J is for Julie Ann Walker

Julie Ann Walker is one of Debra's must read authors.

I first met Julie Ann when she joined my local RWA chapter. At the time, she had already signed a contract for the first three books of her series. She handed out postcards of the covers (Which were amazing...), and I filed them in my TBR pile for when the stories were released. Of course one thing led to another and they got buried and forgotten. Luckily for me, she came to another meeting with copies of the first two books in hand, which she was handing out for free and autographing. I jumped at the chance to grab them...and the rest is history.

I absolutely cannot put her books down. Release dates go on my calendar, and I always make sure I have a solid (uninterrupted...meaning when the hubby isn't home) time for reading her books because I know once I start I won't put the book down until it's finished. She writes fast paced action, characters that thunder off the page (her formula for digging deep into characters), and hot love scenes. What's not to like?

Her first (and ongoing) series is Black Knights, Inc. about a covert groups of ops working (undercover) at a custom motorcycle shop in the city of Chicago. (Much to my delight, the next book in the series which premiers later this year is about one of my favorite characters. The heroes have cameos in each of the other books, and I've been dying to read Ozzie's story since day one.)

Even more to my delight, she spoke at a chapter meeting awhile back and introduced us to her new series. Twice as much Julie Ann Walker is always a good thing. This one is about former Navy SEALS who have started a deep sea salvage business. The series is called Deep Six.

The first book debuted last summer:

Only two things could make former Navy SEAL Leo Anderson return to the world of weapons and warfare. First, a capsule of chemical weapons lost on the ocean floor, and second, a plea for assistance from the one woman he can't seem to forget-CIA Agent Olivia Mortier.

Now, working together to race against the clock and a deadly terrorist faction, Leo and Olivia must find the missing capsule, all the while battling the intense desire burning between them. If they can survive, can their growing attraction become more than just a momentary flare?

The second book debuts this July, and you can be sure I have the date written on my calendar.

A COVERT MISSION
Maddy Powers's life revolves around cocktail parties, political fundraisers, and charity events - but she can't forget the daring former SEAL who appropriated her father's yacht a few months ago ... or the scorching kiss they shared before he disappeared into the deep blue sea.

SPARKS A FLAMING DESIRE
Bran Pallidino carries a dark secret behind his lady-killer eyes - one that keeps him from pursuing a serious relationship with Maddy. But when she's taken hostage during a trip to the Dry Tortugas, the men of Deep Six Salvage drop their treasure hunt for a sunken galleon and embark on a dangerous mission to save Maddy.

WITH EARTH-SHATTERING REPERCUSSIONS
As they fight her merciless kidnappers, they discover this isn't a simple hostage situation, but something far more sinister. Passion boils between Bran and Maddy, but what good is putting their hearts on the line if they don't survive the dawn?

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

A Must Read

Debra gushes about the latest book in one of her favorite series.

We all have them. Those go-to authors and books that no matter what we buy as soon as they hit the shelves. I go so far as to write release dates in my planner so I don't miss the day. And with pre-ordering available, sometimes they get shipped to my door the day of and I don't even need to leave the comfort of my own house.

I read one of those this past week.

Last year around this time I did a post about fellow C-N author Julie Ann Walker who had debuted a new series earlier that year. The first three books had been in my TBR pile forever, and over Christmas break I finally got around to reading them. And I was hooked. Couldn't put them down. Read the first two back to back in one day and finished the third a few days later. Since then two more books have joined the series.

The fourth came out in Spring and the fifth last month. Now, you'd think that since I immediately purchased them that I would have read them right away. But that would have ruined it a bit. These books are like fine chocolates that need to be savored. The pleasure needs to be drawn out. Because if you dive into them too quickly, all of that anticipation comes to a screeching halt and you're left to wait months and months for the next release. So I tease myself by having the books in my house, but I save reading them for 'special' occasions. And these books aren't ones to carry over to another sitting. When I read, I make sure my schedule is clear for the day so I can go all the way from beginning to end.

The fourth book in the series, Thrill Ride, I saved for my first-read-of-the-summer. You know, that first book you read when you know you have nine weeks of vacation stretching before you and you can sit down on the front porch with a tall glass of lemonade and read to your heart's content. No getting up early. No lesson plans to do. No papers to grade. Just the joy of a good book and the promise of sunny days to come.

