Padme's Library: 09/14/16

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Lattices of Love & No Greater Love by Eris Field

Titles: Lattices of Love & No Greater Love

Author: Eris Field

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Dates: Lattices of Love: June 9, 2014

No Greater Love: June 15, 2015

Lattices of Love:
Summary:

Emine Wheeler, a 26-year-old Turkish-American professor of psychiatric nursing, has vowed to marry for love, like her American father. When she meets Marc van Etten, a reticent Dutch psychiatrist, at a conference in Amsterdam, she recognizes him as the man she has been waiting for and knows that she can’t live behind the lattices of old harem rules any longer.

Marc, who believes that his colleagues blame him for his wife's suicide, restricts his life to work and caring for the troubled four-year-old girl he calls his daughter. But, when Emine runs into difficulties, he offers his assistance. Emine, ignoring the age-old harem rule that forbids talking or spending time with a man who is not a family member, accepts his help.

Later, when Emine must choose between accepting the family-approved proposal of a man she does not love or damaging her family's honor, Marc offers a solution—marriage. It will save her family’s honor and provide a mother for his daughter.

Believing that her fierce love for Marc will be enough, Emine agrees, only to discover that it is not. When Marc erroneously accuses her of betraying him, she flees. Realizing belatedly that he loves Emine beyond everything in his life, Marc must find a way to win her back.

No Greater Love

Summary:

Home is where love lives. This contemporary, warm, international romance moves from the U.S. to Holland, Turkey, and the Valley of Rubies. Orphaned at age eight by an earthquake in Turkey and adopted by an American family, 28-year-old Janan has grown into a beautiful woman, a Circassian beauty. She dreams of having a home of her home, a home with love, but love seems to have passed her by as she has spent her life looking after the family, including an elderly, frail uncle whose father had sent him away from Holland as a child to escape German deportation during WWII. Once jilted at the altar and now struggling with leukemia, a Dutch psychiatrist, Pieter, has given up on love. He has committed himself to helping the child refugees flooding into Amsterdam. That is, until he meets Janan and falls in love at first skirmish. When she meets her uncle's protege, Pieter, Janan recognizes him as the man of her dreams, and knowing that he will be gone in the morning, asks him for one night. After introducing Janan to the purposes and outcomes of eight different kisses, Pieter vows to beat his illness and return. Alone and faced with saving herself and others, Janan accepts a quid-pro-quo offer of help but will that decision destroy her chance of finding happiness?

Lattices of Love

“We can’t finish the quilt unless you help us?” Mina said already half asleep.

“How can I be of help?” He was about to say good night to his small daughter and was surprised by the urgency of her request for help.

“We are almost done making the quilt top. We used pieces of cloth that Mama had worn but the inside has to be made of something that the father has worn. That way babies know that their father will always protect them.” She nodded wisely. “That’s how they make quilts for babies in Turkey.”

“The quilt is for a baby?” Marc sat down abruptly on the side of the bed.

“Yes. I asked Mama how we could get a baby for the quilt.”

“And?”

“Mama says that when a mother and father love each other very much they are able to become as one and, when they become as one, they can make a baby.”

“Mama said that?” He choked out.

“Yes, I asked her what it was like to become as one but she said that she did not know.”

“She said that she did not know?” His head snapped up. “Are you sure that is what she said?”

“Yes. In English, she said, “I don’t know.” Mina snuggled down under her covers. “We really need something to line the quilt,” she grumbled sleepily.

“You shall have it. Tomorrow, you shall have it.” He felt new life surge through him. “My whole wardrobe is at your disposal.”

No Greater Love

“Oh, good! You’re breathing on your own.”

Pieter dragged his eyelids open to see a beautiful mouth hovering over his. “I could stop,” he whispered.

“You’re not well.” The eyes staring down at him were accusing.

“I know.”

“I asked you to shovel," she whispered as a stricken look crossed her face.

