Hi guys! We have Lou Sylvre & Anne Barwell popping in today with their new release The Harp and the Sea, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant $10 NineStar GC Giveaway! ❤️ ~Mel~
The Harp and the Sea
by
Lou Sylvre & Anne Barwell
In 1605, Robbie Elliot—a Reiver and musician from the Scottish borders—nearly went to the gallows. The Witch of the Hermitage saved him with a ruse, but weeks later, she cursed him to an ethereal existence in the sea. He has seven chances to come alive, come ashore, and find true love. For over a century, Robbie’s been lost to that magic; six times love has failed. When he washes ashore on the Isle of Skye in 1745, he’s arrived at his last chance at love, his last chance at life.
Highland warrior Ian MacDonald came to Skye for loyalty and rebellion. He’s lost once at love, and stands as an outsider in his own clan. When Ian’s uncle and laird sends him to lonely Skye to hide and protect treasure meant for Bonnie Prince Charlie’s coffers, he resigns himself to a solitary life—his only companion the eternal sea. Lonely doldrums transform into romance and mystery when the tide brings beautiful Robbie Elliot and his broken harp ashore.
A curse dogs them, enemies hunt them, and war looms over their lives. Robbie and Ian will fight with love, will, and the sword. But without the help of magic and ancient gods, will it be enough to win them a future together?
Hi guys! We have the lovely Lou Sylvre and delightful Anne Barwell popping in today with their upcoming release Sunset at Pencarrow, we have an awesome guest post from Lou with some fantastic snippets for you to enjoy… and there’s a brilliant giveaway to enter! So check out the post, click that giveaway link and enjoy! <3 ~Pixie~
Sunset at Pencarrow
(World of Love 11: New Zealand)
by
Lou Sylvre & Anne Barwell
Kiwi Nathaniel Dunn is in a fighting mood, but how does a man fight Wellington’s famous fog? In the last year, Nate’s lost his longtime lover to boredom and his ten-year job to the economy. Now he’s found a golden opportunity for employment where he can even use his artistic talent, but to get the job, he has to get to Christchurch today. Heavy fog means no flight, and the ticket agent is ignoring him to fawn over a beautiful but annoying, overly polite American man.
Rusty Beaumont can deal with a canceled flight, but the pushy Kiwi at the ticket counter is making it difficult for him to stay cool. The guy rubs him all the wrong ways despite his sexy working-man look, which Rusty notices even though he’s not looking for a man to replace the fiancé who died two years ago. Yet when they’re forced to share a table at the crowded airport café, Nate reveals the kind heart behind his grumpy façade. An earthquake, sex in the bush, and visits from Nate’s belligerent ex turn a day of sightseeing into a slippery slope that just might land them in love.
Hi guys! We have the wonderful Lou Sylvre stopping by today with her upcoming release Falling Snow on Snow, I asked Lou if she would ‘pretty please’ interview one of her characters from Falling Snow on Snow and she agreed and interviewed Beck! So we have a fantastic character interview where we get some fantastic insights into Beck and Oleg and Lou has also brought along a brilliant giveaway. So peeps, check out the post and click that giveaway link <3 ~Pixie~
Falling Snow on Snow
by
Lou Sylvre
Beck Justice knows holiday sparkle and snappy carols only mask December’s cruel, black heart. He learned that lesson even before he landed on the streets eight years ago, and his recent step up to a tiny apartment and a busker’s permit for Seattle’s Pike Place Market has done nothing to change his mind. But one day in the market, Oleg Abramov joins his ethereal voice to Beck’s guitar, and Beck glimpses light in his bleak, dark winter.
Oleg, lucky to have a large and loving family, believes Beck could be the man to fill the void that nevertheless remains in his life. The two men step out on a path toward love, but it proves as slippery as Seattle’s icy streets. Just when they get close, a misunderstanding shatters their hopes. Light and harmony are still within reach, but only if they choose to believe, risk their hearts, and trust.
Whoop! Look who has come for a visit! It’s Lou Sylvre and the wonderful Because of Jade! Not only does Lou bring an incredible Giveaway to you, Lou also slogged away long into the night to bring you an exclusive snippet from Sonny, Luki and Jade’s travels in Further Adventures of the Vasquez-James Family, so guys enjoy Lou’s post and remember to leave a comment so Lou can pick a winner and good luck <3 ~Pixie~ Thank you Lou for visiting us today and I do apologize for the larger nekkid pic…. I just couldn’t get it to post small *cough* 😀
Hello! I’m Lou Sylvre, and before I say anything else, let me say thank you, sincerely, to MM Good Book Reviews for letting me bring my Because of Jade blog tour here. Jade is a Vasquez and James novel, released by Dreamspinner Press on May 23rd. My theme for the blog tour this time is “Further Adventures of the Vasquez-James Family.” If you’d like, you can find the three earlier episodes on Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews, Rhys Ford’s blog, and The Novel Approach. This time, the family goes to the beach near Tokeland, Washington, for some good kite-flying territory.
