The Blonde Samurai by Jina Bacarr

by Lady Carlton née Katie O’Roarke, heroine of “The Blonde Samurai”

“I have great admiration for Mr. Dickens’ Christmas story about the incorrigible Mr. Scrooge, but in this posting I shall tell you about the exploits of another gentleman who deigned to meet up with three affable ghosts on one naughty Christmas Eve years ago.

“I shall call him “Sir Harry” to keep his identity secret since he is a prominent member of the British Parliament, a still handsome man with the wisdom of his years lighting up his silver-gray eyes.  A good fellow he is, and one you would recognize if saw him at a Mayfair soiree.

“But I’ve heard heated whispers that he wasn’t always such a well-respected gentleman…”

Continue reading A Naughty Christmas Carol on my “A Naughty Victorian Lady tells all…”  blog at eHarlequin.com.

Best,
Jina

February 2010: meet The Blonde Samurai
“She embraced the way of the warrior. Two swords. Two loves.”

I read two ‘wow’ books in the past week – one was a “wow, what the heck happened?” book and the other took me speechless in a good way. I hope to review both books soon.

Now onto my November reads. I know, say what?! We’re one week shy of starting a new year and here I am just posting my list of reads from November. I think it is becoming tradition to review my monthly reads mid-month, lol. So here’s to another month of reading 10+ books, which I blame partly on my reading slump and the sickness that would not go away. I read a total of 12 books in November, two of which are Harlequin / Silhouette books.

1) A Weaver Holiday Homecoming by Allison Leigh, B-

After being presumed dead for several years, Ryan Clay returned to his hometown a changed man – quiet, brooding, and very much a stranger even to his own family. In his story, Ryan meets up with a daughter he never knew he had and becomes acquainted with her and her aunt who has been caring for the girl since her mother passed away giving birth to her.

Ryan has been a mystery since I started reading the Double-C Ranch series mid-way into the series. While his whereabouts and what he did during the mysterious period that he “died” was revealed, I felt it was downplayed as compared to him getting to know his daughter, Chloe, and her aunt, Mallory Keegan. The result of Ryan’s undercover work had left him somewhat numb to emotions so I enjoyed feeling alongside Ryan as he started caring for Chloe and Mallory.

Ryan’s story is the 13^th book in the Double-C Ranch series and a nice follow-up to the previous book. I have really enjoyed following the lives of the Clays and was left wondering at the end of this book if there will be another book because it seems as if the case Ryan was involved in is still unsolved. Of course, the nature of such a case can never be fully closed as long as there are bad people but I couldn’t tell if this was the end of the series or not. The way things were left unsaid between Ryan and his sister was also another closure I wanted.

2) Hot on her Heels by Susan Mallery, B

Review here.

3) Promises Linger by Sarah McCarty, B+

While Caleb didn’t impress me, I heard many good things on Sarah McCarty’s Promises books. I’m glad that I didn’t give up on Ms. McCarty because I really enjoyed Promises Linger which offers a good story with great romance, scorching sex, and awesome chemistry between the hero and heroine.

Asa MacIntyre is a kind, patient, and protective man – as regards to his new bride, Elizabeth Coyote. Their marriage came together very unusually, with Elizabeth ridding of one scum husband and offering marriage to another in almost the same breath. What keeps me entranced in my reading is Asa, who was such an alpha hero in all that he does yet still manage to be sweet and loving. Born to a prostitute mother and an unknown father, Asa didn’t have much respectability from birth. What respect he got was his action as a gunslinger. His marriage to Elizabeth, a lady from a respectable family, gave him the respectability that he craves.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, was a stubborn, independent woman who was having a tough time retaining her image as a lady while trying to work her father’s ranch after his death. Married to Asa, their marriage is an explosion of personalities. At 400+ pages, you really got to see how Asa and Elizabeth grow individually and together as a couple. The secondary characters are just fascinating and real. I will be checking out her other works.

4) Snow Baby by Brenda Novak, C+

I read one other book by Brenda Novak and I didn’t enjoy the story or the writing. Something compelled me to check out the blurb of Snow Baby and it intrigued me so I took another chance on Ms. Novak. A chance encounter during a storm between two strangers resulted in a baby and feelings in the making. Things are not so easy when you mix in an estranged sister who has feelings for the baby’s father – a sister with whom you’ve been trying to reconcile with, ten years after you stole her boyfriend and took off with him to launch a successful career as a model.

I enjoyed the writing in Snow Baby more so than the previous book I read. I thought the flow between scenes was nicely done and while the baby-created-during-a-snowstorm-between-strangers plot isn’t very creative, I enjoyed it. What I didn’t enjoy was how annoying Stacey was. Having your boyfriend stolen from you and by your sister (I can’t recall who’s older) is very painful indeed but Stacey couldn’t seem to grasp that Dillion Broderick wasn’t interested in her and continuously harp on Chantal for yet again stealing her boyfriend. Dillion had been seeing Stacey on a few dates but they never did anything intimate – and barely a kiss, if I recall correctly – so when she insists that she met the man of her dreams and Chantal was the only obstacle preventing her dream from coming true, I wanted to shake her and tell her to get her eyes and ears checked.

Chantal was brave to try to reconcile with her sister after her dastardly behavior but ten years is a long time before asking for a reconciliation. I never understood why she didn’t try to meet up with her sister sooner. It was mentioned that Chantal did try to contact her sister and their father via phone calls and letters a few times but her efforts were ignored. I liked Chantal until she played a martyr far too long, 1) giving up Dillion to her sister as if he was property she had rights to pass round without regards to his feelings on the matter and 2) she was pregnant and tried to hide it from him which is major turn-off for me.

Dillion is a likeable hero and as soon as he realized that he had feelings for Chantal he broke things off with Stacey even though their relationship was never exclusive or serious to begin with.  I like Dillion because he was patient, kind, and the fact that he drove around in a snow storm to rescue a stranger speaks pretty well of his character. However, his feelings for Chantal developed a bit too easily considering they only had one night together and it was lust and the intimacy of the situation that brought them together.

5) Port of Paradise by Lisa Marie Rice, C

Hope Winston’s best friend, Kay, was recuperating in the hospital from an accident so Hope flew to Italy to help run her friend’s school. While staying at Kay’s home, Hope noticed crazy things happening around the house – voices whispering right outside the home at night, property being damaged, and even her tires were slashed.  Kay urged Hope to contact the cops but while Hope was unnerved, she still held back because she had a personal bad experience with cops.

Franco is a cop and he promised his friend, Kay, that he would keep an eye out on her friend, Hope, since Hope was alone in the city. When it appeared that Hope was in danger, Franco stuck to Hope as much to protect her as he was attracted to her.

The story started out with a good premise but I didn’t think it was developed enough. There was too much focus on the sex — I didn’t feel as if there was real chemistry between the two characters. Hope was one of those TSTL heroines doing things that endanger her life – for instance, she chased unarmed after an armed man who had broken in to her home. Her behavior was really stupid but I can’t really fault her for that because it was instinctive and I have done something similar in the past, lol. However, she turned off her cell phone at a time when it was supposed to be on to protect her and the fact that she refused to contact the cops when strange, scary things were happening around the house illustrated one too many stupid behaviors.

6) Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb, B+/A-

Review here.

7) Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts, B-

I enjoyed reading Bed of Roses more so than Vision in White, the first book in the Bride Quartet. I like Jack and Emma together – as friends and lovers. I thought the couple had great chemistry and that their friendship-turned-lovers relationship was pretty nicely done. Emma’s love of flowers and creativity reminded me of my best friend who is very artistic in that area as well. I’m always amazed when I see a gorgeous floral arrangement created from simple greenery and flowers so the floral descriptions and arrangements were fascinating to me.

I love the friendships in this series, Jack with his guys and Emma with her gals. The girls’ reactions were a bit over the top though regarding Jack’s reaction to finding Emma inside his home uninvited. I don’t fault Jack for feeling boxed in considering the length of their relationship had only surpassed two months, thereabouts. Emma blowing up at Jack was dramatic and so were her friends’ decision to ban Jack from visiting their home until further notice when he and the girls were also friends. On the other hand, I did cringe when Jack pocketed the keys that Emma borrowed without his knowledge. Ultimately, the ending was sweet but too quick and easy.

8) Count to Ten by Karen Rose, A

Review forthcoming.

9) I’m Watching You by Karen Rose, A

Review here.

