Judge a BOOK by its COVER!



Have you ever bought a book based solely on the cover?
What makes a GREAT cover?
These are some of my favorites. 
Pick ONE you have not read based ONLY on the cover.  This should be fun.  Let's see who wins.  
Your choices 


I have found that some of the most BEAUTIFUL covers are in YA.
Please visit my YA Blog


Which is your favorite book cover?

RULES
  1. Must be a FOLLOWER (add your follower name)
  2. Tweet:  #ENTER to #WIN Freedom Giveaway Blog Hop (Judge a book by its COVER) http://bit.ly/hotbooks @jowannnjk  
  3. Find me on Facebook (not a requirement) for mancandy Pimpin' Reads
  4. EXTRA:  Follow my YA page and I will put your name in the drawing +5
  5. You MUST leave your email addy in the comment below so that I can find you.  Thanks
Please note this is an international contest...however, I buy my books through the Book Depository.  Please check to see if they ship to your area.  I am not responsible for lost mail.  I will give you the confirmation number of your order.

Follow my Book Blog Friday

Please scroll down for the GIVEAWAY!





Q. ACK! Your favorite book/movie character (example Hermione Granger played by the Emma chick) just walked into the room! Who is it and what would be your first reaction? You get extra points if you include visual stimulation.

VISHOUS 
FROM THE BLACKDAGGER BROTHERHOOD
So that is my reaction.  Then I would jump him like a mad woman.  LOL

Book Drop Tuesday. June 28th Edition

At eighteen, Corinne Bishop was a beautiful, spirited young woman living a life of privilege as the adopted daughter of a wealthy family. Her world changed in an instant when she was stolen away and held prisoner by the malevolent vampire Dragos. After many years of captivity and torment, Corinne is rescued by the Order, a cadre of vampire warriors embroiled in a war against Dragos and his followers. Her innocence taken, Corinne has lost a piece of her heart as well--the one thing that gave her hope during her imprisonment, and the only thing that matters to her now that she is free. 

Assigned to safeguard Corinne on her trip home is a formidable golden-eyed Breed male called Hunter. Once Dragos's most deadly assassin, Hunter now works for the Order, and he's hell-bent on making Dragos pay for his manifold sins. Bonded to Corinne by their mutual desire, Hunter will have to decide how far he'll go to end Drago's reign of evil--even if carrying out his mission means shattering Corinne's tender heart



The Great Awakening approaches . . .
After eons in exile, the naturi have broken their chains and now roam the Earth bent on revenge. It is the sworn duty of Mira, the Fire Starter, to protect the nightwalker race—though even she may be powerless to withstand the horrific onslaught. As Mira and her brave lover, the vampire slayer Danaus, stand ready to do battle, thousands of winged shapeshifters darken the skies. The war of ultimate extermination has begun, and the battleground is Mira's home turf.
The humans don't yet recognize the doom descending upon them. And the nightwalkers will surely perish unless they unite with outcast naturi who claim to want peace. But these unexpected "allies" are the same demons who have long worked for Mira's destruction—and in these darkest of days the lines between friend and foe will blur treacherously before the bloody end of all things.




A product of genetic manipulation, Melanie Milan shares a body with her malevolent sister Phoebe. A sleek, blonde predator with a heart of pure darkness, Phoebe puts their body through the wicked underbelly of sex for thrills—when she’s not igniting her pyrokinetic skills for an evil organization bent on taking over the world. Melanie rarely gets out to play—much less fall in love. But that changes when rival ARCO agent Stryker Wills shows up, with a mission to take out the woman who torched his partner.

