Raine Balkera - Romance Author

So, today is #WIPWednesday, and even though I've not been all that attentive to my writing of late, I still thought it would be a nice idea to update here with my turtle-paced progress. Where Things Stand Inigo and Linley have met, clashed a few times, and then separated on a bad note. She flees her up-north retreat and returns to her downtown apartment in Detroit a twice-bitten woman, again reminding herself about men in general and that it is best to stick with what she knows -- what she's best at -- and not to tempt fate anymore. Upon her return, she learns via a phone message that her stepsister has been arrested on drug trafficking charges and is currently in the Wayne County Jail with bond set high enough that only someone of Linley's means would be capable of handling -- which is what the phone call is about -- her estranged stepmother asking for that cash. Issues In the rough draft, I didn't go into any flash-back details about her awful childho...

Pages: 166 Device Usage: Unlimited Publisher: Ocean View Books (April 15, 2015) Published: April 15, 2015 Goodreads Link: Author Series: The Ludzecky Sisters, Book 1 Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Second Chance Sexual Content: 3-5 Synopsis BEGIN AGAIN tells the story of Paulina Ludzecky who, since her husband died three years ago, runs a contracting business with her twin, Antonia. She’s ready to dip her toes in romance when she meets Adam Armstrong, the architect on the new music hall her company is building.  For Adam, opposites attract and he’s drawn to this no-nonsense, down-to-earth girl next door. She’s equally interested in him though he’s too different from her to settle down with. But alpha male Adam has other plans for Paulina and isn’t about to let her go, even when Paulina has trouble with committing to him. Sex, yes! Love, no! This second chance at love story will tug at your heartstrings.  Review This was a free (...

Pages: 311 Publisher: Christi Caldwell Pub. Date: December 29, 2013 Series:  Scandalous Seasons Book 1 Genre: Historical Romance Sold by: Amazon Digital Services , Inc. Sexual Content: 4 - 5 Blurb Hopeless romantic, Lady Emmaline Fitzhugh, is tired of sitting with the wallflowers, waiting for her betrothed to come to his senses and marry her. When Emmaline reads one too many reports of his scandalous liaisons in the gossip rags, she takes matters into her own hands. War-torn veteran, Lord Drake, devotes himself to forgetting his days on the Peninsula through an endless round of meaningless associations. He no longer wants to feel anything, but Lady Emmaline is making it hard to maintain a state of numbness. With her zest for life, she awakens his passion and desire for love. The one woman Drake has spent the better part of his life avoiding is now the only woman he needs, but he is no longer a man worthy of his Emmaline. It is up to her to show him the he...

It's been awhile since I last posted anything, and I feel bad about that (even if no one reads my posts), but I also feel sad, and for other reasons besides not blogging much of late. I've never been one to self-diagnose an illness, but there were plenty of times when I'd suggested to others that they maybe look into a reason why they either behaved or felt the way they did. As for myself, I take it all as it comes and most-often hope or will away whatever it is that ails me. I've also known for a few decades now that it is entirely likely that I am a depressed person, or that I suffer from some form/type of depression. Back in the 00's, and for a very brief time, I started taking Cortaslim tablets thinking that I might lose some weight that way, and while it did help me to shed a few pounds, what it actually did was enhance my mood. In fact, it worked so well that I can remember telling myself that I had probably never, ever felt so good in...

It's Friday. TGIF. It is my day of rest writing-wise yet has since become the best day to blog. Still reading, of course. Another free download (via BookBub) in the Contemporary Romance genre of the Western variety. Directly after viewing the cover of said freebie, I swiped my Paperwhite and read the author's little note: "If you find any errors, please e-mail me . . ." And, I got scared. I began to read her story, and I am finding errors, but I doubt they are of the variety for which she wishes an e-mail notification. However! This has nothing to do with today's blog post. What I'd like to touch on today are a few more of the creative words being tossed about in a storm-churned sea of the writing I've encountered for awhile now. Or, should I type a while now since it is preceded by a preposition? Only “a while” (two separate words) can follow a prepositional phrase.  For as long as I can remember, awhile was and always would b...

