http://pourmonsieurblog.blogspot.mx/2012/06/i-love-original-cadillac-eau-de.html

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And now the other Cadillac!

“Cadillac Black

I love the original Cadillac eau de toilette. It’s a dry, spicy oriental scent that smells sort of like a much lighter and less sweet Joop! Homme. I don’t wear it often, but I’m glad I own a bottle. Therefore I was eager to try out this new release, Cadillac Black.

This is awful. Cadillac Black is another stupid so-called “Black” fragrance that does not smell dark or black at all. This is another gross, sweet slog of a perfume, meaning that it does nothing to separate itself from all the other terrible “Black” fragrances on the market, like Polo Black, Polo Double Black, Bijan Black, PS Onyx, Stetson Black, and on and on.

Cadillac Black is nothing but a shameless ripoff of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male, with a hint of grape Kool-Aid for bad measure. It’s a sickening soup of tonka bean, white laundry musk, vanilla and amber, all mixed together into a model of mediocrity.

I wish the perfume industry would put a ban on all “Black” fragrances that smell like this.

MY RATING: 2/10   Fragrance House: Cadillac”  END QUOTE

SPENCE SENSE – PS – In my novel Nothing Black But A Cadillac, the protagonist Joady discreetly daubs on English Leather Cologne, thanks to his seven year cultural and literary immersion in the upper echelons of bona fide English Lit Academia, he learned the value of discreet decadence.

There’s something for everyone!

1) Out August 1 (RE-ISSUE)

Summary:

How can a lady avoid a scandal…

Just as Miss Isabella Winslowe is finally achieving comfortable respectability, the fascinating and decidedly unrespectable Earl of Colebrooke inconveniently appears…

When a gentleman is so determined to flirt…

The darkly handsome Daniel Colebrooke is intrigued and alarmed when an alluring young lady arrives at his door in need of assistance. In a moment of impetuosity, Daniel decides he must keep a close watch on Isabella, and what better way than to strike up a not–so–innocent fliration…

Together they’ll cook up more than a little mischief when a disappearing dead body and a lascivious scandal spins their reckless game entirely out of control.

Click cover for more info!

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2) Out August 7 *DEBUT* (Book 1 in Promises Trilogy)

Summary:

Drawn to a life of excitement and risk, Lady Millie Aldon made a pact to forsake marriage. But her plans are thrown into chaos when Chase Wentworth returns to town. The lanky lad she remembers from childhood is now the Marquess of Chaselton, possessing an air of mystery Millie can’t resist. As Chase moves through London’s elite circles, his stealth manner has Millie convinced he harbours a secret – one she is determined to reveal. As Millie makes a game of observing Chase’s every move, she finds her attraction to him unsettling.

When a stolen kiss threatens to turn their flirtation into something more powerful, she questions her vow of freedom. But Millie has no idea of the danger she’s facing. Chase has a complicated past – and his clandestine efforts to expose a traitor will soon provide a more perilous – and passionate – adventure than Millie could ever have planned.

Click cover for more info!

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3) Out August 7 *DEBUT* (Book 1 in Affairs by Moonlight series)

Summary:

Lady Alexandra Morley, an alluring widow, is desperate to devise a plan to reverse her fortunes. When fate lands her in the arms of  Phineas “Finn” Burke, an attractive inventor, she despairs of ever getting what she needs…until they kiss.

Finn has always been impervious to the charms of the female species, intent only on perfecting his “horseless carriage” engine. He never dreamed he’d meet a woman like Alexandra, who is as stubborn as she is comely. Despite the brewing scandal, Finn longs to make Alexandra his wife, but he must first convince the maddening lady that their love is the only thing that matters.

Click cover for more info!

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4) Out August 7 *Book 2 in Veiled Seduction series*

Summary:

In the dark, the greatest lover can become the most dangerous conspirator…

Lord Frederick Aveline, otherwise known as Derick, has successfully kept up appearances as an English nobleman. What no one knows is that he’s a full-blooded Frenchman–a double agent for the British against the French. But there is something else no one knows about Derick. Deciding to leave behind his days of espionage, he’s arrived home in Derbyshire to finish one final order of business: to find and expose a dangerous traitor in their midst.

But Aveline Castle holds its own share of secrets–including murder–and an unexpected lure in the brilliant and fiesty Emma Wallingford. Emma’s loyalty lies with acting as the town’s magistrate, and she doesn’t welcome an unanticipated, though appealing, intrusion like Derick’s. As the two of them are drawn closer, the sordid past of Derick’s family comes to light, as does the true nature of his arrival.

But when deception, however sweet, is the name of the game, no one can be trusted. And every love–and every life–is at risk. 

Click cover for more info!