10) Jewel of Atlantis by Gena Showalter, C

Jewel of Atlantis is more comic to read and the world of Atlantis was also better explained in this book than in Heart of the Dragon, the first book in the Atlantis series. While the first few chapters were entertaining enough, there were too many loopholes in the storyline that left me feeling unsatisfied. I never really understood the connection between Grayson and Jewel from their childhood dreams, Jewel’s past, and, in the end, how Gray survived in the human world as a half-vampire. Finally, the solution of Gray serving the “Jewel” of Atlantis to his boss was simple and too easily accepted by his boss.

11) Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh, B

There hasn’t been a boring book in the Psy-Changeling series. Blaze of Memory is far from boring but the couple didn’t engage my interest as the other couples in the series did. Despite this, I finished my reading feeling all kinds of emotions. The ending was very emotional for me; tears streamed down my face before I could stop myself.

As far as the world of the Psy/Changeling, it just gets more interesting, diverse, and mind-boggling. Each new book in the series introduces more details to expound the world Ms. Singh has created.

12) Memories of Us by Linda Winfree, B

It’s strange how I don’t mind starting in the middle of a series. New to the Hearts of the South series, I started with Book #5. I like Ms. Winfree’s writing voice and the depth of her characters. I admire a woman who can ask a man out – and this was her boss, no less.

Celia St. John is an investigator for the DA’s office and madly attracted to her boss, Tom McMillan, who is seemingly oblivious to her attraction. On impulse, she proposition Tom even knowing that he was hung up on his ex-wife. Tom at first runs from Celia but as they work closer together on a case that started from a baby’s death, he sees Celia in a different light and they take their relationship to a personal level. As the case spirals from bad to worse leading to a baby adoption ring so does their relationship change and Tom’s feelings for Celia intensifies. When Tom becomes a suspect in the case and Celia is threatened by someone who doesn’t want the case further investigated, the suspense becomes intense. I love romantic suspense with very real characters.

[ Note: All gradings are based on my enjoyment -- or lack thereof -- and mood at the time of reading. ]

"The Christmas Piano" by Jina Bacarr

I love the Holiday Season.  No matter what has been happening throughout the year, you can’t help but take a moment to catch your breath and take in the joy of the season all around you…

Shiny silver and gold decorations, sleigh bells ringing on cell phones, Christmas carols blasting at the mall, yummy sugar cookies baking in the oven and–

The spicy smell of pine wafting from a Christmas Tree.  Except at my house.  I have mistletoe hanging in the hallway (what romance writer doesn’t?) and a fresh garland wreath gracing the front door…

But you see, well, my Christmas Tree is different. 

It’s a piano.

Continue reading about my Christmas Piano Tree at NAUGHTY AUTHOR CHICKS.

Best,
Jina     

February 2010: meet The Blonde Samurai
“She embraced the way of the warrior. Two swords. Two loves.” 

Lisa Marie Rice is one of the authors doing ‘erotic’ romantic suspense.  Possibly the best right now is Shannon McKenna,  and others include Cherry Adair, Lori O’Clare, Denise Agnew, and naturally Lora Leigh.  The biggest problem with most romantic suspense is the extreme Alpha male characters, the overuse of ‘fragile, delicate, helpless’ female character, and most importantly the astonishing lack of technical research.  OK, many writers evade this by creating their own ‘world’, but the moment their characters start using real world weapons, its about as realistic as the fact that the heroes, usually in their mid to late 30’s, have near permanent hard-ons for the heroines.   Yes, there are exceptions – Anne Stuart, Suzanne Brockman, Tara Janzen and many other mainstream romantic suspense writers do a pretty fair job of their research and judiciously use the Alpha male/helpless female trope.   Another problem is the fact that romantic suspense tends to be a catchall category with books that range from  paranormal, to make-believe quasi-government agencies, to shades of Blackwater private spies/mercs, to using very real spec ops groups in the military and various government agencies.  The degree to which the reader can believe in story will vary a LOT.  For the sake of a story line, I do understand why some things are changed.  An example, in the SEAL books by Suzanne Brockman, she keeps her SEAL Team 16 together for a long time.  In real life, that doesn’t happen.  Military moves the men around based on their expertise and the need for any specific operation, but you can’t build a series of books based on that, so you ignore it.  I’m OK with that.  Some of the suspense writers make such glaring errors it ruins the whole book for me.

Lisa Marie Rice does tend to use a particular heroine type -  she’s very girly, never had down and dirty sex, usually very classy, always beautiful, no family to speak of and few close friends, and she’s in some kind of serious trouble that she wants to handle, but can’t.  The men are big, very tough, hard, guys – proto-typical Alpha males – that usually stay away from such soft women, but cannot resist the lure of this particular woman – so much so, they forget all their seduction skills and do the up-against-the-wall wild monkey sex routine.  Also, they are all really well endowed – but that’s a romance tradition.  Heroes are never average in length or width.  So here we go.  Be aware, these are some of her earlier books.

• Title: Woman on the Run
• Author: Lisa Marie Rice
• Type: Erotic Romantic Suspense
• Genre: Woman in jeopardy needs tough man to save her from danger while she saves town
• Sub-genre: Former SEAL and WitSec protectee with price on her head
• My Grade: C+ (3.4*)
• Rating:  NC-17
• Length and price: Long novel – 100,000+ words; cover price $18.99 but sales, remainders and used available
• Where Available: everywhere books are sold; look for a deal; ebook available
• FTC Disclosure: Purchased online

Julia Devaux is the classic, wrong place, wrong time WitSec protectee.  She’s an editor in Boston taking a photography course who wandered onto the abandoned docks one morning just in time to see a notorious mob boss kill a man.  Now the boss has a million dollar price on her head and the U.S. Marshal Service has her in witness protection is a small town in Idaho – as Sally Anderson, grade school teacher.  Julia is the daughter of career diplomats and grew up all over the world.  Granted, many times she was in small towns, but she was also at home in Paris and Boston.  She’s used to exotic meals, sophisticated, worldly people and conversation and all the amenities a city offers.  Never comfortable driving, she’s now all but stranded miles from the nearest big town – and winter is moving in fast.  Technically, she’s on unpaid leave from her job, but in publishing, the likelihood of her editor’s position being open once she’s safe is pretty much nil.  The few friends she has all think she’s caring for a sick relative in St Peterburg, FL and her fussy cat, Frederico Fellini, has a new home.  Instead of her condo, she has a small, old house, a clunker car, and a large group of second graders – one of whom is obviously having a problem at home.

Frightened and alone, Julia is getting along as best she can.  Rafael, one of her students is obviously suffering due to some issues at home, so she sends a note to his parents.  Bernie, his father and foreman at the largest spread near Simpson, Idaho, is too drunk to go see Rafael’s teacher, so Cooper is in the school making the call.  Julia is still there, having been told by the Marshal she has a million dollar price on her head, when in walks the big, dangerous man who looks like a killer.  She brains him with the pumpkin the kids carved that afternoon.  She’s embarrassed to learn he’s not only a third generation owner of the premier horse breeding ranch, he’s also a former SEAL and a war hero.

Coop is instantly horny, Julia is needy.  Slam-bam sex.  He’s not exactly what she expects – Julia is prone to a certain snobbery.  (I’m not sure how someone who has lived all over the world can be so intimidated by driving she can’t find the next damn town.  Or so unsophisticated she can’t order books online!  No, you won’t get a great corner bistro, or Tibetan food, or a French patisserie in a small town in Idaho.  Since she lived all over, she managed without before, why the big deal?)  Coop takes taciturn to whole new levels, but his thoughts are interesting and occasionally amusing.  The romance progresses as a real killer starts hunting her down – simply called The Professional (AKA Léon).  OK, if you missed it, The Professional was also the name of a movie about a professional hitman played by the brilliant Jean Reno with none other than Natalie Portman as the girl he protects and eventually trains in his trade.  Lots of movie connections in this book.

Julia turns into a doormat around Cooper, an unfortunate trait shared by many LMR heroines, though none as extreme as here.  I like my female leads with a bit more attitude and gumption.  I’m not crazy about these fragile flowers with no survival skills and a penchant for stubbornness at all the wrong times.  Julia is supposedly a woman raised all around the world, one comfortable in any society, yet she comes off so damn unworldly and innocent.  It’s like she lived her whole life without any verve or dynamic curiosity or burning sense of adventure.  The whole ‘genteel lady’ thing was rather annoying.  Cooper could molded directly from Gary Cooper in High Noon – for that matter, this whole thing had a ‘High Noon’ feeling to it, except in this case, the town backed up the man facing down the bad guy.  The plot is a pastiche of various movies blended together, but no really original characters or plot lines.  The small town feel of Simpson is pretty much spot on, if a bit trite and predictable.  Woman on the Run is an average read and most assuredly not worth the cover price of $18.99.  If you can borrow a copy, buy a cheap remainder,  or get it used at a low price, then try it, but there are better books out there in the romantic suspense genre with equally hot sex.  Try Anne Stuart’s Ice series.

