Close Encounters with the Night Kind

Breaking News on a Hot Hot Hot New Release that goes on sale today!!!

2012-02-28T00:13:00.001-08:00

You know who this author is :) That's right its Wickedly Wanton Leanore!! And guess what you are looking at? That's right!! The cover for her newest sexy sinsation that has just been released at Decadent Publishing for the extreme low price of $1.49!! Let's take a look at the book details and a brief post from my very dear friend:

LEANORE ELLIOTT'S LPSTICK & JAZZ
RELEASED February 28th, 2012/ THE EDGE LINE FROM DECADENT PUBLISHING

First of all Nikki, I wanted to impart one thing: This is story is all heat from paragraph one, till the end! Decadent wanted very little else in this story.

LOL..Leanore, your books are usually hot from start to finish, but I can't believe they actually asked you to put in more sex and less story!! This book has got to be hot!!

They wanted Hot Sex and Leanore certainly delivered…Chuckle.

As only you can babe!! Let's have a look:

BLURB:

Everyone secretly yearns to be wild and uninhibited—everyone, whether they admit to it or not.

During the hottest night of debauchery in New Orleans, Jazz yearns for someone who is not there, someone she never even officially met. Without hope for a lusty tryst with the hot stranger who haunts her wet dreams, she relies on a wicked, little tube of lipstick to vibrate her to release from the longing she suffers.

TEASER EXCERPTS:

He seemed angry at first, and she could not figure out why. Then, he pushed her up against his car, his warm hands roaming up along her thighs, past her waist, and under her blouse. He leaned in and whispered, "Have to search you."
Next, he was playing with her nipples, his hard body pressed up against hers. "I have to read you your rights, cher." The sound of his deep Cajun drawl caused a heat to blaze across her skin.
By this part of the dream, she would be panting and tossing in her sleep.
He lifted her skirt, his strong fingers slipping into her panties to stroke her clit until her juices were slick while he whispered ever so softly into her ear, "You have the right to come for me..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With the delight of someone opening a gift, she tugged at the underware and slyly peeked in. A heated flush ran across her face as she stared at his hard, jutting cock while a rush of lustful adrenaline coursed through her.
At her breathless joke and her delighted peeking, he let out a chuckle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He opened her legs wider, a now serious glint appearing in his eyes, "I watched that sweet tail of yours while you walked ahead of me." He dragged her closer. "Teasing me with that sexy sway you have."

So, Nikki my message to your subscribers is: After you read this smooth slice of Cherry Red Heat? You will never look at Lipstick in the same way again.

LOL!! I know I won't! I think most of us could use that magic lipstick!! Just click on the link below to buy your own copy!! Happy Hot Reading!!

LIPSTICK & JAZZ AT DECADENT

Winners!!

2012-02-27T23:59:00.000-08:00

It's that time again!! I have had 2 giveaways end and its time to award some prizes!!! For Regan Black's amazing giveaway..the winner is...

Sara Bibi Setar!!! Congrads!!!

And for a copy of Russell Bittner's newest release the winner is....MJB!!!!

Guest Post with Author Marcus Lopes

2012-02-27T23:33:00.003-08:00

Welcome to the latest stop on Marcus Lopes' virtual ebook tour with Freestyle love. Marcus is posting today about the importance of keeping a routine. His unusual style seems to make being an author a 9-5 job. He is also going to share with us an excerpt from his newest release. Let's take a look at A typical day in the life of Marcus Lopes!! Take it away Marcus:

A Day in the Life

As a multidisciplinary artist, I thrive on routine. It helps me to stay focused, create a sense of order. And order is important to me as I am trying — sometimes successfully, sometimes not — to juggle my writing, painting and music.

I am a morning person. One a good day, I’m jumping into the shower by six-fifteen, and by seven I’m making my may to Le Tassé, my neighbourhood coffee shop. Sam, the owner of the café, prepares my usual Tonnerre (a shot of espresso topped up with the café’s house blend) and then I settle in to write my Morning Pages. With my second cup of java in hand, I read for a bit (right now I’m reading Margaret Thatcher’s Statecraft: Strategies for a Changing World). Once I’ve finished my coffee, I settle up with Sam and head home.