The fifth book, Born Wild, arrived on my doorstep back in December. I set it on my dresser. And let it sit. I saw it every day. But I didn't pick it up to read. The tantalizing temptation of knowing what was coming was kind of thrilling. But I was immersed in Christmas stories, getting ready for the holidays, and once they passed, working on edits and revisions on my own mss. I had promised myself I'd give myself a reward when I submitted it to my editor...what better reward than to sit down and read one of my favorite authors?

But the timing just wasn't right. Like I said, when I dive in, I have no plans for coming up for air until I get to 'the end'. My hubby was home with me for Christmas break, so I didn't want to cocoon myself upstairs alone when I could be spending time with him. He made tentative plans to be gone this coming Saturday, so I made tentative plans to sit down with my book. Then luck and fate smiled upon me. We were supposed to go back to school on Monday, but because of the bitter cold temps here in the Midwest (Wind chills were 40 to 50 degrees below zero!), it was deemed unsafe for children to be out. Thus, we were given two more days off. My hubby had already made plans to go back to work on Tuesday, so as I had the house to myself on Tuesday, I curled up on the couch and read.

Ah, it was blissful. Wonderful. Trilling. Exciting. Wild. Sexy. Everything I'd hoped it would be.

But of course by midafternoon I was finished. The story was over. The book had to be closed. And just like that I was back to waiting. I immediately checked the author's web-site and found to my delight the sixth book will debut in May and the seventh in December. Happy happy joy joy. So even though I'm waiting again, that anticipation is already there, and I know there will be plenty of things between now and May to distract me from obsessing too much. And, if I get too big of a craving, I have five books on my shelf just calling to me to be reread.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Black Knights Inc.

If you're looking for a hot, wild, and sexy read...have I got a series for you.

A while ago we had a new member join my local RWA chapter. When she introduced herself, she told us her first novel was coming out in August of 2012. Hers is one of those fairy tale stories: She wrote a book, submitted it, and wound up with a three book deal! To say I was a tad jealous was an understatement...but she was super sweet, so I couldn't hate her too much!

She passed around postcards for her upcoming series, to be released August, September, and October of 2012. Based on the covers alone, I decided those books were a must for my TBR pile. But, we all know how that goes. The pile gets so big, things tend to get buried.

In August the first book, Hell On Wheels, debuted. I had every intention of grabbing a copy to read, but life, as usual, got busy and I didn't. Her second book, In Rides Trouble, debuted on both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists. Okay, now I was green with envy, but also more positive than ever that I wanted to read those books. Still, life got busy, the TBR pile got bigger, and I never got around to ordering the books.

Then, one night at a chapter meeting, the lovely Julie Ann Walker shows up to share the good news of her bestselling book, and brings FREE copies of them. So I got two books I'd been dying to read, autographed by the author, for zero dollars. Talk about a win win.

And then life got in my way again. I set the books in my pile (It literally is a pile.) and there they sat. Over Christmas break I placed an Amazon order, and needed another book to make my $25 and over order to get free shipping. I figured I might as well complete the set, so I bought Rev It Up, the third novel in the series.

To make a long story short...I know, I know...too late. I started reading Hell on Wheels the Saturday before I went back to work after Christmas vacation. It was late, so I got through the prologue and one chapter before I couldn't keep my eyes open. The next day, I sat and finished Hell on Wheels and read all of In Rides Trouble. I literally could not put them down. I didn't go to church, I didn't write my blog for the day, I didn't check e-mail, I barely talked to my hubby. I just read and read and read, because these books were so damn good. Then I picked up the third one Rev it Up, which took a bit longer to read, only because, dang it all to hell, I had to go back to work and could only read at night. But I polished if off in less than a week. I just couldn't help myself. I couldn't get enough of her sexy, alpha heroes and heart-stopping action and suspense. I'm also a sucker for a series where characters overlap and we get to follow some of them into and beyond their happily every after.

And, joy of joy...there's a fourth book in the series coming out, Thrill Ride. Trouble is, I don't know how in the world I'm going to wait three more long, long, long months before it comes out in April. And I'm hoping there will be more to the series, because by my calculations, Ozzie, Bill, and Angel need their stories told...and so perhaps do Christian and Mac...maybe even ex-CIA Agent Zoelner. A girl can dream, right? Because I just can't get enough of those hot, wild, and sexy Black Knights.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com