Review + Giveaway: Demon's Bride by Zoe Archer

Demon's Bride

by Zoe Archer

(The Hellraisers # 2)

Ms. Zoe Archer did not disappoint. This 2nd installment of the Hellraisers is just as good as the first and then some.

Leopold Bailey, the son of a saddler, has made a deal with the Devil. As all of the Hellraisers, each of them now possess a power gifted by the Devil himself to be used in exchange for their souls. The problem is that the more they use their power the more of their soul is consumed by the devil and more evil is unleashed around them.
Leo’s gift is the ability to see one’s future. He used this gift wisely to gain power and wealth but his long time desire to be accepted by the people who treated him poorly was not within his grasp. Leo will never be of noble birth and the only way to get similar recognition is to marry with name and station. With evil and greed, will it ever be enough?....

Ann Hartfield, daughter of a Barron, knew exactly what she married into. She married a man who has made his own wealth and she knew exactly of his family background. But what she didn’t know was that the man she married had deep secrets.

I must say that I enjoyed this book a lot. The character build up was well done. Both Ann and Leo had grown in a respectable time within the book. Ann grew from this demurred woman to a strong willed heroine who can take care of herself. And Leo, well, we already know he’s a greedy man, but his realization of his predicament was well done. He did not just wake up and said…“oh, I'm so SOL”. He had time to see what he might be losing…..

The best was their romance. Although they were married for business, they both decided to take the time to get to know each other and up until the very end Ms. Archer made it to the point that…trust is not easily given. Of course, because of his love, Leo will definitely take the challenge.

We got a good amount of Whit and Bram in this book which I loved. Bram is one hottie Hellraiser to watch out for, mark my words. I think he is the most intriguing of them all. We also get a glimpse of John and Edmund, which I thought was NOT enough of. The ladies Zora, Livia and Rosalind were also there briefly.

By the end of this book, we are left with half of the Hellraisers with their souls still to be saved. I was left with my mouth open with one question in mind: Did that just happened? Oh yes, an unexpected outcome just for our couple to get their HEA. I cannot wait to see what Ms. Archer has for the next book. 

  

*ARC provided by author

Maidens, Ms. Archer has a copy of Demon's Bride up for grabs!

International

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Author Override: Zoe Archer

Author Override is the place where authors take the reins and take you on a journey into their world. Some may allow you into their private writing dens. Others may take you along with them on research trips or interviews. Whatever the case may be, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride because here you’ll get an in-depth look into an author’s musings.

That’s Not Steampunk!

In conjunction with the release of SKIES OF FIRE, my first steampunk romance, I’ve been spending a lot of time researching and writing about aspects of steampunk. A quick definition for those unfamiliar with the term—steampunk essentially means Victorian science fiction, and its become increasingly popular over the past few years, so much so that the steampunk description has been slapped on a lot of things that really aren’t.

Steampunk style generally uses Victorian-inspired design combined with science fiction touches, and incorporates things like clockwork gears as ornamentation. That’s a very, very basic description, and, clearly, it’s open to interpretation. Sometimes the interpretation is a little too open.

There’s a whole category at the awesome website Regretsy called “Not Remotely Steampunk.” Cruising through the offerings, I found some real gems.

‘80s neon color tank top + watch parts + plastic charms ≠steampunk.

Then there’s the Overused Octopus.

Or we get things that make no sense and are just flat out terrifying.

Which brings me to this clever little film:

A glue gun and watch parts do not steampunk make.

Comic by the inimitable Kate Beaton.

So, my question to you is, have you run across anything described as steampunk but isn’t? Bonus points if your comment has a link! I’ll pick a winner from the commenters to win a copy of SKIES OF FIRE! (Print copy for US/Canada, PDF for an international winner.)

SKIES OF FIRE: The Ether Chronicles Book 1

Man made of metal and flesh

Captain Christopher Redmond has just one weakness: the alluring spy who loved and left him years beforewhen he was still just a man. Now he's superhuman—a Man O' War, made as part of the British Navy's weapons program—and his responsibility is to protect the skies of Europe. If only he could forget Louisa Shaw.

