Hey guys we have Cardeno C. visiting us with the incredible All of Me, I got to do a live interview with C.C. which was loads of fun and I finally got to read and review this wonderful story. Now you lucky minions will have a chance to win your very own copy and all you have to do is leave a comment 🙂 and remember to click that Rafflecopter link for a chance to win the entire Daily Dose collection! <3 ~Pixie~ 

And congratulations to Alaina who has won a copy of Elizabeth Noble’s Always Plan Ahead! Congratulations Alaina <3  

Mended

Various Authors

Life comes with a bit of hurt, but luckily for these men, it also comes with the right amount of comfort to mend their breaks, both of the body and the heart. From facing deranged exes to economic trials, the men in these tales have faced trial by fire–or in some cases water–for the right to love and live. Step into their shoes as they rebuild their family after a gutting betrayal or traverse the stars with an unexpected partner. The Mended Daily Dose package delivers stories about all kinds of second chances built on love. 

Felicitas Ivey Zahra Owens Emily Moreton Cardeno C. S.A. Garcia Elizabeth Noble M. Lee Ellis Carrington Kim Fielding Ari McKay E.T. Malinowski Bru Baker K.C. Wells Gwynn Marssen Lee Comyn Ashavan Doyon Eli Easton Charley Descoteaux Therese Woodson MA Ford Kenzie Cade Coral Moore L.D. Blakeley Chloe Stowe Ronnie Matthews Jayden Brooks Diane Lennox C. Callenreese Mars Novak Emma Wilson

Live interview with Cardeno C.

Pixie: Hello to Cardeno C. who is joining us today for the Dreamspinner Press Daily Dose with her release All of Me. Hey C.C.

C.C: Oh! Here you are.

C.C: Hello!

Pixie: Welcome! So glad you could find me

C.C: Thanks, Pixie. Sorry for my last minute time change!

Pixie: It was no problem, it just meant I could read the book you gave me yesterday LOL

C.C: Oh! That’s good news. I like it.

Pixie: I would say it was bloody brilliant and it was!

C.C: Awww. That made me smile.

Pixie: Right lets kick off this interview!

C.C: <3

Pixie: So in June you have a release coming out for the Dreamspinner Daily Dose, now I have only seen the blurb *pouts* so tell me a little more about the story.

C.C: Sure. Because it’s part of the Daily Dose, the story is novella length. It’s called All of Me and it’s a shifter story.

Pixie: I have to ask because it is killing me but what type of shifter?

C.C: In this shifter world, each pack has an Alpha and Alphas are physically different from other wolves.

Pixie: Ohhhhh tell me more

C.C: One of their traits is that they don’t like to share their position but two Alphas (and their wives) become close friends when they’re young couples.

C.C: They belong to neighboring packs and realize that combining the packs would make the one pack the strongest ever.

Pixie: *Nods head*

C.C: They want this, but they cannot share the role, it’s not in them.

Pixie: *widens eyes*

C.C: So they come up with a compromise – create a bond between their yet-to-be-born children, who will be the next Alpha of each pack.

C.C: The bond would overpower everything else, including the inability to share, so those two Alphas could combine the packs.

Pixie: *crosses fingers*

C.C: The bonding process takes several blood oaths and the first one is done before the Alphas are born.

C.C: Even as young children, Kai and Abel adore each other. Their bond is solid.

C.C: They choose to continue it as teens with another blood oath.

Pixie: Awwww

C.C: The final bond is the traditional mating bond, but for that they both need to be of age and they both have to be willing.

C.C: Kai is younger than Abel, so Abel waits for his mate.

C.C: Unfortunately, when the time comes to take the final step, the impossible happens and Abel is left heartbroken.

Pixie: Oh my,

C.C: But then, something happens to make Abe realize maybe what he saw with his eyes wasn’t the whole story … maybe he should have trusted his heart. The heart that never stopped loving Kai.

Pixie: *bites lip*

C.C: I think I should stop there ….

Pixie: What! Nooooooooooooooo

Pixie: *snigger* I have to say I never thought you could be sadistic LOL

C.C: Haha!

C.C: I have to leave you something to look forward to in the book!

Pixie: So I gather that the Daily Dose this year is full of hurt/comfort stories this year. How did you come up with the tension in All of Me?

C.C: Yes, it is. The theme is mended so I think they’re all hurt-comfort.

C.C: As far as how I came up with the story, it was one of those that was pounding in my head to be written. I’m not huge on angst though, so I wanted to tell this story in a novella format where the painful parts are mostly off page. That way the hurt-comfort is there, but the focus is on the comfort, the relationship, and the love.

C.C: Not the pain

Pixie: I did wonder how you would handle the hurt as we all know you are a very ‘sweet love story with just a touch of difficultly’.

C.C: Yes, I am. I like to write books that make people happy and that show the characters’ strength and perseverance.

C.C: To do that in this book, I chose to write those aspects of the characters’ journey – that healing and self-growth, that ability to improve and find their happiness.

Pixie: What are Abel & Kai like?

