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Member Since: Oct. 07, 2010

Vonnie Faroqui

Biography

Vonnie is an Actor, Artist, Djembe Drummer, Circle Facilitator, Medicine Woman, Writer and all around creative; Vonnie lends her gifts to the enrichment and fostering of healing, self expression and empowerment in creative self recovery, through her writing and through many creative projects.

Where to find Vonnie Faroqui online

Website: http://www.ink-slingers-whimsey.com/
Twitter: @inkslngrswhmz
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LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/inkslngrswhmz
Blog: http://inkslingerswhimsey.blogspot.com/

Smashwords book reviews by Vonnie Faroqui

Shadowlove-Stalkers on July 19, 2011

Avid vampire and paranormal romance enthusiasts are in for a darkly delicious thrill when they sink their teeth into Claudy Conn’s newest series, ShadowLove – Stalkers. Conn has a gift for character and plot development that sets her work apart from other romance novelists. There are few romance writers of her caliber, who are able to sustain and build a quality series as she can do. It is a pleasurable gift to all of us that she has launched her writing into the paranormal and vampire sub-genres. Shawna has been running for most of her life. Half white witch and half vamp, Shawna’s daddy is Pentim Rawley, the powerful and vicious leader of a ruling vampire clan. Hidden at birth, protected and trained in the magical arts by her grandparents, Shawna has grown into a feisty, independent, beautiful young woman, but she is deeply lonely and now she has to run . . . Pentim has discovered that he has a daughter and he is looking for her. Enter Chad Macfare . . . with secrets and desires of his own. He has visions, waking dreams of Shawna in Pentim’s grasp, and what he sees chills him to the bone. Chad is moved to seek Shawna himself, but is torn between the need to protect her and the knowledge that he will have to use her as bait if he is ever to destroy the monster that is Pentim Rawley. This is a deadly game with more at risk for Chad Macfare than losing his heart. Chad is more than he seems. His family has secrets so deep that if revealed would bring them under the eye of the father of all vampires himself, Dracula. Together Shawna and Chad struggle with trusting each other and knowing that the secrets they each keep could place others, innocents, in the hands of pure evil. ShadowLove – Stalkers is filled with steaming action and dramatic tension. Vampires aren’t the only monsters taking cover in the darkness of the night. There are other powers introduced for the series, whose intentions and capabilities are yet to be revealed. Claudy delicately plants the seeds for future development and characters without distracting from the excitement and romance of Stalkers. She has taken the best of the vampire and paranormal lore and built in many intriguing twists and avenues, exploring and combing the lore so masterfully that she develops whole areas of the genre left untouched by other writers. The result is that she has a paranormal, vampire series, of romance novels, which carries her own unique and spicy aroma. All that being said and I still haven’t mentioned that Claudy fills her stories with enough passion to make the pages spark, sizzle, and steam. She doesn’t skimp when it comes to building sexy into her characters. The women are luscious and the men . . . well, the action doesn’t stop with the plot. She really knows how to make us tingle with anticipation for her next book. ShadowLove – Stalkers is hot, Hot, HOT . . . and yes, I am blushing. As reviewed for Ink Slinger's Whimsey, by Vonnie Faroqui
Prince in the Mist on Dec. 27, 2011

