The romance of this story was enjoyable but the sweet and sometimes serious nature of the romance was offset by over the top descriptions of the “villains” of the story creating a cacophonous tone mismatch. A late conflict arose in the book and while it could have provided a challenging and very real impediment to the happy ever after (and thus making the connection of the lead couple all the more satisfying)

Melissa McGuire ends up in San Gabriel working as a news producer at the local television station after being humiliated in Los Angeles. She had an affair with her boss that went south

Her grandmother is convinced that Melissa needs a boyfriend and buys a date for Melissa with a fireman at a local bachelor auction. When the bachelor fireman backs out because of a desire not to go out on a date with a grandmother, Captain Harry Brody takes his place. Brody is used to acting as the father figure to many of the younger firemen and conversely they all hold Brody in awe because of his steadfastness and his past history of bravery.

Brody isn’t interested in dating right now. He’s trying to rebuild his life after a painful divorce but Melissa strikes all the right chords for him. The two end up spending a lot of time together when the local media personality, Ella, (one of the villains) decides to do a reality special involving the San Gabriel Fire Station. The Fire Station is famous because the all bachelor crew was featured on the Today Show and in People magazine.

Brody is a really great hero. He’s unshakeable. There is a scene early on in the book where Melissa is relating all her assumptions about firemen and Brody doesn’t rise to the bait:

“I apologize if I was rude,” she said, nose in the air.

“Not at all.”

“So you don’t deny I’m right?”

“Why should I, when you seem so convinced that you are?”

Now those emerald sparks were firing again.

“You could at least try to defend yourself.”

“Are we in a battle? I thought this was a date.” “You . . .”

She gave a squeak of pure frustration.

“Don’t you ever get rattled?”

“It’s part of my job to not get rattled.”

His character was consistent throughout. The steadying hand, the leader, the guy who watches out for others. Melissa was observant, as befitting her role as a news producer, and a quick learner. She led her tribe of news people in her own way. She was quick to make amends, didn’t hold grudges, and allowed herself to be educated.

Brody and Melissa were the best parts of the book but we saw so little of them together that the romance and their interaction took a back seat to the atmosphere of the firehouse, the backstabbing news room, and the machinations of the villains–Ella and Melissa’s former boss, Everett. Ordinarily, in a straight contemporary, I wouldn’t identify people as villains but from the way in which two of the characters were written, they fit the profile perfectly. I am pretty sure one, if not both of them, twirled a virtual mustache after every encounter.  For instance, Everett is using Ella to get back at Melissa and Ella is trying to use Everett to get a better job.  Their sexual encounters, which are often degrading for Ella, are described in some detail.

There was little relationship conflict other than standard and heavy handed use of the big misunderstanding until the last third of the book which is probably why so much of the first part of the story was filled with non relationship story lines but the relationship conflict was one that could have provided a real challenge. Brody’s ex wife returns to his life with a child in tow. It isn’t his, but Brody had always wanted a family and he can’t turn his ex wife who needs him away. The way in which this storyline is resolved, however, is written with the same over the top narrative used with the villains. The tension in the story seemed too manufactured and while I liked the leads, they weren’t together enough on paper to keep me interested. C

Best regards, Jane

P.S. As a side note, I am not one for sequel baiting, but this book did the opposite. Ryan, the lead in the sequel to this book, bails on the date with the grandmother because he fears the teasing he will get from his fellow firefighters. He also takes a shine to the empty headed and mean spirited Ella displaying that he is turned by a pretty face and not much else. He came off as self centered, shallow, and a bit of a simpleton.

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Reviewed by Lynn Reynolds

Book 5 “A-Tac” series

Dee doesn’t’ waste any time. The mystery and suspense start right away. It starts with a young woman named Sara Lauter. What does her A-Tac team have in store for us this time around?

Hannah Marshall is seen wearing a wire. Harrison Blake is their unit’s computer wiz. Their operation doesn’t go as planned. They then get pulled into Sara’s mystery which brings back memories for Harrison.

In amidst the evil, two friends take it to the next level. You can also picture this book as an episode of Criminal Minds. I don’t know what type of research Dee did for this book but I’m in awe of how realistic everything is. She shows you the difference between a good author and a great author.

