Guest Post with Lisa Beth Darling

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Read Between the Lines

Book Spotlight Feature

 Hello and welcome to the blog! Today I would like to welcome Lisa Beth Darling.

Tag line: (Venture on a Mystical Journey through Time and Secrets Past)

Title: Women of War

Author: Lisa Beth Darling

Series: OF WAR

Genre: Immortal/Paranormal Erotic/Romance

Publisher: Moon Mistress Publishing

Release Date: February 14, 2013

Format: (Print, EBook, or Both) Ebook and Print

Links to buy: http://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Beth-Darling/e/B002BMDA9I/

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02WcvnLy8-8&list=UUzpOiBqu9gHeuNKvucR2hng&index=1

To celebrate the release of the "Women of War" I'm making the "OF WAR Anthology" FREE on Kindle February 14-15^th. Get the first 4 stories in the series FREE! http://www.amazon.com/WAR-Anthology-Novels-1-3-ebook/dp/B00AAKR6DE/

Synopsis/Blurb:

Venture on a Mystical Journey through Time and Secrets Past

This story spans four generations of women in Alena's family from her great-grandmother, Shar Draíocht the last known Queen of the Dark Kingdom. Morrowind, her tortured daughter. Maven, Alena's free spirited mother. And ends the night Alena washed up on Ares' shore. With intensity, lust, fear, and strength these Women of War make their way in the world revealing the hidden truths of the past and Ares true connection to his beloved Wife, Alena.

EXCERPT: G Rated (book is ADULTS ONLY)

"Hello, Norman," she whispered, holding fast to Maggie's hand.

"Mae," he returned through tight lips that broke into a wide smile when he looked down at the little girl with gray eyes and red hair. "Aren't you a beauty, little lass? A fine, fine, bonnie little lass." He held his arms out for her but, even though Maggie wasn't afraid and even tried to go to him, Mae wouldn't let her.

"You shouldn't be here," Maven warned, "you're upsetting them."

Norman looked past Mae up the hillside to the clusters of Fey in the trees most holding a bow and arrow aimed in his direction. "Let 'em be upset then," he sneered, "I want my daughter."

Suddenly Maggie began jumping up and down in place while she happily exclaimed, "The Prince! The Prince!" She wriggled her hand away from her mother and ran to him to have him sweep her up in his big arms and hold her tight.

"I can't believe ya told her that stupid story, woman," Norman remarked something near as a laugh as he took in the sight of the girl in his hand. "That's right, little darlin', I'm the Prince, I'm your Da." He planted a big kiss on her cheek before holding her up high with the full extension of his strong arms and wheeled her about in the air. "What's her name?" he demanded in a grunt overshadowed by bliss.

"Magdalena," Maven whispered.

ALTERNATE EXCERPT: PG-13 Rated (please use whichever excerpt you think is best for your site)

This was the Age of Men, of War, and Conquest. Looking down at his fingertips sparkling with glitter he knew not all of the Faery abandoned this place. Despite the dangers to them, they stayed hidden in this hill. Why that should be, he didn't know. "I know you can hear me, so listen good. If you're planning on joining in, don't," Ares warned in a low voice as he spoke to the night, "this is the province of men, not giggling bugs." Rudely he flicked the sparkling dust from his fingers and finished his trip down the hill where he vanished and then reappeared behind the city walls in his own rather plush quarters in the remains of Dunbar Castle. Grabbing up a fine crystal decanter in his big mitt, he poured half of the full container of the best Scot's Whisky one could steal down his gullet. Dawn was still several hours away and he was in the mood for female company to while away the time between now and the battle.

Throwing open the heavy oak door, he looked out into the corridor with its burning torches lighting up the remaining grandeur of the crumbling castle walls. He saw the guards at either end. "Bring me a bitch, a young one," he ordered and then slammed the door only to open it again just as one of the men started off. "Make it two." Ares slammed the door again. Restless and bored, he paced quickly about the room throwing his hand absently in the air, making the hearth spring up in a roaring blaze. The time between the planning and the attacking was always the worst. The waiting seemed to draw out forever no matter what he did to speed it up. Walking heavily back and forth, his boots clopping against the stone below his big feet, he downed the rest of the whisky then snapped his fingers to refill the delicate decanter from the casks in the basement. Just as he thought he'd lose all control to impatience, there was a knock on the door. "Took you long enough!" he snarled as he threw it open to see the guard standing there with two Celtic beauties. Ares' eyes appraised them even as they refused to meet his gaze. "These will do." He grabbed each young woman by the forearm and threw them into the room. "Bye." He shut the door in the guard's face and locked it tight before turning to his new guests. "Hello ladies, so good of you to join me tonight."

