EVERLASTING ENCHANTMENT is nominated for RT Reviewers Choice Award!

I'm in wonderful company, with several other Sourcebooks authors, in the Historical Fantasy category. Congratulations to all who were nominated! You can view a complete list of the nominees for every category here: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-awards/nominees-and-winners


Historical Fantasy/Paranormal

IF HE'S TEMPTED
 Hannah Howell, ZEBRA, (April 2013) 

THE MAGIC OF "I DO"
Tammy Falkner, SOURCEBOOKS, (June 2013)

EVERLASTING ENCHANTMENT
Kathryne Kennedy, , (December 2013) 

SHADOWDANCE
Kristen Callihan, FOREVER, (December 2013)

LEGEND OF THE HIGHLAND DRAGON
Isabel Cooper, SOURCEBOOKS, (December 2013)

RT Book Reviews features THE LORD OF ILLUSION:

http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-daily-blog/hot-historical-romances-paranormal-twists

THE LORD OF ILLUSION receives a TOP PICK from RT BOOKReviews

THE LORD OF ILLUSION (ISBN 9781402236549)
by Kathryne Kennedy

Genre: Historical Romance, Paranormal, England
Sensuality: HOT
Setting: 1774 England

RT Rating ****1/2 TOP PICK!

Review: The third book in the Elven Lord series enhances the author’s outstanding reputation for worldbuilding and mesmerizing stories of love. Superb writing and a fast-moving plot combined with magical passion make this a real page-turner!

Lord Drystan Hawkes, half-breed son of a ruthless Elven lord, uncovers a clue to opening the portal that would force the Elven Lords out of England forever. His visions reveal that Camille Ashton, a slave in the Elven realm, holds the key to opening the portal. Drystan’s dream also tells him she is his soul mate.

Camille is completely entranced by Drystan’s goodness. Drystan discovers his magic grows when Camille is near or in danger. Their respect and passion blooms and soon Camille is determined to help open the portal, no matter the personal cost. Their love will give them the power to fight evil and win. (SOURCEBOOKS, Feb., 448 pp., $7.99)

Reviewed By: Kathe Robin

Thanks a million, Kathe! ~ Kathryne

THE FIRE LORD'S LOVER is nominated for RT award

I recently found out that The Fire Lord's Lover is nominated for Best Historical Romance of 2010 in the Historical Fantasy category of RT Book Reviews magazine. The nomination itself is truly an honor, as they have chosen only seven books in my category out of hundreds. This is the second time I've been nominated (Enchanting the Beast made it last year) so cross your fingers for me for a win this time. :} (Although I have to tell you, I'm up against Shana Abe, who is one of my favorite authors--so I really need some luck!)

Dominic Raikes gets a K.I.S.S. from RTBookreviews!

I just picked up the July issue of RTBookreviews magazine, and much to my delighted surprise saw a picture of the cover for THE FIRE LORD'S LOVER and discovered that my hero, Dominic Raikes, was chosen as a Knight in Shining Armor (K.I.S.S.), an unforgettable hero for the month. Mac Mackenzie, the hero from my friend Jennifer Ashley's newest release, LADY ISABELLA'S SCANDALOUS MARRIAGE, was also chosen. Dominic is honored to be in such good company!

And I recently received another lovely review to share:

Rated 5/5: "Romantic fantasy author Kathryne Kennedy creates a surreal world blending fantasy with history in her captivating book THE FIRE LORD'S LOVER. This haunting story is populated with powerful three dimensional characters, including an all-knowing dragon, wonderfully detailed by Ms. Kennedy. Her unique plot, merging the worlds of elves and humans is brilliant. The hero and heroine ensnare the reader in their lives as they suffer and struggle to save the human race and find their own passionate happily ever after. Intriguing plot, engaging characters and a magical setting provide hours of entertainment. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this fantastical Elven Lords series from inspired storyteller Kathryne Kennedy."~Reviewed by Donna for Single Titles http://singletitles.com/?p=4331

Romantic Times reviews The Fire Lord's Lover

THE FIRE LORD'S LOVER by Kathryne Kennedy
Genre: England, Paranormal, Historical Romance
Setting: 1724 England
RT Rating: 4.5/5 Stars!