She keeps your attention from beginning to end. You don’t want to put it down until you’re done. And then you’re disappointed that it’s over. If you love dark stories that have plenty of mystery and suspense, Dee delivers on all counts. She also knows how to keep the adrenaline going.

Her male characters are ones that want to take care of their women. Her female characters are women who know how to take care of themselves and can kick some serious butt. One more thing I love about Dee is that after keeping me hooked on the suspense, she has me smiling and chucking at the very end.

You will absolutely want this book as part of your collection. It will also get you excited about having “Last Chance” series coming out in reissue this summer. You may also want to catch up on her “A-Tac” series.

Rating: http://dearauthor.com/?p=44504 I’ve talked to several readers about the price fixing lawsuit and people have a lot of questions.  I thought I could provide a few answers here to help clarify matters.  If you have a question, drop a line in the comments.

There are three lawsuits in the United States alleging that five of the big six publishers (Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Simon&Schuster and Penguin) colluded with Apple to raise ebook prices.  Those three lawsuits are as follows:

There are also investigations taking place in Canada, Australia, and the EU.

All three of the U.S. lawsuits are essentially the same.  The suits allege (or accuse) that Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Simon&Schuster and Penguin conspired or colluded with Apple to raise the ebook prices from the price level that ebooks were at leading up to January 2010 which was primarily $9.99 for Bestsellers and under.

What we know from the documentary evidence (or evidence that is supported by emails, notes, memos or telephone records) is that executives of the five publishers communicated with each other about two things:

Shorter answer: It is much harder for a defendant to win a per se case and much easier for the plaintiffs.  Accusations that Amazon made them do it won’t be permitted in a per se case.

Long answer: Per se is a legal standard.  Accusations of antitrust violations are measured against one of two standards: either “per se” or “rule of reason”.

Per Se:  A per se violation is “conclusively presumed illegal.” Under this standard, business justifications or social benefits are not considered and the Defendant Publishers would not be allowed to offer proof to justify their actions such as arguing that Amazon was going to destroy publishing. Under a “per se” standard, Amazon and their actions are completely unimportant.  The Supreme Court in United States v. Socony- Vacuum Oil Co., 310 U.S. 150, 221, 222 (1940). said the following:

The elimination of so-called competitive evils is no legal justification for such buying programs. The elimination of such conditions was sought primarily for its effect on the price structures. Fairer competitive prices, it is claimed, resulted when distress gasoline was removed from the market. But such defense is typical of the protestations usually made in price-fixing cases. Ruinous competition, financial disaster, evils of price-cutting, and the like appear throughout our history as ostensible justifications for price-fixing. If the so-called competitive abuses were to be appraised here, the reasonableness of prices would necessarily become an issue in every price-fixing case. In that event, the Sherman Act would soon be emasculated; its philosophy would be supplanted by one which is wholly alien to a system of free competition; it would not be the charter of freedom which its framers intended.

The reasonableness of prices has no constancy due to the dynamic quality of the business facts underlying price structures. Those who fixed reasonable prices today would perpetuate unreasonable prices tomorrow, since those prices would not be subject to continuous administrative supervision and readjustment in light of changed conditions. Those who controlled the prices would control or effectively dominate the market. And those who were in that strategic position would have it in their power to destroy or drastically impair the competitive system. But the thrust of the rule is deeper, and reaches more than monopoly power. Any combination which tampers with price structures is engaged in an unlawful activity. Even though the members of the price-fixing group were in no position to control the market, to the extent that they raised, lowered, or stabilized prices, they would be directly interfering with the free play of market forces. The Act places all such schemes beyond the pale, and protects that vital part of our economy against any degree of interference. Congress has not left with us the determination of whether or not particular price-fixing schemes are wise or unwise, healthy or destructive. It has not permitted the age-old cry of ruinous competition and competitive evils to be a defense to price-fixing conspiracies. It has no more allowed genuine or fancied competitive abuses as a legal justification for such schemes than it has the good intentions of the members of the combination

