Today I have the pleasure in welcoming New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak. BCC is Brenda’s 6th stop on her blog tour promoting her three novels coming out this summer – WHITE HEAT, BODY HEAT & KILLER HEAT.
You also have the chance to win White Heat at the end of this post, so make sure you enter!
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I gained my enthusiasm for reading when I was in the fourth grade and discovered an entire row of classics in the Liberty School library. Previous to this point, I hadn’t liked reading at all. Maybe it was that boring Dick, Jane and Spot stuff, because THE SECRET GARDEN, OLIVER TWIST, REBECCA, JANE EYRE and GONE WITH THE WIND showed me the real possibilities. Knowing my mother would set me to some task if she saw me, I used to hide from her so that I could read one glorious story after another without being disturbed. I’ll never forget how disappointed I was when I finished everything on the classics shelf and started on the next shelf down only to discover that not all books are created equal.
In junior high, I began reading John Jakes and his fabulous revolutionary war series (then NORTH AND SOUTH). In high school, I discovered romance and devoured everything by Kathleen Woodiwiss, Jane Austen and Jude Devereaux. I also found my first Sidney Sheldon novel when I was a sophomore, which served as my initiation to mystery and suspense.
Today, I’m an eclectic reader. I love true crime (Ann Rule), straight historicals (Philippa Gregory, Brenda Rickman Vantrease), legal thrillers (John Lescroart, John Grisham), romance (Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Susan Mallery, Jayne Ann Krentz), mystery (Janet Evanovich, Elizabeth Peters), popular fiction (Elizabeth Gilbert) and romantic suspense (Karen Rose, Roxanne St. Claire, Allison Brennan, Linda Howard, Sharon Sala and more). The only thing I don’t read is science fiction/fantasy. My reading “diet” is so varied that it’s difficult to restrict a list of favorites to any one genre, but here are a few fabulous thrillers I’ve read recently:
1. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson. I’m actually in the middle of this book now. It has a longer set up than I’m used to and wasn’t as easy to “fall into” as some books I’ve read, but the mystery has definitely captured my attention. I like the character of Lisbeth. Not only is she unique, she feels real. And some of the situations are unusual and therefore captivating—Blomkvist’s open sexual relationship with his partner, who is married, for instance.
2. SCREAM FOR ME by Karen Rose. Rose is a talented writer who captivates with emotionally intense stories. She excels at characterization and heightens sympathy for the hero/heroine without “overwriting.”
3. Sharon Sala’s STORM FRONT trilogy. I really enjoyed these three books. Sharon creates heroes that are very appealing to me.
4. VEIL OF NIGHT by Linda Howard and DEAD BY MIDNIGHT by Beverly Barton. I had breakfast with Linda and Beverly in Orlando recently and was so impressed with them. Although I was already a big fan, this inspired me to rush out and get their latest novels.
5. THE NEIGHBOR by Lisa Gardner. Ever since I first read THE PERFECT HUSBAND, Lisa has been an auto-buy for me. I actually bought THE NEIGHBOR because I saw a video with Lisa that I thought was clever, and I’m glad I did.
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GIVEAWAY!
Thanks to MIRA, I have two copies of White Heat to giveaway. One sent direct from publisher (US) and the other sent by me (UK).
This giveaway is open to US & UK residents only! Ends Friday 3rd Sept 2010.
GOOD LUCK!
White Heat is the first book in Brenda Novak’s new Department 6 Hired Guns trilogy.
Nate Ferrentino and Rachel Jessop are operatives for Department 6, a private security company, and they’re going undercover to expose a new and dangerous cult. This group has taken up residence in the Arizona desert, in a ghost town called Paradise. Members worship at the feet—and in the bed–of its charismatic leader, Ethan Wycliff. On his orders, they tried to stone a woman to death. And they’re implicated in the disappearance of a teenage girl.
To expose the Church of the Covenant, with its arcane rituals and debauched practices, Nate and Rachel must pretend to be married. That’s the only way they can get in—but being Nate’s “wife” is the last thing Rachel wants. She and Nate have a one-night history that’s just an embarrassment to her now. But they don’t have a choice. Wycliff has to be stopped.
4 Comments
The book sounds utterly amazing. And I love Sidney Sheldon!
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Hello great post
I love Sharon Sala too!
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I am so excited to have that book and that giveaway. I will make sure that I will be the first one to have that book so that the giveaway is going to be mine.
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This book sounds great! Thanks for the giveaway!
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