C.C: Abel is stubborn, not particularly friendly, and strong.

C.C: Kai is softer, kinder, but has an iron core of strength and loyalty unlike any other.

Pixie: So Abel is like an Uber Alpha while Kai is his counterpart to balance him out?

C.C: I think the answer to that question depends on what makes an uber Alpha.

Pixie: LOL Grouchy, super strong and rarely listens to others if he thinks he is right… which is most of the time!

C.C: Kai will sacrifice anything and everything for the good of others. And that is, after all, an Alpha’s role.

C.C: Would you like me to share a scene where Abel describes himself to Kai’s younger sister?

Pixie: OH MY GOD YES!!!!!!!!!

C.C: “You’ve spent some time with my family now, Kelly, so you might think you know me.” I narrowed my eyes. “But you need to understand, I’m not kind like my father.”

She moved away from me slowly. I stepped forward.

“I’m not smart like my brother Edward.”

She scuttled backward. I made up the distance in one large step.

“I’m not fun and charming like my brother Bernie.”

She kept backing away. I moved closer.

“You called me a heartless bastard.”

Her back hit the counter.

“You said I was selfish. Compared to your brother, you’re right.”

She raised her arm in front of her. I knocked it away and got close enough that she could feel my breath on her face.

“Kai is mine. This pack is mine.” I leaned over her. “You are mine.” I cupped her cheek, looked her straight in the eyes, and put every ounce of Alpha strength I had into my voice. “And if anyone tries to hurt what’s mine, I will destroy him.” She shook so hard her teeth chattered. “You’re safe now, Kelly. I promise. You. Are. Safe.”

She stopped breathing, looking like a cornered rabbit, and then she threw herself into my arms and sobbed.

Pixie: Wow that is incredible! You get a fantastic feel for him in just that short passage.

C.C: That is Abel in a nutshell.

Pixie: I can’t wait to meet him **sigh* looks at calendar and pouts*

C.C: He’ll pop up in your email before you know it.

Pixie: *cheers* I <3 you *bats eyelashes*

Pixie: So are we in a contemporary setting for All of Me?

C.C: Yes, it is a contemporary setting but with paranormal elements.

Thommie: *jumps in and crashes the party*

-I want this novel. It’s mine I tell you. MINE!

*heads back to her den and books*

C.C: Hi, Thommie! It’s a novella, but yay! Glad you like the sound of it.

Pixie: Oh just hang on C.C. *grabs Thommie and throws her in the cage* Now hush… now what were we saying?

C.C: That was kinda hot.

C.C: Am I allowed to say that?

Pixie: Of course, we do get a bit frisky every now and again LOL

C.C: Ehm, forget I said that.

Pixie: Right, so, where were we…. Ah I know, you’ve been with Dreamspinners for a long time with your novels and you have been in several of their Daily Doses and Christmas calendars which do you prefer novels or novellas?

C.C: I like both, actually. Novels are nice to write because I can immerse myself in the characters and the growth of their relationship more wholly. But I think novellas are a wonderful way to have a punchy story that can be read in one evening.

Pixie: I read your novel in an evening *flutter eyelashes*

C.C: Awww. Hopefully that means you liked it.

Pixie: *whispers* I loved it, they were so good together

Pixie: So are the characters fully fleshed out in All of Me, it certainly sounds like they are but what do you think?

C.C: I certainly think so or else I wouldn’t want to publish the novella. A novel allows a different type of presentation, but I think a novella can still have fully developed characters. The approach just has to be different.

C.C: As an example, Perfect Imperfections isn’t a story that would have worked in novella form.

C.C: That is a slow burn story, where the friendship builds. It is a story that needs to be a novel length. I think pacing is key to any book and depending on the story itself, it might be a great novella or it might need a novel.

Pixie: *nods head* I can see that, you never cut short a story that wants to be a novel.

Pixie: Do you think you will write another story in the Abel and Kai world 😉

C.C: I don’t have plans to do that, but I think it would be fun. I like the world there and I’d love to visit it again.

Pixie: *grins like a cheshire cat* It does sound like it will be a wonderful story.

C.C: Right now, in my paranormal cue, I have another Mates book coming out at the end of summer.

Pixie: Mates *head perks up* oh I can’t wait.

C.C: And I have an idea for a new shifter series.

Pixie: Oh oh oh a new shifter world as well….. I think I am gonna faint in excitement!

C.C: So I’ll probably explore those first.

C.C: This one is pretty different for me. It’s not like my other books, for sure, but I think it’s also different from the other Mates books.

C.C: At least I hope that’s the case. I want each of those books to have a different feel and a different voice.

Pixie: Are you torturing me? Cos it sure feels like it!

C.C: I’m sure you’ll tell me if I succeeded.

Pixie: Ah you know me C.C. I will always be honest

C.C: No way! I’m sunshine and fluffy rainbows.

Pixie: *snort* I will believe you for now…

Pixie: So C.C. before I drag out all your other stories and make this interview into a *fangirl* chat is there anything you’d like to tell your readers about All of Methat you want them to know?