They didn't speak, they simply huddled together staring at him knowing what was coming and trying to figure a way to stop it. Although they didn't know his name, he was familiar to them; they'd seen him around the town and knew the tall dark stranger to be a mercenary. The man had no allegiance to Britain or the Crown; he was only here for the glory of the battle and only the battle. He spoke with an odd accent they'd never heard and he was darker skinned than any man they'd ever seen with a body taller and stronger than a tree.

Ares swaggered toward them, his dark eyes scanning their bodies up and down, down and up, and side to side, as he bit down on his bottom lip. Slowly he walked around them. Both of them were nineteen or maybe twenty, both of them with fiery red hair and crystal blue eyes, their alabaster faces covered with freckles. Strong bodies from working in fields had firm breasts below their flimsy cotton chemises. In the firelight, he clearly saw the curves of their shapely legs leading to the places between, the night's destinations. "Sisters," he remarked as his full lips turned into a sly smirk and he drew in breath over his sharp teeth. "How nice...for me," he whispered as he stopped in front of what he believed to be the younger of the two. She didn't look at him so Ares grabbed her jaw and forced her head upward to meet his cold stare. "There's no reason this has to go badly, hmmm? A little cooperation and I guarantee you'll enjoy the rest of the night." His smile widened when he felt her tremble and saw her pretty eyes dart away from him.

"Women of War" releases 2/14/2013 to Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords, also in print to Amazon.com. Signed paperbacks and hard covers may be ordered by going to http://www.moonsmusings.com

Also to celebrate the release of this story I'd like to giveaway 1 ebook copy of "Women of War" to go with this post.

Author Links:
Blog: http://lbdarling.wordpress.com
Twitter: @lb_darling
Facebook: http://facebook.com/lbdarling

"Small Press Treasures" Blog Hop

    Over the course of the past year, the ladies here at S,E,R’s have had the pleasure of reading some really awesome books by some super fabulous authors. And to our surprise,a lot of these books came from Small press and independent authors.Well it comes as no surprise to us now that an incredible book can be found beyond the major publishers.So  for the next week we are very excited to put the spotlight on these authors who have commanded our attention, made us take notice, and turned us into a bunch of squealing  fan girls awaiting their next book! (These authors are mentioned in no particular order)

The path that was laid out before us started with a Sassy, snarky empath named Piper Anast. Rachel Firasek took us on her journey with Piper and her unique crime fighting skills along with the sexy Slade, and left us clamoring for the next book.  Firasek also introduced us to her creative Curse of the Phoenix series and gave us a  new world, and characters to love. 

    As our journey into the unknown continued we discovered  Mrs. E.L. James who brought us the lusty, naughty love story between Ana Steele, Christian Grey and his “fifty shades of fucked up“.  Fifty ruled our thoughts to the point it was hard to wrap our minds around the next books on our TBR.

    Mrs. Carolyn Crane….. How fantastic is this author who took us into an awesome Urban Fantasy world and gave us a unique story with Justine Jones a hypochondriac who learns to use her hypochondria to work for her instead of against her, with the help of the sexy Packard.  Crane gives us a colorful cast of characters to love, and the wait for Head Rush was exhausting, but well worth it!

    Along the way, we happened to come across a  book by Debra Anastasia called Poughkeepsie.WOW!! We could go on for days about this fabulous lady who tells us a heartwarming story of love,courage, heartbreak,loyalty,and self discovery where a young lady falls in love with a homeless man. Mrs. Anastasia’s story is full of some of the funniest most amazing characters, it has left us in dire need of the next story, as well as made our top favorite shelf! She also tells us a story in Crushed Seraphim where good and evil collide and find a love worth sacrificing for, and the devil has never been so sexy!!

    J.M. Darhower….. “Sempre”!  This book was an amazing, crazy terrific ride! Darhower took a cause she believes in and centered her story around it, incorporated the Italian Mafia,and the outcome was  SIMPLY FANTASTIC! With a cast of characters that will steal your heart and leave you wanting more, Darhower landed on the top shelf too! 

   J.A. Saare swept us off to New York with the awesome, outspoken necromancer Rhiannon Murphy, and the super sexy vampire Disco in her PNR novel, Dead Undead and Somewhere in Between.  After leaving us out on that cliff, we were chomping at the bit for the next book. Saare delivered a wild crazy ride with The Renfield Syndrome that did not disappoint!  After throwing us 100 years in to the future and  hanging us out on that cliff again, we are super excited that the next book will be coming soon. 

    Diving into the world of BDSM Novels,  we found Kallypso Masters new “Rescue Me” series, to be all kinds of toe curling yummy. Love her writing style, which is simply beautiful, and thus makes her one of our most anticipated authors.We love Kally, and can’t wait for the upcoming releases!

    To our Surprise, author C.J. Roberts took us to a dark place in Captive in the Dark, her debut full length novel where Livvy is abducted to be used as a pawn in Gabe’s quest for vengeance.  Roberts is an author to watch,  this lady can seriously write! Her sequel Seduced in the Dark, lands on our most anticipated list for 2012.

