Reviewed by Mayra David

4 Stars

There have been women throughout history who have been celebrated as much as they have been reviled. Some have been queens, some revolutionaries, some even saints. And many have been courtesans. The year is 1815. London’s rich and aristocratic men have been in an aroused state since the arrival of Ria, an incredibly sensual but elusive woman; a prize courtesan.

Justin Talbot, Earl of Baybary, returns to London after a prolonged absence. His brother and friends welcome him excitedly with news of the arrival of Ria. So far no one has been able to gain her as a mistress and they wager money on who will finally win her. Powerful, and not without a reputation for his prowess with women, Justin confidently declares that he will succeed with Ria where others have failed. Then he sees Ria. Suddenly he’s not so sure he can win the bet…but he is sure he does not want anybody else to win either. After all, she is already his wife.

It’s true, Victoria is not the same woman Justin married three years ago. She is a stronger person than the one he left. Perhaps that has to do with her over coming grief, or finding good friends, or the sly “lessons” one of her friends has been sending her from London in the mail. But stronger person or not, Victoria finds she can barely breathe in the presence of the husband she hasn’t seen for three years. As fate would have it, they now find each other in London, in the same circle, and much for the same purpose. They are almost strangers, but if Justin can help it, it won’t stay like that for very long!

Lessons from a Courtesan is the latest by Jenna Petersen. It’s a regency romance, but maybe it should also be considered a text book! Sizzling hot and steamy at the same time, each chapter offers a lesson on love and seduction. Each lesson is demonstrated cleverly as the plot - rich and exciting - unfolds. And although the “demonstrations” are so sexy and well written that you might lose your head, in this case, letting your imagination run wild means you have been paying good attention in class!

Reviewed by PJ Ausdenmore

5 stars A Recommend Read

About this time last year I received a copy of Scent of Darkness, the first book in Christina Dodd’s paranormal Darkness Chosen series. Not having read many paranormal romances at the time I wasn’t sure what to expect but being a fan of Dodd’s historical and contemporary books I was willing to give her new book a try. It didn’t take long for me to become completely immersed in a world of shape shifters, hidden icons, evil mercenaries and thousand year old curses.

One thousand years ago, Konstantine Varinski made a deal with the devil. Satan gifted the savage warrior and his male descendants with the ability to shape shift into predators but, in return, takes possession of their souls. In a thousand years, only one Varinski descendant has ever renounced his evil legacy and he did so for love. Now known as Konstantine Wilder, he escaped from Russia and has been living quietly with his gypsy wife and their children, growing grapes in Washington State and teaching his sons how to control their shape shifting legacy and lead good lives. But now, at long last, the evil has found them and, according to their mother’s vision, the Wilder sons are the only hope of breaking the ancient curse. They must each find the woman they are destined to love, the woman who will be in possession of one of four sacred icons that were scattered to the four corners of the earth by the devil. If all four icons are found and reunited in time the curse will be broken, their beloved, ailing father’s soul will be saved and he will not be cast into hell for eternity. If not found, all is lost, their father will die and the curse will continue for another thousand years. Two icons have been recovered but the evil Varinski cousins are closing in, Konstantine draws nearer to death and time is running out.

Into the Shadow is the third book in the Darkness Chosen series and tells the story of Adrik and Karen. Adrik is the third Wilder son and has been lost to his family for the past 15 years. He has turned away from his mother’s love and his father’s teachings and has fully embraced the darkness that is his Varinski heritage. He is a savage mercenary known as Warlord who controls an area deep in the Himalayas. A sexual creature who takes his pleasure when and where he wants, he is also a warrior who kills without mercy, both as a man and as a sleek, deadly, black panther. I found myself repelled and fascinated by him in equal measure and, to be honest, halfway into the story I still had no idea how Dodd was going to turn him into a hero worthy of Karen’s love. The only child of a rich but ruthless man, Karen has spent her life trying to win her father’s love or, at the very least, his respect. She has studied relentlessly, honed her skills, overcome her fears and now leads a building project in the Himalayas for her father’s company. The project progresses smoothly until the day the site excavation reveals the body of a young child who was brutally sacrificed hundreds of years ago, a child who when touched by Karen’s gentle hand, opens her eyes, stares directly at Karen with eyes the exact color of her own then crumbles to dust leaving behind a precious icon. The local workers flee in terror; the mountain shudders, the ground shakes. As the mountain begins to explode around her, Karen runs for her life, certain she’s about to die, only to be rescued at the last minute by a mysterious man dressed all in black, riding a huge black motorcycle – a man she has seen standing motionless on the cliff, watching her. As they race away from the impending devastation she gives thanks for this stranger who has snatched her from the jaws of hell. How could she know? Her hell has just begun.

