Review and #Giveaway: Meadow Magic Salve by Little House Creations

I have a friend - the friend who gave me Pricilla and Abby! - who lives a very simple and natural life. She goes to the Farmer's Market on Saturday and while I sell Pricilla's soap Lawana sells a variety of things; delicious breakfast bars she has baked with her children, produce from her garden and her special Meadow Magic Salve. It's a creation that she has been making for years - you can read about it on her blog, Lawana-Counter Culture on this post called Weeds or Treasures.
It's an all natural salve good for moisturizing your hands, for cracked hands or for small cuts.

I love its delicate, minty scent and the way it makes my hands feel nice and soft. Since it is all natural it does take some time to sink in but it is worth the wait. You can see from the label that all of the ingredients are pronounceable and recognizable.

When you open it you find a smooth and thick salve and you only need a bit to get the job done. I erm, had a bit of help when I opened my jar for the first time. I ALWAYS have help.....whether I want it or not.


*sigh*

Thanks to Lawana I have a 1 oz tub to give away to one lucky reader. I just love the pretty blue of the container, don't you?


You should also check out her blog - it's full of great photos of her delightful children and excellent commentary on a variety of topics. If you are interested in purchasing Meadow Magic for yourself you can inquire to Lawana through her blog


How do you win?
It's easy!
Just jump on the Rafflecopter!





Disclosure:  I received the Meadow Magic gratis. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free product. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Off the Farm - The Mission Mountains

The hubby and I had another occasion to leave the farm for a drive to Polson, Mt. Sadly it was to attend the memorial service for one of the first friends we made here in Montana. While the trip was for a sad reason I never fail to marvel at the beauty of the Mission Mountains. They seem to rise straight up out of the ground to majestic heights.

It's a good thing I don't have to drive on these trips. I would probably cause an accident as I am so enthralled with the surrounding scenery. I just stare and marvel at what nature has created. As you can see these mountains still had quite a bit of snow on them and this trip was made at the beginning of July.

These mountains are so different from the mountains at home. They seem more rugged. This peak with it's little bowl intrigued me as we drove towards it.

I took so many pictures it was crazy. I can't tell you why - it just fascinated me.

We stopped on the way home to just rest and watch the water rush by. It was still rather high from the melt of all the snow. 


I just love the scenery here in Western Montana. If only I got off the farm more often....

It's Time for Some STRAIGHT TALK

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.


Are you tired of it costing a fortune every time you call a friend on your cell phone? I know I am! Wouldn't it be wonderful to have some extra money every month to spend on things like a dinner out or a new pair of jeans?


I don't know about your cell phone plan but the STRAIGHT TALK 2 plan can give you everything you need and give it to you without those long two year contracts that other providers require. This is a plan that works with your budget! With your needs! There are plans for heavy users and plans for light users. All plans include phone calls, photo messaging, texting and web. Everything you need from your cell phone. You can see what some satisfied customers have to say in this video:






You don't have to just jump in hook, line and sinker! You can check them out and see if they meet your needs. If you make a lot of international calls STRAIGHT TALK even has a plan to help you there.  A flexible, pre-paid card that you can use from your cell, your home or your office. It doesn't get much easier than that!


If you need a new phone you can check out their reconditioned phones which are available from as low as $10! Very cool. So, inexpensive phones. unlimited monthly service for $45 a month and no long contracts. What's not to love?

Nappin'

It never ceases to amaze me the ways the cats sleep around here.
They fall asleep in the strangest positions and yet they don't seem to mind.
Take Harry the Farm cat. I mean just look at him here:

Would YOU be comfortable sleeping like that?
I know I wouldn't be.
All sprawled out with his tummy exposed.
I mean a person could come up and just tickle him at any time.


Not that I would ever do such a thing anyone would do that to an innocent, sleeping cat!


Then there is Sherpa the Farm cat.
He has taken over two cherry boxes. They are piled up together and he seems to think they are his cherry box castle. No other cat can enter on pain of Sherpa attack.

He sleeps in them every night.
I suppose they are just his size....
And it does leave a bit more room in the bed for the humans of the household.


Silly cats!

#Giveaway: The Help Prize Pack

The movie, The Help opens on August 10th and I know that anyone who has read the book is anxiously awaiting their chance to see the characters come to life.  