Rule of Reason:  Under the rule of reason, the accusing parties (the states, DOJ, class action plaintiffs) would have to prove that the price movements made by the Defendant Publishers were not reasonable and the Defendant Publishers and Apple could offer proof that would justify their actions.  In  Clorox Co. v. Sterling Winthrop, Inc. (2nd Cir. 1997), the 2nd Circuit defined the rule of reason standard in this fashion:

First, the “`[p]laintiff bears the initial burden of showing that the challenged action has had an actual adverse effect on competition as a whole in the relevant market….’” Id. (quoting Capital Imaging, 996 F.2d at 543). Then, “[i]f the plaintiff succeeds, the burden shifts to the defendant to establish the `pro-competitive “redeeming virtues”‘ of the action. Should the defendant carry this burden, the plaintiff must then show that the same pro-competitive effect could be achieved through an alternative means that is less restrictive of competition.” Id. (internal citations omitted) (quoting Capital Imaging, 996 F.2d at 543; Bhan v. NME Hosps., Inc., 929 F.2d 1404, 1413 (9th Cir.1991)). Ultimately, the goal is to determine whether restrictions in an agreement among competitors potentially harm consumers. See SCFC ILC, Inc. v. Visa USA, Inc., 36 F.3d 958, 965 (10th Cir. 1994). The focus of the inquiry on consumers “cannot be overemphasized and is especially essential when a successful competitor,” as here, “alleges antitrust injury at the hands of a rival.” Id.

(Note there is also an inherently suspect standard that can be applied as well but I’m going to skip that for purposes of brevity and coherence)

Publishers can set their own prices. In this circumstance, however, the publishers didn’t just set and maintain certain prices.  They got together and made sure all their publisher friends were going to do it as well because they knew (according to the allegations) that they couldn’t afford to engage in Retail Price Maintenance if only one of them was going to do it.

It used to be that Retail Price Maintenance (RPM) which is a manufacturer setting the price at which a good could be sold was not permissible except under certain circumstances such as when the seller was an agent or pass through of the owner.  The best example of this is a real estate broker and a home owner.  The home owner sets the price and the real estate agent helps to broker the deal but the real estate agent acts as the agent of the home owner.  The agent can’t change the price of the house without the permission of the owner.

Under those scenarios, an owner or manufacturer of a good could set the price of a good.  In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court loosened the rules on RPM and basically said that if there is a good business justification, then a manufacturer or producer of a good could set their own price.  In the decision of Judge Cote to deny the Defendant Publishers and Apple’s move to get rid of the lawsuit, she references that RPM can be used.  In the settlement proposal for the DOJ, RPM is allowed under certain circumstances.

Those circumstances include allowing retailers to pass on their commission (whatever is negotiated between the publisher and the retailer like Amazon) to the consumers in the form of a discount.

Not all monopolies are illegal. (See the Primer) It isn’t even illegal to acquire a monopoly.  There were ebooks before Amazon, but it wasn’t until Amazon introduced the Kindle and its one click buy feature from the device itself that ebooks began taking off.  Amazon released the Kindle First Generation on November 19, 2007.  From 2008 to 2010, ebook sales grew from .6 % to 6.4% of the overall book market. (Source: AAP) Amazon had 80-90% of the ebook market at the beginning of 2010. Nook entered the market on November 22, 2009, Apple with iBooks announced on January 2010, and Kobo in July 2010.  Currently the ebook market for trade fiction sales varies from publisher to publisher but is around mid 20% to 30%.

In 2010, when the publishers and Apple allegedly colluded to fix price, Amazon controlled 80-90% of 6.4% of the overall book market according to the statistics of the American Association of Publishers.  While Amazon did sell some of its ebooks at a loss leader price of $9.99, the Kindle was one of two dedicated devices marketed to the US readers and widely available in the US. (Sony’s reader actually predated Amazon).  In other words, no one was competing against Amazon from 2007 to 2010 except for Sony.

There were other ebook retailers, but none that sold a dedicated reading device and none that allowed on device purchasing and delivery of ebooks over a cellular connection.  Amazon would have evidence that it provided a product and service in the ebook market that was technologically advanced at the time.

Nonetheless, let’s talk about predatory pricing for a minute. Predatory pricing (a Section 2 violation of the Sherman Act)  is considered anticompetitive and a violation of antitrust.  However, it is very difficult to prove.  Predatory pricing requires proof that the seller deliberately undercut its competitors to drive those competitors out of business.