An operative with rare abilities, Stryker soon realizes that the woman he’s about to kill isn’t the murderous fire starter he’s hunting. But he does want her. Melanie, with the power to ice anything in her path, is heating things up in ways that are setting his blood on fire. As long as Melanie stays in control, she is his best ally to bring down her sister and stop hellish havoc from being unleashed. Walking a tightrope of longing and hate, Stryker and Melanie begin to understand that true power lies in sweet surrender to each other, to the fire between them, to the erotic adventure that’s joined their hearts and abilities to become their salvation—and perhaps the world’s




Gina O’Neill will do anything to hold on to her beloved ranch that has been in her family for generations. Enter Mateo Mecate, an archeologist whose greatest wish is to dig there. Prepared to despise Matt—and to thwart his agenda—Gina cannot deny the shocking desire she feels for him.
Matt believes that the Nahua Springs Ranch holds an important key to Aztec history—one that will restore his standing in the archeological community. But he never expects to go head-to-head with the maddeningly sensuous owner, Gina. The ranch seems to have cast a spell on them both…
When Gina and Matt delve into the secrets of this ancient place, they awaken something unspeakably evil—a shapeshifter who is centuries old. A werewolf with vengeance on its mind. A sorcerer of incredible power. Can Gina and Matt defeat this enemy—even as their conflicts deepen…and their attraction grows more dangerous?



Emerging from the bayou like an apparition, Donegal Plantation is known for its unsurpassed dining, captivating atmosphere, haunting legends…and now a corpse swinging from the marble angel that marks its cemetery’s most majestic vault. A corpse discovered in nearly the same situation as that of Marshall Donegal, the patriarch killed in a skirmish just before the Civil War. Desperate for help traditional criminologists could never provide, plantation heiress Ashley Donegal turns to an elite team of paranormal investigators who blend hard forensics with rare – often inexplicable – intuition. Among them is Jake Mallory, a gifted New Orleans musician with talent that stretches beyond the realm of the physical, and a few dark ghosts of his own. The evil the team unveils has the power to shake the plantation to its very core. Jake and Ashley are forced to risk everything to unravel secrets that will not stay buried – even in death









Winner

The WINNER of the Midsummer's Eve Blog Hop is
gfc follower
JENNIFER! 

Mid Summer's EVE Blog HOP!


If you are familiar with the popular Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead then you know she is a great writer.  However, I have found that most people have not read her adult PNR books, which are AMAZING.  That is why I have chose these 2 Books.  Your CHOICE 
Pick From
Just typical. No love life to speak of for months, then all at once, every horny creature in the Otherworld wants to get in your pants...
Eugenie Markham is a powerful shaman who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world. Mercenary, yes, but a girl's got to eat. Her most recent case, however, is enough to ruin her appetite. Hired to find a teenager who has been taken to the Otherworld, Eugenie comes face to face with a startling prophecy--one that uncovers dark secrets about her past and claims that Eugenie's first-born will threaten the future of the world as she knows it.
Now Eugenie is a hot target for every ambitious demon and Otherworldy ne'er-do-well, and the ones who don't want to knock her up want her dead. Eugenie handles a Glock as smoothly as she wields a wand, but she needs some formidable allies for a job like this. She finds them in Dorian, a seductive fairy king with a taste for bondage, and Kiyo, a gorgeous shape-shifter who redefines animal attraction. But with enemies growing bolder and time running out, Eugenie realizes that the greatest danger is yet to come, and it lies in the dark powers that are stirring to life within her...


When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything she wants, the wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they often pay with their souls, but why get technical? But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid's life is far less exotic. At least there's her day job at a local bookstore-free books; all the white chocolate mochas she can drink; and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can't.But dreaming about Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle's demon underground. And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won't help because Georgina's about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny-"Mead cooks up an appetizing debut that blends romantic suspense with a fresh twist on the paranormal."--Booklist"The mix of supernatural mystery, romance and reluctant succubus is great fun." --Locus"An engaging read."--Jim Butcher, New York Times bestselling author

I am celebrating the release of Richelle's new comic book DARK SWAN.  Out now.  I would love to have this as a giveaway also, but it is a little hard to find and I could not ship it internationally and I promised this would be International.  However,  Please check it out.  She is absolutely AMAZING.   I am expecting mine in the mail any day now!  WOOT

Richelle Mead's Dark Swan (Storm Born) Graphic Novel will be out on the bookshelves in September of this year. For those interested in getting the comic issues, the first issue will be out on May 18th.

