Guest Post and Giveaway by Lisa Renee Jones

Please welcome Lisa Renee Jones, Author of The Story That is Sterling who shares a Guest Post on Planning the Series. Make sure you read to the end to find out how to enter for Lisa's Giveaway!

Thank you for having me here today at Martha’s Bookshelf to celebrate the release of THE STORM THAT IS STERLING! 

Today I’m talking about planning the series or letting it happen since Sterling is a part of a series. I’ve written a number of series but probably the most comparable to my Zodius series is my KNIGHTS OF WHITE with Harlequin. With both my Zodius series and my Knights of White the books each lead to the next book in the series. With my Knights of White I usually left a bit of a cliffhanger. The main story was resolved with a HEA but the next character got into some sort of mess. This made it especially important to have planned the next book in the series. I knew from book 1 of that series that a romance I hinted at in book 1 would be headed a certain place in book 6. My readers jumped on that and had lots of questions after each book about that teasing storyline. I had something about that couple in all of the books. 

In the Zodius series, I’ve planned in advance and I’ve known where I was going from the beginning. However, I have to say, that the leader of the Renegades, Caleb, hasn’t cooperated. I had his story planned a certain way and a female character has demanded she be his love interest and I just didn’t see that coming. It doesn’t fit my plan but yet, it is the plan now. In DANGER THAT IS DAMION you will have a very good idea who Caleb’s love will end up being. So, while I’m for planning, I do let my characters lead me. That is part of the fun of writing and living the story as I write it. 

In DANGER THAT IS DAMION you will meet Chale and he is my planned hero for book 4. I love Chale who is a Harley riding, wild and wicked, man with a Sterling like sense of humor. I hope you will get as attached to him in book 3 as I did. Now, in Sterling’s story Damion is a HUGE part of the book. You will know him well by the end of book 2. 

To celebrate Sterling’s release I have a bag of books and yummy holiday treats. All you have to do is comment. Tell me what you like, or dislike, when you are reading a series. And how many books into a series do you read? 3? 10? What makes you lose interest?

Lisa

Here is the buy link for Sterling! 

http://www.amazon.com/Storm-That-Sterling-Renee-Jones/dp/1402251599/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1320559147&sr=1-1

Booklist review:

The Storm That Is Sterling.

Jones, Lisa Renee (Author)

Nov 2011. 384 p. Sourcebooks/Casablanca, hardcover, $6.99. (9781402251597).

The exciting Zodius futuristic suspense series features soldiers enhanced by a GTECH secret military experiment. Sterling Jeter, who is assigned to guard Rebecca Burns, the scientist working on an antidote for the highly addictive and fatal drug ICE. But Rebecca is also the high-school dream Sterling was never able to realize. She has cancer and tangling with bad guys who want her science skills for their ends has left her an ICE addict, too. She wants to take advantage of her time left with Sterling, while Sterling wants to protect her. As danger mounts, they try to sort out who is trustworthy. The GTECH and science details can best be followed with the help of the index, but they do not overwhelm the appealing characters or action. Jones’ suspense truly sizzles with an energy similar to FBI tales with a paranormal twist by Julie Garwood or Suzanne Brockmann. Alpha, military, and paranormal romance readers will want Jones’ entire series.

  

Sterling Jeter has remarkable powers and has shown himself

to be just about indestructible. But beautiful, brilliant Rebecca

Burns knows that even a Super Soldier needs comfort, and so

much more…

But she can see that deep down,

he’s just a man…

Sterling and Rebecca’s teenage romance was interrupted,

but years later the heat between them flares back to life.

Even though it endangers everything they’re fighting for, it’s

impossible to resist picking up right where they left off…

Read an extra excerpt HERE:

http://www.lisareneejones.com/books/the-storm-that-is-sterling/sterling-excerpt/

Book Review: The Storm that is Sterling by Lisa Renee Jones

This story sizzles with action and romance.

The Storm that is Sterling

Lisa Renee Jones

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Original edition (November 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402251599
• ISBN-13: 978-1402251597

     Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense
     My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: November 1, 2011
Award-winning, bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is breaking out of series romance success into single title with her fast-paced, paranormal romantic suspense series full of dark danger and sizzling hot passion.

Sterling Jeter, Renegade Super Soldier, is fearless, powerful, and wildly unpredictable. His life-threatening mission is to save the beautiful, brilliant astrobiologist Rebecca Burns from ruthless villain Adam Rain. But their immutable mutual attraction threatens to put them in the path of death... or worse...

Review: This is steamy, fast paced and intense.
Sterling had a rough childhood that left him alone and a dedicated soldier/warrior. He is one of the soldiers secretly infected with the alien DNA that created a GTECH group of super soldiers. Those soldiers have split into two groups under twin brothers. Adam leads the Zodius band seeking to gain control over the weak humans.  Caleb leads the Renegade band of which Sterling is a part.  The Renegades are in an uneasy alliance with the government to stop the Zodius.

Adam and his men have developed a system of dealers to distribute a highly addictive drug called ICE.  He hopes to gain control of the population but humans are dying from the ICE doses and the race is on to stop the Zodius threat.

