A bit of happy news, and a video!

Hi friends,

It's been a busy holiday season, so I apologize for the lack of recent updates! I hope everyone had fun hunting for clues in the Raven Happy Hour contest - I'll pass along who the winner is as soon as I hear.

UPDATE: The winners have been posted! Click here

My bit of holiday cheer comes in the form of a new review for A Ghost of a Chance - 4.5 stars from Romantic Times Booklovers Magazine! Since Beaudry's Ghost got 4 stars, I've been holding my breath on this one, hoping AGoaC would do as well. :)

Before I take off for God's Country (aka North Carolina) for New Year's, here's a video from Rampant Scotland - a recent Parade of Clans in Edinburgh. Get ready to hoot and holler for your favorite!

Abhainn's Kiss reviewedy by Joyfully Reviewed!

Thanks, Chris! Glad you enjoyed the story. :)
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Carolan Ivey’s tales do not fail to delight, particularly if you’re into Celtic and Otherworldly legends. Abhainn’s Kiss falls nicely into that category. Combine that with the lovely and tasteful artwork by Anne Cain and you have a match made in Avalon. Ms. Ivey’s portrayal of an ex-soldier (and how refreshing that he’s not a Special Forces, ex-CIA, ex-FBI, Green Beret, or commando dude) coming to terms with a magical world is especially amusing. Abhainn’s playfulness and childlike innocence adds levity to a world painted as poisoned by man. Abhainn’s Kiss is definitely slated for my virtual keeper shelf. Well done again, Ms. Ivey.

To read the entire review, click here!

Four Hearts from TRS!

Check out my latest review for Abhainn's Kiss from The Romance Studio!

Abhainn lives a sheltered life on an Island off the Irish sea coast not knowing that she is the last of her Faery race. When a life-threatening encounter with a troll reveals the truth of her heritage, she is very shaken. Only having days to complete her destiny in life and take the place in the Great Circle on the Isle of Avalon. Defying the curse that banishes her from the sun, Abhainn must try her best to right wrongs between worlds. Michael Craig is a non-believer in fairy-tales and legends. A kiss seals his fate with Abhainn and brings the past back to haunt him, but it is his fighting skills, determination and ability to accept the unacceptable that will bring him his true destiny with Abhainn. Can a skeptic become a believer?

This is a well-written story that will capture your attention from the first paragraph. Abhainn and Michael are characters developed in such a way that the blending of what they are, faery and human, is done very smoothly. Fantasy is a major theme in this tale and Ms. Ivey does a fine job portraying it with imaginative writing and colorful scenes. The one thing that did draw me in was the innocence of Abhainn and her past connection to Michael even though he doesn't remember them being friends in childhood. I liked the fact that this sets the story up for the future between them. Those who like a good fantasy story that simmers and builds will appreciate this fantastic book.

Review by Tj

Ecataromance.com Review: Beaudry's Ghost

I don't normally toot my horn like this, but I just got this review for Beaudry's Ghost from Amelia Richard at ecataromance.com. The more I read, the farther down my jaw dropped. It's quite possibly the most amazing review I've ever received!

Carolan Ivey has crafted a fascinating scenario for her paranormal story, as the imaginative author lets readers experience a multitude of emotions from the often heart-pounding circumstances. The numerous conflicts faced by the characters are frequently chilling and always packed with powerfully intense feelings.

After the death of her twin brother while serving his country, Taylor Brannon feels as though her life has no direction anymore, not even when working at the museum. Both she and her sibling loved anything dealing with the Civil War, so she decides to take his place in the re-enactment of a battle along the North Carolina coast. Although she hoped the event would bring some peace to her life, she quickly finds herself thrown into a frightening nightmare.

Although Jared Beaudry was killed by a ruthless Southern officer in 1862, his spirit still roams the area where he suffered and was even wrongly dishonored as a Union soldier. When he comes upon the group of re-enactors, Jared is helped by another ghost in the hope of finally getting retribution for his death so he can move on. Unfortunately, when he takes possession of the body of another man, he changes more than he could every have imagined.

When Taylor realizes her friends are acting strangely, her psychic abilities tell her they have been taken over by the spirits of the original Civil War soldiers. Her capabilities also let her know the Union prisoner is actually the man whom all believed was just a legend. With her being the only one who can see the truth of the situation besides Jared, she feels staying to fight for the lives of those men she knows is her only option. However, as Taylor learns more about Jared and the disturbing chain of events he had to live through during the war, she finds herself potently drawn to this man and his tragic life.