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5) Out August 7 *Book 2 in Bridal Favors series*

Summary:

The dazzling wedding fashions of A Lady’s Favor dress shop are guaranteed to make any girl the talk of the ton. But the brides aren’t the only ones falling in love…

With her parents murdered and her inheritance stolen, all Penny Shoemaker has left is her job designing handcrafted shoes for A Lady’s Favor dress shop. But that’s not enough for her to support herself or her young brother. Her only chance to regain what is rightfully hers rests with a strange but brilliant gent with a weakness for damsels in distress.

Samuel Morrison is a dispossessed younger son searching for his place in the world. When Penny’s predicament literally lands at his feet, he sets his keen detective skills to solving her mystery. But she fills more than his time—she fills his heart. How can a lost man solve the mystery, win the girl, and create a life not only for himself, but for her as well? The answer may be just a favor away…

Click cover for more info!

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6) Out August 7

Summary:

Locked away by her reclusive and intensely protective father, the recently deceased “Mad Lord of Northumberland,” Melissa is beautiful and educated but painfully naive about the real world – and the dark secrets of her birth.

Now in the care of her uncle, the Earl of Braddock, she must prepare to enter London society and find a proper husband, a task that grows complicated when she falls for the one man she can never have. Just as a promising new life begins to eclipse her tragic past, she’ll find herself consumed by a forbidden love that could destroy it all.

Click cover for more author’s Goodreads profile (Website N/A)!

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7) Out August 7

Summary:

London’s most notorious rake and the one woman immune to his charms must come together to save a loved one in this tale of deception, intrigue, and undying love.

When the scandalous Lord Blackstone returns to London, fashionable ladies cast inviting glances his way and his friends celebrate his infamous amorous exploits. No one guesses that the lurid tales of his harem and the famous painting of his voluptuous mistress are a cover for an honorable promise and a secret mission to stop a deadly foreign agent.

Only one woman remains unmoved by Blackstone’s seductive ways. Banking heiress Violet Hammersley believes she has firm control over his passions and her life. That is, until her brother goes missing with a report vital to the British government–and the government puts Blackstone on the case. Now, if Violet wants to find her brother, she must work closely with the man who once broke her heart–without succumbing to the powerful impulse to fall for him again.

Click cover for more info!

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8 ) Out August 21 *Book 6 in The Scandalous Women of the Ton series*

Summary:

As maid to some of the most wanton ladies of the ton, Margery Mallon lives within the boundaries of any sensible servant. Entanglements with gentlemen are taboo. Wild adventures are for the Gothic novels she secretly reads. Then an intriguing stranger named Mr. Ward offers her a taste of passion, and suddenly the wicked possibilities are too tempting to resist….

Henry Atticus Richard Ward is no ordinary gentleman. He’s Lord Wardeaux and he is determined to unite Margery with her newfound inheritance by any means—including seduction and deception. But when the ton condemns the scandalous servant-turned-countess and an unknown danger prepares to strike, will Margery accept Henry’s protection in exchange for her trust?

Click cover for more info!

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9) Out August 28 *Book 3 in Spindle Cove series*

Summary:

The wonderfully erotic, and intriguingly dark new novel by bestselling author E L James is now available at select Playtime Boutique store locations. This trillogy will take you deep into the darker world of an unusual romance between a young literary student (Ana) and the enigmatic, controlling Billionaire, Christian Grey. As she probes deeper into his romantic side, she discovers he has a secret and a slightly alternative view on love and sex.

“This book will have you thinking 9.5 Weeks was for boyscouts…!”

Dubbed as “mommy porn”, this page-turner will have you drooling to read the next two novels in this 3-part epic.

I grew up reading Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, Frank Yerby, and Daphne du Maurier. Classics like The Scarlet Pimpernel, the Count of Monte Cristo, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, were grand adventures, but at their core, they were pure romance. I gobbled up the Bronte sisters and Gone With The Wind. I read the Angelique novels and Forever Amber. I remember vividly when bodice rippers hit the shelves (and yes, m’dears, they were bodice rippers in the most literal sense and I absolutely adored every purple-tinged word). Kathleen Woodiwiss’s, The Wolf and the Dove was the novel that made me want to write a romance novel of my own.

Despite giving up on the romance genre, what always grabs me by the throat when I’m reading other genres, are the love stories. Charlie Huston’s Joe Pitt novels are bloody, violent, and profane, but what holds the entire series together is the love story between Joe and Evie. I can’t imagine any romance hero more romantic than a guy who’ll start a war for the woman he loves. I’m a huge fan of Andrew Vachss’s Burke series. I like Burke for his smarts, for his angst and obsessions, but I love him for his doomed romances with Flood and Belle. I read Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter novels for the monsters and action and craziness, but what really hook me are the love stories between Owen and Julie, and Earl and Heather. And what about Steven Brust’s Vlad Taltos and his very tough love affair with Cawti?

Give me a guy who’ll battle gods for his lady and a woman who’ll get up in a horny guy’s face and state, “Prove you’re worthy of me, buck-o,” and that, my friends, is true romance.

