Hello, blog readers, and welcome to Dirty Little Lies Week here on Diana’s Diversions.
Why, Diana, what is Dirty Little Lies week? Are you going to start lying to us? Has your blog suddenly drifted into NC-17 rated territory? Are you, in fact, a hobbit?
None of the above my friends. This is Dirty Little Lies:
Sultry Latina bounty hunter Marisela Morales is back, taking on the Boston elite — and her gorgeous ex — in a red-hot, roller-coaster adventure from USA Today bestselling author Julie Leto.Three months into her training for Titan International Investigations, Marisela Morales needs some R & R, and the tuxedoed hombre de misterio sending her scorching glances across a crowded ballroom looks like he’d be happy to fulfill her needs. Closer inspection reveals that the masked man is danger with a capital F — as in Frankie Vega, her ex-lover and Titan colleague. But before their reunion reaches the boiling point, a senator is shot and Marisela must confront a female assassin with a wicked reputation — and a link to Marisela’s old life.
Working under Frankie provides Marisela with plenty of aggravation, along with some sinfully sexy after-hours benefits, but she’ll need to keep her mind on the job if she wants to beat the demons from her past…including an irresistible man who betrayed her…and a killer chica who’s her biggest challenge yet.
Now, I have not yet read Dirty Little Lies, but I know it’s going to be awesome. And how do I know this? Because I read Dirty Little Secrets, the first book in the series, and I absolutely loved it. This is what I wrote about it on Amazon:
Marisela Morales is a Cuban-American bounty hunter with a checkered past. When she’s hired to keep her old lover, ex-con Fransisco Vega, from skipping bail, Marisela decides its the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one bullet: she’ll make a little cash and deliver a bit of payback to Frankie for breaking her teenaged heart.But Frankie has other plans. Now an undercover agent for a private investigation company, he’s been sent to recruit Marisela for their latest assignment, one that will propel the tough-talking chica into a world of glamour, intrigue, and international terrorism.
The first book in Leto’s exciting new adventure series features relentless pace, dazzling settings, breathtaking action sequences and her trademark sensuality. Her portrayal of Tampa’s Cuban community is spot-on, and her descriptions of my home state left this Florida girl more than a little homesick. Frankie and Marisela burn up the pages, and Marisela’s new boss Ian provides some heat of his own.
In Marisela, Leto has created a strong, passionate, no-nonsense heroine with a heart of gold. The author portrays her Latina heroine with authenticity and expertise. Despite Marisela’s rough edges (and gang member past), she is sexy, smart, and extremely moral. Unlike many of the action heroines in books today, she never comes across as cartoonish or invincible, but as a real woman who just happens to be very good at her dangerous job. Marisela may be kickass, but if you cut her, she bleeds scarlet.
I highly rcommend this series to anyone looking for thrilling, sexy read. I can’t wait to read Marisela’s next adventure!
And it remains the truth. In fact, Dirty Little Lies will be the first book I read when I quit my Deadline Book Diet. Yes, even before Scott Westerfeld’s The Last Days. Sorry, Scott.
If you want to learn more about Dirty Little Lies, check out here, here, and especially here, where, if you click on the Dirty Little Lies cover under where it says “Featured Books for August 2007″ there is a very cool interactive game about the book. (If it doesn’t work, click back and then forward on your browser.)
Now, about Dirty Little Lies Week: Every day this week, I will be giving away a signed copy of the book, Dirty Little Lies, to someone who comments on the daily blog post.
ANNOUNCEMENT: I have received a few emails from people saying they never got my Secret Society Girl countdown giveaway prizes. If you haven’t received your prize, please email me with the prize you won and give me your address again so I can try again. I don’t know how that happened, unless it was because Sailor Boy and I were out of town right after the giveaways, and perhaps prizes that were returned in the mail somehow got lost because they were holding our mail.
ALSO: At the end of the week, I’ll be doing the grand prize drawings from the countdown that I promised like, a month and a half ago and then totally flaked on because, well, book release, travel, party, life-changing events I’m not talking about yet, and deadline. Oops.
FINALLY: Julie doesn’t know I’m doing this. I’m sure this state will continue to exist for about five minutes, and then my phone will ring. Because, Julie? She Knows All.
August 30th, 2006 at 5:29 am
Good morning, Diana. Am I the only one awake? It’s not by choice but I’m glad I stumbled in here.
“a thrilling, sexy read” My kind of book. This one is on my TBB list. It sounds so good.
August 30th, 2006 at 6:20 am
So are you? A hobbit? I’ve heard medical research has come a long way for that affliction
Seriously, the cover alone on this book is enough to make my knees turn to jello. What is it about a latin couple dancing that just makes you think of scarlet satin sheets and hunkalicious flamenco types boogying down between the sheets?
Can’t wait to read it!
August 30th, 2006 at 6:38 am
I’ve been waiting for this book all summer! Yippee!
I loved Dirty Little Secrets, and Marisela, and her guys. I have a particular fondness for her boss, so I cannot wait to see how this plays out in this book.
Colleen, the Perverse.