This book is darker than the first two in the series, and my favorite so far. Warlord is a man consumed by the darkness, without conscience or remorse, and his actions toward Karen, especially his sexual actions, reflect that. Karen, though, is no victim as she proves time and time again. The action is non-stop, the sex is primal, the race for survival compelling in its intensity and redemption, when it finally arrives, all the sweeter for having survived hell to attain it. Dodd has written an emotionally powerful story that will rip your heart to shreds then bind it back together stronger than before. Such is the power of redemption. Such is the power of love.

The books in the Darkness Chosen series build upon one another. If you have not read the first two books in this series, I strongly recommend you read them, in order, before reading Into the Shadow.

Let’s welcome today’s guest blogger Gena Showalter. Gena’s a New York Times bestselling author and writes paranormal, contemporary, young adult and urban fantasy novels. You might know Gena’s Lords of the Underworld series. Her voice is fresh and her ‘worlds’ are dark and inventive. Check out an excerpt of her new release The Darkest Pleasure which releases tomorrow.

Someone once told me there are no new ideas, only twists on old ideas. Maybe that’s why I so enjoy taking something from mythology and making it my own. In Greek mythology, Prometheus is chained to a rock where his liver is eaten every day by a vulture, only to regenerate – to be eaten again. In my book The Darkest Night, the hero Maddox is killed every night only to awaken the next morning knowing he has to die again. I took the idea of something fatal being done to a man over and over again and twisted it so that only the core idea was similar.

In The Darkest Kiss, I took the idea of the Grim Reaper – a being that escorts souls to the hereafter — and gave him a history, making him into an immortal warrior possessed by the demon of Death. A demon once locked inside Pandora’s box. Of course, that meant I had to rewrite the myth of Pandora’s box, something I did with great pleasure. Rather than paint Pandora as a curious female, I made her into a female warrior meant to guard the box and it was only the betrayal of fellow warriors that led to the box’s opening, releasing the vilest of demons and the eventual possession of the very guards who opened the box.

Some of those demons include Violence, Pain, Misery, Lies, Defeat, Secrets (and many more) The third book in the series, The Darkest Pleasure, features Reyes, the keeper of Pain. He cannot experience pleasure without intense pain.

Why the pain with the pleasure? The immortal warriors who opened the box became the unwilling hosts for the demons and these demons became a second voice inside their heads, presence known, urges declared, weaknesses now shared. One cannot exist fully anymore without the other. They are two halves of a whole, bonded eternally. But there’s an enemy out there, someone who wants to find Pandora’s box and draw the demons back inside, killing the Lords. While the Lords once hated their demons they are now dependant on them for survival, locked in a mad race to find the box first and destroy it before it can be used against them.

I hope you’ll join me on my journey through the Underworld, where the stakes are getting higher, the enemy stronger, and the passion hotter.

New York Times best selling author Lorraine Heath has been an auto-buy author for me since her Rogues in Texas Series. So I’m very excited to have her with us today on Romance Novel TV.

Today Lorraine is graciously offering a complimentary copy of one of her Avon books, winner’s choice, to one lucky poster. If the winner has all of her books, she can opt to have Lorraine send her a copy of Between the Devil and Desire as soon as it’s available in late December. She’ll also include a complimentary copy of her latest teen novel, Labor of Love, which is written under her Rachel Hawthorne pen name.

Stepping Out of Comfort Zones

Hello! I’m thrilled to be here at romancenovel.tv this morning. You’re such a lovely group and so supportive of romance.

I’m also thrilled to have an opportunity to talk about my scoundrels. They came to me in a dream, these dirty little scamps running around the London streets. One of them said, “We’ve got nufin’.” And another replied, “We’ve got each ov’r.” And at that moment they won my heart. I woke up, went to my office, and wrote what I called “An introduction to Lucian Langdon,” “An introduction to Jack Dodger” and “Final musings from Lucian Langdon.” I saw these two characters so clearly. And I saw Frannie Darling, the one who would tie all the scoundrels of St. James together. My editor had concerns that if I opened the book in first person, readers would think it was all written in first person and put it back down so I changed the introductions to journal entries although they are a bit broader and more omniscient than a journal entry might truly be.

