Tag: Lila DiPasqua

#DFRAT Guest Author (+ a Giveaway): Lila DiPasqua

Posted June 28, 2012 by Holly in Features, Giveaways, Promotions | 26 Comments

 Secrets, Sexy hero, and Sizzling Sensuality….oh my…by Lila DiPasqua
I’m the author of the acclaimed historical romance series, the Fiery Tales.  Yes, the series title does imply a certain level of heat in my fairy tale retellings.  And I do deliver on that. 😉  Each book contains scorching love scenes and plenty of sexual tension.
But at the core of every one of these passionate novels—is a love story.
My latest Fiery Tale novel, UNDONE, is a romantic Rapunzel retelling. I take this beloved fairy tale, give it my own fresh twist.
Secrets—Oh, there are secrets in UNDONE!  There’s always a good reason someone keeps a secret.  
Sometimes it’s to protect someone.  Sometimes it’s to protect themselves.  Angelica has a secret she simply can’t reveal.  To anyone.  
Hiding in another country, away from her past has kept her safe. But the past can’t stay buried forever. Fate steps in and tosses her out of her element—and comfort zone. Straight into the arms of tall, dark and delicious, Simon Boulenger.
Sexy Hero—This master of seduction, is a commoner. But Simon is far from poor. He has obtained wealth through privateering for his country and king.  He dresses and speaks as though he was born to the upper class. Yet, unfortunately, he’s ensnared in a dangerous game of intrigue. Simon is the only one standing in the way of a very powerful man and his nefarious ambitions.  
Simon’s mission is a deadly one—to knock this powerful man from his privileged post and expose him as the corrupt individual he is.
Sizzling Sensuality—But, you see, Simon’s focus is compromised.  The attraction between him and the mysterious Angelica, is white-hot.  Intense. Irresistible. He’s determine to chip away at that wall until he knows everything about the beauty from the ‘tower’ he thinks he’s rescued.

Ever wondered what happens after the hero saves the beauty from the tower?  Hope you’ll check out, UNDONE.  It’s my most emotional romance to date.  

UNDONE
A Fiery Tale
Lila DiPasqua
HISTORICAL ROMANCE
ISBN: 978-0988035010

Inspired by the tale of Rapunzel, Lila DiPasqua offers a new steamy, emotionally charged historical romance in the acclaimed Fiery Tales Series . . . Rescuing this beauty from the ‘tower’ is only the beginning . . .

Maintaining her ruse as a commoner, and trusting no one has kept Angelica safe. But a chance encounter with a handsome stranger lands her right where danger lies. Now, this sinfully handsome man with arresting blue eyes and a polished manner thinks he’s saved her life, when in fact he’s placed her in great peril. She’s intent on keeping him and everyone else at arm’s length. Yet, the smoldering attraction between them is difficult to deny. And impossible to ignore . . .

As commander of a number of privateer ships, Simon Boulenger dresses and speaks like an aristocrat, and has obtained wealth. But he is still not a noble. Or an officer in the King’s Navy. His lifelong dream to elevate himself from his station of birth and attain a respectable place in society is dead. Worse, he’s ensnared in a deadly scheme, and must get out. But how is he to stay focused on his dangerous mission when the mysterious beauty has him utterly intrigued? He can’t afford the distraction any more than he can resist the carnal hunger she stirs. Simon soon discovers that she’s not only a passionate soul mate, but a woman born into privilege. A woman he can never have. But they’re in too deep. Their hearts are at risk . . . as well as their lives.


BIO:
Lila DiPasqua is a multi-published author of wicked & witty historical romance for Penguin/Berkley, as well as self-published works and is best known for her critically acclaimed Fiery Tales series.  Her books have been featured on Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs. She lives with her husband and three children in Canada, and is a firm believer in happily ever after.

Visit www.LilaDiPasqua.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LilaDiPasquaAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/liladipasqua

Buy UNDONE on:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Undone-ebook/dp/B007WLNQRY/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AZC9TZ4UC9CFC&qid=1335134393&sr=8-2
Smashwords:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/154489
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/undone-lila-dipasqua/1111395459?ean=2940033180219

NOTE:   UNDONE is a Rock*it Reads book.
Rock*It Reads is made up of traditionally published authors committed to bringing high standards and professional quality to their self-published works. Whenever readers see the RIR logo, they know the book they are purchasing is held to an excellent standard of quality. We are Authors You Love with Stories that Rock. You can visit our site and check out more great reads at http://www.rockitreads.com/

QUESTION : What makes a hero swoon-worthy for you ?