Blurb: Luki Vasquez receives the news he’s still cancer free after five years, and he wants to celebrate with his whole family. He and his husband, Sonny James, take a road trip south, intending to gather at the home of his nephew Josh, Josh’s wife Ruthie, and Jade—a little girl who was still in the womb when she and her mother helped Luki beat lung cancer.
Halfway to their destination, Luki learns Josh and Ruthie have met a tragic death. The horrible news lays Luki low, but he pulls himself together in time to be the family’s rock and see to the dreaded business of tying up loose ends. The most important business is Jade, and when Luki and Sonny head home, they take Jade with them.
Luki and Sonny must combat self-doubt and fear and help each other learn to parent an unexpected child—and they must also nourish the love that has kept them whole for the past ten years. A relative’s spurious claim to Jade threatens the new family, and even if they prevail in court, they could lose their little girl unless they can rescue Jade from evil hands and true peril.
Review:This story is part of a series and must be read in order. Luki and Sonny have had a rough couple of weeks while waiting to get the all clear from Luki’s doctor, but finally Luki is declared cancer free and they now want to celebrate with their family. But tragedy strikes and Luki becomes a rock for the family to lean on and to pick up the pieces of a little girls life. Sonny and Luki have to put their fears aside and become parents to the little girl who helped drag Luki back from the edge when he was at his lowest, but how do they fight against prejudice when unscrupulous relatives crawl out of the woodwork and seem to have a judge in their pocket?
Well, Lou Sylvre has done it again; yes she has brought tears to my eyes with another incredible story from Luki and Sonny that is laced with heartache and happiness. Luki and Sonny have to take up a mantle they never thought they would ever encounter: the mantle of parents. As Luki and Sonny celebrate Luki’s fifth year cancer free after weeks of worry Luki’s family is struck with another tragedy with the loss of his nephew and his wife, as they reel from the shock Luki has to hold his family together and Sonny voices his concerns.
Oh hell, yet again I am left feeling wrung out by the journey that a sublime author has taken me on, drawing me in with happy news and then slapping me in the face with angst and just as I was beginning to even out and began to think things were looking up I was then pummeled with a right hook followed swiftly with a roundhouse kick to the head. Goddamn this story was a roller-coaster of emotions that just wouldn’t let up; the trials that the Vasquez/James family have to go through would have had lesser men on their knees begging for respite.
We follow along as Luki, Sonny, Jackie, Brian & Kaholo struggle with their loss and pull together because of Jade. We see Luki and Sonny fight against an injustice caused by greedy relatives and we get to see Luki in action as a rescue is launched to retrieve Jade from dangerous hands. Sonny, surprisingly, has to be reassured as he doubts his own skills of raising a child, and Luki and Sonny draw closer together. But, it isn’t all tears and angst, there are some tender, sweet moments and there are some laugh out loud moments and then there are the quite sexy moments *sigh* Luki and Sonny are just beautiful together.
I recommend this to those who love incredibly strong men, who love angst, who adore fantastic characters, who love a brilliant story and an ending that has your lip quivering at the romance of it.
Okay guys this cover reveal is special, it’s special because it lets me know that very soon Luki & Sonny will be back! Yes Lou Sylvre has done it again and is bringing us a new upcoming release Because of Jade and just look at that cover *sigh*. So guys enjoy that cover, drool over the blurb and then click that Rafflecopter link to have chance of winning Because of Jade on release day! <3 ~Pixie~
Because of Jade (A Vasquez and James Novel)
Lou Sylvre
Blurb
Luki Vasquez receives the news he’s still cancer free after five years, and he wants to celebrate with his whole family. He and his husband, Sonny James, take a road trip south, intending to gather at the home of his nephew Josh, Josh’s wife Ruthie, and Jade–a little girl who was still in the womb when she and her mother helped Luki beat lung cancer.
Halfway to their destination, Luki learns Josh and Ruthie have met a tragic death. The horrible news lays Luki low, but he pulls himself together in time to be the family’s rock and see to the dreaded business of tying up loose ends. The most important business is Jade, and when Luki and Sonny head home, they take Jade with them.
Luki and Sonny must combat self-doubt and fear and help each other learn to parent an unexpected child—and they must also nourish the love that has kept them whole for the past ten years. A relative’s spurious claim to Jade threatens the new family, and even if they prevail in court, they could lose their little girl unless they can rescue Jade from evil hands and true peril.