In Brooke Group v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., 509 U.S. 209 (1993), the Supreme court established the following test:

Accordingly, whether the claim alleges predatory pricing under § 2 of the Sherman Act or primary-line price discrimination under the Robinson-Patman Act, two prerequisites to recovery remain the same. First, a plaintiff seeking to establish competitive injury resulting from a rival’s low prices must prove that the prices complained of are below an appropriate measure of its rival’s costs.

The second prerequisite … is a demonstration that the competitor had a reasonable prospect, or, under § 2 of the Sherman Act, a dangerous probability, of recouping its investment in below-cost prices. …  Recoupment is the ultimate object of an unlawful predatory pricing scheme; it is the means by which a predator profits from predation. Without it, predatory pricing produces lower aggregate prices in the market, and consumer welfare is enhanced. Although unsuccessful predatory pricing may encourage some inefficient substitution toward the product being sold at less than its cost, unsuccessful predation is in general a boon to consumers.

The court goes on to say:

That below-cost pricing may impose painful losses on its target is of no moment to the antitrust laws if competition is not injured: It is axiomatic that the antitrust laws were passed for “the protection of competition, not competitors.”

and

If circumstances indicate that below-cost pricing could likely produce its intended effect on the target, there is still the further question whether it would likely injure competition in the relevant market. The plaintiff must demonstrate that there is a likelihood that the predatory scheme alleged would cause a rise in prices above a competitive level that would be sufficient to compensate for the amounts expended on the predation, including the time value of the money invested in it. As we have observed on a prior occasion, “[i]n order to recoup their losses, [predators] must obtain enough market power to set higher than competitive prices, and then must sustain those prices long enough to earn in excess profits what they earlier gave up in below-cost prices.”

Evidence of below-cost pricing is not alone sufficient to permit an inference of probable recoupment and injury to competition. Determining whether recoupment of predatory losses is likely requires an estimate of the cost of the alleged predation and a close analysis of both the scheme alleged by the plaintiff and the structure and conditions of the relevant market.

It should be noted that when Amazon began its $9.99 pricing scheme, there were only a few competitors in the marketplace: Sony, Fictionwise, Diesel.

In the amended complaint of the States’ Attorneys General, there were allegations that Barnes & Noble engaged in two different acts to create and enforce the collusion:

Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and HarperCollins have agreed to settle with the DOJ.  The terms of the settlement would allow retailers to gain control over pricing and include those publishers ebooks in loyalty programs, discount clubs, and straight up discounting.  Amazon has signaled that it will begin discounting once the settlement is approved.  The settlement could be approved as early as August.  The parties have 30 days to comply with the agreement once the settlement is approved.  The earliest prices will likely be reduced is September or October of 2012.

Simon & Schuster has reportedly settled with the States’ Attorneys’ General.  The terms of this settlement is unknown at this time but will be made public.  Based on past reports, it is likely to include cessation of the current control by S&S over pricing along with some kind of rebate to consumers who purchased S&S books from 2010 until the date of the settlement.  Hachette and HarperCollins were reportedly in settlement talks with the states.

If Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and HarperCollins would settle with DOJ and the States’ Attorneys’ General and those settlements would result in some payment to consumers, then it is likely the Class Action suits would be dismissed.

You can read more about what might happen next here.

The DOJ settlement terms allowed for a 2 year cessation of agency agreements except one kind.   The  settlement agreement allows a retailer, like Amazon, to discount books but limits the discount in one year for one publisher to not exceed the retailers aggregate commission.  Assume Amazon signs an agreement with Hachette and Amazon agrees to accept a 30% commission on every book sold.  For one year, the total amount of discounts cannot exceed the total commission Amazon received for that year.  Some of the books could be half off, buy one get one free, or not be discounted at all.  But the total discount cannot exceed total commission.  Assume Amazon sold 100 books for Hachette that were retail priced at $9.99.  The total commission for Amazon would be $299.70.  Thus, the overall discounts Amazon gave to us readers could not exceed $299.70.

I hope this helps to clarify some issues. Please feel free to drop a question in the comments.