“I tried.” He felt her collapse on top of him. Strands of silky hair clinging to his chin and tears cold against his neck.

“I could have killed you!” she wailed.

“But you didn’t.” His arms came up awkwardly at first and then they settled around her holding her close. He was holding an enchanting woman in his arms and, in response to the slim knee pressed between his legs, he experienced a stirring that he had not felt in a long time.

Author Bio:

As a seventeen year old student nurse at Albany Hospital, Eris met a Turkish surgical intern who told her fascinating stories about the history of Turkey, the loss of the Ottoman Empire, and forced population exchanges.

After they married and moved to Buffalo, Eris worked as a nurse at Children’s Hospital and at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. During the time she took time off to raise five children, she amassed a collection of rejection letters for her short stories. Later, Eris returned to school and earned her master’s degree in Psychiatric Nursing at the University at Buffalo. While teaching psychiatric nursing at the University, she wrote a textbook for psychiatric nurse practitioners—a wonderful, rewarding but never to be repeated experience.

Now, Eris writes novels, usually international, contemporary romances. Her interest in history and her experience in psychiatry often play a part in her stories. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Western New York Romance Writers. In addition to writing, Eris’ interests include: Prevention of Psychiatric Disorders; Eradicating Honor Killings, supporting the Crossroads Springs Orphanage in Kenya for children orphaned by AIDS, and learning more about Turkey, Cyprus, and Kurdistan.

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Avenging Fate by Jennifer Derrick

Title: Avenging Fate

Author: Jennifer Derrick

Series: Threads of the Moirae #2

Genre: Mythology, Romance, Young Adult

Release Date: September 12, 2016

Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing

Summary:
Still reeling after killing the man she loved, Atropos turns her attention to the twin tasks of avenging his death and freeing humanity from the deadly grip of the Keres. When she sets out on a murderous mission to retrieve her shears, her only aide is her temperamental ex-boyfriend, Ares. He is fickle at best, traitorous at worst, and assistance from him may be worse than none at all.

Along the way, she allies with a group of powerful supernaturals and learns that the crimes of the gods are more twisted and far-reaching than she realized. What begins as a quest for vengeance becomes a journey through betrayal, loss, love, and hope. It ignites a war that will pit Atropos against the gods in a battle for the freedom of humanity.

Avenging Fate is the second book in The Threads of Moirae Series by Jennifer Derrick.

“I have something you want. Come,” Hades says, heading for the doors and leaving me to follow him.

We wander the hallways through the palace until I’m hopelessly lost. This place is huge and labyrinthine. With all the black wood, black furniture, and dark paintings, every hall looks the same. If his goal is to trap me here, he’s succeeded. I don’t think I’ll ever find the front door again.

At the end of one hallway, we stop in front of a—surprise—black wooden door. Unlike the doors to his inner sanctum, this door is unadorned except for the faint outline of a palm plate, a lighter gray against the black. It also has no handle and no lock, so I’m surprised when Hades reaches out a hand and the palm plate adheres to it as though magnetized.

Pulling the door open, he descends the narrow staircase beyond. He can see in complete darkness, but I can’t, so I put both hands on the walls and feel for each step with my feet, praying I don’t miss one and knock us both down the stairs.

We descend for what seems like forever.

“I didn’t think we could go any further down than the ground floor of your palace,” I say, trying to break the monotony. “I thought you lived at the true bottom of the Underworld.”

“That’s technically true,” he says. “There are no more levels to the Underworld. This is just storage, I guess you’d call it.”

“Most people use closets,” I tell him. “Garages. Even basements that are only one level under the house. Not bottomless pits.”

“There are things I prefer to keep safe down here. Things other people have no business seeing. Or having. Allow an old man his secrets, Atropos.”

“Old man.” I snort. “Right.”

“You’re old, too,” he says.

“Technically true,” I admit. “But neither of us is exactly decrepit, as evidenced by the fact we’ve walked down all these stairs. You couldn’t just poof down here?”

