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Review: Golden

Another review for Golden, this one from The Romanceaholic.  While the overall rating reflects her unease with certain elements of the historical era itself, she still has some wonderful things to say about the story:

Richly detailed, vivid, and incredibly erotic, they absolutely stole my breath. And combined with the various intrigues and political machinations of the various members of the royal court, this story was incredibly gripping and kept me glued to the pages from the first page right through the last. …..  It was beautifully well-written, incredibly interesting, and frankly pretty danged hot.

Thanks for giving the Emperor and Jin a shot!

Golden will be available from Carina Press next week!

 

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Review: Golden

A Buckeye Girl Reads says:

Golden is one of those rare novellas that is powerful from start to finish and leaves you thinking about it long after you’ve finished reading it. … I loved that this book didn’t sugar coat anything. I had this novella read in about an hour-it was just that good. I’m still not sure how to describe how powerful this read was for me, and I’m still wondering why it affected me the way it did.

Read her whole review here.  I’ll be on her blog later this week answering some questions and commenters will have a chance to win an early copy of Golden!

Thank you so much, Buckeye Girl!

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Revision Xibalba

No Friday Snippet or zombies this week — I’ve been deep in Revision Xibalba, otherwise known as Revision Hell.

Okay, not hell, not really.  Because it’s not been as bad as I feared, not at all.  Of course I’m just now getting to the last 26 pages where I think I need the most work, but the rest was pretty good. 

I don’t want to jinx myself but I really love this story.  There are parts that I have no memory of writing, and I’m shocked, surprised, and thrilled that I wrote it, because it’s so good.  Then I think, wait a minute, I’m not supposed to think that.  Am I?

But it is.  There’s just something sparkling and intense about these characters.  Maybe it’s the first person narrative.  Maybe it’s Tecun Uman the great national hero himself.  But the way this story came together is magical. 

And the humor.  *chuckles*  It’s not blatant slapstick sort of humor, but there are several nods to some of my favorite things, including a joke at my expense.  Remember some of The Bloodgate Guardian discussions I had with Alissa about Ruin?

Ruin?  Honestly, that was the jaguar guy’s name?  I looked up at Tecun’s face, but he didn’t seem perturbed by such a strange name.  I suppose that was easier to pronounce than Itzpapalotl.

“Or Kukulkan,” he whispered silently in my head.  “One of his true names is Xbalanque.

Okay, then, Ruin it was.

 
(Yes, both Ruin and Jaid make a brief appearance as the Gatekeepers of Chi’Ch’ul.)

Natalie (the heroine’s best friend) came out way more interesting than I expected too. So interesting that I can’t leave her hanging like I am in this first draft. Fixing her story thread will be one of the harder threads I need to resolve in these last few pages, but very important.  She deserves better than what I originally gave her.

And the sex.  *wipes brow*  Whew.  I joked to Raelyn the other day that one scene just went on and on and eventually I’d gotten tired in the first draft and simply left the scene because I didn’t know if they were ever going to finish.

Much different than The Bloodgate Guardian, I know.  Ruin and Jaid just weren’t going to get together any quicker, no matter how much I wanted them to.  They had a completely different story to tell.  However, Cassie and Tecun were burning up the page before I even started the first draft.  The Maya elements and research are still there, but whoa is this a sexy story!

Now, I’ve reached the pyramid scene, the culmination of everything that’s happened between Cassie and Tecun up to this point.  This is the scene that generated the ENTIRE story.  Everything came from the sacrifice at the top of El Castillo.

Um, literally.  *winks*

Let’s hope I can pull it off.

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Golden Artwork

I’m so thankful I met Soleil years ago.  Well, “met” on the internet — we’ve never met in person.  After reviewing some of my early work, she also began helping me as a beta reader.  She gets my voice and she shares her reaction to my work with me, so I can tell where I need to work a bit more or if I’m getting the responses I want.

A few months ago we were brainstorming in a private chat, and she suggested I run some kind of fan art contest.  At the time, I wasn’t sure when Return to Shanhasson would be available (GREGAR), so I didn’t take action, although I thought it was a great idea.  I would absolutely LOVE to commission some artwork.  Someday.

Well, the someday came very quickly when I couldn’t find the right stock photos for Golden.  I wanted something special, and if you haven’t tried to find an attractive Asian man 1). NOT holding a cell phone and 2). NOT dressed in a suit or as a ninja, then you can’t imagine how frustrating my hunt was.

Then it dawned on me.  This was my chance to commission artwork for Golden — that I could use for Romance Trading Cards.  And naturally, the first person I thought of, was Soleil.

She worked for weeks on these images, adding the small touches to make these images so much more special than anything I would have been able to find online.  I can’t wait to have these made into character cards!

 

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Review: Lady Doctor Wyre

Ashia of The Romance Reviews names Lady Doctor Wyre a TRR Top Pick!