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• Title: Port of Paradise
  
• Author: Lisa Marie Rice
• Type: Erotic Romantic Suspense
• Genre: Woman in jeopardy meets sexy Italian policeman
• Sub-genre:  American school teacher doing a friend a favor becomes a target of the local mob
• My Grade: C+ to B-  (3.5*)
• Rating:  NC-17
• Length and price: Full novel – 90,000+ words; cover price $14.99 but sales, remainders and used available
• Where Available: everywhere books are sold; look for a deal; ebook available
• FTC Disclosure: Purchased online

Ms Rice cracks her heroine mold just a little here with with heroine Hope Winston.  Hope Winston’s best friend Kay started an special school in Bari, Italy to teach English to adults who held jobs that demanded a working knowledge of English.  The school was just getting established when Kay is nearly killed in a hit and run accident.  She asks Hope for help with the school during her long convalescence and physical therapy.  With nothing much to hold her in New York, Hope makes the move to Bari and finds she loves Italy.  She’s staying in Kay’s house and all manner of strange things have been happening.  Voices in the night, strangers around the house, heavy breathing phone calls in the middle of the night.  Kay absolutely insists she speak with Captain Franco Rivera.  She knows how much Hope hates all police, the contempt and distrust she feels thanks to how an abusive police chief treated her when she was 18 years old.

Franco Rivera is not at all what she expects – and Hope Winston is not what he expects.  When he takes her home and a man runs from her house, she gives chase – and to his surprise and that of the fleeing man, she begins gaining on him.  Then the man starts shooting at her and Franco tackles her to get her out of the line of fire.  Franco is quickly developing a thing for the beautiful blond who obviously hates cops.  Just how much trouble she’s in all seems to revolve around that house.  It’s a small place by the sea, sitting up on a bluff.  The two phone numbers they find the shadow of in a notepad by her phone leads to the local crime lord – the man responsible for the death of Franco’s father 10 years before.

Despite her dislike and distrust of cops, Hope ends up involved with Franco.  The is a silly ‘big mis’ near the end and   Port of Paradise has a better developed romance and plot than many of LMR’s Ellora’s Cave books.  Despite several not quite believable incidents, especially Hope’s experience with the cops in FL, it was overall better balanced between the suspense part and the romance.  It never generates the tension between the characters that the best of the breed does, nor are the action part all that well done, but it’s a decent sexy romantic suspense read.  Frankly, Out of Control by Suzanne Brockman or Blue Ice by Anne Stuart are both light-years better.  Despite being shallow, Port of Paradise is a good read for those not really into the action parts of the best romantic suspense books.  Not worth the cover price, but remainders and used books are available.

*************************************************************************************************************

• Title: Midnight Man
  
• Author: Lisa Marie Rice
• Type: Erotic Romantic Suspense
• Genre:  Woman in jeporday is saved by a former SEAL
• Sub-genre:  Interior designer is traget of killers and is saved by her new business tenant, a former Seal
• My Grade: C+ to B-  (3.6*)
• Rating:  NC-17
• Length and price: Full novel – 90,000+ words; cover price $12.99 but sales, remainders and used available
• Where Available: some book sites, used book stores, and from publisher Ellora’s Cave; look for a deal; ebook available
• FTC Disclosure:  from an online book swapping site

Here we go with another former SEAL.  Honestly, Suzanne Brockman has a lot to answer for.  You’d think that SEAL’s were the only hardcore sepc ops groups out there.  Actually the Marines and the Army have them and Delta has members from all branches of the service.  For many of the operations described in romantic suspense, the odds of using SEAL’s is small.  And being a sniper does not make you the best 1,000 yard shot.  (By the way, the Wimbledon Cup, the award given to the winner of the 1,000 yard shooting match, was won by a non-military women more than once.  Michelle Gallagher won the trophy an amazing 5 times.  Her mother has also won the cup.   Carlos Hathcock, the famed Marine sniper from Viet Nam won in 1965.  The Army had the most winners of any branch of the service followed by the Marines.)

Anyway, about the book – Commander John Huntington, USN Ret., a former SEAL with the nickname ‘Midnight Man‘ for extraordinary night vision, hearing, and sense of smell, started his own security company providing personnel protection and training to corporations and executives that need to do business in high risk areas such as the Mid-East and South America.  Business is so good, he needs larger offices already and heads to a building in a transition area of Portland.  The inside of the building has been spectacularly restored, but not as spectacular as the owner and soon to be landlady, Suzanne Barron.  Suzanne is instantly unnerved by the huge man dressed in black and riding a motorcycle.  He’s not at all what she was expecting as a tenant, even though he’s incredibly polite.  He has the whole overwhelming ‘Alpha male’ thing going on.  She was expecting accountants to move in.  Nonetheless, she agrees to rent to him and he insists she check his references – one of whom is the fiancee of her good friend and a police detective lieutenant, Tyler ‘Bud’ Morrison from Midnight Run.

John convinces Suzanne to rent to him and to have dinner with him that night, she could even choose her favorite restaurant.  She names a place that calls for reservations weeks in advance, especially on Friday nights, thinking it will stop him.  She’s never reacted to a man the way she does to John.  He excites and frightens her at the same time.  He does nothing to improve his standing by breaking into the building after he insists she set the alarm and scaring the hell out of her.  She’s furious with him and he barely calms her down enough to get her to agree to keep their date and let him rent the office space.   Suzanne is so nervous – and excited – about dinner with John she can barely eat her wonderful food.  They no more than get back inside the door of her building than they are up against the wall having head banging sex.

Next morning she awakes to find John moving into the offices – and his private quarters – with the help of a scary looking group of men who move as quietly as he does.  Despite the tattoos, piercings and biker looks, they are all polite and she doesn’t feel threatened – except by the combustible reaction to John.  He can’t believe he lost control and all his finesse with Suzanne the night before and now he has to go out of town on business, but John has plans.  Suzanne goes to work on a job she’s sharing with another designer, a very gay one, and ends up seeing their problem client alone that afternoon.  That night, a man breaks into her building.  She calls John then she calls Bud, locks herself in her bathroom and defends herself with an aerosol can.  John finishes the job and decides whoever is after her is too dangerous to leave her in that building.  It turns out Suzanne saw something she didn’t even know she saw until the murder of her client and her business associate hit the news.  She’s the only witness that can break the alibi of the killer.  Bud insists Suzanne enter the WitSec program.  She and John are separated, but not for long.

Although not the most original of all Ms Rice’s Midnight series, Midnight Man is my favorite.  It’s not great romantic suspense, and the sex, while good, is no match for many other books, but for some reason the story line and the characters just work for me.  I’ve read the book twice and each time I enjoyed it.  I can’t delude myself into believing this formula driven story is anything but average, shallow, lacking character depth and plot complexity, but it is very readable and enjoyable.  If you’re wondering why I had that little sniper fit, you’ll need to read the book to the end.  You should also keep in mind that White Star, Point of Impact, and Time to Hunt are some of my favorite suspense thrillers and feature sniper protagonists, so I’ve done some research on them and on the spec ops groups.  Five years after publication, Midnight Man remains a very popular book with erotic romance readers and one of her most sought after titles on used book sites.  As with all her books, the cover price is too high, but used and remainders are available.

I’m sweet, lovable Tate to all who know me. Always nice, always proper. I thought I had it all, a great career, a great homelife, and a loving, doting husband. Now, that all that was shattered, I was reverting to my alter-ego, Tatiana, the wild, prurient woman I was before I got married and calmed down.

I had been the perfect wife and plaything. My greedy, selfish, ungrateful husband didn’t have a care in the world. He worked as a corporate attorney, came home to a house that was immaculate and a meal that was freshly prepared based on his favorite foods and special dietary needs. Even though I had a full time job myself. I worked out regularly to keep my body tight and flexible so that when sex time rolled around, I could move and flex into positions that most women could only dream about, unless they were gymnasts. My sex game was highest quality, with hours of perfected techniques to accommodate the unusually large width and length of my husband. Most women would be crying if he tried to do to them what he did to me.