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There is a strong stigma surrounding self-published YA novels that suggests that they are all badly written and derivative. Even with authors like Amanda Hocking becoming successes in both print and digital publishing, there is an inherent idea that self-published YA is bad and a constant stream of riffs on the latest trends – namely Twilight.

Many books live up to this stigma, but I had the hope that Feyland would be a different story. The pitch you sent sounded interesting, though done before: a girl gets caught up in an immersive MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game)-type experience that suddenly becomes more than a game. I’ve read books with a similar premise, but never billed as a retelling of the ballad of Tam Lin along with it.

The long and short of it? I really enjoyed this book. Even if the cover made my eyes twitch profusely. Jennet Carter has been secretly playing a prototype game being developed by her father’s company. Made by a company that uses a fully-immersive type of gaming technology, Feyland is a computer game that promises to change the face of gaming. An avid gamer like Jennet ise nticed by using the new system – even though it’s directly against her father’s wishes. She can’t stay away from it. Feyland is unlike any game ever created. It shows an entire world that seems to have a life of its own.

The goal of most games is to get to the final level and to beat the boss waiting at the end. Feyland’s boss is the Dark Queen, and Jennet has worked insanely hard to get the chance to face her. She goes in with her all, and in strength they appear to be evenly matched. The Dark Queen then challenges Jennet with something unexpected: a challenge of wits. A riddle. Jennet has spells and spoils at her disposal, but she doesn’t have the answer that the Dark Queen seeks. As forfeit, Jennet has to give more than her pride.

The Dark Queen takes her soul.

Jennet thinks its only a game, but she soon realizes that the Queen’s threats and actions have direct consequence to the outside world. Something is indeed missing from her, and she cannot get it back on her own. She must go in with a champion – a gamer as skilled as she, if not more so – that can win back the part of her lost to the Queen. Jennet finds such a person at her new school, but Tam Linn is less than willing to jump at Jennet’s beck and call just because she’s rich and beautiful. Tam has lived life day-to-day, and he can’t believe that Jennet would do anything other than use him.

The friendship between is rocky, but Jennet’s life rides on Tam Linn’s gaming mastery. She introduces him to Feyland, soon discovering that there is more at stake than her soul. Not only do Jennet and Tam Linn have to save Jennet’s soul, but they have to find a way to prevent the Dark Queen and the other beings of Feyland from slipping into the non-virtual world. Tam Linn’s abilities may seem great, but the challenge of Feyland may just be too much.

Feyland: The Dark Realm plays to a lot of initial stock-character personalities in order to set-up the characterization, later going beyond the aspects of the stock character to deepen the character. Jennet is portrayed as a rich girl, and a rich girl in a YA novel is usually stuck-up or at the very least dramatic. I can enjoy those portrayals, but they can easily veer into stereotypical territory that comes across as inhuman and stupid. Jennet isn’t one of those rich girls. She’s surprisingly understanding and humble, and she doesn’t feel like she has the propensity that I often believe people of wealth to have.

Jennet’s kindness is a nice aspect on its own, but her love of gaming adds something unique to her character.  People don’t expect her to love it. Frankly, I didn’t expect her to love it. People rarely acknowledge the female gamer in the gaming world, and Jennet is not the stereotypical female gamer, either.  (The stereotypical gamer girl is often assumed to be a tomboy and socially awkward).   This with her kindness makes for a surprisingly versatile and savvy character that attracts our attention – mostly because both aspects grow as the novel progresses.  She steadily becomes more and more understanding of Tam Linn’s situation, showing that her kindness is an inner trait that she improves upon in the story, and she uses her gaming abilities to show the reader that she has the ability to defend herself and be a strong female.    The set-up of the story does involve her needing to turn to a “knight in shining armor” type character, and the gaming expertise allows her to avoid becoming a female character who depends upon the male love interest for everything.

Tam Linn, the resident love interest and hero of Feyland, was also a surprisingly endearing character, though he’s not as uncommon as Jennet. Tam Linn isn’t an amazingly sexy character, and all of his angst and brooding comes from understandably awful living conditions. Tam Linn is just as aloof as Jennet is forward, and he provides a nice contrast to her. Tam Linn is in many ways a beta to Jennet, yet his gaming skills allow him to step up and protect her as a hero would. Tam Linn also has the added effect of being very sympathetic, as he shows a lot of tenderness once his outer shell chips away, and the scenes that show him with his family are very sweet.