August 30th, 2006 at 7:23 am
Huge CONGRATS to Julie! Few people deserve such success as she…kind, caring, giving, open to other writers and very supportive. It’s so nice to see someone with her generosity do so well. Hugs, chica!!!
Marley = )
August 30th, 2006 at 7:33 am
Wow, cool beans, Diana. I just saw Dirty Little Lies in the bookstore the other day, so now I’m going to have run out and buy a copy! I love Julie’s books, and I’m hoping that Pocket keeps publishing the series.
August 30th, 2006 at 7:42 am
as a lover of kickass heroines, I so want this book!
And congrats to Julie on the impending release!
Diana, how’s the book coming along?
August 30th, 2006 at 8:14 am
Oh. My. God.
This is what I get for checking the NOAA website this morning rather than my usual blog tour!
Diana, you rock. I will call…if you’re not writing. I cannot interrupt your muse if you’re as close to the end as I think you are! You are too good to me. THANK YOU.
Thanks, everyone, for not only all the enthusiasm about the book, but for all the nice stuff ya’ll are saying about me, too! And Marisela. Just this morning I blogged about my book release anxiety over at Plotmonkeys. This is so helping take the edge off!
Oooh! I have a GREAT shout line for Diana’s blog:
Diana’s Diversions–better than Xanax.
Colleen–the tables do take a turn for Ian and Marisela in this book. Can’t wait to see what you think!
August 30th, 2006 at 8:40 am
Something is wrong with your blog template. All of your header stuff is all the way at the bottom. Thought you might want to know.
August 30th, 2006 at 8:43 am
I hereby confess:
My monitor at work is very dark, even at its maximum brightness level, so I never get a good look at pictures and images.
So when I look at the cover of this book on my monitor, it looks like a guy in a tutu and heels.
But I won’t judge the book by the cover (or what I perceive as the cover on this blasted monitor).
Anyway… CONGRATULATIONS, Julie! It seems like an awesome read! I will have to make sure this ends up in my hands one day soon.
August 30th, 2006 at 8:50 am
Hmm, anonymous, what browser are you using? It looks fine on both of my browsers (Camino and Safari), and both of Sailor Boy’s (IE and Firefox). Is anyone else having this problem?
August 30th, 2006 at 9:19 am
Actually, Diana, the header is fine, but the entire right side bar (with your info, links, book lists and such) starts at the very bottom where the last entry ends. It didn’t begin to do this until you posted the entry with the Joss Whedon movie file.
I am running IE on this computer.
August 30th, 2006 at 9:24 am
Woo Hoo to Julie on the release of Dirty Little Lies and yea to Diana for the cool way she’s celebrating it
August 30th, 2006 at 9:33 am
Hmmmm… okay, it appears that the problem is that the embedded You Tube video is too wide for my current main blog content box. So I made it wider. better? annie? Anon?
August 30th, 2006 at 9:34 am
What a great idea! I love to get good book recomendations!
August 30th, 2006 at 9:40 am
All fixed and looks great to me!!
August 30th, 2006 at 9:40 am
Diana, I noticed that about your blog too, but it only happens sometimes, and when I sign on later it has corrected itself. No clue why.
DIRTY LITTLE LIES is fabulous! I haven’t finished it yet — so annoying when life interferes with my reading time, LOL — but can’t wait to get home again tonight and pick up where I left off! This book is just brilliant.
August 30th, 2006 at 10:02 am
Okay, who says that Blogs don’t sell books? Seriously. I was on a loop last week where many writers were questioning if blogging resulted in actual sales. I’ve bought more books because of posts like this! I love Julie’s writing anyway, and somehow missed Dirty Little Secrets, so that makes two books I’ll be adding to my list.
August 30th, 2006 at 10:33 am
Oooh! I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy myself.
Diana, I’ll email you when I can, but I’m having internet issues. *crosses fingers it holds long enough for her to post this*
August 30th, 2006 at 11:01 am
They look like great reads!
August 30th, 2006 at 1:22 pm
I’m in!
And Diana, I’d say you’re more of a habit than a hobbit…at least your blog is.
August 30th, 2006 at 8:06 pm
Aaaaacccckkkk!!! So many books, so little time. I picked up a copy of Julie’s Dirty Little Secrets in Atlanta and decided to read the first few lines just for fun (because I, like you D., suffer from reading-when-you-should-be-writing guilt). I was completely sucked in. The ‘dirty’ in Dirty Little Secrets starts right on page one… I think I’m going to be studying Julie for tips on how to grab your readers from the first word and keep them with you.
Congrats on the new release Julie!
August 30th, 2006 at 8:27 pm
Congratulations, Julie. If only those smart-mouthed high school boys (you put in their place) could see you now! ;o)
August 30th, 2006 at 8:31 pm
I’ve been waiting for this book. I love Julie’s writing! Count me in, please.
August 30th, 2006 at 11:00 pm
Ooh, this book sounds great. Have to make sure it goes on the TBB list.
September 3rd, 2006 at 6:14 am
I really want to read this book.