All the Right Reasons received a 5 cup review from Coffee Time Romance! My thanks to Matilda for such a beautiful review!

Rating: 5 Cups

Lucas Mitchell has returned from Iraq a different man than when he first got there. He is now riddled with guilt over a friend’s death. He was wounded and left scarred. He is a bitter man, not sure how to overcome his pain and be the man he used to be; until he meets a woman who captures his heart and soul.

Joy Kovacs comes from a Hungarian gypsy family that believes in the old ways. They have already chosen who she should marry, a man she does not love. Although she is torn over her loyalty to her family and wants the freedom she knows her family will object to, she follows her heart on a path that will change her life.

The attraction to each other is instantaneous for Lucas and Joy. Although each has wounds to heal, they cannot deny their love for each other. Yet her family objects. Joy does not want to hurt her family or loose Lucas, leaving her with a hard decision to make. Lucas must face his past in order to overcome his pain. Is their love strong enough to survive?

What an emotional story, filled with anger and bitterness, love and joy, heartache and pain, acceptance and trust. Lucas and Joy’s story is all that. Ms. James takes you into the most intimate parts of her characters and shows you the real essence that makes them come to life. In turn capturing the reader’s attention and holding on till the last word. This is a book that you will want to add to your bookshelf. This reader is ready to explore the other stories in the Damaged Hero Series.

Matilda
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

All the Right Reasons received a beautiful review from Val at “You Gotta Read!” Reviews! Thanks so much, Val!

“You Gotta Read!” Rating ~

Lucas Mitchell was a complex character who had emotionally given up after losing his buddy on his tour in Iraq. Joy was the woman that could save him when no one else could. The relationship between Lucas and Joy was one unlike any I have read so far. Being a Gypsy, Joy could sense what Lucas needed. In subtle ways, Lucas would be able to sense what Joy wanted and needed. To add to this intriguing plot line, the Romungro culture is steeped in tradition and Joy’s family would not let Lucas join their tight circle as he was not of full Romungro ancestry. Joy had to choose and one way or another, would let someone down. Would it be her closely knit family or the love of her life? The addition of the villain, Tamas, was priceless.

I anxiously delved into this book anticipating the third book of the Damaged Hero’s series. The other two books in the series were amazing and All the Right Reasons did not disappoint. I was in for a shock when I cracked open the book. It was extremely hard to put down. All the Right Reasons evoked unexpected emotions in me. I felt a part of Joy and Lucas’ lives and the pain in my heart ached for Lucas and the issues he was dealing with. The guilt he was carrying around was almost suffocating at times. It was truly phenomenal how Ms. James was able to so accurately depict how a soldier would feel in such a situation. All the Right Reasons was a multilayered, emotionally gripping story of the guilt of a soldier, the love of family, and just trying find closure. All the Right Reasons is laced with humor and oh my gosh, you have got to read the bachelor party scene, I laughed so hard. Joy and Lucas are my favorite couple in this series so far. I know I say this after each and every book but the characters truly get better with each book.

Ms. James has once again gone above and beyond and delivered an exceptional well written, well rounded, touching love story with deep meaning. I can’t recommend this book enough. I can promise that anyone who is not a fan of Ms. James yet, will most certainly be by the end of this book. I am anxious to read the fourth book in the Damaged Hero’s series, Faith of the Heart. I am listing all the books so far in this series because, trust me, you will want to read them all. Although they can all be read as a stand alone book, you WILL want to read the entire series.

Murphys Law (Book 1)
Free Falling (Book 2)
All the Right Reasons (Book 3)
Faith of the Heart (Book 4)

I’m pleased to announce that the fourth book in my award-winning Damaged Heroes series is scheduled to release in ebook on Tuesday.

This book came into being the way many of my stories do. By playing the “What if…?” game. I can’t take credit for dreaming up the game. It comes from Stephen King. He believes a writer should always think about what could happen, what unusual things could occur, what paths could be followed. I play the game often and highly recommend it for authors. It always keeps me from getting bored!