Sweet Satisfaction It happens. Once in a great while a character is born into literature that is so richly interesting one simply can't get enough of him. In the world of romance novels, Breslyn, Fae Prince of Dagda, is one such character. Introduced to us first through Claudy Conn's Legend series, Breslyn quickly became a character that enlivened interest and inspired fantasy beyond his intended role in the overall series. With Puckish mischief he disregards the rules of human-Fae engagement to tickle and tease Claudy's heroines and readers temptingly. We are intrigued by his interest in us, intrigued that for him we are more than a mad distraction or passing fancy. He is loyal but rebellious, a warrior who loves humans enough to risk his queen's disfavor by entangling himself in their lives and struggles. If you, like I, have fantasized about being seduced by this golden Fae you will not be disappointed. Claudy satisfies her fans' deepest desires to experience more of one of her most beloved heroes by taking us back in time to explore and discover Breslyn's early heroic and romantic exploits. In 'Prince In The Mists,' Claudy gives us not one but two romances, set in the era of English-Scotland conflict, before the tides of history turned in favor of Robert de Bruce and his Scotsmen. Breslyn digs himself right into the thick of things, aiding the Scottish by bringing the Knights Templar -guardians of many sacred Fae hallows, and Robert de Bruce together against the British. Claudy opens the novella with the romance of Breslyn and Chartelle -Lady Dumfires. Political scheming, spies and ne'r-do-wells, add spice and intrigue to their passion. Stricken by her beauty and gentle nature, Breslyn sets out to free Chartelle from a marriage of convenience to the traitor Francis Bothe -Laird Dumfries. Trapped in a loveless marriage, Chartelle finds a champion and lover in Breslyn's strong arms. Can Breslyn free Chartelle and stop Bothe's traitorous machinations, without ruining her life, or breaking any of the Fae laws governing interference in human destiny? Claudy's scenes of passion between these two are enough to make your toes curl, but it is her gentle touch on the strings of your heart that will satisfy you long after the story has ended. Also woven through the mists is the romance of Breslyn's friend and Chartelle's brother, the Druid Priest and Laird of Belfor, Storm MacLean. Alexis of Waverly has come in disguise seeking refuge at Belfor. Keeper of secrets and a possible spy, Alexis poses a double problem for Storm. Her father has been murdered and her lands confiscated by the British sympathizer, Lord Comyn. Storm is torn between suspicion that she may be a plant of his enemies and the burning need to make her his own. Alexis is everything the young Scottish Laird would have in a companion and in his bed. If only he could trust her, but his instincts tell him she is keeping secrets. Whether these secrets are her own or those of another he does not know. It only matters that she is his heart's burning desire. Claudy's knowledge of the era, lore and history give this novel a depth of color and excitement that is undeniable. Prepare to be swept away.
Myriah Fire on Jan. 17, 2012

What was once an innocent, if rollicking, regency romance has exploded with passion as Claudy Conn revisits Myriah Fire to turn up the heat. No mewing coquette she, Myriah Whitney refuses to settle nicely into marriage as prescribed by the haut ton of British society. Born into wealth and privilege with both beauty and brains, Myriah is willfully holding out for a love match. Unfortunately, Myriah gets caught in what appears to be an amorous kiss with the eligible Sir Roland and rather than create a scene or acquiesce to a loveless marriage, Myriah chooses to slip away before an engagement can be announced. The road Myriah takes from London turns out to be one of high adventure, when she comes across a young nobleman, bleeding to death with a bullet in his side. Myriah manages to get the youth safely to his manor and in the absence of servants tends his wounds. As innocent as she may be, Myriah quickly finds herself in yet another compromising position, when she wakes in the silken embrace of Lord Kit Winborne, the youth's older brother. Being mistaken for a bit-of-muslin might have proven devastating for a lesser soul, but this miss is anything but daunted. She rises from the encounter with dignity intact and proceeds to win the good Lord's heart. Myriah may feel an instant attraction for Kit, but she already has suspicions that all is not well on the Winborne estate. Most of the servants are gone, the grounds have become overgrown, and then there is the mystery of how young William Winborne came by his bullet wound. The Winbornes seem to have fallen on hard times. Something dark and sinister hangs over their dealings and Myriah finds herself caught in the thick of it, unable to reveal her true identity, yet unwilling to return home and face her father's ire. In order for true love to blossom and take root there is a price to be paid in honesty and trust, something neither Kit or Myriah can afford to give each other blindly. The passion and desire they feel only serves to confuse matters further as neither Myriah nor Kit can risk honesty, when more than their personal happiness stands to be lost. Matters become complicated further when Sir Roland discovers Myriah's whereabouts. The addition of unbridled sexual passion to Myriah Fire's strong story brings dimensions of maturity and depth to the struggles faced by Myriah and Kit, without diminishing any of the innocence, joy or charm found in the original story. This revised version of Myriah Fire allows Claudy's regency followers to appreciate what her paranormal romance fans have discovered –mind bending eroticism. A truly captivating tale with a blast of added sizzle, Myriah Fire will kindle the flames of your heart and burn up the night.
Catch & Hold-Legend book #6 Legend series on March 11, 2012

