All week long, we’re spotlighting the nominees for two of our 2013 GraveTells Readers Choice Awards categories! Some of the nominees will be represented by bloggers and fellow authors, to help give you a closer look into what makes them stand out in their category.

Please help us welcome Eleanor from The Book Hammock as she tells us more about Jan DeLima’s Celtic Wolves, nominee for Most Promising New Series!

I love PNR novels. A lot. I just read few of them because they are all the same. So when a friend started reading Celtic Moon, which was already on my maybe-possibly reading list, and tweeted many flaily comments, I decided to give it a go and started reading immediately.

I think I fell in love with the book from the very first chapter. While alternating POVs often confuse the reader, both Dylan and Sophie have very distinct voices. Each of the other characters do as well. The originality of the plot was another wonderful draw and definitely made this a captivating and heart-stopping emotional page turner.

Dylan and Sophie both are compelling and wonderfully imperfect. Their flaws are what make for great character arcs and the fantastically tense (in all aspects of tension!) interactions. Sophie’s change from the past snippets we get and her present day character show how the changes in her affected the now-occurring changes in Dylan. The changes in Dylan, while profound since the re-entry of Sophie back into his life, are written in a way that still maintains his true wolf traits, and even enhance them.

Another thing I found was the way the supporting characters were weaved into the main storyline. DeLima cleverly wrote them in a way that gave more depth and interest to the story, the main characters and most importantly, planted the seeds for future books in the series. I am now very much looking forward to the individual stories of Luc and Elen and at some point maybe even Joshua.

I have a feeling Celtic Moon is setting a new standard out of the current PNR overdone formula. Can’t wait for more of Jan DeLima’s works.

A note from Jan…
[quote]First I need to send out a giant THANK YOU for this award nomination, and also to GraveTells for graciously hosting it—and to Eleanor over at The Book Hammock for all her incredible support and enthusiasm for my book! Please know that I am not only grateful, but honored as well!

I am often asked if I knew Celtic Moon was going to be a stand-alone novel or part of a series. I will share again now, as I have before, that I knew it would be a series. The voices of my secondary characters were too strong not to have their own stories. Dylan and Sophie are the main characters in Celtic Moon, the first book in the Celtic Wolves series. The second book is Luc and Rosa’s story. Luc is Dylan’s brother, also known as the Beast of Merin. When I began book two Luc’s deceased wife demanded a voice. Koko is going to remain deceased but I did create journal pages written from her perspective. I thought it would be fun to share with you her thoughts on the characters in book three of the Celtic Wolves series.

So, with that said, please meet Cormack and Elen. Cormack was still trapped in his wolf form when Koko wrote this. Rest assured he is free now, and quite lovely in his human form. Cormack is learning to become the man he needs to be for the woman he has secretly loved for centuries.

All my best,
Jan[/quote]

(Clicking on the image will take you to the journal entry.)

More about Jan DeLima’s work…

Check out the GraveTells review for the first book in Ms. DeLima’s Celtic Wolves series, Celtic Moon.  Here’s what DaVinciKittie had to say about it…

If you’re a fan of shifter stories and have been looking for your next “must read”, look no further than Celtic Moon! With respectably original creativity and a satisfying blend of lore and powerful personalities, the Celtic Wolves series is off to a fantastic start.

Celtic Moon is a unique blend of shifter lore, Arthurian legend, and ancient Celtic myth. The Celtic Wolves series is one of the more original and compelling story universes I’ve read in the paranormal romance genre, and the plot unfolds with dignity and intense loyalty.

Find it online: Amazon Paperback | Amazon Kindle

Meet Eleanor…

Representing Jan DeLima today is Eleanor from The Book Hammock! Check out her follow links below and give The Book Hammock a visit!

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