New Book from Cynthia Eden

RUNNING WITH A DANGEROUS CROWD

Lucas Simone is not the kind of guy you mess with. He’s big, he’s strong, and his eyes hint at a wilder side most women can’t handle. Of course, that’s because his predatory instincts are no metaphor—he’s a genuine Grade-A top-quality werewolf, tough enough to fight his way to dominance over the scariest pack on the West Coast. There’s only one chink in his armor. Unlike most alpha dogs, Lucas has a reputation for protecting the weak and innocent.

Sarah King is counting on that protective impulse—it’s the only thing standing between her and certain death. There are only two problems: one, she’s not quite as innocent as she’d like Lucas to believe. And two, if he doesn’t stop stoking Sarah’s animal lust, it’s only a matter of time before her own wild side gets unleashed…


Cynthia Eden is one of my writing pals, so we put our heads together to offer TWO giveaways. Cynthia is providing a signed paperback copy while I'll be gifting an ebook to a second winner. To be entered into the drawing, which ends Saturday at noon EDT, please provide your book preference (paper or ebook), your email address and tell us what books you're looking forward to reading this summer!

Book Club: Deadly Heat by Cynthia Eden

By: Mary G
I had Cynthia’s book, Deadly Fear, in my TBR pile for a while. She was new to me. Then the dreaded thing happened. I was in the mood for a rom. susp. and since our faves, Christy Reece, Pamela Clare & Marie Force don’t publish books every week (darn it) I dug Deadly Fear out of the pile. OMG a new found treasure!! What was even better was the timing. It was just a day or two before Deadly Heat released so no waiting between books. Today we’re featuring Deadly Heat. We meet the hero, Kenton Lake, in Deadly Fear so they are both “must reads”. Deadly Heat heroine, firefighter Lora Spade, calls in the FBI to track down a killer arsonist.

Smooth, suave Kenton Lake shows up at a fire in progress where he tries to be a hero. Lora is the one that pulls him out of trouble though he fights it. He doesn’t know “the asshole who slugged him” is a female firefighter until she takes off her helmet & mask. This book literally grabs you right from this first scene. While he’s thinking that she’s sexy, she’s calling him GQ and not in a complimentary way. She gets his name only to want to report him to his boss. This sets up such witty banter between these two. As the ambulance drives away with Kenton & the injured informant he’d been wanting to talk to:

Page12
“Prick.” Lora Spade watched the ambulance pull away in a flash of lights and shook her head. These bureau boys always thought they ruled the world.
God’s gift.
Okay, yeah, he had been hot, and not just because of the flames around him.
But still… a prick.

To say the chemistry between these two is hot is an understatement. Kenton is such an Alpha guy. Lora is a strong kick*** woman. When the arsonist makes Lora a target, Kenton goes into protective mode but never makes it seem that Lora can’t take care of herself. Both are only interested in a temporary affair. I enjoyed the progression to permanence.

While there have numerous discussions on the right balance between romance & suspense in a good rom. susp., Cynthia goes beyond this. The romance & suspense are so intertwined that it is seamless. There is never a thought of – now they’re on the case, and then, okay now it’s time for sex. It’s just all perfectly blended.

There is plenty of everything for everyone in this book. Humor as well as emotion, strong characters, a great plot & and an even better romance. I’ve got Deadly Lies on its way to me and I can’t wait.

Cynthia is giving away two copies of Deadly Lies today, so make sure comment to be entered to win!

Now in honor of the hotness that is this book here’s a recipe for one of our family faves :
Hot Buffalo Wings Recipe
Ingredients
Wings
2 lbs chicken wings (about 12 wings)
3 Tbsp butter, melted
4 Tbsp bottled hot pepper sauce (like Crystal or Frank's Original)
1 Tbsp paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 Cut off wing tips (discard or reserve for other use such as making stock). Cut wings at the joint. Put chicken wing pieces in a plastic bag. Set aside. Food safety note: when cutting raw chicken it is best to use a cutting board reserved just for cutting raw chicken. Wash thoroughly when finished. Do not let raw chicken juices come in contact with other food.
2 Create a marinade by stirring together the melted butter, hot pepper sauce, paprika, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of the marinade over the chicken pieces in the plastic bag. (Reserve marinade for coating after the pieces come out of the oven.) Seal bag and let marinate at room temperature for half an hour. When marinating is finished, drain marinade and discard bag.
3 Place wing pieces on the rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for about 10 minutes on each side, until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Remove from oven and baste with reserved marinade.
Serve with Blue Cheese Dip and celery sticks. Makes approximately 24 pieces (about 12 appetizer servings).

Book Club: Next Week's Book and a New Logo

First things first! The lovely Kris Gilson has a friend who is a graphic designer and she has come up with an AWESOME new logo for the Romance and Oreos Book Club. I'm so excited to debut it here:



It was designed by Lori Lewellyn at Big Picture, Inc. (Lori@BPIWorks.com/LoriLewellyn_333@yahoo.com) and we love it. Hope all the book club wenches will like it just as much! Thank you Kris and Lori!

Next up for this week's meeting is Deadly Heat by Cynthia Eden.

She wants revenge . . .
Six months after her lover died in an arsonist's blaze, firefighter Lora Spade calls in the FBI's elite Serial Services Division to track the elusive killer. When Special Agent Kenton Lake is lured into a violent inferno, Lora pulls him to safety and is stunned - not by the fire, but by her own searing attraction to Kent. For the first time in months, she longs for something other than vengeance.

He wants her . . .
Kenton's interest in Lora should be purely professional. But one fleeting kiss and he can't get her out of his mind. Her combination of strength and vulnerability makes him want to protect her, and that means solving this case - and fast. For even the passion igniting between them can't hide a terrifying truth: Lora is the next target in a murderer's sadistic, fiery game.

A vicious killer wants only . . .
DEADLY HEAT

I can't wait to read this book! Only ONE more RITA book stands between me and getting back on track with book club! Can't wait. Hope to see you all at book club next week when the very sweet Cynthia Eden will join us for Oreos and chat.