As I began researching what life was like for Victorian children, I realized that if I stepped out of my comfort zone of the 1880’s and went back to the early 1850’s that I would be tapping into a time that provided a broader canvas on which to paint a story. Andrea mentioned in her lovely review that this was a grittier book than I usually write, but it really appealed to me as a writer. And once I discovered Jeannie Duckworth’s nonfiction work, Fagin’s Children, I realized my characters had the potential to work on several levels and could provide some fun for those who are fans of Oliver Twist.

What amazed me as I researched was how children were treated like adults when it came to crime and punishment. Any child, crime, and punishment mentioned in In Bed With the Devil was based on documentation. An 8-year-old girl was sent to prison for stealing gumdrops. A 14-year-old boy was transported to New Zealand for picking a pocket. My characters grew up in this world and they each try in their own small way to right what they consider injustice.

And, of course, as usually happens when I write I discover characters I didn’t realize existed, and in this case, more scoundrels popped up. James Swindler whose past led him to work at Scotland Yard and William Graves who became interested in medicine after selling cadavers to hospitals. The scoundrels all had the opportunity to be shaped by such interesting circumstances.

I’m very excited that readers won’t have to wait long for the next scoundrel. Between the Devil and Desire will be released December 30. It’s Jack Dodger’s story. I have to admit to having a soft spot for Jack. Of all the scoundrels, his life was the harshest and it takes a very special lady to break down the walls and re-open his heart.

I confess to being much more adventuresome when it comes to my writing than in real life. Outside of my office, I tend to stay in my comfort zones. Makes me a tad predictable. Anytime we go to a new restaurant, my husband can look the menu over and know exactly what I’ll order. Are you an adventurer or do you prefer to stay snuggled in your comfort zones?

Thanks so much for inviting me to blog with you today.

Fondly,

Lorraine

You might think we have three Guest Authors today – but no, in fact we only have one author visiting with us today. She writes under three different names and writes three different romantic sub-genres. So if you’re in the mood for romantic suspense or romantic comedy or erotic romance you might want to try Jennifer Skully, JB Skully or Jasmine Haynes.

Today, let’s welcome Jasmine Haynes to Romance Novel TV.

Thanks so much for having me as your guest.

I’ve got Show and Tell coming out from Berkley Sensation tomorrow! I’m so excited. Show and Tell is the second in a trilogy that began with The Fortune Hunter, which won the Holt Medallion for erotic romance.

People often ask me how I get my ideas. I think most writers hear that question. And the answer is, they come from absolutely everywhere. I’m never bored standing in line at the grocery store or waiting in the dentist’s office because I watch and listen. I once got a full-blown character just by sitting in the waiting room at the optometrist and watching a mother and teenage daughter try on glasses. I might not use what I observed right then, but I’ll always go home and write it into my “ideas” file. There it percolates. Then one day, boom, I know how I’m going to use it. This is exactly what happened with Show and Tell, Trinity Green’s story. We meet her in The Fortune Hunter, then we learn all about her trials and tribulations in Show and Tell.

When I finished The Fortune Hunter, I really had no clue what was going to happen to Trinity after about page 5 of Show and Tell. That’s when my little percolation file of ideas worked for me once again. A friend told me about a small incident that occurred while he was on a business trip. At the end of a long day, he arrived at his hotel, checked in, and was on the way to his room. As he was passing a closed door, he heard noises. A woman. She was obviously feeling pretty darn good at that particular moment, and very expressive about it, too. When he told me about this, he said it was kinda funny, because he couldn’t hear the man at all. My answer, maybe she was by herself. He laughed–that hadn’t even occurred to him–and told me I should use it in a book sometime. And it was perfect for Show and Tell. That’s how Trinity met her hero, Scott Sinclair. Naughty, naughty Trinity. You can read an excerpt this month on Romance Novel TV.

Fair Play, the third book in the trilogy arrives sometime in April 2009. I also have anthology coming out in December 2008, Unlaced, with stories by three other great writers, Jaci Burton, Joey Hill, and Denise Rossetti. In addition to Jasmine Haynes, many of you know me as Jennifer Skully, writing over-the-top (hopefully hilarious) romantic mysteries, and as JB Skully, I’ve created the Max Starr psychic mystery series. Readers can learn more about all my pseudonyms at http://www.skullybuzz.com. They can also watch two movie trailers on MySpace .