“This area is protected from poofing. Either in or out, and for good reason. Ah, here we are,” he says, and I hear him moving away from me.

“Finally,” I say, and hurry to catch up with him, keeping my arms in front of me for guidance. When I touch his robes, I hang on and let him pull me through the darkness.

“Lights would be good,” I say.

“Again, there are things I don’t want others to see. Without my help, no one sees what’s down here. Since you can’t see, you don’t know there are many passages and doorways along this hallway. One wrong turn and you’d be lost forever.”

Okay, fine. He’s entitled to his crazy.

He stops, and I do, too, barely avoiding slamming into his back. Something creaks, and then we’re bathed in a soft blue light. After the complete darkness, I shut my eyes against the glare. Hades says nothing while my eyes adjust.

We’re standing in a doorway. I peek around Hades to see what’s in the room beyond and gasp when I see the jar sitting on a pedestal in the center of the room.

“Is that—?” I begin to ask, but even though I was expecting it, I’m still surprised this legendary object is right in front of me.

“Pandora’s jar? Yes.” Hades says.

It’s larger than I thought it would be, about knee height on me, and intricately shaped. The base is wider than the middle, which bulges out slightly before tapering again to a slender neck. The domed lid sports a small handle, and there are handles on either side of the neck. It looks like it’s made from clay that’s been painted black and decorated with patterns of gold. There are no skull and crossbones, HAZMAT labels, or any indication that this jar may contain all the miseries of humanity. It looks like something you’d want to have in your house.

“What’s it doing here? After Alex died, Persephone told me the Keres had it,” I say, figuring this tidbit of information won’t get her into any trouble.

“They did. But your boyfriend found it and brought it to me.”

Pop Culture Moments of My Life
Pop culture is a huge part of my life. As a writer, TV, movies, music and books give me inspiration and teach me what can be achieved in various storytelling mediums. (Of course, they also teach me what can flop like a dying fish, as well.) Here’s a collection of ten pop culture moments of my life.

1. The book that made me want to be a writer.
I’ll catch heck for this, but it was Gone With the Wind. I read it in fifth grade and I just couldn’t believe that someone could spin such an epic story with so much drama and romance. When I read that Margaret Mitchell wrote it while recuperating after a broken leg, I kind of hoped I’d break my leg, too. I had some kind of magical belief system going that there was a connection between broken bones and great novels.

2. Last TV show I binged.
I wish I could say something geeky and cool, but it was the Great British Baking Show. It’s the only reality TV I can stand. The judges are fair and there’s no backstabbing or snark from the contestants. It’s a very polite battle, made all the more polite-sounding by the British accents. The cake either rises or it doesn’t, no one eats bugs, and there’s no hair pulling.

3. My all-time favorite movie.
The Empire Strikes Back. Yes, the original Star Wars was awesome, but Empire combined heightened stakes, emotional involvement, and character development with the space battles and became something special. And it had Yoda.

4. Last album I listened to.

I don’t listen to too many entire albums these days, owing to my ever-changing musical tastes. I just can’t commit to an album. But I did listen to the soundtrack from The Kingsmen start to finish. Excellent combination of retro hits, angry music, and music legends-to-be.

5. First album I ever bought.

Probably the soundtrack to Grease. It was our musical in elementary school and I wanted to learn all the songs. It was years, though, before I figured out that the lyric, “and we throw away conventionality” didn’t say, “and we throw away the mentionality.” Like that was even a word.

6. The classic book I pretend to have read.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. It’s the only book I read the Cliff’s Notes for in high school. (Apologies to my teachers.) I just could not get through it. I learned enough to get a D on the test and moved on. But I tell everyone that I read it. I figure that it counts since I passed the test.

7. Movie that I should have loved, but didn’t.

The Lord of the Rings. I loved the books and the whole world seemed to love the movie. It had Orlando Bloom in his prime for crying out loud! But it just fell flat for me. I kept thinking, “That’s not how I saw it in my head.” It was a huge disappointment and I still haven’t gotten over it.

