The Hoodoo Apprentice #1 October 2012 On Sale: October 16, 2012 Featuring: Emma Guthrie; Cooper Beaumont 315 pages ISBN: 1620610973 EAN: 9781620610978 Kindle: B009NY42GM Trade Size $9.99  Add to Wish List Young Adult Paranormal, Fantasy Buy at Amazon.com Not quite Halloween but a fun read nonetheless Conjure by Lea Nolan Be careful what you search for… Be careful what you search for… Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry—hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma’s ever–present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth–century message in a bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh–eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper’s soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday. But when a strange girl bent on revenge appears, demon dogs become a threat, and Jack turns into a walking skeleton; Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before the last days of summer—and her friends—are lost forever. Previous Picks

Many readers love to follow linked stories. I’m partial to connected books that explore various members of a family. So when I planned my first series for Harlequin Desire, I invented a powerful dynasty with three very different brothers – then I threw in a “baby” kick-ass sister for good measure. Enter Cole, Dex, Wynn and Teagan Hunter. Cole bears the weight of being firstborn. Not only has his father become the target of an assassin, corporate decisions made by brothers Dex in Los Angeles and Wynn in New York have put strains on Hunter Enterprises, the family’s world-wide media-based company. Then there’s the huge make-or-break football contract he needs to seal, like, yesterday. To top it off, his Dad has it in his head that Hunter Broadcasting in Australia should produce a television program that is bound to bite the ratings dust as soon as it airs. Should be easy to convince his father to get out of the crosshairs and take a vacation, leaving Cole to get on with business, including cancelling that new producer’s contract. But nothing’s never easy, particularly when instant physical attraction is involved. When producer Taryn Quinn promises to give Cole everything he wants…

There’s a fine line between an alpha male and a complete, controlling jerk. With the alpha male, you pretty much want to jump his bones and with the jerk, you want to throw your book in his face. There is a difference between the two and nowadays you’d be hard pressed to find an adult book that didn’t feature an alpha male. Young adult is a bit different, but as one blogger coined, “baby alpha males” are started to make an appearance. So why are they so popular? An alpha male does tend to be controlling, but usually when it comes to keeping the heroine safe or when it involves the smexy stuff. They know what they like and aren’t afraid to be very descriptive about it. They tend to be dominant in the bedroom. In Tempting the Player, Chad Gamble is this kind of alpha male. He’s uber protective and likes to be in control when it gets down to the fun stuff, but that’s the extent of what he seeks to control. Otherwise, he’s playful. He’s not the brooding alpha male. He’s the ‘let’s have some fun’ alpha male. Alpha males tend to be territorial, which Chad shows…