Covet Feature Author: Kendra Leigh Castle

As many of you may know, I work for Entangled Publishing, and I'm a huge paranormal fan. So, I'm so excited that we have launched our new Paranormal Romance line, Covet!! Covets have all the sexiness, emotion, and happily ever after that readers have come to expect and love from Entangled. They are firmly grounded in the contemporary world, but each novel brings in supernatural twists, breaking the contemporary and paranormal rules, alike. To find out more about our launch titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books you’ll be coveting next, visit the Entangled website, follow us on Twitter, and LIKE our Facebook page.

Over the next several weeks I'll be featuring our authors from this fabulous new line as they each tell us about their top 5 favorite paranormal characters. Today's guest is Jenna Bennett. Her book, Tall, Dark and Devine features the oh so yummy Greek God of Love. Please join me in welcoming Jenna and celebrating her new release!

1. Dracula

Source

Seriously, how could I have a list without the guy who started it all? Tall, dark, and usually incredibly handsome, I fell hard for the ruling vampire back in the days when Monster Squad was my favorite movie. And when the Francis Ford Coppola version of Dracula came out came out? Wow. I'm always excited to see new interpretations of the original vampire, and I've written one myself in my Dark Dynasties series. Dracula will always be a favorite of mine. Can't wait to see Jonathan Rhys Meyers play him on TV this fall!

2. Illium (from Nalini Singh's Guild Hunters series)

(From Kt: I know this isn't Illium, but as he doesn't have his own book/cover yet, I decided to pick my favorite cover from the series.)

The blue-winged angel they teasingly call "Butterfly" for his striking coloring caught my heart from the get-go. With an unusual affection for humans, a slightly inappropriate interest in his boss Raphael's mate, and a loneliness he usually manages to cover up with flash and charm, Illium is a character I can't wait to see as a hero. Every book, readers are teased with just a little more of him. So my solution is to hook other people on the series so we can collectively sigh over Illium until he gets his story.

3. Darius en Kragin (from Gena Showalter's Heart of the Dragon)

Showalter's Atlantis series sits in all its glory on my keeper shelf, and though all her heroes are hot as hell, Darius remains my favorite. He's everything I like—taciturn, a little tormented, with a dry sense of humor and sex appeal that's off the charts. Also, he's a dragon. And did I mention he's a dragon? Because he's a dragon. Hot dragons.... *sigh*

4. Loki Laufeyson (as played by Tom Hiddleston)

Does a supervillain count as paranormal? I'm going to pretend the answer is yes, because OHMYGOD LOKI. Villains are too often one-dimensional, mustache-twirling baddies with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. But Loki...I found him the most intriguing character in the movie Thor. And it wasn't just that I happen to find him, erm, extremely attractive. Or that I could listen to that voice read the phone book for hours and be perfectly happy. Loki is a guy who could have stayed good, a complex character whose emotional wounds make you feel for him even as you want to smack him and tell him to wake up and quit destroying things. And even in The Avengers, as bad as he is, you can see the emotional turmoil in the character (not to mention the wicked sense of humor). Loki is a great villain, full of nuance and shades of gray, and I'm so interested to see where the writers take him in Thor: The Dark World.

5. Erik, The Phantom of the Opera

I'm not sure he counts either, but this character has remained among my favorite dark heroes of all time. I loved the musical, the television adaptation, the movie, Gerard Butler in a half mask, you name it. Erik's magic may be an illusion, but the dark romance he promised captured my imagination from an early age and heavily influenced my idea of what a hero ought to be. I must admit, it was nice to finally see him pictured as I always had in my head when the movie came out. I very clearly remember sitting in the theater to see that version, and when Gerard appeared for the first time my sister and I looked at one another in the dark theater and mouthed, "Wow." I remain one of legions who think that Christine made the wrong choice in the end. I don't care what Gaston Leroux wrote. Somebody change the ending and give Erik his HEA!




Thanks Kendra! Those are some mighty fine choices. Although I do have to say that Illium takes the cake. I could daydream about him for hours. I love his parts in the books, particularly the audio versions. Le sigh.

Author Info:

Kendra Leigh Castle was born and raised in the far and frozen reaches of Northern New York, where there was plenty of time to cultivate her love of reading thanks to the six-month-long winters. Sneaking off with selections from her mother’s vast collection of romance novels came naturally and fairly early, and a lifelong love of the Happily Ever After was born. After graduating from SUNY Oswego (where it also snowed a lot) with a teaching degree, Kendra ran off with a handsome young Navy fighter pilot and has somehow accumulated three children, three dogs, and one enormous cat during their many moves.

While stationed in a remote corner of the Nevada desert, Kendra penned her first romance, and a career often spent working in fuzzy slippers and pajamas was born. Her work has garnered both critical praise and award nominations, but the best part has been connecting with readers who share her love of dark romance (not to mention heroes with sharp, pointed teeth). Kendra currently lives in Maryland, and can usually be found curled up with her laptop and yet another cup of coffee working on her next book. She loves to hear from her readers, and can be contacted via email or her Facebook page.

Find Kendra online:

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Book Info:

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. At least, that's how it seems to Sofia Rivera when her attempt to help a friend ends in a blood-soaked confrontation with creatures that aren't even supposed to exist. With a group of rogue vampires determined not to leave a single witness to their violence hot on her heels, Sofia finds herself saddled with an immortal bodyguard—Phenex, the fallen Angel of Song.

While the vampire king roots out the corruption threatening to take down his underworld kingdom, Sofia will have to deal with a fallen angel whose dark beauty is often at odds with his ornery nature. Slowly, Sofia and Phenex give in to the strange attraction neither can deny. And as the darkness closes in around them, Phenex begins to wonder whether even the wickedest Fallen might find his own happy ending...and his heart.

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