eXtreme Seduction Catch and Hold completes the Legend series in style, with Claudy Conn pulling out all the stops to bring the series to a stimulating and climactic finale. Which is after all . . . as it should be, since she left readers with a cliff hanger ending in Free Falling—Legend (no title irony there. lol) The beginning of Catch and Hold finds Radzia MacDaun smack-landing in the dark realms of the unseelie fae and on the run across the enemy’s home turf, without her beloved Danté. Conn ups the ante further by bringing the powers of four dark unseelie royals into the mix of villains bent on mayhem and destruction. From beginning to end the action never stops as Conn draws her cast of Legend characters together to save the Tuatha Dé and earth as we know it. I applaud the strong female characters, the wide emotional range, and character building growth that fills the story; but between the two of us, I know what it is you really want to know about this book. The answer is . . . YES. In spite of all the drama, intrigue, excitement, and the heat of battle –which make this a great series ender, Claudy still creates room for the finer points of love; the sizzling passions that make reading a Conn romance a delectably private affair. The end, no other two words strike as deep or contain as much horror for the avid reader, especially when they signal the completion of a truly exciting and engaging series. Readers will appreciate knowing that, even as she brings Legend to its completion, Conn opens the doors wide for a range of new paranormal plots and romances. One thing is certain, we haven’t seen the last of Claudy Conn or her talent for writing eXtreme seduction.
Shadowlife-Hybrid on April 29, 2012

Romance with Claudy Conn does for paranormal fiction what tequila does for ice cold margaritas on a hot summer night. Shadowlife-Hybrid is raw, liquid pleasure. I’ll take getting lost in the hot blooded, life infused, primal lust of a werewolf over chilly vampire passion any day! After all, the idea of utterly losing control to the “animal within” is truly more frightening than a flirtation with death. Blending these polar opposites into one luscious man creates a potent elixir, and the untamed, unfettered, ultimate midnight read. That is what Claudy Conn has done. The Shadow series reaches its peak in Hybrid, the entangled romance of shape-shifter immortal Roxie MacBran and wolf-vamp hybrid Chase MacAdams. Hybrid is sheer lustful genius, but not simply because Claudy Conn’s hunks and hunk-ettes are gorgeous or powerful. When you read one of Conn’s romances you are transported, to live and breathe her characters. The plots are engaging and the levels of sexual desire and exploration her characters reach are truly and deeply inspiring. If you are looking to work up the passions, or to indulge in some much needed release, you have picked the perfect series and arrived at the last and best edition, Shadowlife-Hybrid. About Shadowlife-Hybrid - It is never good to start a relationship on a lie, even a small one, and poor Roxie didn’t know what she was getting into by agreeing to make friendly with Chase MacAdams. Pretense always gets in the way of good honest physical attraction. If the need for his help wasn’t so desperate, she never would have gotten involved with him. They needed Chase on their side if they were to have any hope for breaking WB’s vampire empire apart and of saving the enslaved humans WB is breeding for food and enhanced vampire powers. WB has attracted the help of the original father of vampires, Vlad, Count Dracula. Their mixed band of vampires, immortals, and a wizard just wasn’t going to be powerful enough to face that evil. Chase was the key; their band didn’t have any chance of winning without him, let alone of surviving. A steak through the heart, even if they could get close enough to make the jab, just wasn’t going to rid the world of the of darkness Dracula had become. Roxie was chosen to represent their team because, like Chase, she was unique. With a Native American shape-shifter chief for a mother and an immortal father, Roxie is an alpha female, wolf shape-shifter, with all the powers of an immortal at her command. Even so, their team needs Chase and she is the only member with half a chance of convincing him to join the fight. Chase had turned their first attempt away without even listening and so the team was sending Roxie to make a second attempt. Her mission is to convince Chase that joining their fight is within his best interest, and to do that she would need to win his trust. Their hope was that the wolf in her would speak to the wolf in Chase and create an opening of familiarity and friendship which might win through the walls of his personal grief so that Roxie can plead their cause. The explosion of attraction between them is fiercely intense, and before either can control themselves, Roxie is caught, unable to reveal the truth of her presence and purpose before becoming hopelessly entangled in his arms. Their union and subsequent imprinting gives him access to her thoughts and he rejects her for the lie he finds hidden there. Marked by his wolf, claimed for all time, Roxie is left with a gaping hole in her soul as he walks out of her life. Never did she imagine that in meeting him she would come to feel such loss or that their loving would leave her haunted by a painful all consuming physical desire. As a hybrid, Chase tells her that he can overcome the imprinting of their inner wolves, but can she? Or will she be left weakened, in a half life, without her mate, to face the world’s greatest evil on her own? Five Stars, all the way!