So, how did he repay me? Fancy jewels? New cars? Furs and trips to the French Riviera? No, I caught him having sex with another woman. And not just any woman, no, no, no. This broken down tramp lived next door to us, and she had been eyeing Brad since the day we moved in…  Read the first story in Tatiana’s erotic adventures here…

Please welcome back Cindy for our Saturday Sexcerpt.  This is from Cindy’s latest release:  

Nailed

A Carnal Reunions Tale

By Cindy Spencer Pape

Available now from Resplendence Publishing:

Blurb: When shy scientist Karen Sikorski meets up with her college crush, Warner Beckett, sparks fly, but she knows the handsome contractor would never fall for a plain nerd like her. Warner, though, has other ideas. Smart, voluptuous Karen is everything he’s ever wanted in a woman, and this time around, he’s enough of a grown up to appreciate it. Now all he has to do is convince the lady he really does want her–in every way possible.

Excerpt (ADULT):

“I haven’t done this in a long time, Warner.” It had been over three years—since before Aunt Gracie got really sick. “I hope I’m not a huge disappointment.”

Warner sat down on the bed beside her, took her face between his hands and kissed her gently. Then he looked directly into her eyes and said, “Believe it or not, it’s been a while for me too. And there’s no way you could disappoint me, unless you don’t want to do this. As long as we’re both here because we want to be, and we’re both having a good time, then there’s nothing to worry about.”

That’s all she needed to hear. Taking the initiative, she went up on her knees and kissed him this time, her mouth gently shaping his, one hand tunneling into his short blond locks while the other gripped his shoulder for balance.

He relaxed, letting her maintain control of the kiss. He cupped her ass with his hands, kneading gently without any real force or pressure. When she pushed her tongue inside his mouth, he stroked it with his own, but he didn’t push back—just let her have her way with him.

“Mmm.” Finally she pulled back for a breath, feeling her bones start to melt into goo. She let her hands drop to the buttons of his shirt, easing them open one after another until she had access to his sculpted chest. After pushing the shirt off his shoulders, she sat back on her heels, content for a moment to admire perfection. Crisp golden hairs curled in a soft mat over chiseled muscle that tapered down to his slim waist. His chest was almost as tan as his face, but not quite. There was a faint line on his arms and neck that told her he’d gotten the color by working outside, not from lying by a pool.

“My turn now.” He reached over and took the hem of her navy blue sweater in his hands, carefully drawing it up over her head and setting it down on the bed beside them. His finger trailed down along the shoulder strap of her powder blue cotton bra, and along the line of it to the vee between her breasts. “I was guessing white,” he teased. “But the blue is pretty against your creamy skin.”

She felt herself flush all the way down to where his finger still rested.

Warner pulled her into his lap and kissed her again, his hand shaping the lines of her back and waist, before sliding up between them to cover both of her breasts. His big hands cupped her softly, his palms rasping her aching nipples through the cotton covering them.

Karen ran her fingertips over the muscled contours of his back and shoulders, loving the solid strength beneath the warm skin. His erection prodded at her thigh, straining the fabric of his jeans, and she knew her own jeans had to be just about soaked. It was time, she decided, to remove those barriers.

Pulling her face away from his, she wiggled off his lap to stand beside the bed.

“Jeans,” she whispered, amazed at her own daring.

Warner grinned, the lines that crinkled at the corners of his sky-blue eyes only adding to his appeal. “Great idea.” He slid to his feet beside her and immediately unbuckled his belt while she managed her own zipper with shaky fingers.

With a deep breath, she hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her blue cotton panties and shoved them to her feet along with her pants. Oh, hell, had she remembered to shave her legs? When? She hadn’t had a wax in—years. Maybe she could convince him to turn off the lights.

Then Warner dropped his Levi’s to the floor and she forgot everything.

You can buy your copy of “Nailed” here:

http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/m8_view_item.html?m8:item=152-201-101-450-1

You can find Cindy here:

Website: http://www.cindyspencerpape.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/cindyspencerpape

Newsletter Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cspapenewsgroup/

Blog; http://cindyspencerpape.blogspot.com/

Cian Fey: http://cianfey.blogspot.com

Blurb:

Two women thrown together by circumstance fight their attraction for each other.

When banker Taylor Hendry swaps jobs and apartments with her colleague, Samantha Crighton, it seems a good deal until she meets Samantha’s flat mate, Ellie. Taylor lusts after Ellie, from the outset, but is wary of emotional involvement with this tall, dark, sexy, femme after Sam warned her not to mess with Ellie’s vulnerable emotions.

Journalist, Ellie Lawrence, finds her attraction to Taylor confusing. She’s never had a lesbian relationship, not even a girl crush; but Taylor’s arrival provokes intense sexual feelings, which clamor for fulfillment. For the first time in her life, she wants to have full-on mad passionate sex with a woman.

Excerpt:

“Oops!” Ellie giggled as she ricocheted off the doorframe straight into Taylor’s arms, a tingle of excitement shot through her body and ignited a fire in her pussy as one flailing hand made contact with Taylor’s soft breast. “We really shouldn’t have finished that second bottle of champagne.”

“We?” Taylor raised a questioning eyebrow. “You drank most of it by yourself. I hardly touched a drop.”

Ellie frowned. “Did I…?” She tried to focus her mind. A whole bottle sounded scary, and way above her normal limit of two or at the very most, three small glasses of wine. Although the ruinously expensive Bollinger champagne they’d drunk at tonight’s charity do hadn’t seemed nearly as potent as her usual tipple. Besides which, she had definitely needed something to fight off the strange desire to jump another woman.

Was the drink clouding her judgment?

No—she was sober enough to know her own mind. An icy shiver trickled down her spine as the realization dawned. For the first time in her life, she wanted to have full-on mad passionate sex with a woman. Not just any woman either, she wanted to fuck Taylor Hendry so bad it hurt.

Something incredible happened to her the moment this stunning woman walked into her life. Her heartbeat raced into overdrive again just reliving the split second when she’d connected with Taylor’s iridescent cobalt-blue eyes. Then, when her gaze had swept over that sexy body clad in a gray pin-stripe business suit a switch had flipped in her brain.

 “Yes, you did.” Taylor steered her firmly across the room towards the sofa. “Here, sit down and I’ll make us some coffee.”

Already unsteady on her feet, Ellie caught her heel in the carpet and fell backwards onto the floor taking Taylor down on top of her.

Their eyes met and locked and the world stopped turning.

All the air whooshed out of her lungs leaving Ellie a prisoner trapped in a web of incredible mind-blowing sensation, unable to move or breathe, drowning in a maelstrom of erotic imagery.

Then their lips touched and the electric shock brought her world back into sharp reality.

 “Oh…” Ellie expelled her mortification on a ragged breath.

Could I really have kissed another woman?

No. For a start, that fleeting touch of lips wasn’t a proper kiss, and she didn’t even know which of them had initiated it but it had happened and they couldn’t take it back.

“I’m so sorry… I…”

“Shush.” Taylor silenced her apology by resting one slender finger against her lips. After a moment it moved, circling her lips slowly until they parted under the gentle pressure. Something prompted Ellie’s tongue to snake out and touch the tip and then, emboldened, she drew the whole finger into her mouth. Sucking, savoring, sweeping its length with her tongue until overwhelmed by desire, she bit down on it.

Taylor’s groan rang in her ears, as if from a long way away—the sound echoing her own rising excitement.

How did one become so aroused from such a simple act?

Her clit throbbed. No, not just her clit, Ellie marveled how swiftly and urgently her whole body had responded to the stimuli.

Shyly she reached out to touch Taylor’s face. Her fingers drifted across high cheekbones down her neck then on through the valley between her breasts teasing open each tiny iridescent pearl button on her evening shirt as she went. All the time her gaze never strayed from Taylor’s, watching, waiting, for some sign of rejection.

Ellie moistened suddenly dry lips with the tip of her tongue. This was virgin territory; so to speak, with no roadmap to guide her way she had only a vague idea how to reach the ultimate destination. Taylor clearly didn’t intend to help her but neither had she done anything to hinder so, although terrified of putting a foot wrong and messing things up, she’d have to trust in her instinct.

The breath caught in her throat when the front fastening on Taylor’s bra gave way and both breasts spilled out into her hands. A soft fragrance, sultry yet sort of mysterious drifted off her skin, reminding Ellie of the exotic blooms in her grandmother’s conservatory.

Holy cow! I’ve really stepped over the line now.

Without thinking of the consequences, her thumbs moved to caress Taylor’s nipples. As she manipulated them into hard buds, Ellie longed to take one of the jeweled tips into her mouth, to feel them grow, and experience the sweetness on her tongue but shyness prevented her putting that desire into practice.

