing” runs throughout the anthology which includes a variety of genres of gay romances from paranormal to contemporary to fantasy. From dragons to space pirates to vampires to gang hoods to wizards and even abused momma’s boys… (more…)

Haunted by Your Touch is a paranormal romance anthology:

Night’s Darkest Embrace by Jeaniene Frost

Mara, one-quarter Demon, against her family’s wishes, returns to Nocturna, the dimension of Partial demons. At the best of times, it is a dangerous place for a young woman, but Mara has returned to hunt for the killer of her cousin, Gloria. As teenagers, they had crossed into Nocturna for a night of adventure, but it led to Gloria being taken by a Pureblood, demons that live off the essence of Partials.
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PLEASE NOTE: The contest portion of Pierre Roustan’s event is now over the winner will be announced at a later date and contacted via email.

One Big Happy Family

Welcome, dark ones of the Bitten by Books crowd. Looking lovely tonight. I’d like to thank Bitten by Books and Rachel Smith for their dedication to the genre and for having me here to host a very enlightening blog post, and to remind you all to purchase this little book entitled THE CAIN LETTERS on e-format, available anywhere (ahem). I promise, you won’t be disappointed.
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Lagon, the evil Lord of Sea Cliff Tower, attacked and murdered his neighbors, making him a Lord to be feared and hated. He particularly hated the Lord of High Tower and so murdered him and his kin, with some exceptions: 10-year old, Drakon, sold into slavery, and the Lord’s foster daughter Arana who was in servitude to Sea Cliff Tower. (more…)

Kyle Wadsworth is a senior in high school visiting Harvard for an admissions interview. Raised by a distant aunt, he’s a kid that grew up without any privileges and he’s terrified he’ll commit some social faux pas before he even arrives at the interview. So he’s understandably nervous as he reads his map and it doesn’t match the terrain; there are extra structures between the buildings on the map. He has to make a quick decision and enters the halls of Veritas, and immediately, his life is altered and so is his reality – magic will do that to you.
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PLEASE NOTE: The Holly Black event is now closed.  Contest winners will be chosen at a later date and emailed.

BBB: What do you find are the most rewarding and most challenging aspects of writing?

HB: The most challenging aspect of writing, for me, is writing the first draft. Once I get it down, I find the refining, expanding and general engoodening process the most fun. But that first draft takes me forever.

The most rewarding aspect of writing is actually managing to create something pretty close to the book you most wish was out there in the world.
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The war between the dark wizards and the Milice has come to a head. Both sides are suffering from losses and sheer exhaustion. When Alain’s lover, the vampire Orlando St. Cair, is captured by the dark wizards, his emotional and physical endurance is stretched to its limit. With the progression of the war, the Alliance is teetering on the edge of losing. Will the assistance of one of Paris’s oldest vampires help sway things for the good guys, or will the unexpected help of an old friend of Alain’s turn the tides? This, the final installment in the Partnership in Blood series, will answer that and more. (more…)

Shadow of the Wolf is more than a delightful and playful erotic romp; it combines humor, suspense, romance, and mystery as the hero and heroine deal with their sudden “relationship” and the threats on their lives and their families as well as coping with the differences between the witch and the wizard races with a little shifter blood mixed in.
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Ian Graham is struggling to keep his career as a television personality on target. It is about all he has, since his personal life is non-existent. A new job sounds intriguing though, an opportunity for a new TV show on mysteries. Ian dashes from his home in Edinburgh to the beautifully enigmatic Rosslyn Chapel. Certainly, the chapel has been in the news a lot, with best-selling books and movies bringing it to the forefront. (more…)

I would like to welcome all of those who are new to Bitten by Books and thank you for joining us today with the fabulous Jim Butcher! Jim has generously given up a portion of his extremely busy day to be with us here again to answer your questions. The event takes place right here below the post in the COMMENTS section.

To see Jim’s answers to your questions comments, you will need to refresh this page often and watch for his answers in them comment section. They will be marked like this: ANSWERS FROM – JIM BUTCHER
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