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Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Featured Author- Holly Gunn



As we head into our second week of the year, I am so happy to invite author Holly Gunn into our reading nook.  This author has really taken the world by storm with her Shifter Kings series.  Okay, she has taken my world by storm and I am selfish so that is really all I care about anyway.  Seriously though, if you haven’t read any of her books yet you are going to want to. 




She started in May of 2019 with her Shifter Kings Nashville series.  If you are looking for a hot alpha male with a sensitive side this is the perfect series to start.  Lion is the first book in the series and he is such a great lead in.  When he connects with his mate the journey starts for all 5 of these Kings and you will not want to get off the ride until the very end.




Lion (Shifter Kings Nashville book 1)
Published to Amazon on May 20, 2019
Author Holly Gunn




She’s a down on her luck barback who’s had it with lions.
He’s a lion king who has thirty days to find his queen.
Life’s a rollercoaster, though, and it’s full of surprising turns ...


Lion, the future king of the lion prides in the U.S., only has thirty days to find his future queen and secure their fate. But Lion has his work cut out for him.

Jules has had it with shifters, and male lions in particular. She doesn’t need a man, even if he is a king, to mess up her life any more than her brother already has. Tired of being used and manipulated by others, she’s not just going to roll over and think of England.

It’s a good thing Lion’s not a slam-bam-thank-you-ma’am, Tennessee man. Our king’s about to show his queen that while life can sometimes be a bit of a rollercoaster ride, the best thing you can do is lock in tight and throw your hands in the air—and live.

Warning: sweet, sexy, novella-length read ahead...




Official published review:
King of the beasts
This book is a first time experience for me with this author. I truly enjoyed the ride. So many misconceptions were overcome on the journey to the HEA at the same time that some emotions were finally allowed to see the light. I love the comradely relationship between the future kings and the way they naturally flow to the queens. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
4 stars
A GR BB



Ms Gunn took us on a little side journey to one of my favorite destinations during the holidays.  This place is full of mermaids and mystery and apparently the home of platter-sized pancakes.  My stomach and I would love to go check that out for ourselves really.  Any ideas where we are going?  That’s right!  Ms Gunn was invited to put her spin on the Mountain Mermaids in Sapphire Lake and she did a phenomenal job.  I felt so bad for Charlotta, but in the end, she managed to get her HEA with help from her friends.  You are not going to want to miss this fantastic read.




Silver Bells:  Mountain Mermaids (Sapphire Lake)
Published to Amazon on December 5, 2019
Author Holly Gunn




A sheriff who thinks he’s past his prime.
Snow is falling, holiday magic is all around, and two people are about to find that it’s never too late for second chances.


Sheriff Aaron Holmes is a Silver Fox—only he doesn’t know it. He thinks he’s past his prime and has settled on the idea that in a town full of magic, he’ll never have his happily ever after.

Charlotta Lawsen spent one thousand years sleeping—until she woke up, and that very day, met and fell promptly head-over-heels for the new deputy in town.

Twenty-five years later, she’s only more in love with Aaron, but she knows with her reputation, she doesn’t have a snowball’s chance with the good-to-his-core sheriff.

It’s the season of magical beginnings, though, and Aaron and Charlotta are about to experience the perfect holiday recipe: one part meddling family, two parts Fate, a dash of romance, and the secret ingredient of a hidden treasure … mix it all up, and what do you get? A Sapphire Lake tale (or is it tail?) that’ll have you singing "Silver Bells” and craving tater tots (trust me, it’s a thing) …

Sassy mermaids + sexy sheriffs = a Christmas story you don’t want to miss.




Official published review:
Finally seeing the light
Wow! What an amazing offering into the world of the Sapphire Lake Mountain Mermaids. This author sure knows how to draw out the emotion and excitement in a story. Poor Lotta really has gotten the short end of the mermaid tail. To have a mark that can only be seen when intimate with another, to have a man who ends up marrying another, to have a sister that she has to push on for, to resign herself to eventually be alone, these would all break any other person. But the author has made Lotta out of much sterner stuff and a love that is worth the rest of eternity alone. Good thing when a blast from the past almost takes it all away. I love how the author has tied in her Shifter Kings books with this one, could Essie be in store for an entirely different fate than her sister? I can’t wait to read the author’s next book and see who will get their HEA.
5 stars
A GR BB



This book is part of the Mountain Mermaids – Sapphire lake collection





Are you guys ready?  I am going to let you in on a little secret, at the end of October Ms Gunn revealed that she is also T. Birmingham and she writes mystery/thrillers in the MC, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance genres.  I know!  It totally shocked me too, but you know what?  It opened up this brand-new author for me to read and love even more.  How amazing is that?  I hope you guys head over there and show her some love under that name as well.  I am still working those books into my “To Be Read” pile, but I took the leap and fell in love with her Wild Beasts Series.  From the cover, which is fantastic and draws you right in, until the very last page I was in love.