8. Favorite TV show that was cancelled too early? Too late?

Both of these are Nathan Fillion projects for me. Firefly was cancelled way too soon. With that cast and universe? They could have churned out compelling stories for years. The one that went on too long? Castle. I loved it for seven years and then the writers just destroyed it when Castle and Beckett went through the fake separation. By the time they killed it off after season eight, it was a mercy killing.

9. What I’m reading now.

I try to keep one serious book and one fluff book going at a time. The serious book is The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu, by Joshua Hammer. The fluff is Falling, by Jane Green.

10. The fictional place that I’d like to move to.

I’m still waiting for my acceptance letter to Hogwarts. But if I can’t go there, I’ll happily move to eighteenth-century Scotland to live with Jamie Fraser from Outlander.

Author Bio:
Jennifer is a freelance writer and novelist. As a freelancer, she writes everything from technical manuals to articles on personal finance and European-style board games. Her interest in storytelling began when she was six and her parents gave her a typewriter for Christmas and agreed to pay her $.01 per page for any stories she churned out. Such a loose payment system naturally led to a lot of story padding. Broken Fate, her first novel, earned her $2.80 from her parents.

Jennifer lives in North Carolina and, when not writing, can often be found reading, trawling the shelves at the library, playing board games, watching sports, camping, running marathons, and playing with her dog. You can visit her at her official website.

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Superstitious Brides #3 & 4 by Susan Ann Wall

Titles: 3rd Trip to the Alter & The Perfect Pairing

Author: Susan Ann Wall

Series: Superstitious Brides #3 & 4

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Release Dates: 3rd Trip to the Alter: August 30, 2016

Romancing the Wine Box Set featuring The Perfect Pairing: September 6, 2016

3rd Trip to the Alter #3
Summary:

Tristin May has a bad habit of leaving men at the altar, but Brent Daniels isn’t just any man, he’s her first love.

When traveling nurse Tristin May heard the song dedication on the radio, there was only one thing to do: return to Lilac Ridge to see if summer love once again sparked with her long ago flame. The spark explodes, and Tristin spends the summer making new memories, but she is spooked when things go further than she dared dream. She high-tails it to her next nursing assignment, desperate not to leave a man at the altar for a third time.

Dedicating a song to Tristin on a national radio show was a shot in the dark for Brent Daniels, so when she shows up in Lilac Ridge, he’s determined he won’t let her go a second time. Tristin is as wild and carefree as Brent remembers despite the tragedy she endured after graduating college, and she brings out his own, long dormant wild side. Since he’s not looking for just a summer fling, Brent sets out to prove to Tristin he’s a man not only worth taking a chance on, but worth spending the rest of her life with.

But when Brent’s proposal sends his would-be bride running in the wrong direction, it takes the affection of his rescue raccoon Rascal to remind him she’s worth fighting for and to convince her that the third time is a charm.

The Perfect Pairing #4

Summary:

She thought she landed the perfect job, but what her sexy new boss offers is the perfect pairing.

Courtney Daniels thought she landed the perfect job, but instead of being the marketing specialist at a local winery, she’s hired by the cocky and cute owner as the front desk receptionist. Courtney’s determined to make an impression on Aiden Black and slide into the marketing role, but her attraction to her new boss sends her down a slippery slope. When Aiden kisses her, and kisses her again, and insists he take Courtney on a date, she breaks all the rules she’s lived by since her teenage years, knowing it is going to burn her in the end. With Aiden’s promise that he won’t fire her when their relationship goes south, Courtney finds the attraction growing into something she isn’t ready for but can’t live without, just like the foster dog who keeps humping Aiden’s leg.