And don’t miss my contest with lots of free books and lots of winners, going on now at http://www.skullybuzz.com/contest.html

And just remember, when you’re at the grocery store or the doctor’s office, there might be a writer there observing you!

“What interesting little tidbit have you observed or overheard recently? I’d love to hear. I might even ask to use it in a book!”

Reviewed by Maria Lokken

5 out of 5 stars

Harriet the Duchess of Berrow is in need of a change, an escape from the ton, from the sympathetic faces of those that look upon her as the poor widow. She wants desperately to get away from what her life has become since the death of her husband. She decides to go for an extended holiday with her friends Isidore and the Duke of Villiers to the estate of Lord Strange.

The infamous Lord Strange doesn’t socialize with the ton, in fact, his home is known for it’s wild parties filled with actors, actresses and politicians – about as far away from an evening with the ton as one can get. While Harriet yearns for a new experience, she isn’t willing to throw away her good name, which is why she arrives at the Strange estate in breeches pretending to be the young Harry - an over protected mama’s boy, who is woefully ignorant of the ways of wine, women and fun.

While Lord Strange, also a widow, has witnessed all sorts of people and risqué behavior at his home, he finds the emotions he’s developing toward the young Harry a bit odd. All the while, Harriet/Harry is finding herself more liberated being a man, unencumbered from the restrictions imposed on the women of her time.

I’m not usually one for charades. In fact, I don’t really like the whole character mix up thing. However, this is the exception to the rule. Ms. James has created a clever, clever well written romance. What could have been a farce, instead, delves deep into emotions, viewpoints, desires, and breaks the barriers on the ‘should’ and ‘should nots’ in ‘proper society’.

The author artfully describes Harriet in such a manner that you’re not altogether sure she is a ‘young’ widow. She had become dowdy and ready for eternal widowhood. As the book progresses we get a sense of who our heroine is as she too discovers what she’s capable of. It would have been easy for the author to have the heroine be the sole benefactor of ‘growth’. Instead Ms. James takes it one step further, allowing several characters to benefit from Harriet’s transformation, giving the book rich, emotional layers.

Duchess by Night is Ms. James at her best, with terrific story telling, and dialogue that is droll, witty and altogether a pleasure to read. I heartily recommend this book!

Reviewed by Andrea Williamson

4.75 stars

When I pick up a Lorraine Heath book, I know I’m in for a well written, emotionally satisfying story. In Bed With the Devil is exactly this . . . in spades! This is book one in Ms. Heath’s new Scoundrels of St. James series.

He is called the Devil Earl. Lucian Langdon, Earl of Claybourne, grew up differently than other members of the aristocracy–he was raised on the rough London streets. At the age of six, he was taken in by and became one of ‘Feagan’s lads’, a group of misfits trying to survive the best way they could. At fourteen, Luke was captured and accused of murder, but was spared the hangman’s noose by a gentleman who claimed that Luke was his long lost grandson and heir. Luke didn’t believe that he’s the rightful heir, but didn’t deny it and went along with the old gent. He isn’t comfortable with nor accepted into society and for those reasons he doesn’t attend social functions. That is until the night he attended a ball and saw Lady Catherine Mabry. While there, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her and was impressed that she boldly returned his gaze. Catherine was shocked, but intrigued . . . and is still intrigued five years later. It is Luke’s dangerous reputation combined with her need for help that prompts her to seek him out. She would do anything to protect those she loves–even make a deal with the devil.

I absolutely loved Luke. He is a tortured hero that I completely sympathized with. He has flaws, but it is those flaws and how he handles/reacts to them that makes him incredibly endearing. He struggles with inner demons because he believes he’s not the real earl, but says he is because he didn’t want to let down the man who saved his life–a man who truly believed Luke was the rightful earl and who took care of the rest of Feagan’s lads. Luke is fiercely loyal to his friends and vice versa. They depended upon each other for everything when they were children and are still there for each other as adults.

Catherine is a strong, willful heroine whom I admired very much. She is the sole caretaker of her ailing father, the Duke of Greystone, while her brother is off gallivanting around the continent. She is completely devoted to her friend, Winnie, Duchess of Avendale, who is abused by her husband. Her desire to help her friend and stop the abuse is what prompts her to visit Luke and beg for his help. She is fascinated by the wickedness associated with the Devil Earl, but after spending time with him soon discovers that he’s not what others perceive him to be. I like that Catherine challenges Luke at every turn and speaks her mind without being over the top.