The Devil’s Pride (Wild Beasts Series book 1)
Published to Amazon on November 5, 2016
Author T. Birmingham



Thousands of years ago, the Skröm split off from the Light Clans and became Dark. Their greed for blood consumed them. Their once orange eyes bled to red, and they became one of the demons of legend. And when they die, they do not rest. They haunt. They take. They devour. Their souls become Shadows. Darkness. Death.

Alexia Maria Garda-Martinez was born a monster. Red hair. Red eyes. Pale skin. And nowhere to call home. But after years of foster care and state homes, she has finally found her niche. A family. A promising career. And a life that's fulfilling.

Devon Waters ran from his hometown of Montville, New York fifteen years ago, and he found more than he bargained for. Reunited with his twin brother, a detective in the local police department, Devon doesn't plan on running again.

When a brutal, ritualistic murder happens right in their little college town, Alexia and Devon are pulled into a world of good versus evil that will have them both questioning who they are. The Skröm and the Shadows are closing in, and Alexia and Devon must join forces to stop the darkness at all costs.

Will Alexia be able to fight her darker instincts, or will the devil inside of her draw her into its seductive web?


Official published review:
Red is the color of love
This book is one that is going to blow you away. The author took us to an entirely new world of the paranormal, one where everything is not strictly black and white. There were so many twists and turns filled with highs and lows for all of the characters. I loved and hated the ending one couple found their HEA, but the other is stuck in the in between. I can only hope that the author will bring them back to the light and their own HEA.
4 stars
A GR BB

As you guys know, I can wax on forever when I love an author, but I know you don’t want to hear from me.  Let’s get right into why Ms Gunn has stopped on by.  Keep in mind that I interviewed Ms Gunn before her big reveal, some of the questions are answered strictly as Holly Gunn.


When did you first realize you wanted to be an author?
I’ve always enjoyed writing and art but these past few years, I’ve wanted to do something different with my life.  Life is good.  It’s even fantastic, but I still felt I had more to offer.

How long does it typically take you to write one of your books?
My books are short (novellas) but as we move through the Shifter Kings Nashville series (and other series), you’ll see there’s more depth to some books, more laughter to others, more family in some, more adventures in others.  Each book is different, which I think is the fun thing about being an author.  But since each is different and I really want to sink into the minds of my characters, that means they can take a bit of time to write.  On average, I spend a week or two on the first draft.  Then about a month going back and forth on edits and finalizing the story.

Do you usually write one book at a time or do you find yourself working on multiple books as your muse takes you?
Definitely multiples.  I write the first draft one at a time.  I need that focus.  Second and third draft, though? I’m off like a shot, writing a second draft on this book, a third on this one, releasing another…

What is your work schedule like when you are writing?
I have a full-time job, a bunch of critters I take care of, and writing.  My animals are my kids, so it’s different but I’ve never been a human mama.  I’ve only been a fur (or reptile) mama.  So, for me, my schedule is pretty jammed with a lot of different things in between writing.  I get up early-usually around 6:00am to write.  My full-time gig starts at 10:30 and I’m close-by, so I can usually fit in some yoga and just enough time to look presentable to humans after writing.  Then, it’s day work, feeding the critters, the gym, and usually promo or relaxing at night.  Weekends are also big writing and editing times for me.  I do try to take one weekend off a month, though.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Huh.  Good question.  Maybe that I can listen to music while I write but not while I edit.  Is that a quirk, would you say?

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
Honestly, it just comes to me.  I definitely have writers and artists I look up to.  Movies I’ve watched that I enjoy.  I’m sure I’ve gotten some themes from (because life is life), but my ideas just come to me…and then I try to write them down as soon as possible.  Ha!