Based on one of the most talked about books in years and a #1 New York Times best-selling phenomenon,  “The Help” stars Emma Stone (“Easy A”) as Skeeter, Academy Award®–nominated Viola Davis (“Doubt”) as Aibileen and Octavia Spencer as Minny—three very different, extraordinary women in Mississippi during the 1960s,  who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk. From their improbable alliance a remarkable sisterhood emerges, instilling all of them with the courage to transcend the lines that define them, and the realization that sometimes those lines are made to be crossed—even if it means bringing everyone in town face-to-face with the changing times.

Deeply moving, filled with poignancy, humor and hope, “The Help” is a timeless and universal story about the ability to create change.





Thanks to the folks at DreamWorks I have a great prize pack full of fun swag for one lucky reader! Included in the pack are:

- THE HELP t-shirt in adult female sizes of S, M, L, XL

- THE HELP pocket jotter & pen

- THE HELP fan

- THE HELP nail file/mirror

Pretty cool, huh? Just what every fan needs!

You can find The Help Movie on Facebook

How do you win?

It's easy!

Just click on "read more" and jump on the Rafflecopter. If you are here by direct link just jump on the Rafflecopter!

Guest Post and #Giveaway: From Karen Essex Author of Dracula in Love

I would like to welcome today, Karen Essex, author of the wonderful historical novel, Dracula in Love. I will have my review of the book up on Monday (8/1) so be sure to come back and see my thoughts but for now please welcome Karen with this delightful post:

Why Can't a Book be Smare, Historical, and Sexy?
by Karen Essex


During an auction for the audio rights to my novel Dracula in Love my editor forwarded me an email from one of the bidders.  "This book is so hot that I can't wait to get home to my wife!" he proclaimed, and then outbid everyone else and presumably went home and made his wife happy.


We were delighted to hear that feedback because during the writing process we had tortuous debates over just how much sex would be too much.  My most trusted readers are my agent, my editor, and my manager, and each had very different responses.  Without giving away proclivities , two on the team kept begging for more, though what one thought erotic, the other sometimes found terrifying.  The third loved every sensual drop but kept reminding us of the puritanical level of the basic American reader.  She pointed out that the book had the elements that discriminating readers look for in smart fiction:  a strong, authoritative voice, painstakingly composed prose, and serious themes. "This book is too rich to have its seriousness dismissed because of the sex scenes," our cautionary voice reminded us. "You know how readers are! They see some sex on the page and assume it's a bodice-ripper."


Let me say that I set out to write something that was both smart and erotic, something that did not hint at searing sex as the chapter closes but truly explored women's sexual pleasure.  One of my biggest motivations for re-imaging Bram Stoker's brilliant novel Dracula from the female perspective was the hyper-misogyny of the original.  Today, the book is often read as a cautionary tale against the unbridling of female sexuality at the end of the 19th century.


In Dracula in Love, I wanted to turn the original story inside out, exposing its underbelly or its "subconscious mind."  A great part of what could not be expressed in any quarter in the 1890s - or in the whole of literary history, for that matter - was womens' sexual pleasure.  In fact, in my research into the late Victorian era, I discovered case after case in asylum archives of women being committed for having what we today would consider normal sex drives.  Stoker's prose is rife with fomenting sexuality; the fun in retelling the tale was to express the formerly forbidden aspects.


Yet I have received huffy complaints from some readers that I did disservice to the book - that I literally cheapened both the book and its female protagonist - by including sex scenes. (By the way, I use no profanity and no crude terms.)  A few readers have expressed "shock," and others have been upset by "the author's need to shock."  Honestly, the only shocking thing to this author is this sort of response.


Let's dissect this.  The point of my books is to give voice to otherwise voiceless females from history and myth; to unlock what has been secreted away in womens' hearts and minds for millennia.  Historically , women have either been reduced to nothing but their sexuality, or stripped of it entirely; the Madonna or the whore.  Are we still obeying the ancient good girl/bad girl paradigm that has bifurcated an inhibited women for millenia?  Is there a knee jerk dichotomy in the minds of serious readers:  No sex, please we're too smart?


Far from wanting to shock, I wanted to delight, to thrill, and to illuminate in ways that were impossible in the 1890s.  I wanted to envelop the reader in the lush velvet of the Victorian era with its contained and corseted sensuality, cloaked with layers of delicate lace, and in some cases, restrained with leather straps and strait jackets.  Thankfully, many readers have expressed praise and appreciation for its dark sensuality.  Several readers have compared the experience of reading it to eating expensive dark chocolate.  Some have admitted to drooling on the pages while others even hinted at wanting to eat the pages!