In Bed With the Devil is a beautiful redemption story. It is darker and grittier than any of Ms. Heath’s previous books, but it needs to be to fit the feel of the story. I must say that I was captivated by the secondary characters–Winnie and the rest of Feagan’s lads–and wonder which of them will be featured in the next book in this series. This book is another keeper from Lorraine Heath that I highly recommend!

Reviewed by PJ Ausdenmore

4 Stars

His name is Locke - James Locke - and he’s an agent in Her Majesty’s service.

He has no family and his work is his life, leaving neither the time nor interest for relationships of any type.

Her name is Lusinda Havershaw and she’s Nevidimi, with the inherited ability to become invisible in moonlight. She’s devoted to her family and her exceptional, though unfortunately uncontrollable, skill is put to use reclaiming stolen objects for their owners to provide financial support for her aunt and two younger sisters.

In 1877 London, James is about to break into a safe in a suspected traitor’s home, to retrieve a list of British agents before the information can be handed over to the Russians, when his unbelieving eyes see a ruby necklace floating out of the safe and across the room. He follows and discovers Miss Lusinda Havershaw and her secret gift of becoming invisible in moonlight. By threatening to expose her and her family, he convinces a reluctant Lusinda to work with him to retrieve the stolen list of agents and uncover the Russian spy who has stolen them. As James and Lusinda are drawn deeper into intrigue they are also drawn to one another but both resist the attraction. James is fascinated by Lusinda but he guards his heart well and has vowed to never marry, knowing that anyone he cares for will be in danger of being captured and harmed by enemies of England. Lusinda has learned the hard way that secrets must never be shared with anyone outside the family and has been careful to not become close to anyone but fears her feelings for James may be turning to love. Eventually, at the end of a journey that is suspenseful, humorous and poignant, James and Lusinda both discover that trust is essential to true love and true love is worth any risk.

Donna MacMeans is quickly becoming one of my auto-buy authors. I thoroughly enjoy her voice and found the touch of paranormal she wove into this historical absolutely delightful!

Reviewed by Anna Campbell

Pamela Palmer was a Golden Heart finalist with me in 2006 and she’s great fun and a thoroughly good egg. So I really looked forward to reading the sexy paranormals she sold to Silhouette Nocturne.

Her first book in the Esri series, THE DARK GATE, was fantastic. Romantic, suspenseful and featuring one of the creepiest villains I’ve encountered in ages. I’ve just finished her second Esri book, DARK DECEIVER, and you know what? It’s even BETTER than THE DARK GATE. And that’s saying something!

I’m a sucker for stories where the hero is torn between the demands of honor and his love for the heroine. That duty/love conflict is such a powerful hook and it makes DARK DECEIVER a corker of a read.

In Esria, a parallel universe peopled by powerful faerie creatures, Kaderil the Dark is known as The Punisher. Because he has human blood, most of his compatriots despise him. He uses his great strength to instil the respect he yearns for, but he’s smart enough to recognize it’s a respect based purely on fear. He also hides a secret, that he has very little magic of his own. Oh, and need I mention he’s as sexy as all get-out?

The ambitious Esrian king sends a party of Esri, including Kaderil, into our world to find the Stones of Power which will give the Esri unlimited access to earth where, let’s say, their intentions are not benevolent! Kaderil soon encounters our heroine Autumn McGinn, who is already part of a group fighting against the Esri. With that meeting, everything he believes and every principle he’s always followed start to unravel. Love it!

Autumn is another of my favorite types of heroines (can you tell I enjoyed this book?). I love the Ugly Duckling plot. I love books where the hero sees beauty in a woman who’s never been considered beautiful by less perceptive people around her.

Autumn is over six feet tall and red-haired and freckled and a real klutz. But Kaderil, who’s seven feet tall himself, thinks she’s a goddess from the moment he meets her. Ah, love at first sight, don’t you just dig it? She’s clever and a bit of a geek – she works for the Smithsonian and she’s a research whiz. And she’s brave so she is spiritually a perfect match for Kaderil. He recognizes and admires that in her from the beginning.

Poor Kaderil’s sufferings will wrench your heart as he tries to come to terms with the fact that it’s his duty to kill Autumn and her friends and yet she’s the only being who has ever shown him any genuine warmth. From the start, he reluctantly deceives her about his true identity – the scene where she discovers who she really is will rock your socks, trust me!

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot of DARK DECEIVER, which is fast-paced and edgy. The story can stand on its own although characters from THE DARK GATE make an appearance. But I dare you to put down Kaderil and Autumn’s love story once you start reading it. It’s passionate, sexy and beautifully written. I can’t wait for the next Esri book to fly into my hot little hands! Come on, Pamela, get writing!