The worldbuilding is impressive and just incredible! It was so real it felt I was there, and the author lets the reader into her world and experience it without info dumping. …  I love this book, and I’m looking forward to the next one in the series.

Thank you so much, Ashia!

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Review: Return to Shanhasson

Mea culpa, Sherri actually won the “first review kae’don” but I totally missed it!  I’ve fallen behind on my blog feeds and google alert failed me.  Read her entire review here:

Where Joely shines is her characters. Not a two-dimensional person among them. These characters are so real. (I think I said it best in my review of Road when I said, “I lived a lifetime between these pages!”) I love with them. I laugh with them. I hurt with them. I cry and scream with them. Even with the hints peppered on Joely’s blog I came apart completely at one point. And yes, I screamed, scaring the dog, LOL. There were more than a few tears, not just sad but happy ones too, during this story.

Aw, poor Roxy!  Thank you so much, Sherri!  You’re absolutely right about Shannari being a little exhausted.  *winks*

P.S. Don’t forget – TODAY is the last day to enter the giveaway!

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Review: Return to Shanhasson

Many thanks to Soleil for not just reviewing all the Shanhasson books — but for also helping me beta read an early copy of Return before submission.  Here’s her review with a snippet:

Shannari has come along way since Rhaekhar, Khul of the Nine Camps of the Sha’Kae al’Dan, decimated her army and won her heart. She’s become such an iconic heroine for me. I have watched her love, hate, fight, win ….and lose. I have watched her suffer, truly suffer some horrific events and come out all the stronger for it. Because Shannari dal’Dainnari never ran from anything. Not for long. Her truly epic capacity for love puts all other heroines to shame. None of them can hold a candle to her passion.If there was one thing Joely managed to get through to this cynic, it’s that love can save you, no matter how Shadowed you are.

*wipes away a happy tear*  That’s exactly what I hoped this series would say.  Thank you so much, Soleil!

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Giveaway: Handcrafted Journal

How better to celebrate Return to Shanhasson’s release than giving away a gorgeous journal handcrafted by my new editor, Lisa?  She kindly stepped in during Deena’s illness and put the final polish on Shannari’s grand adventure.  Without her, Mykal would still be lurking in Keldar and you’d never learn about Shannari’s greatest test of all, and yes, her greatest sacrifice.

I adore paper products, all sorts.  From colored index cards, sticky notes, journals, notebooks, reams of stock paper…  It’s physically impossible for me to go into an office supply store like Staples or Office Max and walk out without picking up some new paper product.  I’d probably be up for Hoarders if the monsters didn’t so kindly assist me in using up my paper goods.  *sobs – I’ve actually considered putting my notebooks and ink pens under lock and key!* 

Most especially, I love journals, especially unique, handmade ones.  My only problem:  I “save” them for something really good…  Which means they don’t always get used.  I keep them on a shelf and admire them.  I may not fight the blank page syndrome too much when writing a book, but when it comes to my own thoughts, I do often hesitate to put such “trival” matters down, especially on “nice” paper.  But you know what?  Those thoughts are just as important.

So I’m ordering one for myself and one to give away here on the blog.

There are two ways to enter.

  1. Comment here and tell me about your own journaling habits or simply throw your name in the hat.
  2. For extra entries, rate or review any Shanhasson book (Rose, Road, or Return) on any review site (Goodreads, personal blog, formal review site, even facebook) or online retailer (Amazon, B&N, etc.) and send the link(s) via email to joelysueburkhart AT gmail DOT com.  I’ll put your name in the magic hat again for each link you send me. Pre-existing reviews are okay and eligible, but please do send me the links if you’d like an extra entry.  I don’t have time to hunt them all down and I don’t want to enter someone who may not be aware of the giveaway going on (and I won’t be able to track them down if they win).

*cough* Notice that poor Road has NO Amazon ratings?  *sobs*

This giveaway is open to anyone on the planet, even if you’ve won something from me before.  I do not retain your name or email addresses after the giveaway is over. 

Comments and links will be accepted through midnight July 8th CST and the winner will be announced on the blog July 9th.

Reviewers who’d like a copy of any Shanhasson book, please drop me a note to the same email above with your desired format.

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Return to Shanhasson – Spicy Excerpt

 

Return to Shanhasson, book 3 of The Shanhasson Trilogy, a Blood and Shadows book available at Drollerie Press.  For more of my free reads, check out this page.

“I thought your Green Land baths very strange after our steamtents, but I enjoy a long soak, especially when you’re at my side.”

She stirred and stretched her arms over her head, arching her back in blatant invitation. “Why don’t you lie down on the edge and let me begin my massage?”

Eyes heavy lidded, he ran his gaze down her body, but he complied, his mighty arms levering his big body out of the water. “I thought you wanted to give me such a bath that I would lose control.”

