Jackie Barbosa, Can’t Take The Heat [A]

Delaney looked at Wes, the expression on her face unfamiliar, but instantly recognizable.

Helplessness.

That look shredded his heart, because if there was one thing Delaney Monroe had never been, it was helpless. He’d never known anyone more capable of taking care of herself. Being strapped to all these machines, unsure of how she’d come to be here or what was happening, had to be the worst kind of hell imaginable for someone so determinedly self-sufficient.

What I like about this excerpt is the respect shown by the hero for the character of his heroine.

Memorial fund for Jackie’s sixteen year old son:  http://theseasonforromance.com/wordpress/2014/03/julian-fraire-memorial-fund-author-jackie-barbosas-son-2/

Jackie Barbosa’s Website: http://www.jackiebarbosa.com/

Lisa Kessler, Hunter’s Moon [A]

Pain burst through my gut, setting my entire side on fire. Dammit! The slimy little bastard had stabbed me.

I pressed him against the wall, forcing myself not to loosen my grip. Fear crept back into his eyes when I didn’t let him go. I held him up with one arm and pulled his knife out of my side with the other.

His eyes opened wide. “What the hell are you?”

Using both hands I threw him across the alley, his skull crunching against the bricks. He hit the ground like a rag doll while I clutched the new hole in my side.

“I’m a wolf, asshole.”

What I love. A character with attitude.

Using first person, Kessler gets us deep into her nasty Werewolf character. We may not like this hero, at first, but we can’t look away. Such are train-wreck events. Like Jamie Dornan (the new Christian Grey) in The Fall. He’s mucho creepy but we can’t get enough of him.

Lisa Kessler’s website: http://www.authorlisakessler.com/

Cassie Mae, How To Date A Nerd [YA]

Rules of keeping your popular rep:

. . . And number five, never ever reveal you collect Star Wars memorabilia, you know every line to Lord of the Rings, and you actually know the birthdates of all the Harry Potter cast members.

Yeah. I’m a total closeted nerd.

I’m not cool with pity glares in the hallways, painful jabs, and social scars. No thanks. It’s much easier to keep my true nature hidden beneath layers of eyeliner, skimpy outfits, and even I must admit to myself, a rockin’ body.

Pretty obvious, the voice of our character. The nerdish long sentences punctuated with short phrases, as if she’s speaking right to the reader. Clusters of hurtful reasoning—the logic behind her angst at not fitting in as herself.

Cassie Mae’s Website: http://readingwritingandlovinit.blogspot.com/