A most inconvenient desire

Louisa, a British Naval Intelligence agent, has never left a job undone. But when her assignment is compromised, the one man who can help her complete her mission is also the only man ever to tempt her body and heart. As burning skies loom and passion ignites, Louisa and Christopher must slip behind enemy lines if they are to deliver a devastating strike against their foe . . . and still get out alive.

Excerpt

Buy links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powells, All Romance eBooks, Books-A-Million

Zoë Archer: website, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr

Bio: Zoë Archer is an award-winning romance author who thinks there's nothing sexier than a man in tall boots and a waistcoat. As a child, she never dreamed about being the rescued princess, but wanted to kick butt right beside the hero. She now applies her master's degrees in Literature and Fiction to creating butt-kicking heroines and heroes in tall boots. She is the author of the acclaimed BLADES OF THE ROSE series and the paranormal historical romance series, THE HELLRAISERS. Zoë and her husband, fellow romance author Nico Rosso, live in Los Angeles. Nico’s story in the world of The Ether Chronicles will be available in July 2012. Please visit Zoë on the Web at http://www.zoearcherbooks.com/

Interview and Giveaway with Zoe Archer

UTC is thrilled to have Zoe Archer here today to chat with us about her wonderful books! Thanks so much for stopping by. Let's talk about your latest release, Devil's Kiss!  Zora is a very liberated woman in the 18th century. Did you find it hard to give her this right at that time and place? Do you see yourself in her?

My research into Romani culture showed that while women of the Rom were expected to be modest and obedient, they were also very powerful within their families. Zora isn't exactly a typical Romani woman, and she chafes against the restrictions within her culture. She operates outside of traditional 18th century society, too, since the Rom and gorgios (as non-Roma were called) didn't mix. In many respects, Zora is unique. But I think that, in every time, in every culture, there are people who rebel, and Zora is one of them.

I'd like to think I've got Zora's fire, and she certainly doesn't think of herself as a second-class citizen just because she's a woman, much like I do. But I can't read palms or cheat expertly at cards, so in that, she's got me beat.

Whit is a sexy, bad, untamable man (well, before Zora). Which character other than the ones you've created would you like to tame for yourself?

It'd be nice to have a djinn or some other magical creature to do my bidding—like clean the bathroom.

HellRaisers is such a great addition to the PNR world. How did you come up with this idea?

Thanks! Back in the 18th century, there were a few clubs of aristocratic rakes, and they all called themselves the Hellfire Club. There were rumors of secret meetings, devil worship and wild orgies. I started to think about what if there was a group of 18th century English rakes who really did get involved with the Devil. What if they earned the name of Hellraisers, and then literally rose Hell? Also, with my Blades of the Rose series, the heroes were all decent, good guys, and I wanted to explore what it would be like to have some truly bad heroes. How bad could I make them? Could they be redeemed? And what kind of heroine would be the counterpoint to these bad boys?

Some of your series are completely different genres, sci fi and historical paranormal romance. What inspired you to write such seemingly opposite genres?

The uniting element is, I think, the action and adventure, plus heroines who unapologetically kick ass. It doesn't matter what era they're in or what planet they hail from, they can take care of themselves. And all my heroes think this quality is sexy as hell.

How do you feel about followers/fans commenting about your book on Twitter/Facebook? Irritating? Stalkish? Or do you welcome it?!

It's great to see my books engendering discussion. That way I know I've moved people.

What does your workspace look like? It is clean and orderly or scattered and covered with post-it notes? Any visual would be great.

Since my husband (fellow romance author Nico Rosso) and I share an office, along with the elliptical trainer, bookshelves, file cabinets and two cats, the office itself is...full. I like to keep my desk tidy, though. Can't work if everything's cluttered.

If I blindly stuck my hand in your purse and grabbed something, what would I find?

Grocery lists.