That’s a rather long-winded intro to what I truly want to talk about. See, I’ve been having conversations with a friend of mine, Julia Rachel Barrett. She writes mostly erotic romances. I’ve never been a fan of erotica. Lady Chatterly’s Lover and Robin Schone’s, The Lover, are the only erotic novels I count as faves (and they’re faves for reasons other than their eroticism). I like to read on intellectual and emotional levels, and I don’t particularly care for novels that have a physical effect. That’s not a judgment, just a preference. Anyway, despite Julia’s and mine divergent tastes, turns out we’re both hard-core romantics. I sent her some of my Harlequin Intrigues and she sent me a novel of hers, which wasn’t erotica, but a paranormal romance. Turns out she really liked one of my books, but the other is scaring the piss out of her (I’m very sorry, Julia). I really liked her book. Only it had one of those unintended consequences. It gave me a lightbulb moment. Or, more accurately, a “duh” moment.

Indie publishing is where I can find romances I love.

The novel Julia gave me was Incorporeal, a paranormal romance she indie published. In it she asks a most intriguing question: Is happily ever after possible when you fall in love with a ghost? Such a question goes straight to what makes writing and reading most fun for me: Dangle hope in front of characters, and then when they grab it, squash them like bugs. Heh. When I finished reading the novel, I had two thoughts. One, I really liked the story and I’m glad she’s writing a sequel, and two, no traditional publisher would have touched this because it doesn’t have stock characters and it doesn’t fit within the conventions. It is a very sexy book, but it’s emotionally charged and the emotion drives the story and that makes it a most satisfying romance.

Because romance has been on the back-burner, it hadn’t occurred to me to seek out self-published romance novels. But there have to be writers out there who are writing old-school romances (old-school, for lack of a better word). Stories that focus on emotional issues instead of sexual hijinks. Stories that ask intriguing questions and contain true suspense that rises from what look like impossible or unbearable situations. Maybe I can find heroes who battle gods for love and women who are womanly enough to insist those guy-guys act like real men.

(sidenote: as the romance genre rose in popularity and gained power in the marketplace, it was attacked and derided from almost every quarter to the point where many fans were shamed into using book covers so people couldn’t see them reading those books. My theory for the real reason behind the visceral reaction is that in romance novels the women always win. Chauvinist and sexists do not like that one little bit.)

So where does the bad influence come in? I thought I’d given up on writing romance novels. Truly. That ship had sailed. I’m writing other things, exploring other forms and genres. Only now, between the discussions with Julia and reading some romances, the fire has been rekindled. It wasn’t the genre I was sick of, it was the battle to fit my square ass into publisher defined round holes.

I don’t have to do that anymore. I can write old-school romances of the type I love and maybe, just maybe there are readers out there who’d like it. I can find old-school romances to read, too, in the ranks of the self-published.

So thanks bunches, Julia. You’ve exposed my inner romantic and kicked her out of the closet and back into the world.

Incorporeal, by J. R. Barrett

Discovered: via conversations with the author

Purchased on Amazon for my Kindle, January 17th, 2012, $.99

New Urban Novel, Fresh To Death by Damu Shaseem at its Best!

Since I never got any response to the previous blog, “What Women Want To Ask Their Man,”  I thought I would re-phrase the question.  Maybe I could get a better response.  Women, what do you want from your man?  I’ve heard several responses, from being more sensitive, needing more attention, buy more gifts, yaddah yaddah yaddah!

I know what I would ask my woman:  I need more backrubs, less about her nosey friends, my dinner on the table when I get home, and less shopping excursions!  Maybe these don’t match your responses, h!owever, I am all ears.  Let me know what you think!  While you’re at it, go buy “Fresh To Death” by Damu Shaseem

Tom Callahan at bookreporter.com had this to say about the novel:

“Well, anybody who dismisses Killing Johnny Fry as pornography or salacious misses not only the point of the book but deprives themselves of the pleasure of reading one of America’s greatest writers. Yes, there is some frank, really frank, sex in this book, but it is not an erotic novel by any means. Mosley coined the term “sexistential noir” to describe this work. It is a good description because the book is not about sex.Consider the first sentence: “I decided to kill Johnny Fry on a Wednesday, but it was a week before that I was given the reason.” That tells us right away that those expecting cheap thrills will be disappointed; Mosley plunges us right into the midnight world of noir.”

Here is some information on the author from Bloomsbury USA

“Walter Mosley is one of the most versatile and admired writers in America today. He is the author of more than 25 critically acclaimed books, including the major bestselling mystery series featuring Easy Rawlins. His work has been translated into 21 languages and includes literary fiction, science fiction, political monographs, and a young adult novel. His short fiction has been widely published, and his nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times magazine and the Nation, among other publications. He is the winner of numerous awards, including an O. Henry Award, a Grammy, and the PEN American Center’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He lives in New York City.”

You can visit the author’s website here.