A recent reviewer declared that the sex in Dracula in Love, while erotic, was tasteful, because the writing was more "artistic" than "literary."  Precisely what that means, I do not know, but if "literary" implies either the absence of sex, or linking pleasure to self-loathing, I'll take "artistic" any day.


If readers enjoy a writer's descriptions of place, of food, of all manner of things appealing to the senses, why shy away from visceral, transporting descriptions of sex?  If sex debases women and literature, please tie me up and spank me, then wrap my books in brown paper and sell them from below the counter.


I thank Ms. Essex for that thought provoking post. I know you will all be waiting to see my review; here's a hint - I loved the book!


Dracula in Love is available on Amazon.com
















I have copies of Dracula in Love to give away to FIVE lucky readers.
How do you win?
Just jump on the Rafflecopter!







Disclosure:  I received no compensation for this post in money or product. I had a copy of Dracula in Love on my bookshelf and read that for the review.

#Review: Harmony Valley Vegetarian Hamburger Mix

The hubby and I try to eat a couple of meatless meals a week.  It helps to save on the food budget, it's good for us and I have a couple of excellent vegetarian cookbooks and you all know by now how much I love to explore cookbooks!


I had not explored the world of meat substitutes before, just choosing to go with vegetable based meals on rice or pasta. Since our diet is not entirely vegetarian and I am not looking to get all of my protein from non-meat sources it had simply not occurred to me.

I was presented with the opportunity to try Harmony Valley Vegetarian Hamburger Mix (they also make a sausage style mix) and I thought, why not? I eat vegetarian anyway so adding a new product in would be fun! And so it was...


Before I show you what I did with my mix I will first share a bit about the company. This is direct from their Our Story page:


We are really excited about creating a delicious, meatless option to address all of our vegetarian and vegan friends, the growing number of flexitarians and the good people needing a cut back on cholesterol and fat. Our goal is to support changes to a healthier lifestyle.


Harmony Valley is a great company based in Fort Collins, Colorado. Launched in 2009 as a food service vegetarian/vegan alternative, HV is served at hot bars/deli section of Whole Foods Markets in the Rocky Mountain Region. Customers love it. When they raved about it and asked if we could give them a product to cook at home, we said YES. 
That is the great power of demand and supply.

Now I am the first to admit that I am a child of my generation; the generation that saw the advent of the TV dinner and dinner in a box. The processed food generation. I have moved away from a lot of that - obviously since I live on a small farm and I grow 98% of my food - but every so often a tiny piece of me hearkens back and wants something like Hamburger Helper.


I KNOW.
It's so very sad.
But instead of buying a box o'dinner I just make it with the better food I have on hand.
What can I say? I just love this stuff...it's comfort food of the highest order.
My secret is now out.


So here we go:

First I read the directions on my package of Harmony Valley.

So simple! Just put the contents of the package in a bowl, add 1 1/4 cups of water, stir and put in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Can't get much easier, right?

I know it looks a little icky in that last photo of the triptych but after it sits in the 'fridge it comes out look a lot like hamburger. Pretty cool, huh?


The hubby and I took a bit at this point and it's downright tasty. Rather like spicy, cooked meatball mixture.


I put a pot on to boil so I could cook some elbow macaroni. I cooked it to al dente because it was going to cook further in the sauce. I let it cook for 9 minutes instead of the 11 minutes suggested on the package.


I had some zucchini - surprise, surprise - but for this step I would use whatever vegetable I had on hand. I put about 1 TBSP of olive oil in the pan and added a couple of cloves of pressed garlic. Once the garlic warmed I added the sliced zucchini and some salt. Then in went about 3/4s of the Harmony Valley Vegetarian Hamburger Mix - it makes 1lb.

Then I added about 3/4lb of the cooked elbows and a quart jar of my home canned spaghetti sauce. I let this simmer for a bit until everything was nice and hot and the elbows were tender.

The elbows absorbed some of the sauce and the zucchini were still crisp/tender. I let it site for about three minutes and it was ready to serve.

It went into a bowl and I topped it with a bit of my homemade goat's milk cheddar.
Mmmm.
Much better than "dinner in a box."


Both of us enjoyed the meal. The Harmony Valley Vegetarian Hamburger Mix truly tasted like hamburger. The only difference was a certain "lightness" to it. But when I make meatloaf I add sausage and panko to the hamburger and it is very light in texture and this had that same similarity. We both agreed that we would eat this again and in fact I went and ordered a six pack from Amazon. It is quick and easy to use and a great alternative to have on hand. I think I will next try to make burgers.