Which of you heroes would you...
Marry — Catullus, from STRANGER, because he can build anything
Have a One Night Stand with — Bennett, from SCOUNDREL, because he knows exactly what he's doing
Have a Summer Fling with — Whit, from DEVIL'S KISS, because once he's pried away from the card table, he gets very focused

(By the way, this is all harmless speculation, because my heart always belongs to Nico!)

How about some rapid fire questions!

Singing in the shower or car? Car. The window to our bathroom is right off the catwalk in our apartment building, and I don't want to torture anyone with my rendition of "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go."
Sunset or sunrise? Sunset. Sunrise is too early.
Coffee or tea? It used to be tea, but then I became a full-time writer and had a legitimate reason to stay awake, so now I'm a full-blown coffee addict.
Plotter or panster? I plot out the whole novel before writing, but I often discover as I get into the book that things need to change, and so I figure those elements out when I get there—but even that is plotted.
Favourite food? A cold, fudgy brownie with a ribbon of salted caramel.
Favourite genre to write? Aaah! Don't make me choose!
Favourite genre to read? Historical romance.
Favourite place to read? I'm still looking for the perfect reading chair in the perfect reading nook. For now, I read on the sofa. But if someone wants to donate a chaise longue, I wouldn't say no.

Devil’s Kiss
Hellraisers Book 1

A handsome devil

1762. James Sherbourne, Earl of Whitney, is a gambling man. Not for the money. But for the thrill, the danger—and the company: Whit has become one of the infamous Hellraisers, losing himself in the chase for adventure and pleasure with his four closest friends.

Which was how Whit found himself in a gypsy encampment, betting against a lovely Romani girl. Zora Grey’s smoky voice and sharp tongue entrance Whit nearly as much as her clever hands—watching them handle cards inspires thoughts of another kind…

Zora can’t explain her attraction to the careless blue-eyed Whit. She also can’t stop him and his Hellraisers from a fiendish curse: the power to grant their own hearts’ desires, to chase their pleasures from the merely debauched to the truly diabolical. And if Zora can’t save Whit, she still has to escape him…

Read our review

Excerpt - click here | Book Trailer

Buy links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Powells
All Romance eBooks

Zoe Archer: website, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr

Bio: Zoë Archer is an award-winning romance author who thinks there's nothing sexier than a man in tall boots and a waistcoat. As a child, she never dreamed about being the rescued princess, but wanted to kick butt right beside the hero. She now applies her master's degrees in Literature and Fiction to creating butt-kicking heroines and heroes in tall boots. She is the author of the acclaimed BLADES OF THE ROSE series. December marks the beginning of her new paranormal historical romance series, THE HELLRAISERS. Zoë and her husband, fellow romance author Nico Rosso, live in Los Angeles.

 

Ms. Archer is giving away today a copy of Devil's Kiss to a lucky follower.  A signed print copy for US or a PDF copy for international.  All you have to do to enter is:

1. Be a follower of this blog

2. Fill out the form below

ARC Review: Devil's Kiss by Zoe Archer

Devil's Kiss

by Zoe Archer

(Hellraisers # 1)

I'm going to be honest here and say that even if I've heard talks about Zoe Archer before, I never took the chance and read up on her or her books. After reading the blurb for this book I jumped at the opportunity to read it and gave it a chance. I am glad that I did as I've found another series to follow. :D

The Hellraisers are definitely a good addition to the PNR world. This group of outcasts has made their mark in the 18th century doing as they pleased and raising havoc in their time. These guys sort of remind of the men from the movie Tombstone, always looking for fun, lay and adventure. Well, in Devil's Kiss adventure is exactly what they find, adventure to hell if their souls are not saved. A battle between human’s fight against evil.

The Hellraisers, including James Sherbourne, Earl of Whitney aka Whit, have stumbled upon a ruin. By poking around, they had accidentally released evil to the world and in the process, receiving power in trade for their souls.

Whit is one hero I'd like to tame for myself. He is a gambler with nothing to lose and in the game for the sheer excitement of it. And Zora, a Gypsy girl, in spite of the world she lives in is a very liberated woman. She will speak her mind, fight for what she believes in and ends up being a kickass girl..My kind of heroine. The combination of these two is amazing, how they battle evil to save Whit's soul and the people around them is admirable. Though, it had a slow start, their journey is full of action, surprises and some humor.