An all-consuming fire infused Ellie’s body. Her breasts felt heavy, the nipples both tingling and aching, while her pussy throbbed out its own message of urgency.

Now what?

Where do I go from here?

For more information visit

http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=6_54&products_id=549

Dalia
www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6_54
www.daliacraig.com
www.myspace.com/daliacraig

HOLIDAY VIDEO:

Here is my Christmas Piano Tree for 2009 with The Blonde Samurai as my theme:

Best,
Jina     

February 2010: meet The Blonde Samurai
“She embraced the way of the warrior. Two swords. Two loves.”

I think every aspiring author dreams about how they will respond when they get “the call” – the call that converts them from aspiring author to debut author.

Well, after years and years of dreaming about it, it finally happened to me. I was not prepared. Nope.

How would I describe my reaction to “the call”? Stammering idiot comes to mind.

Let’s back up a few days.

I’d been querying my erotic romance series “Sinners on Tour” for a couple of months. Strangely, the publishers I queried kept making requests to review the full or partial manuscript, but I had absolutely no luck getting a literary agent interested. No luck. None. Zero.

So after a couple weeks of waiting to hear back from publishers (milliseconds in literary world time), I get an email from an editor at Sourcebooks. She told me she was taking my manuscript to an editorial meeting later that week. Meaning she wanted them to buy it. No guarantees that the publishing house would be on board with her decision, but I had a foot in the door.  Maybe a whole leg.

After I got over the accompanying feeling of flattery (more precisely: OMG, an editor likes my manuscript! OMG! OMG! OMG!), the panic set in. I still didn’t have a literary agent, but I needed one if I did get an offer for publication. Business person, I’m not. And I don’t speak legal-ese. Time to face facts. I needed an expert.

This meant it was time to make a few calls of my own. Email correspondence would be too slow. Spam filters eat my emails for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I couldn’t risk it.

I was a nervous wreck. (Is this where I mention my phone phobia?) How many times had I been told to NEVER cold call a literary agent or a publisher? Uh, many. Many, many, many. And I don’t recommend it unless your situation is as immediate as mine was. As I dial the numbers for my short list of potential agents, I’m expecting flames to shoot out of the phone and to be connected to that annoying fax-machine screech in retaliation. It turns out that literary agents are very nice people. Who knew?

Also agents are interested in reading your manuscript immediately when you have a potential sale in the pipes. If they don’t think they’re a good match for your work, they will still reject you. It isn’t just about making a quick and easy buck to them.  They really want a strong connection with your work.  My respect for literary agents grew three sizes that day.

Luckily, I found a match – the wonderful Jennifer Shober at Spencerhill Associates. I knew she was the right agent for me because a) she liked my work, b) she was easy to talk to, and c) she didn’t connect me to a fax machine after making me wait on hold for thirty minutes. I knew she was good luck, because while I was talking to her on the phone, I got an email from Deb Werksman at Sourcebooks. They wanted to publish my manuscript. Well, manuscripts. Five of them.

Yes, I’m still pinching myself. They bought the entire five book series.

SO after much enthusiastic screaming at poor Jenn (who shared my excitement), I hung up and less than a minute later my editor, Deb, called. This is when my stammering began. And my gulping. I don’t even know if I said a single coherent sentence. It’s all a total blur.  All I could think was: what a great first impression to make on your new editor.

So how did I respond when I got the call?  With a complete lack of poise and grace.

If you’re an aspiring author, how do you think you’ll respond to “the call”? Or if you’ve already gotten “the call”, how did you react? It has to be better than I reacted.

Hello Naughty Boys and Girls!   Please welcome fellow Resplendence Author Cindy Spencer Pape.  Speaking of Authors…Cindy - Who is your favorite author and why?

I can’t claim to have any one favorite. Early influences would include Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels, then later Jayne Ann Krentz, Elizabeth Lowell, and Linda Howard. More recently I’ve discovered Lora Leigh, Christine Warren, and Christine Feehan. Plus, outside of romance, I adore humorous SF/fantasy writers like Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and more recently, Jim Butcher, and the occasional mystery.

Q: How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?

No, Every book unfolds a little differently. Some of it is plotting, some of it is waiting to see how

Q: Are you working on any books/projects that you would like to share with us? (We’ d love to hear all about them!) 

Well, I just sent a book off to my Ellora’s Cave editor, and I have projects under consideration with a few different houses. My current WIP’s include a trilogy with the fabulous Desiree Holt and Regina Carlysle, and my new love, a steampunk romance.

Q: Any recent appearances that you would like to share with us about/any upcoming ones?

I was at Romanticon in October and plan to be at the RT convention in April. Anything in between is still unknown.

Q: Do you have a favorite hero in all your books? For any particular reason? 

You know, I love them all, or I don’t think I could write them. A few favorites include Fitz from Crazy for the Cowboy (Wild Rose Press) David from Djinni and the Geek (Ellora’s Cave) and Will from Wings of the Raven (Total-E-Bound). Why? They’re all imperfect, but come through in the clutch.

Q: How hard is it to keep sex/love scenes fresh and interesting?

Always a challenge!

Q:  Where can readers find you on the World Wide Web?

Website: http://www.cindyspencerpape.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/cindyspencerpape

Newsletter Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cspapenewsgroup/

Blog; http://cindyspencerpape.blogspot.com/

Cian Fey: http://cianfey.blogspot.com

Join me on Saturday when Cindy shares a steamy excerpt from her latest book, “Nailed.”

Love,

Tina

So part of this is catch up with some ebooks I bought I earlier this month.  I rarely read holiday anthologies, but this year I have several to get thru and I’ll review one before Christmas.  I’ll be away the end of the month, but releases are slowing down, so I’ll be able to too what’s what in erptica when I’m back.  Here we go with a pair for this week.

• Title: Vampire’s Witch
• Author: Rebecca Airies
• Type: Paranormal erotic romance
• Genre: Vamps and witches
• Sub-genre: Witch turning vix (vampire witch) works with hot vamp to take down rogue
• My Grade: C+ (3.5*)
• Rating: PG-13 to NC-17
• Length and price: Sold as a novel for $5.95;  est, about 55,000 words, short novel
• Where Available: ebook available at Elloras Cave
• FTC Disclosure: ebook purchased on publisher website

Vampire’s Witch, a recent release from Ellora’s Cave, is new paranormal contemporary romance.  It a decent read, but not gt great or über sexy.  I haven’t read many books by Ms Airies, but I did read her Fire Prince’s Bride, an alternate world ménage romance, and enjoyed it enough to give another one a try. I’ve come to have somewhat limited expectations of books sold by the usual erotic romance outlets.  Of all of the, Samhain seems to offer the best quality while other run more hit and miss.  With little interest in m/m erotica or books geared to BDSM content, I do go through dry spells.  Recently, several of my usual sites seem to have a glut of m/m books and the rest have been rather short novellas/short stories (I find the vast majority of the short stuff unsatisfying and overpriced), or just had nothing to appeal to me.  Besides, I spent a small fortune on various books sales, including the one at Ellora’s Cave, so I have plenty of older titles to entertain me.  Still, I do love paranormals, so I bought Vampire’s Witch.

Serena Blackwell finds herself dealing with an unexpected complication from her work with the Protectorate, a group that helps police rogue paranormals staffed mostly by well trained, but normal humans.  Serena is becoming a vix – a vampire witch.  Six months ago a rogue vamps scratched her arm with his fangs.  She didn’t think much of it at the time, but now she’s learned that she’s so far along to converting to vampire she is literally just weeks away from full fangs.  The doctor offers her some meds that will slow the progress of the conversion, but only by a few months, no more.  While there she gets a call from the head of the Protectoret asking her to an afternoon meeting.   While waiting for him to be free a big, dark haired man comes in.  Both are shown back to to Stephen’s office.  There’s a rogue vamp killing women.  He’s alluded the vamp enforcers because he is also a magic user and they need a witch to help them.  Now Serena has another worry, will the vamps know she’s undergoing conversion?

The vamp hunter, Marcus Castillo, isn’t thrilled about needing the help of a witch.  It doesn’t help that he’s also very attracted to her and despite all her protests, he can smell her arousal when he’s around.  The rogue hunt means they need to get into clubs and try and capture him.  Despite her presence, the rogue escapes the first encounter, and a second.  After that first encounter, Marcus demands Serena stay with him for her own safety and she gives in to her desire for him.  But the need for her meds – which she must take daily, and her fear Marcus will be able to detect her conversion, sends her back to her own place.  But the rogue knows where she lives and attcks her there.  Serena calls forth another supernatural, a shadow warrior.  This wasn’t explained as well as I’d like, but the shadow warriors aren’t magical constructs, but very real, living beings.  There’s a scene later in the book that suggests one of the women attacked is under the protection of a shadow warrior because she is ‘important’.  I was left feeling they we appear in a story of their own, but it did kind of dangle a bit.  This direct assault on Serena in her apartment leads Marcus to demand she stay with him.