Lou Sylvre hails from southern California but now lives and writes on the rainy side of Washington State. When she’s not writing, she’s reading fiction from nearly every genre, romance in all its tints and shades, and the occasional book about history, physics, or police procedure. Not zombies, though. Her personal assistant is Boudreau, a large cat who never outgrew his kitten meow. She plays guitar (mostly where people can’t hear her) and she loves to sing. She’s usually smiling and laughs too much, some say. She also loves her family, her friends, the aforementioned Boudreau, a Chihuahua named Joe, and (in random order) coffee, chocolate, sunshine, and wild roses.
Author Links:
Visit her at http://www.sylvre.com or contact her at lou.sylvre@gmail.com
Blurb: Luki Vasquez and his still newlywed husband are back home after pulling off a harrowing desert rescue of their teenage nephew Jackie. But the events of the last couple of years have begun to catch up with Luki—loving Sonny James and letting Sonny love him back has left gaps in his emotional armor. In the gunfight that secured Jackie’s rescue, Luki’s bullet killed a young guard, an innocent boy in Luki’s mind. In the grip of PTSD, memories, flashbacks, and nightmares consume him, and he falls into deep, almost vegetative depression.
Sonny devotes his days to helping Luki, putting his own career on hold, even passing up a European tour of galleries and schools—an opportunity that might never come again. But when Luki’s parasomnia turns his nightmares into real-world terror, it breaks the gridlock. Sonny realizes what he’s doing isn’t working, and he says yes to Europe. Enter Harold Breslin, a dangerously intelligent artist’s promoter and embezzler whose obsessive desire for Sonny is exceeded only by his narcissism. When Harold’s plan for Sonny turns poisonous, Luki must break free of PTSD and get to France fit and ready in time to save his husband’s life.
Review:This book is part of a series and must be read in order. Luki and Sonny are back home and Luki is suffering from the after effects of shooting a young guard during the rescue of their teenage nephew Jackie. Sonny is reaching the end of his patience as Luki seems to slip further away everyday and Luki can’t seem to pull himself out of his downward spiral. When Sonny gets into trouble, it brings Luki to awareness. And when Sonny sets off for his European tour, Luki begins to seek the help that he needs. When Sonny becomes impossible to contact Luki begins to worry and sets off to find his missing husband, Sonny desperately needs his husbands help as an obsessed art agents plans for him turn deadly.
Sonny and Luki are back and this time Luki has to deal with PTSD before he can run to Sonny’s rescue. Luki begins to realize that he has to improve and get help if he is to continue in his role of Sonny’s protector and husband and the beginnings of his recovery comes just in time when he realizes that something isn’t quite right. Sonny’s dreams of an exhibit is Europe comes to fruition but it soon goes wrong when he notices that there is something wrong with his phone and email, and his agents behavior makes him wary.
This is another brilliant Vasquez and James story, which delves into PTSD. Luki isn’t the tower of strength that we have come to know and love. He was hit hard with the death of the young guard in Finding Jackie. It was something he has done many times before but this time he feels guilt, but Luki can’t get the image of green eyes out of his mind, he has tumbled into a world that is gray and suffers from nightmares. As he swims through the fog in his mind, he ignores all around him, until he gets a wakeup call and realizes what he is doing to Sonny. Sonny is as lovable as ever but he is struggling with Luki’s illness, he feels helpless but knows nothing he is doing is helping, Sonny has tried all that he can to help Luki, but Luki refuses professional help and there is nothing that Sonny can do except love Luki. As the book progresses we see how both of the feel and although their love is strong and they would stand by each other through anything, Sonny can’t put his life on hold forever and Luki gets the kick in the ass he needs to get help.
The book then shifts to the action part with Luki recovering enough to begin to function as a human being and realizing that something is wrong with Sonny in Paris. Sonny finds himself in trouble with no way out and Luki sweeps in like a vengeful angel with the help of an old flame. This is a really well written story that has us seeing strife in paradise as Luki struggles with his demons. We feel Sonny’s frustration as he sees Luki fall under the weight of his demons and we are encouraged when Luki begins to fight back against the demons. But then comes the twisted man who wants Sonny for his own. And while Luki runs to the rescue, he still has to fight against the PTSD that tries to pull him under.
I recommend this to those who love action Luki style, an incredible love, dealing with demons, danger, hot loving and a great ending.
Blurb: Luki Vasquez and Sonny Bly James finally have their Hawaiian wedding, and it’s perfect, almost. But their three-phase honeymoon is riddled with strife. Luki’s status as a working badass spells discord for the newlyweds. A former informant from Luki’s days with ATFE brings a troubling message (or is it a warning?) from a Mob hit man. When Luki’s sixteen-year-old nephew, Jackie, is lured into capture and torture by a sadistic killer, the honeymoon is well and truly over.
