'Dracula,' 'Rebecca' and Elizabeth Lowell

Today's featured authors: Belinda Burke, author of The Circle Unbroken; Helena Maeve, author of Feint and Misdirection; and Remmy Duchene, author of Ciro. They're talking favorite actors and keeper books.

Belinda Burke, author of The Circle Unbroken

Three of my favorite actors:

• Gary Oldman. I first saw him in The Fifth Element, portraying Zorg as an admirably evil antagonist, but he really won me over in Dracula as the title character, where he plays both the young count, desperately seeking Mina's love, and the decrepit older version, broken by his own bloodlust and vengefulness.

• Anthony Hopkins. Who hasn't heard of him? Well known for playing Hannibal, it was his role in Dracula as Van Helsing that made me love him best. So many great actors in that movie, but the irreverence and aplomb that Hopkins gave to Van Helsing was hilarious and inspiring.

• Cary Elwes. Why not go for the grand trio? I loved him in Dracula as Sir Arthur, but my favorite of his roles by far has to be Robin Hood in Men in Tights. The whole movie is wonderful, but Elwes is spectacular as the famous thief. After all, unlike some other Robin Hoods, he can speak with an English accent!

Here's the blurb for The Circle Unbroken (book two in Eight Kingdoms):

A prince, a king, an oath to bind and an oath to break. Can something begun in darkness survive the light? Or does the shape of that oath define love…and the circle unbroken?

Three months have passed since Macsen Cadoc's rescue of Bran Fionnan—three mortal months, three days in Macsen's Red Kingdom. Bran is seeking a place for himself as sidhe, as Summer's Prince and as Macsen's consort, and the Red King has started to balance the thirst of his own nature with the love that now moves him just as much. Yet when Bran is reminded of an oath that was made between them when he was just a child, that which has so far held them together may end up tearing them apart.

While the strength of their love is tested, a mortal enemy is once more in motion. Focused only on their destruction, Dealla seeks to step into the place of her dead father—to rule over the Milesians and fulfill the oaths of crown and country. To do so, she must find a way to hurt two foes…one new and openly deadly, the other ancient and its enmity long asleep. Allies appear in unlikely places, armed by their own motives to seek the same destruction Dealla desires… But the price of success may be higher than the cost of failure—higher than any plot or plan allows.

What is the price of an oath fulfilled? Is love born from nothing, or does it wear a path that can be traced?

Find out more at www.totallybound.com.

Helena Maeve, author of Feint and Misdirection

Three books on my keeper shelves:

• Delta of Venus by Anais Nin. Literature with a capital L taught me that sex in fiction should only be used to one of two ends: to highlight a violent act or to describe the female body in painstaking detail. Nin not only did away with the mechanical, but she embraced erotica as a genre as poetic and ripe for good storytelling as any other. A huge eye-opener.

• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. All the elements of a juicy whodunit without the satisfying denouement I was used to after mainlining Agatha Christie mysteries. Over the years, I've reread it for the sobering take on whirlwind romances so popular in my genre. Du Maurier's ability to create a vivid character without having her appear in a single scene blows my mind.

• The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. Family secrets and melancholy heartbreak are fuel for my fire. The Blind Assassin is a puzzle of a book, packing surprise after surprise. More so than any other Atwood title, I'm gaga for the romantic elements in this novel… although, because it's Atwood, it goes without saying that a happily ever after is unlikely.

Here's the blurb for Feint and Misdirection:

Imogen Dao is going to punch her way through this championship even if it means losing the men in her life.

Imogen's dream is about to come true. Only a handful of fights separate her from her first triumph in a mixed martial arts tournament. Sure, she's been sleeping with her trainer, Russ, on and off for the last couple of months, but it's nothing serious. He doesn't even like her. Everything is going swimmingly, until one night after a victory in the ring Imogen meets a man who offers a world of pleasure—if only she can agree to submit to him.

There's something about Imogen—her spirit, her compact, lethal weapon of a body—that just takes Jaime's breath away. He doesn't seem to care that she's rowdy and foul-mouthed, or that she will never fit into his world. He wants her.

As the scorching hot chemistry between Imogen and Jaime reaches boiling point, Russ becomes convinced that the tournament will be forfeit if his prize-fighter doesn't get her priorities in order. With the final coming up and Imogen's chances of victory on shaky ground, the choice between ambition and romance may not be the only one she is forced to make.

Find out more at helenamaeve.com.

Remmy Duchene, author of Ciro

Three books on my keeper shelf:

• Autumn Lover by Elizabeth Lowell. This was the first romance novel given to me by a friend after I moved to Canada and I absolutely got lost within the pages. It was a remarkable read.

• Wish Me Nothing by Havan Fellows. Not only is this author a spectacular human being, but this author writes books that have a certain endearing quality that leaves you so happy.

• This Book Is Full of Spiders by David Wong. Funniest end-of-the-world book I've read in a long, long time.

Here's the blurb for Ciro:

Hades hath no fury than Hera's wrath.

Ciro is the son of Zeus and the goddess of the Storm Winds. He must stop his crazy, cursed brothers from destroying Earth, but most importantly from destroying the man he loves.

Ciro Pytkis was born with a target on his back, thanks to his father Zeus' infidelity. Tired of her husband's man-whoring ways, Hera cursed his latest offsprings born outside their marriage to become shivers. Somehow, Ciro was born good, but a few of his brothers are hellbent on destroying him and the humans.

Finally, Ciro finds the man of his dreams and he should be happy, but now, not only does he have to protect Earth and all of Olympus from his brothers, he must also keep Carter Olabasu safe from the evil Ciro knows is coming.

Carter Olabasu has everything—his brother finally accepts his homosexuality, Carter has a thriving business and the freedom to do what he wants when he wants. But he's lonely. A chance meeting at a night club brings him into Ciro's path. Almost instantly, he's obsessed by a need that he's never felt before. However, when the world starts falling apart around him, Carter will have to face the fact his new man isn't who Carter thinks he is and there are things that go bump in the night humans can never, ever find out about.

Find out more at www.remmyduchene.com.