Rebecca is a super scientist who may be able to help find a way to fight the addiction. Adam is hunting her to either use her skills for his own evil plans or to eliminate her. Sterling is assigned the mission to rescue and protect her.  Then he discovers that this is the girl he knew 14 years ago when the government showed up at his door preventing their first date.  Rebecca is smart enough to exercise caution when it comes to trusting handsome men.  She has a strong attraction to Sterling but can she trust him?

There is action from the get-go and lots of twists. After Rebecca is kidnaped by Adam and forced to take ICE Sterling doesn’t know if he can trust her. Plus Sterling questions the loyalty of his long time friend and team mate, Damion. 

There are new “skills” revealed.  Rebecca gets some interesting powers that seem to be brought on by the ICE addiction. Tad, Adam’s second in command, is exhibiting some very interesting skills as he continues to fret about his position and work a bit at odds with Adam. Adam too has a new secret weapon that comes as a surprise.

I really like the characters - the heroes are smart, sexy and loyal and the villains are devious and evil. The storyline has plenty to keep me interested. There is intensity in the fast pace action and in the romance. The romance is steamy but not offensive. There is some use of swear words but it is not excessive. I enjoyed this second book of the series and look forward to more.

  ~~~~~

Thank you to Sourcebooks for this book to review. Please see the Author's Guest Post to comment for a Giveaway of a bag of books and yummy holiday treats! Thank you Ms. Jones.

Book Review and ARC Giveaway: The Legend of Michael by Lisa Renee Jones

An entertaining read where Super Soldiers battle for control of the world -- and individually.

The Legend of Michael: Sin and Satisfaction (Zodius) by Lisa Renee Jone

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (May 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402251564
• ISBN-13: 978-1402251566

Genre: Paranormal Suspense
 My Rating:  4.25 of 5.0

Product Description

"Jones scorches the pages...the result is seductive and volatile!"
-RT Book Reviews
HE IS A LETHAL WEAPON...
One of an army of human soldiers injected with alien DNA, Michael is a legend within this new race, split between good and evil. Untamable, he has walked on the dark side and returned to the light. Feared and misunderstood, he leaves everything behind, including the one woman destined to be his mate.
HE IS HER ENEMY...AND HER DESTINY...
Cassandra holds the key to Michael's power, and his pain. With loyalties divided and against insurmountable odds, Cassandra's heart propels her to Michael's side-but can her love do anything but destroy him...

No ordinary woman can control a creature such as Michael, and only one thing is clear-the world will never be the same...

Review:  This is fast paced, sexually charged, action.
Cassandra is a beautiful psychologist who has been brought into the top-secret facilities at Area 51 to evaluate the recently created hi-tech soldiers known as GTECHs. These are Super Soldiers who were created by injection of alien DNA. The secret Project Zodius is headed by Cassandra’s father, General Powell. Although Cassandra believes her father’s claims that he is trying to protect and help the Zodius soldiers, sometimes she has doubts.

Michael is one of the top Gtech Soldiers with his super human strength, his dedication to the mission and his special abilities to not only wind walk, like all the GTECHS, but his newly developing ability which he is keeping secret.  Michael knows that getting involved with Cassandra could expose her to danger but he can’t resist the attraction.

Cassandra knows better than to get involved with a man whose life is soldiering and who is also a “patient” in her program. When she decides that one dinner can’t hurt she has no idea how the magnetic pull between them could lead to bonding them together — in trouble.

A group of the GTECH soldiers, led by Adam and helped by Michael, escapes from the government control to establish their own colony. Adam is darkly evil and plans to take over the world with his super human Zodius race. The remaining GTECH soldiers, the Renegades, are being led by Adam’s twin brother, Caleb.  It is the Renegades goal to protect humans from the brutal Zodius soldiers.

While the two soldier factions gather their resources, General Powell and his scientists are creating a new weapon which is developed from a red alien crystal. Although use of Red Dart has been fatal to humans, Powell hopes to use it to trace, torture and control the GTECH soldiers.

When Michael returns after being with the enemy soldiers for two years Cassandra doesn’t know who she can trust. Michael claims he was undercover for the Renegades and he tells her of her father’s real plans to use Red Dart to gain control of the Renegades as well as the Zodius soldiers.  Cassandra doesn’t want to believe her father is so ruthless. Can she really trust Michael? Can Michael keep her safe when she is a target for Zodius to either kill or use as a hostage?

I liked the characters of Cassandra and Michael who are both strong yet have a vulnerability and need for each other.  I especially liked the very good story line which has lots of creativity and action.  I liked the chemistry among the characters and there are other characters who also have some good chemistry and banter.  I wasn’t totally enthralled with the plentiful romance scenes which are pretty edgy - “scorching” as the book blurb says.  I think I would like to continue the series to see how the battle goes and I can hope the heat level won’t get any hotter.

xxx

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the book to read and review.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR THE ARC:

1. Visit the Author's Blog and tell me something you like there.
Please leave your e-mail!

2. For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

3. For two extra entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

(Four total entries possible.)
It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.

* This contest is open US and Canada only.
* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.
* This contest will close 10:00 PM (Central) on June 3, 2011.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.