After his father’s death, Aiden returns home to rescue his family’s winery from financial disaster. He needs to run things his way, and on his own to prove to his mother he is capable of keeping the winery afloat. His attraction to Courtney complicates matters,

especially when her ideas and marketing savvy set the winery on a path to success. Aiden finds putting his ego aside to do what’s best for his business, and his heart, is a bigger challenge than getting the winery in the black, but he’ll do anything to prove to Courtney they are the perfect pairing.

**Currently only available within the ROMANCING THE WINE box set**

3rd Trip to the Alter #3

“I thought maybe you’d be married with a couple kids and a big house with a white picket fence out front,” Brent said.

She laughed because if she’d gone through with her first wedding, she might be stuck in that kind of life, the kind she wasn’t at all interested in. “No husband. No kids. No fence.”

He smiled again, the relief relaxing the tight grip he had on her hands.

A noisy group of women entered the pub. Brent turned, groaning as he turned back to Tristin. “I’m so sorry for what’s about to happen.”

One of the women spotted them and came marching to the table, anger seething from every pore.

“Oh, honey, you must be new in town,” her voice terribly sweet.

“Something like that,” Tristin said.

“Well, I feel compelled to warn you about Bear here,” she said, her voice now rumbling with a growl as if she was channeling her own inner bear.

“Warn me?” Tristin asked, leaning back in the booth.

“He’s nice to look at, there’s no denying that, but he’s emotionally unavailable. It may not seem that way at first, but trust me, trust all of us,” she said waving her hand at the group of women who gawked from the middle of the pub. “He’s pining after this woman who most of us believe doesn’t even exist.”

“Really?” Tristin asked, intrigued. She smiled and winked at Brent before giving her attention back to the woman.

“Yes, really. All of us, who have been stretched through the wringer, we actually started a pool.

“What kind of pool?” Tristin asked through Brent’s groan.

“We call it the Woman Who Doesn’t Exist Pool. It’s a twenty-five dollar buy in and you have to pick a date when you think Bear will finally admit this woman isn’t real.”

“That’s interesting,” Tristin said. “But I’m confused, what makes you think he’s pining after a woman who doesn’t exist?”

“You don’t know about the radio dedication?” the woman gasped.

Tristin smirked at Brent for a second. “Tell me about it.”

“Well, he dedicated this song on national radio, pouring his heart out about how she showed him the best summer of his life and that he’s never found that kind of happiness since.”

“Sounds romantic,” Tristin cooed.

“Oh, honey, don’t let him fool you. It’s pathetic.”

“What’s the pot on the pool?”

“We’re up to $500.”

“And what if I believe the woman does exist?”

“You can buy in on that too, but that’s a fool’s bet. You have to produce proof to win the pot.”

“Sounds fair,” Tristin said and dug into her pocket. Slapping thirty dollars on the table she asked, “Can you make change?”

“Of course.” The women dug into her purse and pulled out an envelope, sliding a five dollar bill from it. She grabbed Tristin’s money and slid it into the envelope. Then she tapped on her phone. “I keep the list here. What’s your name, honey?”

“TM,” Tristin offered.

“TM?” the woman questioned.

“Yeah, that’s what some of my friends call me. It’s the whole Harley thing.”

“I don’t follow,” the woman said.

“It’s not important. What kind of proof are you looking for?”

“It has to be a picture, of one Tristin May here in Lilac Ridge or one with her and Bear.” Tristin had pictures of her and Bear stashed away in her Pandora’s box, but she didn’t want to share those with this bitter woman.

“You know what she looks like?” Tristin asked.

“No, but a few claim to know her. They put in their wagers and said they’d dig up proof, but so far, they’ve come up empty.”

“Really, who thinks she exists?”

“Maddie Carson and Clarissa Dean, for starters. Those two are thick as thieves, watch out for them. They claim to have met her but I think they’re just sticking up for Bear.”

Tristin smiled. She remembered Maddie and Clarissa and was happy they were still here. She couldn’t wait to reconnect with them. “What about Matt Carson? Did he place a wager?” she asked.