Trying to capture, rather than just kill, the rogue leads to the series of encounters, including one where Serena gets cut.  The moment the vamps smell her blood, they realize she’s a vix.  In the next encounter, the rogue has a female partner who stabs Marcus with a poison blade that sends him into a period of near insanity.  I couldn’t quite figure out why the vamps hadn’t developed a better way to deal with rogues than this repetitious ‘catch and release’ program.  I am at heart a practical soul.  LOL

The attraction between Marcus and Serena worked for me.  Serena’s mother, a ‘pure line’ witch snob reacts way over the top when she learns that she’s a vix.  Witches also have ‘mates’, a bond that vamps don’t have.  I would have liked to see more about that.  Vampire’s Witch lacked the polish that I felt Fire Prince’s Bride had.  Marcus was not as well developed as he could have been and the whole ‘world building’  was shallow and both vampire society and witch society, as well as their relationship with ordinary humans, needed to be fleshed out a bit to give the story more context and depth.  It was the lack of character depth and somewhat shaky world build that kept it from a B- rating.  For a short novel, it was a decent read with plot and a splash of hot sex.  More spicy than erotic.

At $5.95, Vampire’s Witch is a bit pricey for an ebook, but not completely unreasonable.  If Ms Airies writes about the shadow warriors, I’ll likely buy the next book, as I expect this might become a series.

Today I’m at Love Romance Passion — again.  This time I’m discussing fantasy in real terms.  I was there first and now I’m there last.  This is the last stop on the double book tour for Mia’s Return and Sera’s Gift, and we’re kicking our heels back and the chat has evolved into a discussion about up-coming fantasy movies — Harry Potter, Vlad the Impaler, a possible fourth Underworld (would they dare????).

Come join us and be in the running for a copy of Beth’s Acceptance.

___________

Ten years ago Alexander hungered for Mia Menendez and for a single day they had indulged that passion before tragedy struck. Now Mia is back, but she thinks Alexander died ten years ago, and no man has been able to stir her heart since. The truth could kill her.

Wyatt Whitacker, demon hunter, hates Alexander and all his kind.  But one look at Mia and her pulse-stopping curves and his scarred, angry heart begins to melt and his body to rouse in ways he’s long forgotten.

The bonding has begun…

________________

Sera arrives in New York to help Lindál, but a vampeen attack brings her face to face with two men and changes her life forever.

Diego Savage lives up to his name.  Cynical, rebellious and a womanizer, he doesn’t believe in the trinities at all. Only a handful of people know the truth about his scarred heart and terrible past, and it would take a miracle for him to change.  A miracle, or someone like Sera with her special gift.

Blake Harvey, dedicated NYC police lieutenant, takes one look at the tall, supple woman with the crystal blue eyes and glowing skin and knows his life is about to change in ways he can’t even define, but his body is already responding to with a power that is hard to deny.

The bonding has begun…

______________

"The Blonde Samurai"

by Lady Carlton née Katie O’Roarke, heroine of “The Blonde Samurai”

I imagine you are a sensible young British noblewoman in this year of 1876, going about the exhausting travails of getting ready for Christmas Eve–

You must make certain Cook has prepared the goose all plump and tender, and don’t forget to taste the spicy plum pudding and enjoy a glass of claret while you do so.  Then you’re off to your dressmaker on Bond Street to implore her to cut the neckline of your red velvet holiday gown lower to show off more décolletage while you–

Wish Santa would stuff your Christmas stocking with a naughty story…
Read the rest of my blog over at NAUGHTY AUTHOR CHICKS and meet Molly Pearlbottom…a naughty story within a story in “The Blonde Samurai.”

Best,
Jina     

February 2010: meet The Blonde Samurai
“She embraced the way of the warrior. Two swords. Two loves.”

Determined to take charge of her life, Candy abandons her inhibitions and heads West. Adam and Bryan, co-owners of a remote Montana cattle ranch, are eager for luscious female heat after three cold months in the saddle. Candy’s first step toward freedom is one glorious night of wild sex. The men prove what four hands, two mouths and hard driving muscles can do in a few determined hours.

But meeting her deep, dark fantasies requires more time. They invite her back to the Double R, promising games of Virgin and Pirates, Harem Girl and Sheiks. With hard working days and deliciously wicked nights, the last few weeks of the winter pass quickly.

Ranch life, and her men, are everything Candy wants. But she can’t live a fantasy forever, hoping they’ll ask her to stay. Unless they return her love, she must claim her independence and escape before her heart breaks.

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I’m proud to read, and write erotic romance!

My name is Reece Butler and I not only read hot and erotic romance, I write it. There, I said it.

Did the earth shatter? Sky fall down?

Since I’m still typing, I guess not. But admitting it took some time.

You see, reading erotic romance is easily kept quiet, especially if you download electronic books over the Internet. No one needs to know except you and your credit card.

But if you’re an author, people need to know about it. That means going public (insert whimper and cringe here).

After writing for five years, I’m no longer worried about telling (most) people that I’m proud to write hot and erotic romance. My second royalty check of five figures didn’t hurt (okay, I admit two of those figures were the seventy-five cents to the right of the decimal place).

But when the big boss asked me the title of my first publication a few months ago, I froze. Then I took a deep breath, looked him in the eye (not too difficult since we’re the same height) and said, “COWBOY SANDWICH”.

He looked at me blankly for a moment.

“Um, she’s the filling,” I explained.

He blinked. Eyes glazed over. “So, how are your children?” he said in a hearty way-too-fake voice.

“Fine,” I said, smiling just as blankly. “And yours?”

Obviously the explanation about the filling was too much for him. So I didn’t mention how my heroine, Candy, eager to abandon her inhibitions after her divorce, heads to Montana with her cowboy fantasies. She attends a Mardi Gras party at a swinger’s club on single’s night.

Adam and Bryan, co-owners of a remote cattle ranch, are eager for luscious female heat after three cold months in the saddle. Candy’s first step toward freedom is one glorious night of wild sex. The three of them, uh, help each other meet their needs.

The details as to how that happens are way too hot to describe here.

Now I’ve been told (mostly by men) that erotic romance is bad for relationships because it gives women false expectations.

I say, fantasy is wonderful!

There are no toilets to clean, dirty socks (and worse!) to pick up or children to feed. We already know what are partners are like. No, mine is not six foot five with perfect musculature (that’s my younger brother), but after thirty years, he’s still mine. That doesn’t stop me from fantasizing about delicious heroes. Many women find reading about sex makes them hot, just as men are into pictures. So, reading erotic romance helps a women create the mood.

Therefore, writing erotic romance is a helping profession. In some ways, we authors are inexpensive sex therapists. Readers (and their partners) can learn what fingers, tongues and other body parts can do, and how it might feel to both give and receive.

Yep. Erotic romance can help men and women (in any combination) expand their comfort zones, all in the security of their own homes. All you need is the ability to read, or have someone read to you. Even better, act it out!

Instead of your partner(s) sitting in the easy chair aiming the remote, what if you find a favorite scene and say, ‘honey, read chapter six and I’ll meet you in the kitchen’?

Why the kitchen? Do you know how many ‘pervertables’ can be found in such a mundane place? These are items which can be converted to a use for which they were not originally designed (ahem!).

Things to provide texture (a new plastic scrub pad scratched over a back), to lightly spank (rubber spatula) or surprise (ice cubes!). I won’t get into food, but we all know (or fantasize) about whipped cream and chocolate sauce!

And the countertop and/or table may be the perfect height to…ah, I’ll let you give your fantasies full reign.

Now you know what to say when asked what you want as a present.

Chocolate is good, wine is fine, but erotic romance makes it all sublime!

COWBOY SANDWICH by Reece Butler is published by Siren Publishing. It  received 4.5 Cherries by Whipped Cream Romance Reviews. “… a hot yet romantic tale of three people falling in love with arousing sex scenes that left me looking for ice water…I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys cowboy antics”.

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Many thanks to Ms. Butler for being our guest today. For more infomation on Reece and her books, check out her page here and make sure you leave a comment for the chance to win a download of COWBOY SANDWICH. Good luck!