The characters’ depth only goes so far, however.  Feyland sets up each character with a strong character arc, but the arc is small.  Plot takes precedence over character, and the focus only gets stronger as the novel goes on.  The slower pace allowed the romance to develop at a respectable pace and avoid insta-love, yet the characters never get the time to show the reader exactly why the romance develops.

Tam Linn’s life is also filled with a lot of backstory centered around his home life. His mother rarely takes her medication and is often never around, and Tam Linn is thus left to parent his baby brother. The emotional depth and complexity behind this isn’t explored to its fullest extent, and  a more introspective look would have made Tam Linn more complex as a character.

Feyland’s plot engrosses the reader easily.  Many readers will be attracted to the story as a retelling of Tam Linn, which isn’t often retold to the YA audience.   The story’s placement of that retelling in a near future with virtual-reality gaming makes the retelling seem fresh.  The concept of a realistic virtual-reality game is one that seems more and more plausible with today’s advancing technology.   The game itself feels well-constructed, and the action scenes pertaining to it are fabulous. It is quite easy to tell that the author has ample experience gaming and knows how to write about it in a way that is entertaining. That kind  pacing makes Feyland a treat to read. It doesn’t garner the atrocious page count that some self-published YA books seem to have , and if anything the book could have been expanded in some portions. A sequel appears to be in the works, but the story functioned as its own entity, and that was excellent.

Plot-movement isn’t everything, however, and in some places the world building fell short. The real world in Feyland seems to be something in the near-future in our present world. Mentions of devices like grav-cars are made, but those devices are never really described or reasoned out beyond the mentioning. That kind of world building feels sloppy, and mentioning that type of thing without an explanation just leaves holes within the reader’s vision of the world. Other elements such as the structure of the actual game of Feyland and the slum area (known as the Exe) in the real world fell underdeveloped. There wasn’t a clear, concise idea as to how they functioned, worked, and related to the whole novel. They worked for the plot, but the connections between them weren’t finely tuned enough to feel complete.

As an avid gamer, there’s a lot to like in Feyland: The Dark Realm. The writing is solid and contains a minimal amount of errors, and the characters and story aren’t the usual romance-centric reading. If anything, the story goes by too quickly and misses some things that would have given it a layer of depth. Feyland: The Dark Realm is still a solid and fun addition to the YA world, and it could easily sit on the shelves with books published by traditional publishers. I’m definitely on board for more.

B-

All the best,

John
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Months later, after participating in a DA community vote involving a DA blogger bundle and category romances, Jane contacted me in regards to being a reviewer for DA.  It was a thrill for me as a blogger who had just been starting to try and make his mark in the young-adult blogosphere.  Romance had become a second love; a second passion that my reading showed.  DA was a place for me to let out the romance reader.

Since then, I’ve had a wonderful experience reviewing for DA.  I’ve gotten to share opinions on some romances – sometimes to little fanfare, other times to an excessive amount that took me by surprise – and opinions on young adult novels.  Young adult reviewing was a better choice at the time due to my age, and DA readers were extremely supportive of that shift.  I’ve since shared some books that I’ve loved and some that I’ve loathed – and some that just fell smack-dab in between.

Life moves on.  It’s been over two years since I’ve started reviewing for Dear Author, and every minute has been fabulous – but things change.  Dear Author is primarily a romance-focused community, and my contributions have mainly involved a genre that isn’t a major crossover for romance readers.  School has become a maddening affair as well, and this year alone has been more along the lines of self-discovery than exemplary scholarship.  Sure, I’ve had great luck with SAT scores and self-improvement, but people do not lie when they say that the junior year of one’s high school career is the hardest.

Because of all of this, Jane and I mutually agreed that it was time for me to bid a fond farewell to DA as a reviewer.  I’ll always be a reader – how could I not be? – but it seems time to move on a bit and explore other things.  I’ll still be exploring my voice as a reviewer outside of the young-adult genre, but it may be suited to other venues that are more in need of a struggling new reader’s perspectives.  On top of that, there is a want to focus on applying for scholarships, getting a job to prepare for college, and finding time to do other things such as creative writing.