Giveaway:  One lucky winner will win a copy of UNDONE. Open international.

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Giveaway: Cinderella’s Glass Slipper

Posted September 12, 2011 by Holly in Giveaways | 17 Comments


Book Cover

To celebrate her latest release, A Midnight Dance, an erotic retelling of Cinderella, Lila DiPasqua has offered one lucky reader a beautiful glass slipper.

Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. US and Canada only. Contest ends 9/16/11 at 11:59pm. Please note: You must include a valid email address with your comment to be eligible.

If you’re interested in winning a copy of A Midnight Dance, check out Tracy’s review and leave a comment there.

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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Guest Review (+ Giveaway): A Midnight Dance by Lila DiPasqua

Posted September 12, 2011 by Tracy in Reviews | 44 Comments

Publisher: Berkley, Penguin

Tracy’s review of A Midnight Dance (Fiery Tales #3)) by Lila DiPasqua

Born into wealth, Sabine Laurent and her twin sister lived a life of luxury, their father’s prestigious theater frequented by royalty and aristocracy alike. And Sabine dreamed of her own prince charming—the devastatingly handsome Jules de Moutier.

That was before the loss of her sister and her family’s fall from grace—a disaster Sabine blames on the Moutier family. Now, with her father’s death, she’s inherited his sizable debt and the responsibility of caring for his spoiled long-time mistress and her two wastrel daughters. But with the help of Sabine’s eccentric friends—the balance of her father’s acting troupe—she plans to get very close to her old infatuation, seduce the rake—and make away with a fortune.

Resisting Jules’s skillful mouth and tantalizing touch is not as easy as Sabine supposed. And soon she must decide whether her desire for vengeance is greater than her desire for her one and only prince…

Sabine Laurent is desperate. After her family’s financial decline and her father’s death she’s the one keeping the family together. With the taxes so high there’s no way that they can survive for much longer. Sabine overhears talk of a cache of silver. She devises a plan where her and her two younger cousins will go to the camp of the men who are guarding the silver, have them drink tainted wine and then take the silver for themselves. The problem? Well, the men aren’t quite as gullible as Sabine and her cousins think they are. The head of the group, much to Sabine’s dismay, is none other than the nobleman she has pined over for years. When she finds herself stuck in a situation where she can’t seem to rectify she plays along and finds herself in the arms of the man she thought she once loved.

Sabine and her family eventually hit their mark and get the silver but Sabine has already relinquished her heart to Jules de Moutier. Jules is more than pissed that he’s been had and when he finds Sabine he tries to make her life hell. Jules has not only the silver theft to figure out but he also is trying to get his family’s honor back after his father was publicly hanged for treason, their lands and titles stripped and their money taken. Jules believes that his father was innocent and intends on proving that everything was a set up. Surprisingly he gets help from Sabine, her family and her sister’s journals. Jules finds himself having deep feelings about Sabine but their classes are so different there’s no way that he can marry her. How can they be together?

This is another of DiPasqua’s stories that is base around a fairy tale and it was a good one. This was not like any other tale of Cinderella that I had read before – it was so much better.

I think the main thing I liked about the story – besides the fact that it was well written – was the fact that the author didn’t try to stick to the norm of the Cinderella story. Yes, it was loosely based on that story but the whole book had a much darker feel to it – DiPasqua wasn’t afraid to add treason, death, and poverty into her romance – and it worked!

The characters were also wonderful. Sabine and her unending strength was wonderful. She did what she needed to do and she wasn’t afraid to stand up to those who thought she was beneath them. She had a fire in her and I loved that she just didn’t give in to what could have been a horrid life.

Jules, at first, was a terrible snob. He was the typical noble – not even looking at those he thought were beneath him. It really took him reading Sabine’s journal and a good look at himself to get him to realize that everything he wanted out of life before may not be what he wants now. I truly grew to like him more and more as the book went on.