Harmony Valley has a blog that offers lots of fantastic recipes for both the Hamburger Mix and the Sausage Mix. They encourage everyone to have one day a week to go meatless with their Meatless Monday!


They will soon be offering a Hummus Mix.
Mmmm, hummus.


You can find Harmony Valley on Facebook
You can find Harmony Valley on Twitter
You can find Harmony Valley on YouTube

Harmony Valley products can be found at Whole Foods markets in the dry foods aisle. You can use this convenient Store Finder for your state or you can buy it online at Amazon.com















Disclosure:  I received a package of Harmony Valley Vegetarian Hamburger Mix gratis. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free product. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Off the Farm: To the Farmer's Market

My town has a Farmer's Market in the summer and I go every Saturday with Pricilla's soaps.
It starts out small but grows as gardens start to come in and produce becomes available.
There are a variety of booths selling different items from baked goods to home grown vegetables and home canned jams and jellies to hand knitted and crocheted delights.

Last weekend was a beautiful weekend and just about the busiest so far. The hubby bought me an awning so I am protected from the sun. I take a book for the slow times but there weren't any last week! I didn't even have time to wander around and say hello to my fellow vendors. I was able to snag some fresh picked strawberries from the gentleman on my left and raspberries from the gentleman on my right. That led to mixed berry sorbet, strawberry ice cream, waffles with strawberries on top and lots of delicious fresh berries to eat. I LOVE fresh picked berries!


I did have a lot of delightful customers. One had a friend visiting from Texas and she wanted her photo taken with Pricilla's  sign. She just thought that Pricilla was the cutest goat ever.

I couldn't disagree.

Why Spend More? Try the STRAIGHT TALK 2 Plan

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.


I don't know about you but I think that cell phone bills are getting to be very, very expensive. Wouldn't it be wonderful to find a way to cut your bill in half - or more?! A way to still have all of the bells and whistles you want, still have great service but not have to be locked into a 2 year contract? Well, The STRAIGHT TALK 2 Phone might just give you everything you need.


I can just imagine what I would do with all that extra money; I could get my hubby to finish the yurt. Woo hoo! Wouldn't that be something? Unlimited monthly service is $45 a month and include calls, texting, picture messaging and web. I'll bet that's a savings over what you are paying now! And I'll bet this will get you  hook, line and sinker - there are no activation, reactivation or termination fees. How cool is that?


If you want to call a friend that lives in another country there is the Straight Talk International Long Distance Service. It's a flexible prepaid service that let's you make the calls from your cell, home or office phones at one low rate. Nothing like international calling made easy, right?
Worried about having to spend a lot of money on a new phone? Don't be! There are reconditioned phones available for as little at $10! So it never hurts to check it out right? 


Research never hurt anyone - mom knows best and mom always says to check out all of the options before you commit. Whether it's a man OR a phone plan....right? Check out what these satisfied customers have to say....

Sherpa Explores

I have mentioned before that the walls in the yurt do not go all the way up the ceiling. We did this for a number of reasons; the yurt is roundish, the ceiling beams are beautiful and we didn't want to hide them, the skylight...


We knew it wouldn't be long before the cats figured out a way to get up and walk along the top of the walls. Harry the Farm cat has been up there for a while but so far no other cat has found his/her way up there.


Until now...

Yes, Sherpa the Farm cat has gotten up on the walls.
I found him pacing around up there yesterday.
He AND Harry were up there today but the camera battery was dead.
Of course.
The battery is always dead when I want it the most.


This always contributes to that "I'm being watched" feeling.

Baking for the Firemen: #Review - King Arthur Mini Peanut Butter Cups and Caramel Bits

I love King Arthur.
Not the mythical owner of Excalibur but rather the flour company in Vermont.
I order a huge box o'flour every quarter and store it in my chest freezer so that I have what I need. If you sign up for their newsletter you get notice of all the special offers including free shipping (The sign up form is at the lower right of the home page of the site). I think my last order came in two boxes, weighed a total of 80lbs and caught me the stink eye from my UPS driver.


But I needs me my White Whole Wheat Flour. And I might have ordered some other flours with which to experiment but I'm not talking. I will also add that the company has some of the best customer service I have ever experienced. EVER. Great products, good service - a truly winning combination.


Now I would write that whether I had these two products to review or not, 'cause believe me I spend a lot of money with this company and I wouldn't do that if I didn't believe in them. My money is tight and I think long and hard before I spend it....