    Laura Hunsaker took us on a time travel adventure with super sexy highlander in Highland Destiny. This was a fast paced, hard to put down novel.  If you enjoy time travel, and historical fiction, you’ll enjoy this one!

    Some of our other favorite authors who have brought Greek mythology to the table, and a little PNR is Laura Kaye,her new series Hearts of the Anemoi introduced us to a new series featuring a different tale of Greek Mythology, and Owen Winters will certainly make you lick your lips, and ask for more.Another great author that brings the Greek mythology to the table is Lisa Beth Darling, and her “Of War” series. Darling’s stories are dark, mysterious, and challenging. She will keep you turning the pages, and the stories will stay with you for quite some time. Next, Rosalie Lario, her stories are full of twists and turns, and lots of demonic fun!

   

We have a few authors,that we've mentioned above,who have generously donated to our hop.(So we will be giving away more then one prize)

1. Laura Hunsaker, has donated,one ebook copy of any format for her novel "Highland Destiny" for more information about Laura,  Click Here

2. Rachel Firasek,has donated  one signed copy of her novel "Piper's Fury" for more information about Rachel, Click Here

3. Laura Kaye,has donated two ebook  copies of her novel  "North Of Need" For more information about Laura, Click Here  

4. Kallypso Masters,has donated E-copies of the first three books in her "Rescue Me" series, Readers who already have the three books will be added to a list to receive the next two romances  in the series--Nobody's Perfect (May) and Nobody's Dream (August).




 One handmade evil stick with a purple heart. (This is a BDSM toy favored by sadists like Master Damian and used on very naughty l'il subs--or masochists just needing to feel the bite and wear the mark for a few days). The stick was handmade by Toymaker, one of Kallypso's most helpful Dom resources for Nobody's Hero and Nobody's Perfect.



A promo card with the first two book covers (in shiny cardstock for those who want to lick)
Open Internationally. For more information on Kally Click Here

5. Carolyn Crane,has donated one print signed copy of her Novel "Head Rush" Open Internationally.To learn more about Carolyn and her series Click Here

6. Debra Anastasia,has donated one ebook each,of her novels " Poughkeepsie,Crushed Seraphim" 

Two crystal bracelets, Two temporary tattoos and a bookmark!

 For more details on Debra and her novels,Click Here

7. J.M Darhower,has donated one ebook of her novel "Sempre" (forever) in format of winners choice,epub,mobi,pdf. To learn more about the author Click Here

8. C.J Roberts,has donated two ebooks (in kindle format only) of her novel "Captive In The Dark" To learn more about the author Click Here

9. JA Saare,has donated one copy of her novel "Dead Undead or Somewhere In Between" To learn more about the author Click Here

  Thanks to these fabulous Authors who've helped and made this  Hop a great success,we couldn't have done it without you ladies! And many thanks for donating to our Blog for our followers and new followers to have a chance to experience the stories we loved and adored.


Please Fill Out Rafflecopter to enter to win,we will have 11 winners that will be picked by Rafflecopter. Good Luck!

The Heart of War ( Book 1 & 2 ) - Lisa Beth Darling

http://www.moonsmusings.com/ 

Inside the heart of every warrior breathes the soul of a hero--even within The Heart of War.

Meet Ares God of War is the greatest Warrior the world has ever known, he's also moody, grumpy, dominant, ravenously sexual,and above all, built like a Greek God.

Suspected of killing his Daughter in-Law, Psyche, and long in exile from Olympus, the solitude of Ares' island is interrupted when Magdalena MacLeod a brash and sometimes manipulative Fey washes up on Ares' island after believing she's been shipwrecked. There is no wreck and her memory of events is sketchy at best. Branded with a golden chastity belt bearing the mark of Cernunnos, Celtic God of the Forest and Death, Alena has been on the run from the Great Horned God for 200 years. As Ares and Alena grow closer discord erupts on the island as his head woman, Kat, plots to get rid of Alena and the Olympians plot to use her in their endeavor to discover who killed Artemis. Ares will have to choose between his Divinely Dysfunctional Family, his pride, and Alena before dueling to the death with the God of the Forest.
Come along for an epic adventure of erotica, steamy romance, and drama in this Modern Day Greek Tragedy. Battle Ancient Gods and Fall in Love along side Ares God of War and Alena MacLeod. Theirs is a love that will rock the world from the heights of Olympus to the Celtic moors.

The Heart of War 

The God of War, Ares, has been living in exile on his private island for over 200 years for crimes he was falsely accused of.  Ares seems to be a bit bored with life even though he has his harem to occupy him, but never being fully satisfied, and incapable of love.  That is until a mysterious fey woman washes up on the shores of his island. 

