Wicked Paradise by Erin Richards - Review tour and giveaway

(Full length fantasy romance)

This review is done in conjunction with the author's virtual tour with Goddess Fish Promotions.

Erin will award one commenter at every stop an eBook copy of her paranormal romantic suspense novel, "Chasing Shadows"(published by Ellora’s Cave Blush imprint);and one randomly drawn commenter on the tour will receive a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card, winner’s choice, so comment today AND follow the tour (if you click on the tour banner above, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win an awesome prize!


Balanced between the future and the past lies a pre-utopian paradise that may be mankind’s last hope for survival. Yet the island hides a sinister secret…a fearsome demon from ancient Ireland is imprisoned there and it’s about to escape to the twenty-first century.

Desperate to save a future post-apocalyptic world from total destruction, sorcerers send the most powerful sorceress from medieval times, Morgan of the Druids, through time to an island prison to kill WindWraith, the long-imprisoned Fomorian demon.

After a deadly squall tosses Druid-assassin Ryan O’Rourke into the Pacific Ocean, he washes ashore on an unchartered island brimming with magic. Ryan’s determined to find a way to return to Earth’s wasteland to battle the resurrected Fomorians plaguing the dwindling human race. When he stumbles across the enchantress who tantalizes his dreams to the point of madness, his plans turn upside down. For she stirs in him a hunger that puts his life’s purpose at risk.

Morgan has no choice but to kill the Fomorian before it kills her. But Ryan has other plans for the demon . . . Now Morgan and Ryan must decide between love and duty in a perilous race against the evil that could destroy Earth.


Fascinating!

Truly, Ms. Richards did a wonderful job painting a picture of the worlds we visit in this book.  We start in Avalon of long ago, end up in a time, post-apocalyptic, but on an idyllic island full of charm and beauty (oh, and a demon ... yeah, maybe not so idyllic), and we also see a bit of the world outside the island,  all but destroyed by Formorians.

There was seldom a time I was bored.  I admit to being a bit skeptical of the romance at first -- I'm not a fan of books with "predestined" love affairs, and this one had all the earmarks of that -- but the author gives us a twist, and doesn't have the protagonists fall into bed or into love, despite their overwhelming desire and ultimately admiration for each other.  This denial of lust builds the sexual tension to a near-frenzy and was exactly the kind of thing I look for in a love story.

Honestly, I was surprised at how much I really enjoyed this book.  It's well-written, has three dimensional characters, plenty of action and suspense, lots of smoldering heat and a thread of fear throughout along with an ending that is completely satisfying.

I've never heard of the author before, but I'm sure glad I have now.  She's truly talented and has an incredible imagination.  I can't wait for more!

4.5 flowers - This was a very good book! I'd recommend it to my friends.

Now enjoy an excerpt:

“Run.” Ryan gently pushed her in front of him. “Keep to the right.” She tore off in the direction he pointed, heedless of the limbs and plants lashing her arms and legs, snagging her clothing, reaching for her and trying to cling. Was the island also afraid of the Fomorian?

“There’s a path down the cliff you flew off earlier. It leads to a naturally shielded cave.” He nudged her from behind, his hand firm in the hollow of her back.

Tornado howls grew deafening. Morgan tripped over a crumbling log, and Ryan grabbed her waist from behind to prevent her from planting her face in a prickly bramble. Hot and solid, his hands pulled her against his slick torso. Wretched jungle! You wasted no time to push us together again.

“Thank you.” Waning energy forced her to wheeze out the words. Before she lost all her stamina and wilted to the ground, Ryan picked her up, cradled her to his chest. His heart pounded against her shoulder, his internal fire wrapped around her, turning her muscles to mush. “Is it much farther?” She gave into his strength. So be it, island. You’ve had your say for now.

He shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, shame flirted with his immutable arrogance in the downturn of his mouth. He veered to the left and headed down a short, steep incline. “I shouldn’t have been a power-tripping jackass.”

A voracious reader since childhood, it was no hard leap to recognize that Erin wanted to be a writer at a young age. After bemoaning the lack of young adult books to read, Erin wrote her first novel at the age of eighteen hoping to shift the tide. Then everyday life took its toll on her writerly dreams until 2003 when she couldn’t ignore the writing bug any longer. By then, she had immersed herself in reading adult fantasy and romance novels. Writing paranormal & fantasy romance was a no brainer. Her first novel CHASING SHADOWS, a paranormal romantic suspense, is now available in print for the first time. Crimson Romance released her second novel WICKED PARADISE, a fantasy romance, on August 13, 2012. Erin will finally realize her lifelong dream of publishing a young adult novel when VIGILANTE NIGHTS debuts in July 2013.

Erin Richards lives in Northern California where she drafts and negotiates high-technology contracts during the day. When she’s not working or writing, she enjoys reading, photography, and American muscle cars.

Readers can reach Erin at:
Website: http://www.erinrichards.com
Blog: http://erinrichards.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ErinRichards.Author
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2994743.Erin_Richards
Twitter: @erinrichards

WICKED PARADISE Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Paradise-ebook/dp/B008MMVNIG

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wicked-paradise-erin-richards/1112305024?ean=9781440554315

Sony eReader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/erin-richards/wicked-paradise/_/R-400000000000000756888

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Wicked-Paradise/book-7HRff8YsDEe5GhDFfx1xNA/page1.html?s=2l93ahOImUKMdT6U5zBIsg&r=1