Author: Liza

Writer of romantic fiction and all-around awesome person!

5 Hockey Romances You Don’t Want to Miss

On By LizaIn book review, reading, romanceLeave a comment

So, I write paranormal romance, right? And I looooove to read it. But every now and then I get an itch to read a sports romance, and hockey is my go-to sport. I know absolutely nothing about it, and that doesn’t seem to matter!

Here are five books that I loved!

The Score, by Elle Kennedy

This one is third in a series, and every book in the series is super super great. In order, they are The Deal, The Mistake, The Score, and The Goal. I can’t recommend them strongly enough! The Score, however, had a hilarious scene that I have read multiple times because I laugh out loud over it. Even thinking about it now, I break into a grin. This book also made me cry, and I don’t often cry at books, so…good work, Ms. Kennedy.

The Year We Fell Down, by Sarina Bowen

You know how I said I don’t usually cry over books? Well, this is another exception! The heroine in this book was in a terrible accident and now uses a wheelchair. Her journey, along with the hero, was really touching. Go read this one. Like, drop everything and do it now.

Dominic, by Kat Mizera

Sometimes I want some good ol’ suspense in my romances. This one wasn’t a new adult book like the other two, but the suspense in the story line kept me going. Also, there’s an age difference where the heroine is older than the hero (yaaass!) and a bit of a Cinderella, make-over vibe, which is one of my guilty pleasures.

Hard Hitter, by Sarina Bowen

Yeah, I know Sarina Bowen has another book listed above, and I thought of leaving this one off the list, but…I can’t. This was such a great hockey romance. Steamy, funny, touching, with an element of healing because the heroine is a massage therapist. Also a suspenseful element, which I’m almost always a fan of!

Hot as Puck, by Lili Valente

This one I read just a few weeks ago. What I liked about it was that it was a super sexy friends-to-lovers story and just aaahhhhh. So enjoyable. Most of the conflict here is internal, so expect quite a bit of angst. If angst isn’t your thing, well, the super sexy sexytimes will more than make up for it.

Stuff I Love: Bombas Socks

On By LizaIn author life, stuff I loveLeave a comment

As an author, I do quite a lot of sitting at home. And while I sit, my feet get cold–sometimes even when it’s hot outside!

bombas socks

An author friend of mine gave me these socks, and it was love as soon as I put them on. The ones she gave me are thick and they fit perfectly. They’re soft, they’re comfy, and I don’t have to worry about cold feet while I’m trying to revise sexytimes scenes in my paranormal romance novels.

The other really cool thing about this company is that for every pair of socks purchased, they give a pair away. From the outset, they wanted to give socks to the homeless. I love the giving nature of this company. To read more about them and view the video on their story, you can visit their site!

(Nope, Bombas has no idea I’m writing this post, I’m not getting paid to advertise for them or anything like that.)

Shifter PNR Authors’ Fave Summer Reads

On By LizaIn paranormal romance, reading, romance, shapeshifter romance2 Comments

Fave Summer Reads

At the start of the season, summer reading lists were posted all over the place. Maybe it’s time for some follow-up now that we’re reaching summer’s end! I reached out to a few of my fellow authors of shapeshifter romance to ask them each for one favorite book.

Kara Lockharte

Kara read Billionaire’s Wake Up Call Girl by Annika Martin. She says, “This was super fun, sexy and and hot. I am a sucker for good banter, enemies-to-lovers, AND secret identities. This had ALL my trope buttons in a well-written package.” (Liza’s note: I went to check the book out on Amazon. Just to peek. I read the description, then I started the “look inside.” And I triple-dog-dare you to do the same and NOT one-click this book. I’m absolutely hooked.)

Kara’s most recent shifter book is Betrothed to the Dragon.

Ophelia Bell

Ophelia’s favorite shifter book this summer is Their Royal Compromise by Godiva Glenn. She beta read it and loved it. She says, “Godiva matches up a curvaceous Fianni (the fae aspect of harmony) with three super hot dragon shifters. The story has a wonderful balance of heat, emotion, tension, and well-crafted characterization that made me fall in love with every single character. Also dragons.”