Faith of the Heart was born on a Christmas Eve mass as we waited for the services to begin. My church has a beautiful crucifix, and I found myself just staring at it, thinking about Jesus and all the things he accomplished in his short life. My husband reached over to hold my hand. (Yes, after almost thirty years as a couple, we still hold hands. We’re a pair of odd ducks.) I started to wonder, “What if someone could cure people like Jesus did?” Then I wished for a moment that faith healers were real and could cure my husband of his Crohn’s disease. At that moment, I had my herione. Faith healer Sarah Reid “introduced” herself to me.

I didn’t sleep much that night as I turned ideas around in my mind. What hero would possibly be the last person in the world to fall for a faith healer? An investigative reporter. One who had experienced a great loss and been ripped off by a fake “healer.” Joshua Miller sprang to life. On our long drive to my in-laws’ home for Christmas dinner, I wrote while Jeff drove. (If you’ve ever been in a car while my husband drove, you’d realize what a sacrifice it was for me and how important this story was.) The prologue poured out of me almost faster than I could capture it on paper with my favorite green ink.

Yes, I’m weird. I always write in green ink. Aren’t all authors eccentric?

About the same time I started on Faith of the Heart, I also started Turning Thirty-Twelve. Then All the Right Reasons. Afraid no one would enjoy a story about a faith healer unless it was an inspirational romance, I kept pushing Sarah Reid and Josh Miller aside to work on other stories. But the couple kept calling to me, begging me to finish their tale. So I did. Then, to test the waters, I sent it to a few contests. And it just kept hitting the finals. I’m so proud to say that FOTH won the Lone Star and Winter Rose contests, and it finaled in Reveal Your Inner Vixen and GOTCHA.

So…if you’re looking for a nice, sophisticated story, I’d love for you to take a look at Faith of the Heart.

Free Falling was reviewed by You Gotta Read today. I send my thanks to Val for a “You Gotta Read!” rating and a beautiful write-up!

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Oh my gosh, where to begin with this book? Characters, we will start with the characters. I recently reviewed Murphy’s Law which is book 1 in the Damaged Heroes series. Ross had been one of the characters in the first book which left me feeling that his character was just a bit too nice, safe, and maybe a bit too deeply infatuated with Katie. There weren’t the sparks you would think when you thought of a romantic couple. So when Ross got his own book, I couldn’t help but think, finally, I get to see what makes Ross who he is. I was stunned. Ross turned out to be a character who definitely had control issues, was a Type A personality and had a wide range of emotions that left me pleasantly surprised. To make a long story short, Ross turned out to be a dream hero! I fell in love with his character, humor and fierce protectiveness of Laurie. He was one to come to a snappy judgement but was slowly learning to look at situations in a different perspective. Laurie’s character was so spunky, straightforward at times and humorous about eighty percent of the time (the other twenty percent she was too busy dealing with the action that was taking place in the book). Being a psychologist, she knew her self confidence issues were something she needed to deal with but out of habit, succumbed to regularly putting herself down. It would take a strong man to show Laurie just how beautiful and mesmerizing she really was. Having a gift of being able to read peoples emotions had hindered Laurie in the love department. She couldn’t even kiss a man because she could read their deep emotional thoughts. It was just too much for her to handle. Ross and Laurie’s characters were polar opposites with him being the type of person to need control at all times and Laurie’s need to help everyone. These two characters complimented each other in a way that was unexpected and appealed to me. Alex was the ex-boyfriend who had left abruptly only to come back into Laurie’s life a few months later. The drama he brings to Laurie’s life is sure to put some stress on the relationship between Ross and Laurie, or will it only bring them closer? Sheila, Ross’s secretary had me laughing so hard with her smart comments and spot on assessment when Ross did something wrong.