Hi! Jessica Andersen here, author of Nightkeepers, book one of the Novels of the Final Prophecy. I want to know what you want to do between now and the end of 2012. But first, a little background on why that date is important:

The ancient Mayan Long Count calendar will complete its five-thousand-year cycle on December 21, 2012. This is the date of a very rare stellar conjunction will occur that some modern researchers think could trigger cataclysmic upheavals (sun spots, magnetic reversals, etc.), potentially leading to an apocalypse like the one the ancient Mayans predicted for this day.

The Novels of the Final Prophecy tell of the ancient Mayan myths that come to life in the last four years before 12/21/2012, and their opposition by the Nightkeepers, descendants of an ancient magic-wielding race sworn to protect mankind from the apocalypse.

In the first book, Nightkeepers, the last king of the magi is forced to team up with a Miami-Dade narcotics detective in order to reunite his scattered warriors and fight the gods of the Mayan underworld. Wielding ancestral magic based on bloodletting and sex, the king will have to choose between his duty and his love for the human woman who is the gods’ destined sacrifice.

Meanwhile, the reunited warriors, modern-day men and women like you and me, must deal with learning that they are the last descendants of a powerful race of magi, and that it’s up to them to save the world over the next four years, as the clock ticks down to 12/21/2012. Moreover, they must come to terms with their powers, and the fact that their magic is mega-boosted when they hook up with their god-destined mates, whether or not those mated pairs get along with each other.

This, as you might imagine, causes some serious friction, especially when their leader, Strike, chooses a woman who not only isn’t his destined mate. . . she’s not even a Nightkeeper. Thus, as the Nightkeepers try to find their identity as individuals and as a group, each of them must figure out their priorities in the final four years before the 2012 end date.

Which begs the question: If you knew the world was going to end on 12/21/2012, what would you do between now and then? This grew out of a discussion on my message board (on my site under ‘Community’), and I have to give Lami a nod for the title of this entry, which she offered under a thread about ‘Things not to name the next book.’ (Snicker.) But while the title and many of the things we said we would do (like organizing the junk drawer in the kitchen and ripping the DO NOT REMOVE tag off the mattress- LOL!) are in good fun, the conversation made me think: What would I do? So I came up with the following five semi-serious goals. And the interesting thing is that as I looked at my list, I realized that each of these things is pertinent to Nightkeepers. So here goes:

Number 5. Do something that scares me. For me, that would probably involve a small, dark cave full of big spiders… or skydiving. For Strike, the hero of Nightkeepers, that means trusting the dreams that draw him to an unsuitable mate, even though he knows his father’s visions led to the deaths of all but a handful of the magi.

Number 4. Do something I’ve always wanted to do. I’d like to get a tattoo… or have my picture taken in a Viper (huge Battlestar Galactica geek here). Preferably both <G>. For the young half-blood Nightkeeper, Rabbit, this means gaining access to the magic he’s dreamed of all his life. Unfortunately, he soon learns that power can create more problems than it solves.

Number 3. Look up an old friend. I’m late returning a call from a high school friend who tracked me down and wanted to get together… five years ago. Mybad! The Nightkeepers, on the other hand, have been scattered for more than two decades. In order to save the world, they’ll have to learn how to function as a team.

Number 2. Re-connect with family. Many of us have family ties we’ve let lapse, either accidentally or on purpose, and the end of the world is as good a reason as any to mend fences, build bridges, or whatever metaphor you choose, right? In the Nightkeepers’ case, they must come to terms with the expectations of parents they never knew, and bloodline duties they thought were bedtime stories.

Number 1. Be with someone I love. Which is self-explanatory, really. When it all ends, I’m going to go out fighting, just like the Nightkeepers. . . and my man’s going to be fighting at my side. Whether you’re god-destined mates or you meet over a wardrobe malfunction at the local riding stable (which is a long, embarrassing story), love matters most in the end.

So those are my five, a little heavier than I’d intended, but that was what came out, so I’m running with it. If we expand it to a top 10 list, I’d probably add in ‘watch the equinox sunrise from the pyramid of Kulkulkan at Chichen Itza,’ ‘swim with wild dolphins,’ and ‘figure out where all the left-handed gloves go.’ But it’s your turn now. Tell me… What do you want to accomplish between now and 12/21/2012?