The secondary characters were great as well and very three dimensional.

I very much look forward to reading the next fiery tale that DiPasqua decides to tell us, whatever that may be.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

The Series:
Awakened by a KissThe Princess in His BedA Midnight Dance

Giveaway Alert: We have 3 copies of A Midnight Dance to giveaway. Leave a comment on this post telling us what you love about fairy tales and you’ll be entered to win. US and Canada only. Contest ends 9/16/11 at 11:59pm. Please note: You must include a valid email address with your comment to be eligible.

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place

This book is available from Berkley Trade. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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What I Read Last Week

Posted September 5, 2011 by Tracy in Features | 5 Comments

Happy Labor Day!

I hope you all had a great weekend and for those of you in the US I hope you’re having a nice extra day off today.  I know I am!

Saturday my mom Judith and I traveled to Holly’s house for a special blogger get together.  You see Ames was visiting from Canada and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see her while she was here.  Rosie, Holly, Renee, Wendy, Judith, Lori, Rowena and Ames and I had a great time having lunch together (Nikki had to bow out at the last minute due to work – boo hoo) and then all of us but Rosie went over to Holly’s house to talk for hours and invade her books! lol  I know that we took a group picture but I don’t know who’s camera it was on so I’ll post it when I track them down.

Then Sunday after church we had a little fiesta and had a waterslide (at the church).  It was great fun and my little one was just going nuts on it.  Here she is practically falling out of the darned thing. lol (sorry it’s a little fuzzy since I took it with my phone)

Today we don’t have much planned.  I know I plan to do the laundry that I avoided yesterday. 🙂

On to what I read last week:

I started the week with The Salisbury Key by Harper Fox.  This was a book that I really liked but had some issues with.  I did love the writing though so I had some problems rating it at first.  You can read my review here for further thoughts. 4 out of 5

Next was A Midnight Dance by Lila DiPasqua.  This is a French historical romance based on the Cinderella fairy tale but it wasn’t like any Cinderella story I’d ever read.  It was pretty dark yet a really great romance.  The story is about a girl who was born to wealth but then lost everything.  She’s trying to keep her family from starving and decides to steal silver from a band of privateers.  The privateers are lead by the man she has been in love with for years but that doesn’t stop her.  The story turns in a different direction than what I expected but it was really good and definitely worth the read. 4.25 out of 5 (read for The Book Binge)

Elizabeth, the Enchantress by Lavinia Kent was next and this novella was just as good as the previous 3 novella’s in the series. This story had Elizabeth’s husband William returning home after 4 years.  William is clueless as to what happened after he left on his travels just a month after he married Elizabeth.  Can William make up for his mistakes and can Elizabeth forgive him?  You can read my mini review here. 4 out of 5

Good Girls Don’t by Victoria Dahl was my next read.  This is book one in the Donovan Brewery series about the 3 Donovan children.  This was Tessa’s story.  Tessa has issues but she’s not afraid to go after what she wants…which is to play with Luke Asher. But Tessa has some really huge problems to work through, inner problems with herself and those with her brothers.  Can a romance survive it?  You can read my review here for more info. 4 out of 5

Last on the list was Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong.  This book takes up a day after the last book, Waking the Witch, left off.  Savannah has just investigated murders and being poisoned and now her powers are gone.  She’s trying to find out what happened as well and trying to figure what’s up with a group of supernaturals who want to come out and rule the world.  There’s a whole lot going on and the book was left without a conclusion but it was an enjoyable book that was well written, as usual.  4 out of 5 (read for The Book Binge)

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
Changeling Moon by Dani Harper
Changeling Dream by Dani Harper

Happy Reading!