DA has taught me so much.  I’m not the common romance reader – gay, teenage, male – but the community has welcomed me with open arms.  I have made so many friends from this experience and have learned from them every day.  My writing has gotten stronger.  I’ve become a better person.  There’s just nothing that can top that kind of experience.

I’ll miss this all so much, but I can’t wait for what the future beholds as well.  There’s the promise of college; another still of writing and become a part of the publishing world.  Using all of this experience, I hope to become an author and an editor someday.  It’s been a dream for as long as I can remember, and I hope that someday I can give back to the community and share my voice.  The future is scary but exciting.

I have to thank everyone for all that this has given me.  The DA crew – Jane and all of the other fabulous reviewers -for taking me in, becoming my teachers and mentors, showing me the ropes, and giving me the chance to share my voice with new readers.  The authors, romance and non, for providing me with stories that I can get lost in and learn from as a wannabee writer.  And, most of all, the readers of DA.  You all have given me a chance to show my voice in a new light.  You are vastly different from the young adult blogging community, and that’s not a bad thing.  Getting to know you and how supportive you are has been an immense pleasure.  I look forward to continuing my role as a romance reader and participant in the community, and I hope that, someday in the future, I can share my voice with you in entirely new ways.  This has been amazing.  I’m eternally thankful for all that it’s given me.

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“Katrina, you worthless piece of fucking white-trash bitch.”

The door opened with an echoing bang. The man walking in was as ominous as the black clothes he wore. Tall, dark and extremely handsome, he brought with him an air of fear laced with danger. Anger and rage preceded his words spoken with a sharp piercing accent on his displeasure. Throwing the tabloid he gripped in his hand at the woman standing at the counter cutting vegetables, her wide, violet eyes betrayed her fear. Slender and statuesque, she raised her body to her full height. Long, dark, silky hair flowed over her shoulders, covering her breasts. Keeping her poise, she did not speak to the man’s insults.

Her right hand gripped the large kitchen knife as her left hand picked up her cell phone. Hitting “1” on her speed dial, she sent the call as she backed away from the man.

“So, I read in the rag paper that you have accepted a modeling assignment in Paris, after hearing it from a ‘friend’ that couldn’t wait to rub it in.” The very tone of his voice made her jerk with fear.

“Tomas…” She was still on the move to get as far away from him as she could. “…it just happened this afternoon. I was preparing a fine meal for us to celebrate.” Waving the knife towards the chopped food.

Her first instinct to come home, pack and escape was now looking like the better choice.

Her back hit the wall as he reduced the space between them. With one swift move he backhanded her. The knife and the cell phone flew from her hands as she slid down the wall to the soft white carpet.

The explosion in her head put flashes of light in front of her eyes. The cell phone was within in her reach, the knife was not. Snaking her hand out she tucked the cell phone next to her, careful not to hang up.

Tomas picked up the knife and slammed it on the counter. “I hope I have made my point. Now call that vamp agent of yours and tell her the deal is off. Now.” His command was like another slap across her face.

Lifting herself up slowly, the sting of his abuse still radiating on her skin. “But it’s my job, it’s what I do.” Standing wobbly against the wall trying to clear her head of the pain. “It’s a rich paying job.” Her hand with the phone hung at the side she turned towards the wall.

His sinister laugh told her it was the wrong thing to say. “You have a job. Pleasing me. And you don’t need money. I meet your needs.”

His advancement towards her again made her move away from the wall. “Okay, I’ll call Stella.” She turned towards the bedroom, walking unsteadily.

In the room her bags were packed and ready to go. With the caller still on the phone, she picked up her bag and purse. She had to escape. To get away from this madness.

Wheeling her suitcase behind her, she shook her head again to clear it and went out to face Tomas.

Still behind the counter, his eyes flashed with a more intense fury as he watched her come out of the bedroom with her luggage.
“I see you are not taking me seriously. Do I need to make my point clearer?”

Karina stopped, raised her head and squared her shoulders. “No, you made yourself perfectly clear. I am leaving. You and this toxic relationship. Good bye Tomas.”

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