The couple put aside their differences and focus on the grueling hunt, which takes them from leather bars to dusty desert back roads, and calls on Sonny’s deep compassion as well as Luki’s sharpest skills. Their world threatens to fall apart if they fail, but their love may grow stronger than ever if they succeed in finding Jackie—before it’s too late.
Review:This story is part of a series and must be read in order. Luki and Sonny are having their Hawaiian wedding before they embark on their RV honeymoon, but they don’t get to enjoy it like they should when Luki receives a job offer. That could come in handy, until the past rears its ugly head determined to enact revenge. Sonny and Luki have to put their differences aside as they embark on a cross-country hunt. It needs the skills of both men as they search for Jackie, who has been lured into a trap and whose life is now in danger.
Okay, first on a light note: if I was related to Luki or Sonny I would be heading for an unmarked small Island to live out my life in peace. Luki and Sonny think that the past is the past and are looking forward to their honeymoon; little do they know that someone is smarting because of their actions in Delsyn’s Blues. Luki’s nephews are still recovering from their fathers’ actions with Jackie struggling. Jackie gets lured into a trap by a sadistic killer who is determined to make Luki pay for his actions. Sonny struggles with Luki’s decision with work and Luki is a little resentful about Sonny’s weaving.
Lou Sylvre drags us back into the world of Sonny and Luki with another devastating adventure. Sonny still has moments of grief about Delsyn. Luki feels that he needs the advantage of a badge and they are both completely happy with their marriage. Things go really bad for them though when Rita (an old snitch of Luki’s) comes to them with a message and then Jackie goes missing from home. From then on, there is a cross-country hunt with Luki initiating new recruit Brian in the ways of Luki. With a daring rescue to pull off Luki and Sonny have to face their fears.
This is a brilliant book that just won’t let you out of its grip. Jackie is such a sweet kid who is just looking to find himself, but through a twist of fate he finds himself the victim of a sadistic killer. The scenes with Jackie will have your eyes filling as he realizes his chance of rescue is slim. Loki and Sonny are as we remember them with Luki having relaxed just a bit so his edges are a touch smoother. The action and danger are excellent. The storyline is brilliant and the characters are wonderful. There are steamy sex scenes and touching moments, heart to hearts and facing fears, this book has it all.
I recommend this story to all those who love suspense, action, romance, love, hot sex, emotional scenes, danger and the baddie getting his.
Blurb: Sonny James and Luki Vasquez are living proof that the course of love never runs smoothly. Ambushed by grief, Sonny listens to a voice singing the blues from beyond the grave. While revisiting the sorrows and failings of his past, in the here and now he puts up a wall against love. Just when Luki chips through that barricade, the couple becomes the target of a new threat from outside: an escalating and unexplainable rash of break-ins and assaults.
Thoughts of infidelity rise between them, a threat that may strain their newly mended love past its limits. To come through the trials alive and together, Luki and Sonny will have to unite against enemies who were once friends and overcome crippling hatred and overwhelming fear. If they succeed, maybe then they can rekindle the twin flames of passion and love.
Review: Sonny is devastated over the loss of a loved one and sends Luki away. When Luki returns he has to battle with Sonny until he gives into his grief. Problems start to come up so taking a friend’s advice they take a short holiday where everything starts to fall apart and Luki finds it hard to even look at Sonny. Until things finally start to come together in his head.
Okay, the opening scene in this book broke my heart and I have to say kept affecting me throughout the entire book. Sonny has so much to cope with his guilt, his grief, his murderous rage and his love. With Luki by his side, he just might be able to cope with it all… until he nearly looses Luki. Luki is trying to support Sonny, while facing that he has changed. He isn’t the same person that he was before Sonny came into his life. Now he has a mystery to solve and he has to face the answers he discovers. But, even that doesn’t scare him as much as fearing he isn’t enough for Sonny and never will be.
This has to be one of only a few books that have tempted me to skip forward just to find out if what I suspect is true. It was really hard not to give in and cheat but I held off and it was well worth the wait. This is a complicated book to try to explain as you have the mystery of who, what and why, you have Sonny’s grief, guilt and loss, you have Luki’s doubts, fears and anger, there is action, suspense, heartbreak, fear, anger, romance, love, hot sex, some really touching scenes and somebody out to get them or to get something they have.
We find out more about Sonny’s past and some of it isn’t nice. But, it has molded him into the man he is now. There are also some truly romantic scenes between Luki and Sonny and not all of them lead to sex. The action scenes are well written and not over the top and the end action scene was really well executed and Luki’s fears were well-tended and brilliantly written.
A truly compelling story to read; it will have you gripped from the start and it will affect your emotions. So I have to recommend this to everyone, because it really does have something for everyone.