Meghan’s Playhouse Book Four

Vegas Gambler 

We’re having a blast chronicling the antics of our delightfully Bi heroine, Meg Keenan, as she continues her self-appointed task of bringing other couples together in her uniquely up-close and personal way. Vegas Gambler, the fourth installment in our series Meghan’s Playhouse, was just released at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid this morning. 

BLURB 

Fresh with success from a recent stint in a musical on the Las Vegas Strip, Meghan Keenan takes some time off to play with her current flame Jack Hawthorne, professional poker player. She’s delighted to add her petite masseuse Tia Minh to the mix and even more thrilled when she learns Tia’s relationship with her boyfriend Tony Sanders is on the skids. It’s the perfect challenge! 

Tia has different ideas – she thinks Tony would be perfect for Meg, and she conspires to throw them together any way she can. Ever the gambler, Jack catches onto her game quickly and keeps the ruse going behind Meg’s back. Who knew his heart was up for grabs? 

EXCERPT 

Meg blinked at the familiar sight of Tia’s half smile. The sprite of a woman always seemed to know just what she needed. Tia never failed.

 “You won’t even taste me on your fingers,” Meg chided, propping herself on an elbow. “Do I tempt you that much? Aren’t you a little curious?”

“I can’t,” Tia said, quickly glancing away.

Meg moved to a sitting position and hopped to the floor to stand only inches away from her masseuse. “I’ll never understand how you can do this over and over. Bring me off so expertly and not even touch yourself. Are you into self-denial?”

“We’ve been over this too much already.” Tia turned and began to gather her things.

Meg grinned. Her masseuse tried her patience, and she’d always considered herself a very patient girl. She tried a different tack. “You look so sexy in that tank top and short skirt. Did you wear those for me?”

Tia shrugged. “I wear what is comfortable for my work.”

“At least that doesn’t include a bra. I’m pleased to know your nipples grow as taut as mine.” She reached out to graze one.

“Don’t,” Tia pled, pulling away before she could touch her.

“They look so dusky through the white material. They must be quite dark. Not as dark as your hair,” Meg said softly, running her fingers through Tia’s long coal black hair. This time Tia did not pull away; her eyes glazed in that French Vietnamese habit of hers when she tried to withdraw inward. Meg had seen that ploy several times before.

“Why do you insist on resisting me so?” Meg murmured, lazily drawing her knuckles across Tia’s cheek. Meg’s heart raced. Tia had never accepted her advances like this before. Were they finally at a turning point? Had she finally worn Tia down? Penetrated that oriental reserve?

You can find all of Chapter One HERE at the Whiskey Creek Torrid website.

I’m pleased to have Denise Agnew as guest author here today, marking the relaunch of her book, Maneater, which first appeared in paperback (I know, it’s backwards) in the Winter Warriors anthology, but is now being released as a stand-alone ebook title.

Denise is offering up one of her backlist titles as a gift to a commentor, so make her feel welcome.

_______

Whom do you think are sexier?  Werewolves or vampires?  Why?

Very good question. I have a werewolf trilogy that I’m working on, but have to admit that vampires are sexier on the whole to me. Probably because the shapeshifter thing has never appealed to me as much. I tend not to read them.

[Yey!!]

1. Eric or Bill?  (Extra credit if you explain why)

Eric seems a tad too feminine in some ways to appeal to me. Bill has an old-fashioned honor that is hard to ignore. He’s conflicted and that always appeals to me a little in a vampire. Eric was only conflicted after he started having genuine feelings for Sookie. I think that freaks out Eric. Of course he’s a lot older than Bill, so he’s had more time to become jaded.

What is the most unsexy thing you see on the streets, these days, as far as fashions and trends go?  (male or female)

I have to admit I don’t like eyeshadow, eyeliner or fingernail polish on men. Men with long nails. That doesn’t appeal to the primal female part of me. I also have to admit that a guy who is just completely covered all over by tats isn’t sexy to me. One or two tats looks fine, I think. Men with nipple rings or multiple pierces in their ears, eyebrows, nose, or with a tongue piercing isn’t sexy to me personally. If a guy had one ear piercing or something, that could be sexy. Just doesn’t do it for me if they are riddled with it. I don’t judge whether they are a good or nice person by what they wear, it just doesn’t scream “sexy” to my libido. Oh, and a sure fire “not sexy” to me is baggy pants. It’s a generational thing I guess, but if a guy has saggy ass pants and I can see the top of his underwear, total buzz kill.

Your most favourite, pulse-pausing hero in film or in novels?  What did he do that stopped your pulse?

Oh man, that’s a tough one. Umm…there’s been a few movies like that. Shoot.   I might have to mention several. Mel Gibson in Braveheart had some wonderful scenes with Sophie Marceau that was very pulse-pounding. Loved Daniel Day-Lewis in Last Of The Mohicans, especially when told Madeleine Stowe something like, “I will find you. No matter how long or how far, I will find you.” Several scenes in Batman Returns and The Dark Knight with Christian Bale. Liked his character in Reign of Fire. Loved Gerard Butler in P.S. I Love You when he was singing to his wife. Loved the scene in the same movie when Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilary Swank were flirting in the bar, and later before they hoped into bed together. That was funny, too. Loved the scene in Dog Soldiers when Kevin McKidd said in his great Scottish accent that he was afraid of two things, “Spiders. And spider women.” Um, there are a LOT more but those are a few off the top of my head. I’ll probably think of some later on and say, “Damn, I should have mentioned those.”

Why do you think vampires are so sexy?

Depends on the vampire. Some of them aren’t sexy to me. I think the overall allure, though, is in the danger. Women have a primal part of them that is attracted to the alpha male, and there isn’t much that’s more alpha than a vampire. The mystery, the idea of giving blood to sustain another person. There’s an erotic element in all this that isn’t always easy to define. Everyone wants to just surrender to something at some point. Vampires sort of take that will away from you. As humans we don’t always like to take responsibility, and if a vampire takes that will away, you can’t blame yourself for “giving in.” There are probably a ton of Freudian things we could come up with to explain why some women find vampires sexy. I know quite a few women who don’t find them sexy at all. They’re just as likely to scream, “Yuck.”

Your favourite paranormal romance author?

I have several favorites. Christina Skye, in her Draycott Abbey series, really has a way with inducing a magical voice in her story. Patricia Simpson, Barbara Michaels, and when Linda Howard was doing paranormal, I liked her work in that area. I loved Nancy Gideon’s vampire novels when she was writing them.

Your favourite urban fantasy author?

Ouch. Well, I have to admit that I’m not in to urban fantasy. Just haven’t been able to find it that interesting.

What are you currently reading?

Just finished an old Anne Stuart that I hadn’t read in years, A Dark and Stormy Night. My Kindle is loaded up with books.

What will you be reading next?

I have Lori Foster’s Bodyguard, which I might read next. But I’m also excited to read Dean Koontz’s Breathless.

Tell us about your book.

My December 14 release is Maneater, which used to be a part of the Winter Warriors anthology. Readers can still get the anthology, but on today they’ll be able to get the single novella in ebook if they prefer. It’s the first story in my Special Investigations Agency, which is at Ellora’s Cave.

When Destiny Tremayne and fellow agent Mac Tudor are assigned to investigate mysterious disappearances at a strange lab high in the Colorado Mountains, they clash at every turn. Destiny thinks Mac is a throwback. Mac thinks Destiny hates any man who has balls. When they realize something monstrous stalks the secluded high-mountain lab, they’ll face a terrifying enemy and a blazing sexual inferno they may not survive.

I’d really classify this as an erotic romance with paranormal, suspense, and action/adventure elements. It’s also a bit tongue-in-cheek, and there are some things that happen that I made over-the-top. Destiny and Mac show up in later books in the series, too.

Excerpt

Destiny’s eyes widened when he stepped out of the bathroom a few moments later with nothing on but a white towel riding low on his hips.

Well, there it is. I wanted to know what he looked like totally naked. And he is almost naked.

Her mouth went dry. Water glistened in his hair. Moisture clung to his neck and the hair that spread over his muscled pecs and narrowed into a line spreading out again once it reached his stomach. She wanted to feel the texture and trace it with her fingers.

Fingers, hell. She wanted to lick it.

She desired those incredible arms wrapped around her again.

Her gaze dropped.

His towel covered his groin, thank God, but his powerful legs were revealed from the knees down.

When Destiny realized she gaped at him, she snapped her mouth shut.

He stood in the bathroom doorway. “Are you afraid of letting a man close?”