Description:
Eugenie Markham never asked for any of this. Until now, she’s been content with her job as a freelance shaman, battling and banishing Otherworldly creatures. 
When a prophecy suddenly makes her the Otherworld’s most popular bachelorette, Eugenie finds herself fighting off unwanted supernatural suitors, as well as the evils that begin emerging from her past.  


Her spin off to the Vampire Academy BLOODLINES is due out August 23, 2011.  For more info on her YA Books please visit my YA Site http://bit.ly/YAlove 

RULES
  1. MUST be a follower of the blog.  If you are on Facebook please click the Network Blogs Put your follower name in your comment. +1 for each also you email addy.
  2. Make sure that Book Depository delivers to your area.  (if you are international)
  3. Check out the Pimpin' Reads Facebook page.  Not a requirement.  Lots of Man Candy!
  4. Follow me on Twitter.  Please post. 
 Midsummer's Eve Blog Hop Giveaway Celebrating @RichelleMead http://bit.ly/hotbooks 18+PNR @jowannajk              +3
*please remember I have no control over the mail.  if you win I will place your order and send you a confirmation number from book depository.  The rest is up to you and to them.
Have a GREAT blog hop!  I hope to meet many more friends, and I will be entering some contest to.  I LOVE all the new friends I have made. 

Top 5 Books for PNR Newbies


My picks in no particular order!
A mythic warrior who'll stop at nothing to possess her . . .

After enduring years of torture from the vampire horde, Lachlain MacRieve, leader of the Lykae Clan, is enraged to find the predestined mate he's waited millennia for is a vampire. Or partly one. This Emmaline is a small, ethereal half Valkyrie/half vampire, who somehow begins to soothe the fury burning within him.

A vampire captured by her wildest fantasy . . .

Sheltered Emmaline Troy finally sets out to uncover the truth about her deceased parents -- until a powerful Lykae claims her as his mate and forces her back to his ancestral Scottish castle. There, her fear of the Lykae -- and their notorious dark desires -- ebbs as he begins a slow, wicked seduction to sate her own dark cravings.

An all-consuming desire . . .

Yet when an ancient evil from her past resurfaces, will their desire deepen into a love that can bring a proud warrior to his knees and turn a gentle beauty into the fighter she was born to be?

Includes an excerpt from Kresley Cole's next romance novel, No Rest for the Wicked.






In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams









This book is part of the Dark-Hunter universe, but does not feature any Dark-Hunters, For that it's considered an introduction to the series hence the #0.

Dear Reader, Being trapped in a bedroom with a woman is a grand thing. Being trapped in hundreds of bedrooms over two thousand years isn't. And being cursed into a book as a love-slave for eternity can ruin even a Spartan warrior's day. As a love-slave, I knew everything about women. How to touch them, how to savor them, and most of all how to pleasure them. But when I was summoned to fulfill Grace Alexander's sexual fantasies, I found the first woman in history who saw me as a man with a tormented past. She, alone, bothered to take me out of the bedroom and into the world. She taught me to love again. But I was not born to know love. I was cursed to walk eternity alone. As a general, I had long ago accepted my sentence. Yet now I have found Grace-the one thing my wounded heart cannot survive without. Sure, love can heal all wounds, but can it break a two thousand year old curse? Julian of Macedo





His powers -- Inhuman
His passion -- Beyond immortal . . .
All her life, Ashlyn Darrow has been tormented by voices from the past. To end the nightmare, she has come to Budapest seeking help from men rumored to have supernatural abilities, not knowing she'll be swept into the arms of Maddox, their most dangerous member -- a man trapped in a hell of his own.
Neither can resist the instant hunger than calms their torments . . . and ignites an irresistible passion. But every heated touch and burning kiss will edge them closer to destruction -- and a soul-shattering test of love . . .
Though they carry an eternal curse, the Lords of the Underworld are irresistibly seductive -- and unimaginably powerful . . . Don’t miss this incredible new paranormal series from Gena Showalter



In a place where ecstasy can cost you your life . . .
She's a demon-slayer who hungers for sensual pleasure-but fears it will always be denied her. Until Tayla Mancuso lands in a hospital run by demons in disguise, and the head doctor, Eidolon, makes her body burn with unslakable desire. But to prove her ultimate loyalty to her peers, she must betray the surgeon who saved her life.
Two lovers will dare to risk all.
Eidolon cannot resist this fiery, dangerous woman who fills him with both rage and passion. Not only is she his avowed enemy, but she could very well be the hunter who has been preying upon his people. Torn between his need for the truth and his quest to find his perfect mate before a horrific transformation claims him forever, Eidolon will dare the unthinkable-and let Tayla possess him, body and soul...



