something worth reviewing for!

my peoples!

so sorry for the long absence. apparently i took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in narnia for several months. but i'm back now! so on with the show...

i just finished reading "something worth fighting for" by lena matthews. it's a bw/wm romance available in e-book format over @ ellora's cave, so check it out because i said so! ...or because it's good. ...but then again, if we were being honest with ourselves, isn't all of miss matthews' work frickin' awesome!? i mean, she has this way of entertaining her readers from beginning to end, getting them to "ooo", "aww", and laugh-out-loud all in the same story. and that does a good author make! and if that didn't sell yous, how about the fact that she has a wide selection of novel-length ir stories. that way the awesomeness isn't over in eight pages like many other ir works we know and love.

now. onto the real reason why i love her work. or should i say, just another reason why i love the chiz that lena matthews writes: she is able to create a story where the heroine is black without beating the reader over the head with her "blackness". miss matthews is skilled at incorporating phrases, thoughts, and names that are culturally specific to many african americans, without the heroine turning into one giant stereotype. basically she makes the heroine relatable. and readers, isn't that all we really want???

so if you want to find out what happens when a sassy nine year old girl causes her awesome neighbor to meet and eventually fall for her equally awesome adoptive uncle, then click this link, toss it in your e-cart, and get your read on!

swag - it's what's for dinner

we interupt our regulary scheduled broadcast to bring you this promo:

normally i don't do shameless begging unless it's for the LDAs but when i saw all the super cool swag being put up for grabs i couldn't help but to share! ( i mean tis the season). caylah walters, winner of the 2009 LDA's best fan award, is hosting a marilyn lee contest on her brand new blog! and there will be not one, not two, but TEN winners! as if winning free stuff isn't cool enough, it gets better! all you have to do to enter is visit her blog and drop a line or several about a thanksgiving dinner or any family dinner for that matter! easy, peasy, lemon squeezy if you ask me *wink* so for more info, hit up this link and get ta typing...pleaseee!

trick or treat

yesterday i read my first ever holiday ir story. the holiday of course was my personal favorite - halloween!

in the bw/wm "Lonely No More" by Selena Illyria the hero is a sorta dead famous writer who was cursed by his witch ex-gf to remain a ghost until he found true love. the heroine, who is also a writer (the hero is actually the one who inspired her to write when she was younger), moves into the house that he haunts and things take off from there. needless to say there is an immediate attraction between the two characters and the paranormal sex is just as hot and steamy as regular sex! it also wasn't as awkward to read as i thought it would be. so two thumbs up to Illyria for pullin' that off! and for those of you wondering how a relationship between a corporeal person and a ghost could ever work, no worries - for this story has a HEA!

so make it an erotic halloween and stop by liquid silver to pick up "Lonely No More". although, it is a relatively short read, it's definitely one that i recommend.

safety first!

it's no secret how i feel about books written by more than one author - leery to say the least. i'm one of the biggest skeptics i know, so to trust that two people can make their writer's voice sound as one is a big leap for me. but occasionally, i make it. so, following my gut (and danielle's positive review), i decided to purchase "Safe" by Shara Azod and RaeLynn Blue. and i am so glad that i did!

although i'm in the middle of reading several fiction and non-fiction books at the moment, i just had to take a quick break to get my ir-read on and it definitely paid off. "Safe" was right up my ally with a black heroine who wasn't a "doormat" (to quote the book) but also wasn't an ex-ninja (too many tough-as-nails sistas in literature these days), and a white hero who carries a badge (way hot) and is borderline stalkerific (even hotter)!!!

the plot in a nutshell: scum-bag, wife-beating brother kicks the bucket → wife and totally awesome brother-in-law finally admit they love each other → tons of hot oral-sex and intercourse → even more f.b.i. agent type action → HEA → and possible spin off with the hero's partner and a witness.

note: the book is available @ lulu ...and two words: love it!

The Official 2009 LDA Heart List

first off i would like to thank all of last night's winners and nominees! i would also like to send out a huge special thank you to all of the fans who submitted nominations and votes, and who participated - you helped make the night possible. last but not least i’d like to thank my wolf-pack a.k.a. team vamp a.k.a. the black dagger sisterhood lol *winks* without your support and encouragement the LDAs would have never happened.

now it is time for what you all have been waiting for: the ultimate finalized list! created solely by the fans for the fans, this list is comprised of the absolute best in the interracial romance genre for 2009:

best novel: "Tempting Faith" by Cystal Hubbard

best erotica: "In Blood and Worth Loving" by Marilyn Lee

best fight scene: "Hold On" by LaVerne Thomspon

best series: "The Megalodon Team Series" by Aliyah Burke

best vampire/warewolf/shape-shifter: Dante Grimaldi in "Dante's Wrath" by Eve Vaughn

best cover art: "A Kiss of Ashen Twilight" by Rae Lori

best short story: "Your Local Handyman" by Stephanie Williams

best website/fan-group/blog: Interracial/Multiracial Romance Readers Group

best love scene: "Tempting Faith" by Crystal Hubbard

best historical: "Badazz Daddy Squad: Ragnar" by Jeannie Johnson & Jayha Leigh

best alpha male: Russell Crichton in "The Blacker the Berry" by Lena Matthews

life time achievement: Marilyn Lee

best novella: "The Blacker the Berry" by Lena Matthews

best sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal: "In Blood and Worth Loving" by Marilyn Lee

best fan: Caylah Walters

best contemporary: "Tempting Faith" by Crystal Hubbard

best publisher: Red Rose Publishing

best choice to become a movie: "Tempting Faith" by Crystal Hubbard

best bbw: "Trolling Nights" by Savannah J. Frierson

best hero: Tyson Kincade in "Kincade's Rose" by Aliyah Burke

best heroine: Faith Wheeler in "Tempting Faith" by Crystal Hubbard

author of the year: Savannah J. Frierson

story of the year: "Tempting Faith" by Crystal Hubbard

Nite Nite

i want to thank you all for participating and for being so patient as i worked through the technical glitches. i hope everyone had a great time! love you bunches *blows kisses* and i hope to see you all next year *waves* g'night and sweet dreams!!!

Story of the Year w.

"Tempting Faith" by Crystal Hubbard!!!