Wednesday, December 23, 2009

5 Star Review! And a sneak peek at what's next :)








5 Ribbon Review for The Collision
"Wow. THE COLLISION is an amazing story! As the second installment of the GUARDIAN’S REALM series, it continues the ongoing war between the vampires and Guardians, and gives another delicious story. While none of the characters from the previous story make an appearance, the action in this one more then makes up for it! It is all here, red-hot love scenes, tender emotions, vulnerable heroines, alpha heroes, villains that make your skin crawl, Ms. Kauffman managed to include everything! Excellent job!"
Noelle, Romance Junkies


And here's an unoffical sneak peak at Book III in the Guardian's Realm Series, The Clash Coming March 2010 from Loose Id

A familiar prickling of unease crawled over Special Agent Robert Almaden's spine as he stepped off the train into an inhospitable land of foreign smells and sounds. He didn’t speak the language. The food seemed strange and unpalatable to him. Even the air felt different on his skin.
And night was when the vampires emerged. The threat of danger was almost comforting. It was the only thing familiar and dependable in this unpleasant country.
His rolling suitcase bumped and rocked on the cobblestone street of the medieval city, fighting him every inch with a mind of its own. I get it. I don’t like it here either. He missed the paved lines, modern order, and hardworking efficiency of the Good ‘Ole U.S. of A.
Robert stopped and flipped open the GSM phone.
Just get it over with. He punched the speed dial, half expecting the number to be out of service or a fake she’d given to placate the organization before leaving San Francisco.
“Salut.”
She sang the greeting like a melody. Instantly, he knew it was her. He recognized the sultry, scotch and soda voice even though it was months ago that he’d only briefly spoken to Cvetelina. At the sound of her rich contralto, the faded memory of her image flared bright in his mind’s eye.
Cine este? Hello, who is there?”
“Cvetelina, this is Agent Almaden.”
Silence.
“Do you remember me from San Francisco?”
Still more silence. The line popped, and for a moment he thought she’d hung up on him.
“Hmmm. Dark hair, blue eyes. Small penis.”
“Excuse me?”
She laughed, a throaty chuckle that sent vibrations through his phone, into his hand, and down his spine. “I am a vampire, Agent Almaden. We can, how do you say, see like infrared. I can detect your heart beating. You think I can not also detect your cock throbbing? You get a hard-on when you come into the room with me.”
“Not for the reason you think.” Bitch.
“Because you want to stake me.” She drawled the word “stake” slow and deep.
“Not in a million years.” His finger itched to disconnect.
“That’s okay. I might live that long.” She tsked into the phone, as sultry as a 976-SEXX operator. “Be nice, Agent. You call me because you want something.”
The way she said vant soom-sink started ripples of heat rolling south. Damn, why did she have to have such a sexy voice? Remember what she is, he told himself. The thought of glowing eyes and elongated canines pulled his mind out of the gutter and sent a chill over his flesh.
“I’m in Romania. In Brasov.”
Another silence stretched. “You follow me here? I’m flattered.”
“I need your help.”
“Tracking a vampire, no doubt. Why I should help you?”
“Agent Reese with the Vampire Secret Service said you could be trusted.” Robert paused, grinding his teeth. Honestly, one vampire’s reference for another didn’t mean shit to him. “If you can’t, just say so. Don’t waste my time and I won’t waste yours.”
“You Americans are so tense. I sense you are grumpy after long travel.” He expected the phone to click off in his ear. Instead, she said “Who is with you?”
“No one. I’m here alone.”
“Now you take me for the fool.”
His irritation grew, but Robert didn’t have the energy to vocalize it. Instead, when he spoke, the pathetic pleading he heard in his own voice shamed him. “Cvetelina, my problem is personal. It’s obvious I made a mistake in calling you. Just forget it.”
“Where are you?” she cut in.
He swallowed, looking around. Asking for help from a vampire suddenly made him feel weak. He regretted he’d even made the call. “I just got off the train. I’m near what looks like a restaurant with red awnings.”
“Ah. Boar’s Head Inn. Go inside the pub. Isn’t safe for you on street. I will be there soon.” She chuckled again. “Try the mead. It is excellent.”

3 comments:

Serena Shay said...

Awesome review, Crystal! Congrats. The Clash sounds wonderful. :)

Happy Holiday's!

Anonymous said...

Lovink your vampiress, dollink.

And a 5-star review! Way to go! Perfect way to end the old year and kick off the new one. Happy Holidays!

Pat C.

Savanna Kougar said...

Crystal, wow!!! Congrats! What an exciting review.

Thanks for sharing an excerpt from THE CLASH.
Your vampire woman reminds me a bit of Natasha of Boris and Natasha -- the Bullwinkle cartoon.