Ophelia’s most recent shifter book is The Way to a Bear’s Heart.

C.E. Black

C.E.’s favorite summer read was Night Shift Witch by Cate Lawley. C.E. adds, “Cate is a new to me author and I found her story, Night Shift Witch, to be delightful and hilarious. It really was the best combination of paranormal and mystery.”
C.E.’s most recent title is Makeshift Mate.

McKenna Dean

McKenna read Rosanna Leo’s Predator’s Kiss. She writes, “I loved the idea of a shifter resort run by tough-guy Ryland Snow. The interaction between him and his bad-boy brother was fantastic, but when a reclusive erotic romance author stumbles upon the shifter hideaway, all hell breaks loose! A really fun read!”
Her most recent shifter book is Ghost of a Chance.

Keira Blackwood

Keira’s fave summer read was You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day. Keira says, “A memoir of an anxious and ambitious nerd girl, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is entertaining, raw, and relatable, while also inspiring.”
Keira’s most recent shifter title is Can’t Prove Shift.

Liza Street

Well, it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t answer my own question! My favorite read this summer was Lili Valente’s contemporary sports romance, Hot as Puck. I love me a good hockey romance, and this one did not disappoint. It had banter and feels–the best combination in a romance, and in some places it was laugh-out-loud funny!

6 Shifter Heroines I Love

On By LizaIn book review, Corona Pride, Dark Pines Pride, reading, shapeshifter romance5 Comments

paranormal shapeshifter romance heroines

Shifters in Love

Usually (but not always–see my book Savage Bliss), a shapeshifter romance novel features a hero who can turn into an animal. It’s very often the case. More variable is the heroine’s powers. Often, she’s human, so here’s a post to celebrate the leading ladies who can turn furry.

Badass Shapeshifter Heroines

Here they are, in no particular order–

Patricia Briggs’s Moon Called

As a coyote shapeshifter, Mercy Thompson has had to be cunning to survive. She’s strong, she’s smart, and she can carry a tune. She also does things like leave a junker car in her yard just to annoy her domineering (and sexy-as-hell) neighbor, Adam.

T. S. Joyce’s Axman Werebear

Dragon shifter Diem Daye is quiet, obedient, and yet immensely strong. Her arranged marriage is pretty much the worst news ever and for the first time, she’s fighting against her father’s wishes. Her interactions with Bruiser, a grizzly shifter, melted my heart.

Tori Knightwood’s Savanna Dance

Inira Makeri is a giraffe shifter, and that alone has me bouncing in my seat & clapping my hands. How freaking cool is this? She’s wild at heart despite the fact that her family’s expectations have always weighed on her. I loved watching her blossom over the course of this book.

Kelley Armstrong’s Bitten

Elena Michaels was turned into a werewolf in a way that still pisses me off, but there’s no denying she is wears her fur in style. This lady is so smart and capable, she almost makes me want to get off the couch and do a couple laps around the track (almost).

Keira Blackwood’s Pierced

Hannah Lewis is not only balancing her experiences as a wolf shifter with managing college–and living in the dorms! She’s also an amazing friend who will stop at nothing to ensure her friends are safe. I would count myself super lucky to have a buddy as loyal as Hannah.

Ophelia Bell’s Dragon Equinox

Numa’s so strong, she has to search among the elite in order to find a partner who is powerful enough to not only mate her, but help her save the freakin’ world. This is one bad-ass dragon.

Some Shapeshifting Ladies in My Books

There are quite a few shifter heroines in my own books. Two of my favorites are book blogger Nina Vidal in Savage Heartache, and potty-mouthed Hayley Jaynes in Wild Atonement. In fact, Nina has her own blog, and I’ve already written about Hayley, here.

Paranormal Romance Tropes

While I always adore reading the shifter books with the alpha shifter male and the human woman who is shocked and surprised by not only the existence of shifters but the fact that her beloved is one of them, I also like these romances that explore the shifter dynamic in other ways. Have you read any of these ones, or do you have other favorites? I’d love to hear about them!