Happy Christmas!

Merry Christmas, my friends!

CITY OF LIGHT was released yesterday, so happy book birthday to my 3rd novel this year! That's something to be excited about.

About the book:

The malevolent Demon has claimed a bride—the maiden, Aisilyn—from the sacred City of Light. Five families wait with dread, uncertain if their Aisilyn is the one the Dark Warrior will take. Only Gennavieve remains convinced the Warrior will come for her sister. To protect Aisilyn, and her upcoming marriage, Gennavieve puts herself in her sister’s place—allowing the Dark Warrior to claim her as the Demon’s chosen bride. What Gennavieve never considered is what she would do if she fell in love with the servant of darkness. In a world driven by faith, no one knows which prophecy will be fulfilled—or whether Gennavieve’s choice will lead to the Demon’s destruction or her own.

And here's a little teaser, including one of my editor's favorite lines. :) 

“Never tease a warrior, Maiden,” he said, his voice hoarse with anticipation.

            She didn’t utter a word, but her eyes reflected a sense of alarm. So he waited, slowly suffocating the distance between their bodies into nonexistence—giving her plenty of opportunity to pull away.

            Her hands gripped the front of his armor and her eyelashes fluttered. Her breaths came in quick, short gasps of expectation—all the encouragement he needed. 

Due to a happy accident, AMAZON is the only seller that updated to the full price today. That gives you the option to snag the e-book on iTUNES, KOBO, NOOK, or any of your other favorite e-book carriers at the deeply discounted preorder price. I don't know when the price will change, possibly as early as Saturday, so if you just got an e-reader for Christmas and want a clean fantasy romance, City of Light is a great pick.

And stay close, because the print version is in the works and will be live soon. Have a truly magical holiday!

My review: NIA by Mella Reese

Nia, a 16 yr old princess with a penchant for healing, is stunned to learn that the "gift" her father's conquered enemy has offered is in fact a man. His name is Garreth, the fourth and therefore worthless son of a conquered king.

Nia is furious. He is not a gift--he is a man. And what does she need with a giant, muscular shadow anyway? But as kingdom intrigues unravel and Nia learns more about the world around her, she will become grateful to have Garreth by her side.

Nia is a good story. I found myself entertained, and did not close the book wishing I’d never opened it to begin with. The characters stayed with me for a time afterward; I wondered about them and whether Nia’s next venture would meet with success.

There were, however, two things that nagged at me. One, I found the language to be distracting at times. The more formal language would occasionally pull me out of the narrative. The other issue was, in the entire book, I can't recall what Nia looked like. I have, in my own stories, occasional forgotten to describe a minor character for my readers--but to not recall the main character's description bothered me. I even went back and re-read the first 30 pages and still didn't find one. Still possible I missed it, but it lessens the odds. :)

Overall, I liked Nia. The characters are entertaining; the plot plausible and definitely full of interesting twists. You can order your copy HERE. I would also strongly recommend you check out author Mella Reese's WEBSITE and BLOG.
Mella Reese is a native Nevadan and proud survivor of Cushing's Disease. She attended Brigham Young University in Utah and Hawaii before completing her decree in Special Education at The University of Nevada Las Vegas. Ms Reese lives in Southern Nevada with her husband, son and daughter.