With heartfelt moments and tension-filled situations, Carolan Ivey brings out the deepest of emotions in her story. Though rather long in length, readers are compelled to quickly keep reading the pages in order to discover what will occur next, plus all its content just means more enthralling scenes. From the first mysterious supernatural event to the riveting conclusion, the suspense mounts as totally unanticipated twists constantly arise. The way this skilled author smoothly blends history and fiction in BEAUDRY’S GHOST is ingenious, as one comes to completely believe each mesmerizing occurrence could possibly take place. Creatively thought out in each scene, this distinctively innovative story intrigues with the out of the ordinary circumstances always surrounding Jared and Taylor. The lives of this couple are portrayed with a depth not typically shown in a story, as unusual heartaches and tribulations presently consume them. They both have an enormous amount of determination, and neither is willing to give in when faced with impossible odds. The inner feelings of Jared and Taylor are passionately depicted, resulting in convincing sincerity between them. Hopefully there will be a sequel, as there are significant questions just begging for an answer. BEAUDRY’S GHOST is continuously gripping with intensity, as reality and the supernatural collide at every turn.
~Amelia Richard

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Review: I Am Legend

Okay.

If you love Will Smith's work, as I do, you'll like I Am Legend. He is mesmerizing.

If you liked the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks, you'll probably like I Am Legend.

If you don't like a paper-thin plot stretched over too much movie, I Am Legend will make you antsy. Twenty minutes into it, my husband was squirming and muttering.

I found a lot to like about this movie, the talented Will Smith being one of them. And some parts that made me go "Awwww, now why did they have to go and do that?" I for one go to movies to escape, and I like coming out of a movie feeling better than I went in. This movie didn't do it for me.


HERE BE POSSIBLE SPOILERS:

Did you watch Snakes On A Plane? Did you hang with the movie, even enjoy the horrifying campiness of it -- until a certain small animal was sacrificed by the writers for no apparent reason, since we already hated the villian, anyway? Just warning the soft-of-heart like me.

Do you like HEA endings? Depending on your point of view, you may or may not like I Am Legend.

Key West Magic by Ciar Cullen

I admit it. I saw the cover and read the blurb for Ciar Cullen's Key West Magic (Dec. 7, Samhain Publishing), and practically knocked her down as I wrapped my arms around her virtual legs, refusing to let go until she let me read it and review it in advance.

She graciously agreed (I think just to stop the cyber stalking, but hey, I have no shame). I adore Key West, have stood in Hemingway's writing study, experienced the sunset mayhem at Mallory Square, imbibed the local brew at Sloppy Joe's. Don't get me started on the key lime pie - it'll get embarrassing. As winter closes in, I simply couldn't wait to let Ciar take me back there with her vivid descriptions and captivating characters. Ciar didn't disappoint - as if she ever could!

Here's the blurb:

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A haunted-to-the-rafters inn. A haunted heart. A sexy Irish ghostbuster must face both before he can love one woman.

Key West. An island of green on turquoise waters, populated with poets, artists, drifters, Jimmy Buffet fans—and the most stubborn ghosts imaginable.

When psychic and all-around sexy Irishman Trent Light takes on the challenge to ghost-bust Calloway House, he encounters something more than your normal, haunted-to-the-rafters inn. He butts heads with the spirit of Emily, a flapper with a sordid past and a short fuse. Emily’s guardian angel won’t let her cross to the other side until the infamous “Hemingway Mystery” is solved—a mystery Emily caused during her own lifetime.

Trent locks horns with another stubborn woman, inn owner and Key West newcomer Julie Calloway. Frustrated that the sexy Julie isn’t satisfied with being just his lover, yet unable to leave nor to commit to her, Trent is at his wits’ end. And then there’s that sentient Parrot that won’t shut up.

It’s a tough assignment, but Trent and Julie steam up the tropics as they try to solve the mysteries of Key West, of love, and of redemption.

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As I read Key West Magic I kept thinking what a great movie this would make. The story, the setting, the characters draw you in and make you feel like you're in the middle of the action, observing it as it streams past you in vivid color. If you can read the opening scene and not fall in love with Trent and his brothers, I'm sorry y'all, but you have no heart!

Trent is one of those fabulously flawed heroes -- charming, endearing, sensual, sexy, to-sigh-for, hiding his battle with his inner ghosts behind a brilliant smile and devil-may-care attitude. But the boy's got Issues, and he wouldn't be the interesting, complex character he is without them. Fish-out-of-water Julie is the perfect foil for him. She's only planning to stay in Key West long enough to dispose of the B&B she inherited in a crypically worded will from her grandmother. But for the sexy Trent - her "Magic Man" (ooh la la!), she might just be willing to extend her stay.

Like Key West, Calloway House is full of mystery, ghosts...and secrets. And so are Ciar Cullen's characters. Peeling back the layers will keep you up all night reading to the very end. Sensual and erotic, Key West Magic is the perfect escape from winter's chill!

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And now, I must get started packing for my own trip to a tropical paradise - a combination birthday and 25th anniversary trip to the Caribbean with my own Knight In Shining Armor. I'll be back online on Dec. 9.