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Literary *MONDAY*: Punished by Samantha Stone

Monday, November 23, 2015

Happy Monday!  This is a special edition of Literary Friday on a Monday because today is the release date of my daughter's book!  And being the Mama Bear that I am, well, I just couldn't wait until Friday to post about it.



Punished is the first in an urban fantasy series set in New Orleans.  Shanley Belle has enjoyed spending time with her family in one of our best Southern cities her entire life as Mr. Art @ Home is from New Orleans.  


Raphael Saar is an exiled werewolf, a convict on the direct path to a death sentence—for a crime he didn’t commit. He doesn’t care, so long as he can end the human trafficking ring kidnapping women across New Orleans.

Recovering from a horrific tragedy, one particularly bad day for Mary Newman has stretched into months. A nanny for a wealthy family in New Orleans, she can’t understand why she’s being constantly humiliated by her boss until the night she learns that he’s not human—and neither is she.

Only Raphael can save her from the monster feeding from her misery, but will Mary be able to stop his execution?

Punished teams up werewolves, banshees, a wompus cat and a haint in order to rid New Orleans of a group of immortals determined to hurt the city’s women and kill Raphael’s pack. 


One thing I love most about the book are the creatures featured in it.  They are from Southern lore, and I can remember tales my grandmother Big Mama told me about the wampus cat!  The series has many colorful characters, and you'd better pay attention in the first installment because the action is non-stop.

Although this story focuses on Mary and Raphael's love story, they are not my favorite characters in the book (especially Mary).  Not that I don't LIKE Mary, it's just that I'm more intrigued with a few of the secondary characters, like Wish and Leila, Mary's sister.  I can't wait to read their individual books (they are not a couple).

I think Stone nailed the New Orleans setting.  The reader can tell that she's spent quite a bit of time there, and I dare any native to say otherwise!  There is truly a sense of place in the book, and the unique atmosphere and culture of New Orleans is almost a secondary character.  I think anyone who loves New Orleans will love this series.


Here is an EXCLUSIVE excerpt, only found here @ Art @ Home!

“They only know two things,” Wish said, “mating and killing.”

At Mary’s alarmed gasp, Aiyanna quickly chimed in, shooting Wish an annoyed look. “These men contain themselves with chains enchanted to subdue werewolves with full powers.”

Powers these men didn’t have. So long as Leila and she stayed away from where they were chained, they would be safe.

The thought of crazed wolves still made Mary’s knees weaken. If it weren’t for Aiyanna and Wish’s earnest reassurances about the men, coupled with their lacking abilities most werewolves had, Mary might have run from the firehouse, dragging Leila along with her.

Something wonderful—fragile, but worth cultivating—was forming between her and Raphael, but giant, relentlessly angry wolves were up there with large cats in her book.

She learned the loss of their powers was another punishment for their crimes. No one could tell Mary what the weres, namely Raphael, had done to deserve this.

“They’re all good men,” Aiyanna had assured her. “Whatever they’ve done, they’ve been punished enough for it. I promise you, there is no safer place than here.”

Then why don’t you live here? Leila had signed, earning a growl from the shapeshifter.


“Cael won’t let me,”Aiyanna said. 



In keeping with the urban fantasy genre, there is a lot of violence in this book, so it probably isn't for the squeamish.  The second installment is scheduled for a February release, and Samantha is already hard at work on her third book.

Punished is an ebook, and you can find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  Please visit Samantha's blog HERE.

FYI:  Shanley "borrowed" here pen name from her great-grandfather, renowned New Orleans architect Sam Stone.

Please let me know if you read Punished.  I'd like to know your thoughts!

Mary, one of the main characters, loves drinking hot chocolate.  New Orleans has many local coffee shops, but Mary doesn't appreciate the chicory-rich coffee the city is known for....instead she prefers a rather thick hot chocolate that I will feature on tomorrow's post.  Please come back tomorrow so you can make Mary's favorite hot chocolate!

Until next time...

Happy reading!
Ricki Jill

7 comments

  1. OMGosh werewolves and a captivating story??? All sounds sexy, I will read your daughters book.
    Congrats proud Momma.

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  2. This sounds like quite a leap outside my usual stuff, but I am game. It sounds quite exciting! Friday, you say? I am sure she learned to love the craft from you.

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  3. Congratulations to your daughter. It is so exciting to be published. I hope her book does really well!!!! You brought her up well, Mom! xo Diana

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  4. Congratulations to Shanley Belle. I wish her great success!

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  5. Congratulations to Shanley Belle, and to you....the very proud Momma!

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I'm Ricki Jill. Welcome! I'm honored that you're reading my blog. I enjoy sharing my creative lifestyle @ The Bookish Dilettante. For more information about my blog, please read the Start Here page. Thank-you for stopping by, and I hope you'll consider following me via email.

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