But I am lucky enough to have received two fun products to review; Mini Peanut Butter Cups and Caramel Bits. Two of my favorite flavors. It was time to bake for the firemen again so I knew I would use them for "the men." Alas, on baking day I was not feeling well AT ALL so my creativity level was at less than zero so I went for a basic - brownies. Still delicious, definitely decadent but not as much fun as I would have wanted.  

The current edition looks different 'cause mine is so old

I used my King Arthur Whole Grain Baking Cookbook - an excellent book for working  whole grain flours into everyday baked goods. I go back to this quite often and no one knows they are eating treats made with whole wheat flours. I have had this book for YEARS! The recipe is for Double Fudge Brownies - I have made it before and it is fool proof.


Here we go:  
First I got all of the ingredients together (I needed a batch and a half so what you see in the photos will not match the measurements I am giving you. I will give the recipe for one batch of brownies.) It makes the process soooooo much easier if you get your ingredients ready before you begin.

I cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar - light or dark
3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Espresso Powder (optional but it does add a real depth to the finished brownies)
1 TBSP vanilla extract (pure)
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I did not have any so I just chopped up some blocks of semi-sweet chocolate)


Add ins: Mini peanut butter cups and caramel bits. 
Mmmmmm.


Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 9 x 13 pan.

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pan over low heat. (You can also microwave it but I will NEVER be a microwave cook. Too old I think....) Add the sugar and stir to combine.  Return it to the heat until it bubbles around the edges. This will give you a nice, shiny crust. Remove from the heat.


Stir in the cocoa, baking powder, salt, espresso powder and vanilla. Cool until it's comfortable to the touch. Like warm bath water.

Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth.
Add the flour and the chocolate chips.

Here is where I diverted from the recipe. If you are just making the brownies you would spread the batter in the prepared pan and pop them in the oven but I had fun add-ins to play with! I put HALF of the batter in the pan and then I sprinkled some of the Mini Peanut Butter Cups and Caramel Bits around the batter. I then spread the other half of the batter on top and sprinkled MORE - bwahahahaha! I wanted these to be really yummy!





I forgot to take a photo before they went in the oven...what can I say.

I put the pan in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes. Mine needed more time because I had increased the volume. When they came out they looked gorgeous!

The firemen loved them. The hubby brought a little piece home for me. I ate it the next day and it was indeed yummy. The peanut butter cups and the caramel added dimension and fun to a rich, fudgy brownie.

Close up!

I erm, also sampled the products out of the bag. The Caramel Bits were my favorite of the two; they had a lovely, buttery caramel flavor and were fun to munch. I think they would be lots of fun to add to cookies and ice cream. I am sure I will order some with my next order to King Arthur. The Mini Peanut Butter Cups packed a good peanut butter flavor and I liked that they held their shape even after baking.


So, if you want to add some new flavors and surprise to your next baking project check out King Arthur! They have lots of other ingredients and flavorings not to mention baking mixes and cooking gadgets to make your time in the kitchen productive and fun! 


If anyone in your household needs gluten free products - King Arthur is there for you! You can find flours and mixes and lots of recipes. There is also a gluten free newsletter. Just look on the bottom left on this page.


You can find King Arthur on Facebook
You can find King Arthur on Twitter
You can read the King Arthur Blog

Disclosure:  I received products to try gratis from King Arthur. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free product. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Book #Review: Cover Me by Catherine Mann

Click to purchase at Sourcebooks

About the Book:


It should have been a simple mission…

Pararescueman Wade Rocha fast ropes from the back of a helicopter into a blizzard to save a climber stranded on an Aleutian Island, but Sunny Foster insists she can take care of herself just fine…

But when it comes to passion, nothing is ever simple…

With the snowstorm kicking into overdrive, Sunny and Wade hunker down in a cave and barely resist the urge to keep each other warm… until they discover the frozen remains of a horrific crime… Unable to trust the local police force, Sunny and Wade investigate, while their irresistible passion for each other gets them more and more dangerously entangled…



About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Catherine Mann has over two million books in print in more than twenty countries. A winner of the prestigious RITA Award, Catherine resides in Florida with her air force flyboy husband, four children and their menagerie of pets. FMI: http:catherinemann.com




My Opinion:


 In this book we meet Wade "Brick" Rocha as he and his team of pararescuemen are on a training mission. All big, strong and handsome they are the elite of the elite of the Armed Services going into extreme situations to rescue servicepeople and civilians alike when they are in dire situations. As soon as they finish their training they learn of a group of hikers lost in a blizzard in the Aleutian Islands; are they ready to rescue? Of course they are!