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What I Read Last Week

Posted December 13, 2010 by Tracy in Features | 5 Comments

Happy Monday! Hope you’re all rested from your weekend. I’m not, but I hope you all are. lol
Let’s see we put up the tree and trimmed part of the inside of the house on Saturday. We usually put up a 4’ tree in the kitchen/dining area and that’s where the kids have the “fun” tree. They put up all their silly, crazy, homemade ornaments with a big Santa hat on the top of it. It’s great, really, and they love putting it up. Except I can’t find the friggin ornaments! I’ve had them in the same box as the ornaments for the tree in the living room for a thousand years but I obviously deviated from the norm last year and now can’t find a thing! Ug! lol
Then yesterday I spent a few hours on the computer getting things ready for the DIK Winter Break giveaway that we’re having starting the 19th. That was a lot of work but let me tell you, it’s gonna be great! It’ll run from the 19th of December until the 2nd of January and LOTS of stuff is being given away so be sure and check every single day during that time. There will be multiple posts per day so keep checking!
My oldest is still having eating issues but we’ve talked some more about underlying issues and they may be winding down. She was much better this weekend so we’ll see how this week goes. On a funny note with her…we were talking about sex stuff and you know, how she should avoid it at all costs, condoms, etc. We’ve had the talk before but something she said brought it up again. She was, of course, completely embarrassed about talking about it and said, “Mom, we don’t have to have the sex talk again, I’m not gonna have sex until I’ve been married for 2 years!” LOLOL Omg I tried so hard not to laugh that I excused myself and had to go into the bedroom and giggle to myself for a few moments. I went back, hugged her and told her that it was the best plan I’d ever heard. *sigh* Funny, funny girl.
Anyway, on to what I read this week – as I said last week, I wasn’t focused enough to review last week but I still read!
First up was The Princess in His Bed by Lila Dipasqua that I read for The Book Binge. This was another set of fairy tale adaptations that included The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling and The Princess and the Pea type stories. They were quite good and I enjoyed reading it. My review has posted over at TBB so you can go here to read it if you’d like. 4.25 out of 5
My Tracy’s TBR challenge read for the week was Bound by Deception by Christa Paige. This is book one in the Blood Vine series and though it was short it was pretty good. It was about a race of people who were long lived and the men turn into vampires. The women have to find their true mate or end up aging as humans do and dying. Anna kind of gets duped into being with Dimitri but he knows that he’s her true mate. There’s a man in the story who feels that Anna should have been his and takes matters into his own hands. It was a cute story with a different take on the whole vamp thing. I liked it. I just need to put book two on my ereader now. lol 4 out of 5
Christmas at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas was my next read and I loved it. It got such mixed reviews when it released that I wasn’t certain what I should expect. Well I loved it. Really loved it. The story follows bachelor Mark as he “inherits” his niece after his sister dies. The little girl hasn’t spoken a word since her mom died. He’s not sure what to do with her so ends up moving in with his brother to share the responsibility. He’s dating a woman but he’s not feeling the love. Six months after the little girl starts to live with him they meet Maggie who runs the local toy store. She has her own baggage because of being widowed at such a young age and not being sure how to deal with it. Mark and Maggie and Holly end up making an unlikely family. I have to say that I liked both the hero and the heroine, Mark’s brothers, Maggie’s family, the emotion, the humor and everything else about the book. It touched all of the different places in my heart – I just wanted it to be longer! lol Now, I do have to say that I got this from the library – if I had paid the HC price for it I might have felt differently because of the length of the book. But since I didn’t – it was great! 5 out of 5
Next was A to Z by Marie Sexton. This was the story of video store owner Zach and Angelo who eventually becomes his employee and so much more. But Angelo has issues that he has to work through and it’s not always smooth sailing between the two men. I really liked both the characters in this book. It had alternating first person pov from chapter to chapter but it flowed really well. Sometimes when that happens I tend to like one person’s pov better than the other but not so with this one. I also very much liked Angelo’s inner thoughts and views on some things. For all of his hard shell on the outside he was quite a tender person on the inside. Good story. 4.5 out of 5
Next up was How to Wed a Baron by Kasey Michaels. This was more or less an arranged marriage story but they don’t actually get married. It was about a hard man who is softened by a woman and I really liked it. I’ll review this on Wednesday so stay tuned.
Last but not least was Prince Charming Doesn’t Live Here by Christine Warren. This is an expansion of her original ebook release Faer Fetched. It has very little resemblance to the original story, however, except a sex scene or two – even the hero’s description changed quite drastically. I read this one for The Book Binge as well but I’m sad to say that I didn’t love it…or even like it that much. 2 out of 5
My Book Binge Reviews that posted this past week
Happy Reading!

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