Dazed by the sight of him, she could barely form a coherent sentence. “What?”

She half expected Mac to smile, but instead he crossed his arms and stood there like some pagan, ancient god ready to take vengeance.

Please let it be sexual torture.

A stirring ran through her belly, the deep, undeniable tickle of arousal.

“Do you really hate men?” His question sounded almost pained.

She swallowed and took her time answering. “Now is not the time for psychoanalysis. I have a job to do and so do you. We don’t have to get to know each other more than we do now.”

“I want to know you.” His words stood out, framed by the extraordinary passion in his voice. “I want to know more about your mind and not just every inch of your body.” His gaze slid over her figure again, and it did nothing to lower the out-of-control feeling building strength inside her. “I like people who show me who they really are.”

“Because you’re afraid of what you don’t know?”

To her surprise, he nodded. “Maybe that’s the deep, dark reason. My life is an open book. There isn’t anything secret about why I do things.”

“I know. I’ve heard all about your perfect family life. Three older sisters, one younger brother, mother and father still blissfully in love with each other. Money, education, and all the opportunities in the world.”

“You sound resentful.”

“My life was a bit screwed up, but I don’t blame my problems on anyone.” When he settled next to her on the bed, Destiny almost slid across the coverlet to escape.

Practice acting like a wife, Destiny. A wife wouldn’t skitter away because her half naked husband sat next to her. Just take a deep breath.

“Tell me more about the real you.” His voice went soft and deep, tantalizing her.

She sighed and pulled her ponytail free. She scrubbed one hand through her hair. “Where do I start? You want my whole life story?”

“Yeah.”

She chuckled. “You don’t ask for much.”

“Nothing I don’t ask of myself.”

His revelation made her stare at him. With that incredible dark gaze never leaving her face, he made her feel protected and apprehensive all in one moment.

You know you’re in deep doo-doo if a man can make you feel protected when he’s only wearing a towel.

___________

To buy Maneater from Ellora’s Cave, click here.

To jump to Denise’s website, click here….Connect with her on MySpace…Twitter…Danger Zone Authors…The Bradford Bunch….Facebook.

Don’t forget to leave Denise a comment!

Thank you to everyone who came by to comment on Erin Grace’s recent interview. As I said, I’m trying balance out between my insane ravings and bringing you fun interviews.

Today, you get the insane ravings.

Over the last few weeks, the muses has been in working full force. Yes, I did say plural muses. For some reason or another, someone failed to tell mine. a person is only to get one otherwise their brain may implode thankfully mine hasn’t yet. The muses, who I’ve named, dark, darker and so not funny take shifts planting ideas in my head.

Tinny seeds that grow like Jack’s bean. Far be it from me to complain when author around the world are tossing tomatoes at me for acting like this is could possibly be an issue when you only have two hands, twenty four hours in a day and so on. You get where I’m going with this.

Let me answer your first question. Yes, am I writing the sequel to Aequitas I Betrayal.

I’ve also outlined a few chapters for the sequel to NIGHT REINS and written pieces of the opening scenes.

Here are some of the books.

THE KINGDOM OF SCARLET – Fantasy

SINS OF THE FATHER – Contemporary Thriller

NYMPHOLOGY – Urban Fantasy

DEAD AND ADORED – Paranormal Thriller

All of them have erotic or romantic elements.

So I have even more books to write and I better get to it.

Mason
a.c.Mason
Darkness ♀♂ Desires
www.acmason.com

I’ll have my kink with a side order of  ”Come to Jesus”  — NOT!

Seriously, before I start this discussion, I have a small disclaimer. In my angels and demons novella, Angelic Surrender, I inserted a moment of “divine intervention”, so I may be guilty of this, as well, but hopefully not to this extreme.

Now, let me begin my WTF rant. Warning: this is solely my opinion, and I know other people feel differently about this. And this is definitely NOT an attack on the authors themselves.

With the growing trend of angels and demons in paranormal romance, I suppose it’s only natural to see a revival of sorts in religious themes. Normally, I’m ok with it in moderation and tend to avoid the more preachier approaches (ex –  the Inspirational lines). But when you combine extreme religion with BDSM erotic literature, I’m wondering if it’s a bit too far. I recently just finished a novella somewhat like that. The heroine begins the story f***ing random strangers, asking them to beat her so she can get off. OK for an erotic BDSM story, but about 20 pages into the story, it took a religious turn. We’re talking about a soul-searching, God-speaking, divine grace and redemption turn. It was like Monica from Touched by an Angel  was acting out a Penthouse  letter while trying to save a soul (yes, there was kinky angel sex with the goal of salvation).   I forced myself to read the novella it all the way through just so I could see what the author was doing with it. I understood what she intended — to show that true love defies death (which she did a great job of showing) – but I could have done without the characters’ soul-wrenching agony with a side order of guilt over suicide. As I read, I felt like I was in one of those Judgement Houses. (For those of you who didn’t grow up in the Bible Belt, Judgement Houses are “haunted houses” put on by Fundamentalist sects that try to scare you with a glimpse of hell and try to get you to “Come to Jesus” at the end of it.) I get it. Don’t keep preaching about the soul’s torment because a person committed suicide. Get back to the love story and the very hawt sex. Thank you.

In another novella I read a few months ago, the MCs (one of whom was a Biblical figure) were screwing each other left and right while a horde of other Biblical figures (and Biblical plagues) paraded through. It was like Judeo-Christian Theology  101, but with lots of sex. A lot of eye-rolling occurred while I read it.

OK, let me end my sarcasm and have a more rational conversation. I’m not so much knocking the stories themselves (or the authors, for that matter). They were both very imaginative and well-written with some wonderful world building. But let me set the record straight. I like sexy, erotic romances. And I can handle those deeply religious, gut-wrenching, life-altering stories in moderation. But please don’t merge them. It’s almost like the story is trying to do penance for all the naughtiness. I don’t know if that was the author’s intention or if she was forced to add more sex so the novella would fit the publisher’s guidelines or what, but it’s just not my thing. I like to keep them separate, if you don’t mind.

And I’ll probably burn in hell for this post, but I seriously needed the catharsis.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

(and side note: I’ll refrain from posting the cover from goodreads for a while)

Cleopatra's Perfume by Jina Bacarr

Exciting news!!!

My 2009 Harlequin SPICE novel, CLEOPATRA’S PERFUME, is a nominee for the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award in EROTICA FICTION!!

This is a fantastic honor and a very special one.  Cleopatra’s Perfume is a tribute to the brave men and women who fought against the Nazis during World War II. 

It’s also the story of a woman who discovers a magical perfume that changes her life forever…

Best,

Jina     

February 2010: meet The Blonde Samurai
“She embraced the way of the warrior. Two swords. Two loves.”

Well, I must say it’s a first — I’ve never had my books described as eye-burners before.

A lovely review from Susi at The Geeky Bookworm for Mia’s Return:

___________

“Steamy is not enough to describe this book, the words burn your eyes. Very hawt read it is and so good for my hormones.

The story in this book brings us a few revelations concerning the bad guys but leaves enough out to keep your interest. The story is fast paced, a bit rushed at some points but it totally suits the book.

Enjoyed this one and can’t wait to read what happens in book 3- Sera’s Gift.”

___________

Click here for the full review.

I’ve got used to the entire world minus romance readers taking pot shots at the romance industry whenever it feels like having a good guffaw over what they presume to be the sweats and teeshirt brigade sighing into their paperbacks over the latest obsession in tree-trunk-thighed heroes and vestal virgins and all the usual and erroneous cliches they trot out on these occassions.

Mr. Elsner is a case in point.  In his December 2 essay on Huffington Post he professes to have actually read “a stack” of romance novels to prove his case this time around.  The fact that he seems to have confined his reading to historical romances written two decades ago doesn’t exactly endear him to any romance readers on the planet. He breaks down the entire romance genre with a handful of clichèd and callous observations based on his reading of said novels (which he carefully doesn’t name).

Describing them as porn really finishes him off in my estimation.  It also makes him look stupid in front of the 56% of the popular fiction buying public who regularly read and love romance fiction.

The romance genre has got used to such diatribes from men who feel threatened or somehow inadequate and use their public positions to hit back.

The more interesting question, I think, is what he might have said if he had purchased current titles and read those, instead of raiding the public library shelves for dusty, decades old romance titles that no one reads anymore.  (There’s a reason they were actually sitting on the shelves and not checked out.)  What if he had read an erotic romance?  Would his self-esteem have plunged even deeper?

I guess we’ll never know.  But I do like to wonder.