EXTRA's  MUST READS













New Release

Forbidden Blood - Vampire Romance Book


ebook $3.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance book
length: 126000 words / long novel
rating: sultry
released: June 2011

Forbidden Blood

by Felicity Heaton
In a dark world where vampires exist and where Source Blood, a rare human blood type, can bestow godlike powers upon them, the vampire Venators of the Sovereignty fight to protect the humans by banishing those who drink it to the endless dark.
Exiled from his family and with only his duty to sustain him, Kearn has been on the trail of an elusive Source Blood abuser for three years. When he saves a beautiful human female from the vampire’s grasp, it turns out she’s the lead he’s been waiting for. Amber is a Source Blood and the perfect bait, but for who?
As they race to catch the vampire and survive the cruel games he plays, Amber is pulled deeper into Kearn’s world and discovers the painful secrets he hides behind his handsome but emotionless exterior—hurt that she has the power to heal if she is brave enough.
Forbidden Blood is book one in the Vampire Venators series and a dark, sensual tale of betrayal, revenge and a love that knows no bounds.
Also available at Apple iBookstore

Supernova

Welcome C.L. Parker author of 
SUPERNOVA

Thanks for taking over the blog.  Everyone get comfy. 

Since I’m asked this question a lot, I think I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about my writing process.

I have none. There you have it. LOL!

Seriously, I know this might sound odd for an author, but I don’t work with an outline. I find it limits me and stifles the creativity process. Plus, even though I have a general idea of where the story will go, the real writing process comes from actually writing. I don’t know from one chapter to the next where my characters are going to take me. After all, it’s their story. I’m just the conduit through which they have decided to tell it.

I can’t tell you how many times I thought I knew the direction a story was taking me only to have one of my characters throw me for a loop. Gabe does this all the time, but I think he does it just to prove that he can, the sassy bitch. Just the other day I wrote a chapter that was so serious, I had to get up and walk away from it. By the end, Gabe enters the scene in what is a very serious situation for himself, but then he said something that was just off the wall and out of place, and I nearly busted a gut laughing. Guess what? It’s still there. I can’t change it because that’s what he showed me.

When I first started writing, I thought I was crazy because these characters talked to me. It was when I ventured deeper into the literary world and read up on some other authors that I found that I’m not the only one. I kind of think it’s a prerequisite for authors. There’s a fine line between brilliance and insanity, and we all walk it on a daily basis.

For me, these stories play out like a movie in my mind. I just do my best to convey the scene, emotions, and dialogue in a way the reader will see, hear, and feel what the characters show me. JR Ward is my idol, so you can imagine the validation I felt when I heard her describe her writing process in the exact same way.

Writer’s block is something I have no control over. Either the characters are speaking to me, or they aren’t. It’s as simple as that. When they’re in the mood, I will be at their beck and call. Believe you me, my characters can be pretty demanding, which brings me back to Gabe. He says and does whatever he wants. I find myself asking him, “Are you sure that’s what you want to say?” Sometimes he says, “Just write it, bitch,” and others, he narrows his eyes at me, puts his hands on his hips, and stomps his foot, which basically translates to the same thing with an added, “How dare you question me?” LOL!

Listen, the best author is one who lets the writing come naturally. If you try to force it, the reader will know that you forced it. Just have fun with it, and remember to show, don’t tell. And I’ll add one other little morsel as food for thought: If the characters and the story aren’t believable to you, how can you expect them to be believable to anyone else?
BUY IT IN PRINT HERE