Magdalena, or as Ares ends up calling her, Alena has been running from her past and her betrothed, Cernunnos for the past 200 years or so, and with good reason…*shivers*.  She has been through so much in her time, but the most horrible of events started about 7 years ago.  After washing up on Ares’s island,  it seems she has lost the memory of the events that happened that led up to her arrival on the island.

Ares is determined to find out more about Alena, and in doing so he takes a trip to the refugee camp in Africa where she’s been for the past 7 years, in effort to fill in the gaps of her memory. What he didn’t expect to find out were the horrible details of what had been her life in Africa, and all the wonderful things she did to help the people there, and just how courageous the little Celt really is.  It seemed that with every detail he uncovered Ares lost a piece of his heart to Alena. 

I really enjoyed watching these two fall in love.  And after Alena finds her slice of happiness in the hell that her life has been,  life or should I say, the Olympians throw her a curve ball and hell is once again beating down her door.  I don’t think I have ever read a heroine more tortured than Alena.  She has been through some horrible, horrible events and yet remains so strong, courageous, and protective of those that are weaker, and those she loves.  (whether they deserve it or not).

There are so many things that happen in this book, I could spoil something at every turn.  I will say that this book is different than anything I’ve read, and it is not for the faint at heart.  It is violent, bloody, and full of betrayal.

3.5 Stars

Do you know 'Damien'? Raven makes that kid look like an angel.

The "Of War"-series picks up in part I of this II-part sequel when Ares and Alena try to settle down on Olympus and await the birth of their son, Raven.

Haunted by prophetic visions along with a body and mind that are starting to betray her, Alena struggles to enjoy what should be a happy and blessed occasion. The relentless hostility from the other Olympians make her yearn to be back on their cozy island home, far away from all the bickering and backstabbing that makes up Life on mighty Mount Olympus.

Knowing of Zeus' unabashed hatred for Alena and the Celts, Ares becomes convinced Zeus is causing these visions and the breakdown of Alena's mind. To appease his Father, the God of Gods, Ares enters into a wicked blood pact ensuring the safety of his wife and unborn son. A pact that could cost the God of War everything he holds dear. 

Child of War-A God is Born

As life on Olympus gets more and more complicated, both Alena and Ares make the best of the situation. Until....Their is son is born. It seems everything and everyone up on Olympus is E.V.I.L. (then again,if u read the first book, you already know that) Nothing is made easy for this couple. In the previous book, Alena is thriving for her life almost near death. Ares' mother now realizes her son has finally found love. She's willing to help Alena and heal her, only on one condition.If  she saves Alena,Ares would move himself, his wife and his unborn son to live on Olympus. What seemed fair and doable, turns out for the worst with twists and many heartaches  while the story unfolds.

Zeus father of Ares, still doesn't like the fare existence of Ares ever being born, yet alone accepting  Alena,it's like accepting the devil to his table. Zeus has it made up in his mind that Alena is a Fae from the Dark Kingdom,whom has put a spell on his son, to make Ares fall in love with her. My question is, "Is she a Dark Fae,or isn't she?" How Alena deals with Ares' family,is beyond words. Ares' and Alena's child is not much welcomed on Olympus either, Zeus and Apollo (Ares' uncle) both think the baby is nothing but a Mud-Blood, they make it known  he's an outcast just like his mother, and both  men have a devious plan on making Ares' and Alena's son an Olympian, but one made with hatred, not to grow and be King.That is why when Ares' and Alena's son is born, Zeus wants to gift their son as "God of the Damned" Which Alena puts the stop to it when presenting they're son a few days after he's born. What Alena doesn't know, if her son was to be God of the Damned, he would be able to bring his father to his knees and into death.

Zeus has no heart (IMO) he's out to do things for his own personnel gain, he's known for screwing with his children's lives and has no bounds, including the happiness he takes in by being so cruel.

Blood Vows, Treachery, Adultery, Murder,Secrets,Lies, Treason, Sorrow and Hatred. This about sums up what you'll read in this novel, there's enough to keep you on your toes and make you wanna continue reading and not put the book down. Most of all, there's love between Ares,Alena and their Son Raven, but to a certain extent.Ares and Alena's love for one another weakens as the story continues, I'm not sure it's enough to hold them together. Their situation alone tore my heart to shreds, neither one deserves all this heartache. There's only so much Ares and Alena can deal with. Everything in their lives starts to tumble and fall around them more so when their son  Raven is born. He's powerful,strong,and out of control. Raven being, half Olympian,one-quarter Human,and one-quarter Fey,makes him a walking disaster waiting to happen.

Can the lives of the Olympians truly either come to an end, or will there be a Happily Ever After? I do hope for an  HEA. The ending to this novel ended with heartache and I expect more to follow. I'm now prepared for what's to happen next. I'm just crossing my fingers, Ares,Alena and Raven can put the pieces together and stay strong.