Book one of Kennedy's Elven Lords series is a melding of historical romance and fantasy, much like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. This enthralling story combines magic and realism as its excellent plot reaches out with great depth of emotion, heart-stopping action and characters easy to care about wrapped in a passionate love story.

In a magical world of England ruled by ruthless elven lords, Dominic Raikes, the half-breed son of the malevolent Fire Lord Mor'ded has submerged his human side in an attempt to keep his father unaware of his magical powers. Lady Cassandra Bridges, raised in purity and innocence, has been secretly trained as an assassin by the Rebellion, a band of humans who want England free of the Elven. An arranged marriage between her and Dominic is to take place within days.

Two unexpected events occur: she falls in love with her new husband and Dominic's reciprocal feelings free his human personality traits, such as passion, compassion and conscience. Together they fight to destroy the great evil being perpetrated upon the human race by the lords at the risk of their love and very existence, right up to the totally surprising climax. (SOURCEBOOKS, Jul., 384 pp., $7.99)

Reviewed By: Kathe Robin

ENCHANTING THE BEAST was nominated for RT's Reviewer's Choice Award

My editor from Dorchester Publishing, Leah Hultenschmidt, kindly emailed me to let me know that Enchanting the Beast was nominated for Romantic Times BOOKreviews Reviewers' Choice Award in the Paranormal Historical category.

(I'm also thrilled to know that there is a Paranormal Historical romance category...what I write used to overlap several genres (historical, fantasy, paranormal, romance and sometimes you could even throw in a bit of mystery), and now it has one all to itself. Yay, RT! And, um, if that category existed before, blame me for living under my rock. And, maybe one day there will be a Historical Fantasy Romance category, which truly defines what I write.)

So with this announcement, I'd also like to congratulate my fellow authors in my Desert Rose chapter for their nominations as well: Linda Style, Pamela Tracy & Jennifer Ashley. With such stiff competition, I don't worry about actually winning...I'm just pleased to be listed among such fabulous talent!

ROMANTIC TIMES book review for MY UNFAIR LADY:

MY UNFAIR LADY, ISBN 9781402229909
by Kathryne Kennedy

RT Rating: 4/5 Stars
Category: HISTORICAL
Publisher: SOURCEBOOKS
Published: December 2009 $6.99

This quick and entertaining read is for any fan of the genre. Kennedy's writing is witty and enjoyable; she looks to have a bright future.

Summary: Summer Wine Lee is determined to become the society miss that her future New York blueblood in-laws demand. To do so, she and her closest friend Maria have traveled to London to transform her into a lady and gain an introduction to the Queen.
Enticed by her financial offer, the impoverished Duke of Monchester grudgingly agrees to aid Summer in her transformation, but his scathing wit and cold personality fail to have an effect on her. Intrigued, the duke soon realizes that Summer may just be perfect the way she is. Now he just has to convince her. (SOURCEBOOKS, Dec., 363 pp., $6.99) HOT

-Alishia Austin

My adventures at Romantic Times Convention 2009

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I attended the Romantic Times Booklovers convention in Orlando, Florida in April. It's a fun way to network and meet readers, and I highly recommend the experience! Here's a few of my adventures in pictures:

Cover model Konstantinos Lelis portrayed my hero from Enchanting the Beast, Sir Nicodemus Wulfson, at the Mr. Romance competition show. This is the screen displayed in the ballroom.

Konstantinos in a tux (to reflect the Victorian era) and stalking his prey. (Lucky girl!) I think he did a fabulous job of portraying Sir Nicodemus, capturing my hero's predatory nature and dazzling charm on stage.

And here he is sweeping the girl off her feet (literally--he picked her up in his arms and carried her away). Big sigh. He had the perfect rugged handsomeness to portray Sir Nico.