Pages: 304 Publisher: WaterBrook Press (September 16, 2008) Language: English Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Bon-Appetit-French-Twist-Book/dp/1400073286 Series: French Twist Book 2 Genre: Christian Fiction/Food Sexual Content: -5/5 Blurb Lexi Stuart is risking it all. Saying au revoir to the security of home, her job, and could-be boyfriend Dan, Lexi embarks on a culinary adventure in France to fulfill her life dream of becoming a pastry chef.  As she settles into her new home in the village of Presque le Chateau to study and work in a local bakery, her twenty-something optimism meets resistance in the seemingly crusty nature of the people and culture around her. Determined to gain her footing, she finds a church, meets a new friend, and makes the acquaintance of a child named Celine–as well as Celine’s attractive, widowed father, Philippe. Even Patricia, the gruff pastry cook, shows a softer side as she mentors Lexi in the art of baking. As Lexi...

Let me begin this one at the very beginning. My introduction to the 007 Adventure began back in the 80's, and it was Roger Moore who captivated my heart as well as my soul with his version of the shaken, not stirred secret agent in   For Your Eyes Only . There was no prior-to-that for me because I grew up in a Catholic home and both parents were convinced (even having never seen nor read an Ian Fleming novel) that we would all be damned to hell as a family collective if any one of us dared read or watch a 007 flick. It was all of that wanton, indiscriminate sex, you see. I became hooked anyway and made it a practice to view as many of the Bond films as I could, and after marriage, it became more easy a task to accomplish with cable television and late nights spent in a rocking chair with an infant/baby in my arms. Until then, I had adored Roger Moore and honestly still do, but after watching so many of the franchises films, I came to the conclusion that no one h...

For the past three days (and nights) I've been watching every episode of   Agatha Christie's Marple . I just finished watching the last uploaded episode tonight and am sad that it is over (for now, I think, with episode 3 of season 6 being the last). I guess this qualifies as an addiction, but if I had come to The Musketeers (BBCA) late, it is likely I'd have done the very same thing . . . watch episode after thrilling episode until I'm too tired to watch anymore and then wake up the next day to resume that addiction. The first time I binge watched anything was a few years ago with Game of Thrones , finding it online via Comcast Internet access I'd signed up for down in Illinois. I ended up watching the entire first season in less than two days and was enthralled, to say the least. I managed to finish the second season of Game of Thrones just prior to leaving Illinois, and when I got back home, made sure to special order HBO so as no...

Let's start off with something amusing on this cold, gray Monday in late November. An author buddy directed me to a post that includes 22 ' dedications ' found at the beginning of novels that are both funny and noteworthy for the rest of us. When it comes to dedications, it was something I used to dream about writing some day, but then when it came right down to actually writing and self-publishing my work, that idea took flight and I didn't even bother with a dedication for my first novel! With my second release, Love Over Time, I remembered that I should write a dedication and offered it up to my son. Being clever is not one of my strong suits, and wit usually arrives anywhere from five minutes to five hours or even five days after the fact. I'm hopeless. In the newsworthy department, I came across this post on my Facebook feed about an Author Call to Amazon. The Horror Writers Association (HWA), a nonprofit organization for writers and publis...

Pages: 183  Devices: Unlimited Published: January 18, 2014 Series: 1 of 4 Author Website:  www.LaurieLondonBooks.com ASIN: B009ZOZLPG Sexual Content: 4/5 Genre: Paranormal Novella Romance Blurb Haunted by loss, Cascadian assassin Rickert D'Angelus is on a mission of vengeance. Determined to stop the Pacifican army from finding a portal to his world, he leads a group of warriors into New Seattle with one goal--to kill all Pacifican soldiers.  Agent Neyla Trihorn had the perfect life until a deadly accident revealed her latent para-abilities. Now, the former fashion designer is the Pacifican army's hottest commodity in their fight against the invaders.  When Rickert discovers a beautiful, unconscious soldier on a cold mountain ledge near the portal, he realizes she's a Protection-Talent and cannot be killed. To prevent the army from using her skills again, he takes her as his prisoner instead.  But when he pulls her into his arms...

Men come in handy for a lot of different reasons, but with winter fast approaching this part of the world (SE Michigan) and me not being a lover of said season, it is the one time of the year when wishing for and even wanting a man around the house grows strong(er). Today's insignificant snowfall (4-6" total) is a reminder of things to come, like having to sweep the white stuff off the car and shovel the porch, the driveway, and the sidewalk, but also to be reminded that if there was a man in my life, I wouldn't have to do any of those things. Then again, being a once-bitten, twice shy kind of gal, I remember all of the times when I had to do the shoveling, car sweeping, and freezing my butt off in sub-zero temps while I was married, so the want of a man isn't quite so strong most any time of the year. Having just returned indoors after removing upwards of a FOOT of snow off the car, the porch, and the driveway (screw the sidewalk -- it'll be Sunday tomor...