A day will come when my books will be panned. I am ready for it. But this is not that day. Today a very thoughtful review of POISONED KISSES was published at Long & Short Reviews. It delighted me. My favorite part:

Poisoned Kisses isn’t a light and fluffy read. It’s hard edged, gritty, and serious. It even delves into the possibility of why war is so prevalent and dare I say, popular. Ms. Draven has provided this reader with a clever and intelligent story with an out of the ordinary romance that hooked me as soon as Kyra drew her knife. There is just something special about a tough woman who needs saving and a man who stays true to the course of honor and justice even when dark forces want to seduce him to their side. This is a book that made me think. I enjoyed how the author took a page out of real life and injected Greek mythology in a most entertaining way. Poisoned Kisses is a must read for anyone with a yen for a supernatural romantic suspense that is not only unusual but has a romance that survives extraordinary odds culminating in a terrific happily ever after. I am simply in awe of Ms. Draven’s talent and can’t wait to read more written by her soon.

Every now and then, a review will make me blush. This one from Chris Jones at Fresh Fiction certainly did:

Alright readers, find a quiet little spot, grab your favorite beverage, and prepare for a treat. Stephanie Draven is a very talented writer, and you will not want to put this book down. When you open POISONED KISSES, you are entering the rich world of mythical War Gods and their offspring… Kyra is a heroine with attitude, searching for meaning and a true purpose for her life… Stephanie Draven is fearless in her writing. She draws you in, leaving you at the crest of the wave wanting more…This book has everything, and I hope she has many more stories for us. She has a new twist on the paranormal, and I greatly enjoyed it. This will be the book you tell your friends about.

New review from Dirty, Sexy, Books. It might be my favorite so far.

Plot Summary:  Marco Kaisiris supplies guns to rebels in Africa, and an immortal nymph named Kyra is determined to bring him down.  Unfortunately it won’t be easy because Marco is a war-forged hydra, a mythical creature who can change his face and kill demigods with his toxic blood.  When Kyra’s assassination attempt backfires and she’s mortally wounded, Kyra decides to switch strategies and trap Marco instead.

I liked how this paranormal romance went a bit deeper than I had expected, and it wove together Greek mythology and the civil wars in Africa into a cohesive plot.  Poisoned Kisses was about more than the romance between Kyra and Marco, and that worked in its favor because it held my interest throughout.  Stephanie Draven chose some exotic supernatural creatures for her story as well.  Kyra is a nymph who is literally a torch for lost souls; she can light the way to the other side, and see through any artifice.  That’s why she’s uniquely suited to track Marco, who is a hydra with the power to wear a thousand faces.  His blood is deadly poison and his misguided sense of duty is helping to fuel a destructive war in the Congo.

Of the two leads, I thought Marco was far more interesting.  He knew that society counted him as a criminal, but he believed that gun-running gave the victims a way to fight back.  Even Marco’s own family back in the U.S. thinks he’s scum, and he doesn’t bother to explain himself to anyone.  He’s a bad man who thinks that he’s doing good, and when his illusions are shattered, he wants to do the right thing even if he has to sacrifice himself.  I found his relationship with Kyra believable, and even though the sex scenes were a little vanilla for my taste, I thought it was well done.

Poisoned Kisses is a tight little story at 229 pages, and I admire the Harlequin imprints for delivering stories that can be enjoyed in a single afternoon.

Join the Celebration from August 22 – October 1st

To celebrate the release of Poisoned Kisses, my first full-length installment of Harlequin Nocturne’s Mythica series, I’ve arranged for a number of prizes and activities. I hope you’ll take part, spread the word, do good deeds, and have lots of fun in the process.

The Free Goodies

Charms: Peridot is known as the evening emerald, because its a yellow-green gemstone that glows like a firefly on a hot, lazy night. My heroine in Poisoned Kisses is a dark nymph of the underworld, a magical torch bearer who can see into the souls of all mankind. I was particularly delighted to see that her peridot choker made it onto the front cover of the book! To honor Kyra’s spirit, while supplies last, all members of my very infrequent newsletter will be sent a free peridot green charm upon request. (Request form can be found here!)

Bookmarks: While supplies last, my newsletter subscribers will also be sent free bookmarks upon request.

The Free Books

In addition to two autographed copies of Poisoned Kisses, I’ll also be giving away a signed copy of Jeannie Lin’s much anticipated Butterfly Swords and Sabrina Darby’s well-received On These Silken Sheets. The drawing for these will be held on October 1st. You’ll get one entry in the drawing for every link to a blog or social networking site on which you’ve promoted this book launch! Go ahead and post your links below and if you’re using twitter, use the hashtag #poisonedkisses so that I can smile every time I click on it.

The Good Deeds

The hero of Poisoned Kisses is a soldier who served on a peace keeping mission in Africa. In researching his story, I learned a great deal about the various conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The ongoing violence is heartbreaking, but romance is all about hope. To that end, for each of the first one-hundred new subscribers to my newsletter until the release of my book, I’ll be donating $1 to Doctors without Borders for their humanitarian efforts. So do your good deed of the day and spread the word!

The Fun Stuff

Have you ever wanted to have a character named after you in a romance novel? During September and October, I’ll be on a virtual book tour in which I’ll talk about Love, Monsters & Mythology as envisioned by the Mythica series. On the last day of the tour, I’ll go back and see who commented at the most stops along my tour, and will name a character after that person in my next Nocturne Bite! (If there’s a tie, I’ll flip a coin.)

I want to thank everybody in advance for their support and enthusiasm! And if you’re an author friend, please don’t hesitate to enter the drawings. Authors are readers too!