“Oh, no, he’s away in the army. Wait, how do you know Matt?”

Tristin shrugged and reached into her purse. “I assume legal ID is valid proof?”

Brent chuckled now and shook his head.

“What? Legal ID? What did you say your name is?”

“TM. Those are my initials,” Tristin said, handing her driver’s license to the queen of bitter.

The queen gasped. “You’re Tristin May?” she said before the shock morphed into anger. “You played me.”

“You were willing to take my twenty-five dollar buy-in. Maybe you need to find some other way to work out your issues with Brent. I’ll take my winnings,” she said, holding out her hand.

The Perfect Pairing #4

“Hold it,” he commanded with more authority than any of the commanding officers she’d served under during four years in the air force. “What are you doing here? We’re closed.”

Courtney stood at attention as if commanded, her shoulders back and her chin up, doing an about face and breathing through her nose so she could speak like a professional instead of the idiot who’d stammered her way through the previous response. “I’m here for a job interview. I’m Courtney Daniels.”

“Job interview? With who?” he asked.

“With Mr. Black, sir, at eleven.”

He shook his head. “With me?”

Great. Way to make a first impression, Court. Kiss this job good-bye.

His brow creased even further. “Son of a bitch. Who called you?”

“Amber,” Courtney said, mentally checking her posture and forcing herself to breathe. “She interviewed me a couple weeks ago. She called Monday and said you requested a second interview.”

“I’m gonna kill her,” he muttered.

Courtney remained at attention, her bare feet rooted to the granite floor. The cold had started to seep into her body, sending a chill across her skin and up her spine.

Or, maybe that was the man. He was fierce, but she still fought the urge to touch him, to soothe the tension and…

No, no awry thoughts about the man who could be her boss. That kind of thinking led to bad decisions that would ultimately get her into trouble.

“Looks like you’ve been rolling in the dirt,” he said, his gaze going down and back up, raising every hair on Courtney’s body. “Is that how you always dress for an interview?”

“No, sir,” she responded, her temper flaring as she remembered the incident in the parking lot. “I was almost rundown in the parking lot by some jack-ass in an old Ford. I got the license plate if you want to speak with whatever employee was driving like a maniac.”

The bark of laughter echoed but Courtney didn’t see the humor. Maybe she shouldn’t have said jack-ass, but sometimes her tongue had a mind of its own. It had gotten her into trouble more than once and not just while in the air force. The back of her father’s hand liked to smack the smart ass right out of her when he’d had too much to drink, which was always.

“I was just on my way to the restroom to clean up before the interview.”

“Interview, right,” he drawled, his posture loosening. “You can forget about the interview.”

“No, wait,” she pleaded. “Just give me a chance. I have a copy of my resume right here.” Courtney reached inside the case holding her iPad, dust flying when she pulled a paper out. “I don’t have extensive experience, but the experience I do have has prepared for me a job like this. I have a lot of energy and ideas. You won’t be disappointed.”

“You misunderstood. You can forget the interview because you’re hired. You start right now.”

Author Bio:

Big dreamer and certifiable overachiever Susan Ann Wall embraces life at full speed and volume. She’s a beer and tea snob, can be bribed with dark chocolate, and the #1 thing on her bucket list is to be the center of a Bon Jovi flash mob.

Susan is a nationally bestselling, multi-genre author of racy, rule-breaking romance and women’s fiction. Her bragging rights include the Fighting Back for Love series, Puget Sound ~ Alive With Love series, Superstitious Brides Romance series, Sunset Valley Women’s Fiction series, and Devon Taggart Suspense series. She also likes to boast about her three perfect children, two amazing rescue dogs, and a happily ever after that started while serving in the U.S. Army and has spanned two decades (which is crazy since she’s not a day over 29).

In her next life, Susan plans to be a 5 foot 10, size 8 rock star married to a chiropractor and will not be terrified of large bridges, spiders, or quiet people (shiver).