My Dorchester editor, Leah Hultenschmidt, in white at the podium, and all of the Mr. Romance models. I'm glad I didn't have to judge the winner, the models were all so handsome (although I have to admit I would have chosen Konstantinos;).

Behind the scenes at the Faery Ball. We're all waiting to be presented on stage. This is a mix of the Seelie (good faeries) and the Unseelie (b-a-d faeries). Our faery queen, Eden Robbins, is center, and Cassie Ryan is helping adjust her wings. Isabella Clayton is walking over to help, and you can see her lovely wings from the back. The modern fae on the cell phone is Joey W. Hill.

One of my fellow Seelie, Tia Dani, looking beautiful and elegant in her little wings.

Lori Combs-Graves, an Unseelie. Oh, yes, she has a very sweet smile, but I can guarantee she is one b-a-d faery.

So here I am in my Victorian faery costume just outside the ballroom, a very *good* faery (is the halo of light around my head strange, or what?). What I like about this pic is that I appear to be floating off the floor...which is no surprise, since I had the biggest wing-span of all the faeries!

Here I am after the Faery Ball with my agent Christine Witthohn from Bookcents Literary Agency. Not only is she a terrific agent, but a lot of fun to be with, as well.

And out to dinner with my Sourcebooks editor, Deborah Werksman (on the right) and the owner of Sourcebooks, Dominique Raccah (on the left). Wonderful, brilliant women.

This is from the huge book fair, with about 300 authors signing their books. At this point I'm exhausted and in a daze...but having the time of my life! The pretty girl next to me is author Beth Kery, a very sweet lady who I had the pleasure of sitting with.

Romantic Times Convention...and Mr. Romance!

I'll be attending the Romantic Time's Book Lovers Convention in Orlando, Florida, from April 22-26, 2009. You can read more about this fabulous reader's event here: http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?i=D5EAF74A-2974-4576-90AD-F1E39D41E9F4

Here's my schedule of appearances that I've worked out so far:

On Thursday, April 23, from 8:00 pm to 12:00 am, I will be attending the Faery Ball as part of the Faery Court. I will be a Seelie (one of the good faeries ;}) and will be dressed as a Victorian Faery inspired by my Relics of Merlin series. You can meet all the fae, good & bad, here: http://www.thefaerycourt.com/faerycourtindex.html

On Saturday, April 25, I will be signing books at the Giant Book Fair from 11:00 to 2:00 pm.
On that same day, from 5:00-7:00 pm I will be attending the Mr. Romance competition (more about that below!)
Then from 8:00-9:00 pm I will be at the Dorchester Authors Mixer
And then from 9:00 pm to until-I-keel-over I'll be at Dorchester's Splashing by the Shore Dance Party

Now, a bit about the Mr. Romance contest. Dorchester Publishing is again sponsoring this competition, where one lucky winner will have the opportunity to model for a Dorchester romance cover. The models will be portraying the heroes from several books...and my hero from Enchanting the Beast (book 3 in the Relics of Merlin series) has been chosen! This is my very first RT conference, and how wonderful it will be to see my hero brought to life. I can hardly wait!

Here's the mini character write up I did for the model:

Sir Nicodemus Wulfson
Basics: Goes by Nico. Wears Victorian clothing: Black frock coat, waistcoat, black trousers and boots, all a bit worn and frayed. His cravat is often undone and just slung around his neck with his white linen shirt half-buttoned. He rarely wears a hat. His hair is long and often shaggy, slung over his forehead and eyes, as if to hide his thoughts from others.
Nico info: Nico is a were-wolf, whose beast enjoys the thrill of the hunt and the taste of his kill, which often worries the man. He swims nude in moonlit glades and is more comfortable in the forest than his own castle. He goes after what he wants with single-minded ruthlessness. He cannot be tamed, but he can be gentled, and the right woman for him will have to meet his predatory gaze without fear.

;}

Enchanting the Beast will be released around the time of the RT convention, and hot off the presses from my publisher.

I was already incredibly excited about attending my first RT, and now I'm just over the moon! If you live in Florida, or are attending the event yourself, I do hope I meet you there!