Now on to the plot of the book. Free Falling was an intense suspense read laced with a paranormal element that certainly brought a sense of intrigue to the story. A combination of two love stories that were intertwined throughout the book had me hooked. I loved how the clues were left along the way and I was kept on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the the answer to the mystery. The plot line was very well developed and the writing was so smooth it flowed flawlessly. I could feel the emotions of horror, anger and love from Ross as well the helplessness Laurie felt to keep the circumstances that were happening around her at bay.

This is the second book that Ms. James has written in this series and I have fallen in love with her writing style and ability to combine suspense with a breathtaking plot. I highly encourage you to read the entire series. Although Free Falling is book 2 in the series, it can definitely be read as a stand alone book, but I guarantee you that once you read one, you will want to read them all.

I had a beautiful 5 Ribbon review from Romance Junkies today! My thanks to Pamela Denise!!

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Twenty-three year old Joy Kovacs has Hungarian gypsy roots. Her family is strict in their traditions. She already has a future husband picked out for her and she is expected to run their ethnic restaurant. However, Joy dreams of being an artist and refuses to marry for any reason other than love.

Twenty-six year old Lucas Mitchell comes back from the Iraq war, his life permanently changed. He carries with him physical scars, and also, internal scars that affect him far worse than his outer markings. Trying to piece his life back together and deal with the traumas of the war, he invests his time in restoring an old mansion he purchased and rehabilitates retired racehorses.

The moment Joy lays eyes on Lucas Mitchell she feels he is destined to be the one she’ll spend her life with. Joy first sees Lucas on one of her outings to sketch an old mansion she has been taken with. As she watches Lucas working on repairs to the mansion, she decides to sketch him too. Lucas comes across a painting and the sketches of his house displayed for sale at an Arts Day event when he is searching for a birthday present for his sister-in-law. He is angered at first by the invasion of privacy, but as soon as he sees Joy, all ill-tempered feelings fly out the window.

Lucas and Joy come together naturally and a connection is formed almost immediately. Their love might have come easily, but several challenges are ahead for them. Lucas must learn to battle against his inner demons and Joy will have to stand up to her family if they want to make their relationship work.

ALL THE RIGHT REASONS is the third book in DAMAGED HEROES series. Dan Patch Raceway and the characters from MURPHY’S LAW are back as secondary characters, along with a whole set of new ones. As the series title suggests, Sandy James pens each of her main characters with adversities they must cope with. Lucas and Joy were so believable and likable. Joy’s quirky carefree attitude, and Lucas’s schooled cautious one were such a delightful contrast. I have had the wonderful opportunity to read all of her releases in the series. My only problem is deciding which one I’d pick if I had to choose a favorite. Sandy James is a truly talented author who does a magnificent job with creating works that touch the heart. Every time I pick up one of her novels, it’s like stepping into spring time, warm and refreshing. I look forward to book four.

Should I have used a pen name?

I ask myself that from time to time. It came up again yesterday when my local RWA chapter had their monthly meeting. The wonderful Louise Knott Ahern spoke about how to present a “Killer PR Plan.” (Great job, Louise!) In the course of the Q & A, she revealed that she will write under a pen name. Her reasoning is that she has written so much non-fiction under her own name, she didn’t want to blur the line between fact and fiction when she wrote romance. I consider that a very reasonable notion.

But then we started talking about why people take pen names. One of the members is a college professor, and she said she took a pen name because she didn’t think her students needed to know she wrote erotica. One is poised to really take off in the world of YA and wanted to maintain her privacy. Another used to a be lawyer who worked on putting people in jail, and she didn’t believe any of those people should have any way of finding her. All very valid reasons.

I didn’t chose to take a pen name, and in all honesty, I never gave it much consideration. I have to be honest that, first and foremost, my ego loved the notion that people would see my name on the cover of a book. Ego aside, I tend to “live out loud.” I’m a horribly extroverted person. (I can hear all my friends snorting agreeing laughs all over this fair nation.) My stories are not erotica, so I’m not embarrassed to have people know I penned them. I’m not taking the romance world by storm, so I don’t need to worry about groupies. And I might have wanted to be a lawyer, but I’m not reponsible for locking away any Hannibal Lecters.