C.C: Hmm. The tough question….

C.C: I think we’ve covered the heart of the story. It has my favorite trope – childhood friends to lovers. It has flawed men who love deeply. And I think it has happiness.

Pixie: So we get that squishy ending we all love?

C.C: All that, a squishy ending, and (hopefully) some hot sex. My type of book.

Pixie: *wink* Oh yeah… I really can’t wait to review it…. I do believe I will have to tie Thommie to a chair though

C.C: Ehm. More tying. *biting tongue*

Pixie: So before we go is there any last words for all your adoring fans?

C.C: I always have two big words for people who buy my books and let me do this job I love: THANK YOU!

Pixie: Hey at least I left the paddles and cuffs out

C.C: *cough*

C.C: I think I need to give you privacy.

Pixie: Thank you C.C. it has been a true pleasure to have you with us today and I am so happy you could join us.

C.C: Thank you, Pixie!

Pixie: Okay I am off now, see you soon C.C.

About C.C.

Cardeno C. – CC to friends – is a hopeless romantic who wants to add a lot of happiness and a few “awwws” into a reader’s day. Writing is a nice break from real life as a corporate type and volunteer work with gay rights organizations. Cardeno’s stories range from sweet to intense, contemporary to paranormal, long to short, but they always include strong relationships and walks into the happily-ever-after sunset.

Cardeno’s Home, Family, and Mates series have received awards from Love Romances and More Golden Roses, Rainbow Awards, the Goodreads M/Romance Group, and various reviewers. But even more special to CC are heartfelt reactions from readers, like, “You bring joy and love and make it part of the every day.”

Follow C.C.

Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Pinterest, Caferisque

Review

Title: All of Me

Series: Daily Dose Mended 10

Author: Cardeno C.

Genre: Paranormal

Length: Novella (84pgs)

ISBN: 978-1-63216-082-9

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (1^st June 2014)

Heat Level: Moderate – Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 4 ½ Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Bonded by their parents before they were conceived, Abel Nasa and Zakai “Kai” Berura adored each other since they were children. As teens, the two future Alphas took the next step in their bonding process and vowed to remain true to one another until Kai came of age. But when tragedy struck, Abel felt betrayed and ran from Kai instead of completing the mating bond.

Years pass with no contact between the two, but Abel never stops yearning for the man who was supposed to lead by his side. When Kai returns, broken and on death’s door, Abel must look past what he saw and trust his heart so they can fulfill their destiny and merge their packs.

Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5132

Or as part of the 2014 Daily Dose Full Set Mended: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5113 

Review: Abel and Kai were bonded from birth by their parents so they would combine their packs and lead together, they adored each other growing up and vowed to be true to one another until Kai was old enough to bond. But with the death of Kai’s father their time together was limited, then Kai’s mother died and all contact was cut off until the day Kai turned eighteen and Abel was left devastated by what he discovered. Ten years later Abel still yearns for the man who should have been his mate and a plea for help has Kai back in his life, but Kai is broken, a shell of the wolf he once was, and Abel must trust his heart if he is going to save the man he still loves.

Holy Hell, this is a fantastic hurt/comfort story that hits you hard and has you wanting to bang two shifters heads together for their stubbornness. Abel looked forward to bonding fully with Kai but what he discovered on Kai’s coming of age day drove him away, Kai was stuck with no way out and his sacrifice nearly destroyed him.

This is a superbly written story that has a lot of hurt/comfort being dished out. With Kai most of the hurt was physical but it was also emotional as he thought he had lost the one he loved, with Abel the hurt was all emotional as he thought he had been betrayed by the man he loved, but there is more hurt that he faces as he realizes that he abandoned his mate and his mate suffered because of it. There’s then the comfort which is wonderfully done, both Kai and Abel comfort each other but Abel also manages to comfort Kai’s scared sister giving her the safety she hasn’t had in so long.

I loved this story and absolutely adore Kai and Abel, both men have been through a lot and yes even though you don’t want to you do think ‘If only Abel had confronted what he saw instead of running away’, and Kai, poor poor Kai, stuck in a position that was impossible especially when he was so young but you do wish he had reached out himself. This really is a brilliant story that pulls on the heart strings and has you cheering when Kai gets his revenge, I loved how easily they put the past behind them, they refuse to let the past drag them down… that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t leave it’s scars on Kai because it does but with the security of his mate he can deal.

I recommend this to those who love shifters, abuse being overcome, exacting revenge the way only a shifter can, hot sex and a very happy wonderful ending.  

Giveaway!

 One lucky comment winner will receive Cardeno C’s All of Me

(Cardeno C’s All of Me giveaway has ended)

One lucky clicker will win the entire Mended collection

(Just click the link below)

Dreamspinner Mended Collection Rafflecopter giveaway!

(Ends Midnight 30th June 2014)

All winners for the Giveaways will be notified by MM Good Book Reviews by email and will receive their prize in their Dreamspinner Press Account.

(I will contact you for the email you use for your Dreamspinner account)

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