When did you write your first book and hold old were you?
I wrote my first book this year, actually.  LION is my first.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Reading, photography, hanging with the critter kids, my nephews and nieces, and my family and friends, hiking and yoga, trips to new places including any beach or mountain setting…  I also really enjoy trying new foods.  I recently tried alligator, which is kind of weird for me because I totally have a GATOR book planned a couple Shifter Kings series forward.  FYI, alligator isn’t bad, just really salty.  Not my thing.

What does your family think of your writing?
I tell my family I write paranormal porn with lots of feels.  A few aunts bought up the first (and now, the second) right after I said this.  Dad, the uncles, and my brothers?  Not so much.  But I’m doing something I enjoy and that makes me happy, so they’re happy.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
There is a LOT of work that goes into publishing.  Promo, posting, writing, a couple rounds of edits/proofing, etc.  It’s in-depth.  And still, I will say that it is so worth it.  I’m living one of my dreams.

Out of all of the books that you have written, which is your favorite?
I just have the first four written right now (and the first two out), but you can ask all you want for me to choose—and I won’t be able to.  I love all my characters.  I can tell you my editor’s favorite was SPIDER until she got SHARK, but she was so excited about WOLF that as soon as she got that a couple weeks back, that was her new favorite as well.

What do you think makes a good story?
Characters.  The stories behind their lives, their struggles and their joys.  The ups and downs in this climatic point of their life.  I definitely write very character-driven tales.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
A doctor, a nurse, a teacher, an astronaut, a hair dresser, a psychologist (with a couch, of course), a detective, an archer, a geologist, a National Geographic writer… I wanted to be it all.  This is just a small list.  Hence why I become a writer and chose to be it ALL.  I get to live through my characters—just as I’ve spent my life reading and living through the writings of other authors.



Wow!  Such an interesting lady.  No matter what name she writes under, I think we will continue to see fantastic things from her.  Just look at her newest release.  Her Shifter Kings are going to L.A. this time and I can’t wait to see what happens next.




Eagle (Shifter Kings L.A.)
Published to Amazon on January 2, 2020
Author Holly Gunn



He’s prideful, rich, and next in line to be king of the eagles.
She’s an eensy bit prejudiced, and a lot rock and roll.
What these two City of Angels’ supernaturals are about to discover is that there is so much more to a person than what meets the eye.


Eagle Fitzwilliam Ambustus is controlled, precise, and direct. He doesn’t have the time nor the emotional wherewithal to be anything other than who he is. Others think him cold and unfeeling, but that’s just the surface. Beneath his suits, he is so much more.


Elizabeth Argueta is a free spirit. She’s a rock and roll, go-with-my-flow drummer on a mission to live life to the beat of her own drum. And most importantly, she’s got a view of the world that sets her firmly apart from the rich and the clingy of the L.A. scene.


When these two meet, it might be sparks-at-first-sight, but they’ll have to get over their pride and their prejudice to not only overcome those trying to keep them apart but also to understand and come to love each other ... just as they are.


Note: The first book in the Shifter Kings L.A. series is short, sassy, sexy, shift-tastic, and a whole lot of rock and roll … with a little Pride and Prejudice thrown in.


Official published review:
This witch knows what she wants
This book begins with a meeting of the eyes and from there the fates dig in their threads and direct the characters to the ending they hope to achieve. This author is quickly becoming one of my one-click authors. Each of her books is full of excitement, adventure, danger and so much emotion that you feel like you are part of the story. The author has this ability to create a story and a world where we would all love to visit and then sends us on an amazing adventure that leaves us fulfilled from the HEA and yet wanting to read more to see what happens with the rest of the kings. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
5 stars

Before we go, here is just a little bit more about Ms Gunn.  Be sure that you click on the links and show her some love at all of her social media sights.

Happy Reading
Sydney

P.S. Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom and fill out the form for your chance to win a print book by the author and one of my adult book pillows.



I'm the proud momma to a golden retriever named Charlie, two tortoises named Jake and John, a frog named Toad, and a gopher snake. The latter is my girl, Holly Jr. There's also the fact that I'm a thunderstorm-loving, front porch-sitting, hot cocoa-drinking, beauty product-hoarding, self-proclaimed environmentalist who just happens to write erotic romance. Saddle up, sweetheart. I've got a slew of shifters, bad boys, dirty men, and smart, sexy babes to get you started!







Click HERE to go fill out our form and be entered in a giveaway for a book by this author.  Book and pillow may be different then image shown.

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