Did I make the wrong choice? After all, people in my small, somewhat conservative community might take offense to the fact a teacher writes romance. So what? I can understand my professor friend’s reticence since she writes erotica. While I might be able to lecture about Freud’s psychosexual stages or Masters and Johnson’s sexual research with prostitutes (you heard me correctly), I blush profusely through the whole process. That’s why I can’t write erotica. I guess I’m just not that “liberated.”

I suppose, in my own mind, that if I took a pen name, I would feel like a hypocrite. I defend romance to those who say it isn’t literature. That fact that I have to do so is perplexing and a bit frustrating. But I’m proud of romance. My genre is one of the few markets growing in this horrible economy. My genre offers hope and the notion that good always triumphs over evil. And my genre shows the courage of the human spirit.

I don’t write sex scenes with a story wrapped around them.

***I’m sorry, but that’s my overall opinion of a lot of erotica. The erotica writers can go ahead and throw rotten vegetables at me, but I consider romance and erotica to be separate genres.***

I write award-winning, complicated, and well planned stories that have love scenes which are the culmination of a committed and caring relationship.

Why wouldn’t I be proud to put my name on them?

As promised, here’s my report on the Lori Foster Author/Reader Get Together! (As always, click on the thumbnail pictures to enlarge.)

First, and probably most important to me, was spending time with my indispensible critique partner, the fabulous Leanna. A big thanks for her gracious hospitality and for keeping me as calm as she could considering the case of nerves I’d worked myself into.

Friday evening was mostly “meet and greet,” but I did get to spend time with several of my Indiana RWA chapter sisters.

Saturday brought the raffle basket giveaway. When I turned in my two baskets Friday night, I couldn’t believe the sea of donated items. There were baskets with digital cameras, Barbie dolls, bottles of wine — just about everything under the sun. I didn’t see who won either basket until Saturday afternoon. Katherine and I had a great basket, and I’d tied it with an orange ribbon. While I was talking to a few of my fellow Siren-Bookstrand authors, I caught a glimpse of orange as it passed by. I had to chase down the lady holding it. Ironically, she’d been looking for me. I took down the nice woman’s name, but I can’t find it! If she cruises by this blog — Please send me an email! The multitude of baskets raised over $6000 for charity.

I sold close to a dozen books, more than I’d expected but less than I’d hoped. It was wonderful to talk to readers, and I loved making new friends. I got to meet a bunch of Siren-Bookstrand authors in person, so now I can put faces to names.

Two big things that will stand out in my memory.

First, this was my first book signing, and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

And second, one person made the whole weekend worthwhile. She planted herself in front of my table, pointed to Turning Thirty-Twelve, and told me it was the best title. Ever. Then she said she’d just turned thirty-ten. I loved signing a copy for her.

All in all, a great first experience of being the author instead of just the reader.

Free Falling received a very nice review from Coffetime Romance! My thanks to Maura for the beautiful write up!

Romantic Suspense
Rating: 4 Cups

Laurie Miller is a psychologist who uses her empathic gift to help her patients. She is just about burnt out on all of their emotions and needs to recharge. Her thirtieth birthday and a promise she made to her parents is also hanging over her head.

Ross is an attorney on the fast track, being a workaholic helps. Even his employer knows that he needs a break, so he is being sent to deliver papers to a person dodging his responsibilities. He can think of better places to vacation than Montana in the winter.

Snowbound at the Miller family ranch in Montana, Laurie and Ross discover a journal written by one of Laurie’s ancestors. A mystery dating back to Prohibition leads to danger for the couple who are rapidly falling in love. Laurie’s secret could cause serious trouble between the two.