Wade lands just in time to find Sunny Foster and her dog, Chewie. What he doesn't know is that Sunny is not part of the group that needs saving. She is a well trained tracker and very capable of taking care of herself. But when they find two dead bodies and a crazy sheriff's deputy starts shooting at them they need to come together to discover what is going on.


This was a fast read, definitely a good beach read. It didn't require a lot of hard thinking but sometimes that makes for a perfect book. Sunny lives in an off the grid community that doesn't allow anyone to come back if they leave. Her family moved there because her brother Phoenix deserted the Army. While Phoenix is seemingly an integral part of the book we hardly meet him or know what led him to desert. He is like a hanging thread throughout the book that needs to be dealt with but is just left hanging. This was very frustrating.


Sunny and Wade have a case of lust at first sight that slowly builds to love. But Sunny is suspicious of strangers and Wade is deploying to Afghanistan very soon. They work together to find out  who is threatening Sunny's community and a power plant in Alaska. The author does an excellent job of creating mood and placing you in the Alaskan wilderness. The characters are not as well defined but all in all a decent escapist suspense/romance. 


Cover Me is available at Amazon.com


Cover Me is available at Sourcebooks


Disclosure:  I received a copy of Cover Me gratis from Sourcebooks. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and not impacted by my receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Blog Tour and Book #Review: Bound by Moonlight by Nancy Gideon

About the Book:


POLICE DETECTIVE CHARLOTTE CAISSIE AND HER SHAPE-SHIFTING PARAMOUR MAX SAVOIE THOUGHT THE PAST WAS BEHIND THEM. BUT IN NANCY GIDEON'S IRRESISTIBLE NEW ROMANCE, THEY DISCOVER IT MAY NEVER LET THEM GO. . . .

THEY SWORE THEY'D BE TOGETHER FOREVER.

Detective Charlotte Caissie is suddenly sharing drawer space and making local news with her shape-shifter lover, Max Savoie. He's determined to be accepted by her peers—so how can she ask him to return to his criminal roots to help her solve a complex case?

BUT THOSE THEY TRUST THE MOST . . .

Working undercover with her partner to find the serial killer who's kidnapped a colleague's daughter, Cee Cee is caught between her job and her fiercely possessive lover. And when she calls on Max's preternatural talents to aid his hated enemy, she crosses a line that strains their relationship to its limit.

. . . WILL DO ANYTHING TO TEAR THEM APART.

With his secret spreading, Max is forced to protect his family and his clan. The only certainty is his love for his human mate . . . unless the loyalties that define them divide them forever. 


About the Author:


A writer whose 50 sales since 1987 cover the romance spectrum, Nancy Gideon thrives on variety. Under her own name and several pseudonyms, she's written award-winning category romances, historical and paranormal bestsellers, earned a "Career Achievement for Historical Adventure" and a HOLT Medallion, and has had two original horror screenplays optioned for film. A Michigan native, she works full time as a legal administrative assistant. Her edgy shapeshifter series for Pocket debuts back-to-back-to-back in Summer 2010.


My Opinion:


This is my second book by Ms. Gideon in her "Moonlight" series; I reviewed Captured by Moonlight previously and enjoyed it so when this book was available I signed on for the tour. I missed the second book and that did cause me some issues in reading Bound by Moonlight. While I suppose it could stand alone when actions and events that occurred in the past are referenced a reader just has a desire to know more. I suppose that is what drives the sales of books...


In this book police detective Charlotte Caissie and her shape shifter boyfriend Max come out in public as a couple. He has ties to organized crime so their pairing is uncomfortable for her co-workers. It is also uncomfortable for Max's clan who do not trust "uprights." Something is coming for Max and his brother but they don't what - and Max doesn't know the full extent of his powers as he was sold as a child by his father and never was trained.


Charlotte and her partner are investigating a serial rapist/killer and she needs Max's help. Will his help come at a price?


I enjoyed this book but in regards to the ongoing relationship with Max and Charlotte it left a lot hanging. The subplot of the serial rapist/killer was wrapped up quite well and with a good twist thrown in at the end. I do like these characters despite my tendency to not care for paranormal books. This is a VERY sexy book though so be aware of that. Max is a very caring man; concerned for his people and trying to feel his way in a dual role. Charlotte loves a man who is very different and who is very much a bad boy. He saved her from a very bad situation.


I will now try to find the book in the middle that I missed and look forward to future adventures. A little escapism makes for a good read.


Bound by Moonlight is available at Amazon.com

















Disclosure:  I received a copy of Bound by Moonlight gratis from Simon and Schuster. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.