“I am. On your stomach, please.”

Laughing, he stretched out as she wished, carefully shifting his weight so he didn’t lie completely flat on his belly. “I can’t fully comply for obvious reasons.”

“Well, let’s see what I can do about that,” she purred.

Dunking her head beneath the water, she surged up out of the pool and straddled his lower back.

Na’lanna.” His voice was rather strained. “I don’t believe this is a very good starting position. One of us is backwards and it is not you.”

“Patience, my heart. I want to give you a massage first.”

“I don’t want a massage.” Heat rumbled through his voice that had nothing to do with anger. “I want you. Preferably this very moment.”

Selecting the smoky amber vial, she popped off the cork and sniffed it carefully. Exotic scents washed over her: roasted sticks nearly burnt, dark, sultry sandalwood, and beneath, a feral musk that she couldn’t identify.

According to Benton, the desert dwellers of Keldar threw sticks and seeds onto a stone, let the natural heat of the sun roast them, and then they tossed the burnt spices into both their tea and oil. Since their drink of choice was called “Fire Tea,” the oil had captured her imagination, for obvious reasons.

She poured a small amount into her hands and rubbed it into her skin, testing it on herself. The oil heated immediately, releasing a mouth-watering aroma of exotic sandalwood. Whether the oil heated her skin or her skin heated the oil, she didn’t know, but the spreading fire was unmistakable. It didn’t hurt, though, so she smoothed her palms from the small of Rhaekhar’s back up the slabs of muscle to his shoulders. Kneading her way across his shoulders, she said nothing, waiting to see his reaction.

“Great Vulkar, woman, what is that?”

“Fire Oil,” she replied innocently. She didn’t know what the Keldari called it. “Doesn’t it smell delicious?”

“Forget how it smells.” He sucked in his breath and shifted beneath her, his back humping like a horse getting ready to buck her off. “No wonder it’s called Fire Oil; my flesh is on fire.”

“You don’t like it?”

He shuddered, his big hands fisted in the soft mat. “If I were inside you, I’d like it much better.”

Stretching out on top of him, she rubbed her breasts against his back, spreading the oil into her skin. Deliberately, she moaned, tormenting him with her own sounds of desire. It did feel like fire spread across her skin. The scent burrowed deeper in her body, twisting and stirring her hunger. She gripped his shoulder in her jaws and slowly sank her teeth into the heavy muscle until he growled and moved beneath her, his hands sliding back to tug at her ankles and calves.

Her lips and tongue heated with the oil, buzzing and tingling as she rubbed her mouth across the broad expanse of his back. “You smell good enough to eat.”

Wriggling lower on his thighs, she licked a path down his spine, smoothing her palms up and down his flanks. She bit him again, hard enough he groaned so loudly the Blood must surely hear it. “Remember our challenge. You’re not going to lose control, are you?”

“That depends.” Panting, he raised his head enough to glare at her over his shoulder. Sweat dripped into his eyes, and his hair was dark and heavy with steam. “Are you finally going to mark my arse?”

She’d marked Gregar’s ass years ago on the night of their claiming, and Rhaekhar had long regretted that he’d lost that competition, even though he wore many other marks on his throat and chest. “That was my general intention.”

He buried his face in his forearm and cursed, muttering beneath his breath so she couldn’t make out his words. She took that as permission. But first…

She poured more oil into her hands and kneaded it into both cheeks and down his hamstrings. Lady above, she’d never seen a finer warrior. Hot velvet skin stretched tight over sculpted granite, he was a complex mixture of explosive power and incredible gentleness. Although there was nothing gentle about his hoarse growl when she reached under his raised hip to wrap her oiled hand around him.

“I’m going…” He arched his back, lifting his rump so he could thrust in her hand. “To pour…that cursed oil…all over you…while I hold you down…and let your Blood…lick it off.”

Lady, he might as well have doused her head to toe in the sizzling oil. Immediately, her mind pictured it: Rhaekhar lying at her head, pinning her arms against him, while auburn and golden brown heads moved eagerly down her body.

Using his own challenge words, she retorted, “You’re welcome to try.”

She struck, biting deep, gripping his cheek in a punishing bite until blood filled her mouth. Rich with strength, spiced with love, his blood stoked a fire in her that had nothing to do with Keldari oil.

Whatever he meant to say was lost on a roar.

He rolled over so hard she tumbled off to the side and nearly spilled the oil. “Come here.”

“The challenge.” She couldn’t seem to catch her breath. “Do I win?”

He slammed his arms down to the mat, fists at his side. Eyes blazing, he ground out, “Continue.”

“Are you sure?”

He shot her a dark look. “Be wary with that oil, na’lanna. When I come inside you, it’ll spread like wildfire on your tender flesh, too.”

Holding his gaze, she tipped the vial over his chest. “I’m counting on it.”