This story combines two love stories. Ruby and TJ, a speakeasy singer and a bootlegger have a very exciting tale told bit by bit through the journal. Laurie and Ross’s tale is equally fraught with danger. Their love story is full of ups and downs. Ross hates the rich and Laurie is wealthy, though she does not flaunt it. The other characters, particularly Ross’s assistant and her unlikely boyfriend really make the story. The stalker is identified early on, but this does not lessen the suspense at all. The author weaves a plot that will keep you at the edge of your seat while enjoying a really good pair of love stories.

The first review for All the Right Reasons popped up today! A HUGE thank you to Diana Coyle at Night Owl Romance!

Twenty-six year old Lucas Mitchell is not the same person he used to be since returning home from the Iraq war. He’s bitter with himself for not being able to save his best friend’s life while over there. Wracked with guilt and plenty of frustration, Lucas just doesn’t seem to be fitting in like he used to in his hometown of Indiana.

Since suffering from the physical and mental injuries he obtained while serving his time in the war, Lucas just can’t seem to move ahead with his life now that he’s back home again. Everyone at the race track, where he works paddocking his brother’s harness race horses, just seem to be talking behind his back about his injuries and how he’s changed since coming home. Trying to ignore all the hurtful comments he hears, Lucas decides to put all his energy into renovating an old mansion he just bought and is quite eager to set it up so he can rehabilitate retired horses so he can make a decent living.

Deciding to keep his distance away from all the people around him, Lucas jumps into his work full steam ahead. Little does he know though that when he first meets up with a twenty-three year old, Hungarian beauty named Joy Kovacs, things will never be the same for either one of them ever again.

Is Joy the only one person who is able to bring the old Lucas back? Is she the answer to his prayers or just another complication for him to deal with in his life? Is Lucas every able to break free from the demons that haunt him?

Ms. James knows how to tell such an emotionally driven story and she just tears at your heart while allowing you to personally get to know Lucas and all the challenges he’s facing since returning home from the war in Iraq. This author writes her stories from the heart and each one is compelling in its own way. I immediately fell in love with Lucas and hoped that someone would finally be able to pull him out of all the self-torment he was subjecting himself to. When Joy entered the picture, I was hoping she was just the person he needed to help him get through the grief he was suffering from. I wanted Lucas to finally forgive himself and to be able to move on having a happy life again. Ms. James did a fabulous job in telling this story and I would highly recommend the Damaged Heroes series to other readers. This is the third book in the series and as I understand it, there will be another one on the way. I eagerly look forward to reading the next installment in this wonderfully written series. Well done, Ms. James!

Jeff and I headed to Niagra Falls today.

Two purpose in the trip. To see the Falls in person, but more importantly we had lunch with Lainey Bancroft and her husband.

Being as both Jeff and I plan to overestimate time, we found ourselves with almost an hour to kill. So we went shopping! I finally found something I think will work at Lori Foster’s signing this weekend. (Yay! I hate shopping for clothes!) I also saw something that I know will please my daughter. So, Laura — just like I do every place I travel, I took this picture just for you.

We ate lunch at a really nice place called Nick & Angelo’s. Great food in large portions. Lainey and I clicked, just like I knew we would. Our personalities are so much alike! (Damn, but I have to be the whitest woman on the face of the planet!)

The husbands seemed to enjoy bonding over having to both deal with “high maintenance” wives. Poor dears.

We went to the Falls after lunch.

While the Falls themselves are beautiful, I hate the commercialism surrounding them. It reminded me of San Francisco near the Wharf. You go from just the beauty of the city being the city to an area full of souvenir stands and tourist attractions. We crossed over into the U.S. to pick up one of my meds. Sigh. My middle-aged memory has issues. But in my defense, I really thought I checked for all the bottles! There are some times that having lupus really sucks. The extra hour each way to get the meds was one of those times.

I do believe I will have my fill of driving after this trip is over.