The side characters have also made their mark. A ghost named Livia, a priestess who helped the couple was funny and witty. I'd like to see her again in the upcoming books. It will be interesting to see what Ms. Archer has in store for us as she writes about each Hellraiser.

I recommend this book to any PNR lover who'd like to take a break from the vamps, shifters, etc. I cannot wait for the next installment of this series. 

* Review copy provided by author.

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Collision Course by Zoe Archer

Collision Couse (8th Wing #1)

by Zoe Archer

Sci fi Romance

Find it on Goodreads!

Mara Skiren is a Scavenger, a smuggler and criminal, but the doesn't stop the 8th Wing from blackmailing her into helping them save one of their pilots and a high tech fighter ship that has been taken from them. Used to flying solo Mara doesn't like having the arrogan Commander Kell Frayne, on her ship, the Arcadia is her home and she rarely allows anyone inside. But Kell quickly gets under her skin and she finds her self reluctantly falling for him.

I don't know if I have just overloaded on sci-fi romance or if this just wasn't my cup of tea, but I didn't like it that much. The universe was just text book sci-fi with nothing to really distinguish it from countless others and I found it irritating the way random new words, obviously relating to something sci-fiey, were just thorwn in without any kind of explanation. In the end I found that bit boring but bearable.

But, what really bugged me was the romance. It was so over wrought! Having read some Zoe Archer before I was a little prepared for this, but after reading it I need to shower to get all the damn sap off! Every look was soul-wrending, every sigh was deep and meaningful, you couldn't damn well blink with out it having some kind of deep meaning and having, yet another, wall collapse around someones either heart or soul, how many walls/barriers can one possible have?! In the end I just got exasparated with it all and speed read it to get to the end.

I am trying not to be too negative, but when you are reading a book but wishing that the world destroying bad guys win you know that something isn't quite right!

Review: Warrior by Zoe Archer

When Captain Gabriel Huntley comes to a lone mans defense when he discovers him being beaten in a dark alley, he doesn't realize that this one selfless act would set in motion a set of events that takes him from England to Outer Mongolia seeing things he never before imagined could be real. He certainly didn't see Thalia Burgess on the horizon, the strong, beautiful and unconventonal woman he soon realizes he would give his life to defend.

I love this book, right from the start it drew me in with its beautiful cover, which has a both a very handsome man on the front and a beautiful and alien looking landscape; however, the cover is not what kept me reading and thoroughly enthralled, the adventure, romance and characters are what had me reading at every oppotunity I could.

What pulled me in to the stroy intially was Zoe Archer's writing style, it manages to be desciptive without being too excessive, describing people and places beautifully. The characters she has created are very memorable; Gabriel was earthy and handsome, and I think the best way to describe him was manly, he was a mixture of Indianna Jones and Sharpe. Thalia was another great character, she was sensible and strong, as well as funny and unusual, and I think that together Thalia and Gabriel made a great couple, there were no TSTL moments on both thier parts, they both knew when to listen to one another and went to act. They were also a very hot couple, this book wasn't overloaded with erotic love scenes, but the ones that were there were delicious, and Zoe Archer kept the sexual tension between them high, you could feel their desire and attraction to each other through out the book.

I also liked that the story although heay on romance, had a great adventure plotline, and I loved the concept of the sources and the Blades of the Rose idea, a group of people that have banded together to keep magical artefacts (sources) out of the wrong hands, and in this case the Heirs of Albion, who seek a source in Mongolia so that the British Empire can conquer the world.

If the next book is as good as this one, it is definately going to be one of my favourite series as it had the perfect blend of action, romance and humour.

Quote that made me laugh out loud on the bus:
If he wasn't careful, he'd pop right out the damned trunks and give every one of the tribesman an eyeful of genuine English sausage.

This is my Captain Gabriel Huntley and Thalia Burgess: