Today we are happy to welcome to BLI debut author Cassi Carver, whose steamy urban fantasy/PNR novel Slayer’s Kiss hits the virtual shelves today! Slayer’s Kiss is the first in a new original series and besides the feisty kickass heroine and the nail biting action it has more than enough eyecandy, primarily due to the two gorgeous heroes! So please give a warm welcome to Cassi and join us spending this year’s Valentine’s day in the best company: your own favourite fictional heroes! 😀

Spend Valentine’s Day With Your Hottest Heroes

by Cassi Carver

I’m so excited to spend my Valentine’s Day with fellow readers here at Book Lovers Inc.! Today, my spicy urban fantasy, Slayer’s Kiss, officially releases! Having my release fall on Valentine’s Day has got me thinking about heroes—masculine, swoon-worthy, hotter-than-molten-lava heroes. You see, Slayer’s Kiss has not just one, but two men vying for the love of the heroine, Kara Reed.

I’ve heard some authors talk about writing solely for themselves, but for me, my greatest joy so far has been sharing my story with others and getting those early reviews back. Hearing my characters discussed as though they are real people is probably the greatest honor I could receive. One thing that has been fun is people’s different reactions to Kara’s two suitors, Gavin and Julian.

Some love Gavin. He’s the self-less leader of the clan. He cares for Kara, but puts his feelings second to his duties. Some love Julian. He’s passionate and won’t let a little thing like clan law get in the way of his love for Kara. Both men have noble attributes and short-comings, but from what I’ve seen so far, readers are identifying more strongly with one or the other and sticking to their guns.

Because their preferred hero is different in every case, it’s caused me to think deeply on heroes in general and what we look for in the men who burn up the pages of our books. Do you prefer the brooding, responsible duke who needs the love of a good woman to bring him out of his shell? Or do you prefer the rake—the uninhibited man who pursues pleasure at any cost? What about the wounded warrior who needs to be set free or the intellectual who needs to experience a life lived with passion? There’s no right or wrong answer, but who we identify with may say something about what we look for and admire in a man. What about you? What makes a hero jump from the page and capture your heart?

On this special Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d share with you some of my all-time favorite heroes from romance and urban fantasy, and I’d like to hear yours, too! If you would like to be entered to win one of three digital copies of Slayer’s Kiss, simply comment and tell us who your ideal fictional Valentine’s date would be…

Here are a few of mine: (In no particular order. I can’t play favorites with my book boyfriends!)

– Eric from Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series

– Bones from Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series

– Flynn from Cara McKenna’s Willing Victim

– Layne from Adrian Phoenix’s Hoodoo series

– Dimitri from Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series

– Gabriel from Christine Cody’s Bloodlands series

– Gavin and Julian from Cassi Carver’s Shadow Slayers series (Can’t leave out my two favorite boys!)

Okay, I’d better stop there! Given the awesome books I’ve read, I could go on and on…

So who would your ideal Valentine’s date be if you were between the pages of a steamy read?

Cassi lives in sunny Southern California with two dogs, four kids, and a hubby who gives great massages. She goes to the Gaslamp for research (okay, happy hour) as often as possible. She has never saved the world, but she keeps sexy boots on hand just in case the opportunity arises.

Where to find Cassi:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Slayer’s Kiss

The Shadow Slayers, Book 1

Kara Reed is a supernatural failure. But where her magic falls short, her fists get the job done. The criminal element doesn’t stand a chance once she hits San Diego’s dark streets.

When two smoking-hot tenants move in next door, she thinks her love life might finally be heating up. Just being near Gavin and Julian is enough to make her want to offer her body on a platter.

Gavin and Julian know it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out. They’re fallen angels sent to watch over the king’s daughter, one of the last females of her kind. Trouble is, she doesn’t seem to think she needs watching—unless they’re watching her shimmy out of her clothes.

No matter how tempting her guardians, Kara’s not about to let anything stop her from tracking down a sadistic killer who carves into his victims and leaves them for dead. Even when she realizes her target may be the very scourge of heaven from which her angels swore to protect her…

Buy it at Amazon – Samhain – Barnes and Noble

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~*~*Giveaway*~*~

Cassi has generously offered an ebook copy of Slayer’s Kiss to THREE lucky commenters!

All you have to do is leave a comment answering Cassi’s question: who would your ideal Valentine’s date be if you were between the pages of a steamy read?
(You can read our full giveaway policy here)

Please be sure to include a valid email address in the comment form (need not be in the actual body of the comment).

This giveaway is open to all!

Giveaway ends on Saturday, February 25th, 2012; we will announce the winner on Sunday.

Good luck!

About Stella

Stella is a proud bookaholic and a self-taught multilinguist in training. Besides reading, her other great passions are travelling and baking. When she is not globetrotting she lives in sunny Budapest, where she loves to spend her free time preparing (and feasting on) delicious cookies or devouring equally yummy books. Her favourite genres are urban fantasy and romance and she couldn't live without her daily dose of sunshine. Besides being the Latin Lover on BLI Stella also blogs about books and a bookish life on Ex Libris.

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