At home I sit down at my desk and write. These days, working on another novel, I’m committed to writing 1,000 words a day. It’s a doable quota that has helped me to move this project forward, especially on days when it feels like I’m writing uphill. Even if I don’t feel inspired or look for things to distract me, I write my 1,000 words because it is enough to prime the pump, to get the wheels rolling. Often enough, I surpass my daily quota.

With my daily writing quota met, I get changed and go for a run. I try to run daily, anywhere between 40 minutes to an hour. I’ve been running since February 2008, when I felt embarrassed by my weight gain and was compelled to do something about it. Three half-marathons and several other shorter races under my belt, I run now to stay active and in-shape. Running is also a form of meditation for me, allowing me to disconnect from myself and the world.

Returning from my run, I cool down, check my e-mail, catch up on the news online, get gleaned up, have lunch and then get back to work. I spend part of the afternoon in my studio painting, and then return to my office to write some more. A quick break to walk back to Le Tassé for my afternoon Americano, I head back home and put in at least an hour at the piano.

When I get up from the piano, my “official” workday is now complete, and I like nothing better than to end my day by preparing myself a nice meal. Cooking is another creative outlet for me where I can be daring and bold. Sometimes in the evening I will write a little more, but nowadays I reserve at least 30 minutes to read the list of books I said I never had time to read. The evenings are also a time to make phone calls to my friends spread out across the country, catch up on their lives.

There always flexibility in my daily routine. There has to be. Sometimes I have to fit in a visit to my doctor or an appointment at the car dealership, or I take a break and go to the cinema. But through it all, what remains constant is my writing time — my Morning Pages and my 1,000-word quota. They are non-negotiable. And about routine, I like how William Golding put it: “Novelists do not write as birds sing, by the push of nature. It is part of the job that there should be much routine and some daily stuff on the level of carpentry.”

Title: Freestyle Love
Author: Marcus Lopes
Publisher: Lazy Day Publishing
Length: 66,500 Words
Sub-Genres: Contemporary, Erotic, Interracial/African-American, M/M/M

AVAILABLE AT:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Freestyle-Love-ebook/dp/B006G3CB52/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322645484&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/freestyle-love-marcus-lopes/1104119697?ean=2940013548930&itm=2&usri=freestyle+love

Allromance.com: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-freestylelove-648175-145.html

BLURB:

When it comes to one-night stands, Malachi Bishop has “rules”. No pillow talk. No sleeping over. No planning a future hook-up. First names only. It’s just sex, not a prelude to love. But when Cole Malcolm, a smooth-talking management consultant, woos Malachi into bed, the rulebook is tossed out the window.

The one-time fling leaves Cole reeling: Malachi is his first real shot at happiness, his “forever” man, and he’s determined to show Malachi just how good they could be together. But Malachi doesn’t believe in happily-ever-after, and dodges Cole’s play for his heart. After all, Malachi is still mourning the loss of Taylor Blanchard, whom he hoped to love forever. Then there’s Zach Brennan, a handsome twenty-five-year-old and student at the college where Malachi teaches. Falling for Zach could destroy everything he’s worked for, but Malachi can’t help himself.

Caught by love and in its betrayal, it’s a later affair with a beautiful stranger that changes Malachi’s life most dramatically. Now Malachi must confront his present and his past that bring into question the larger fantasies of home and his place in the world.

Excerpt:
As Cole Malcolm asked the server for his bill, Malachi Bishop was across town, alone in his condo, pouring himself a stiff drink. Malachi picked up the crystal tumbler and moved into the living room, standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows and watching as the dark storm clouds edged their way eastward, dulling the bright sky. His unit, located just below the penthouse level, offered a view of the west side of Claredon, including the college. And Malachi was right, as he had explained to Shane Martin, that on a clear day he could see to Chemong Lake.

Malachi sat down on the worn brown leather sofa and stared blankly at the TV. Am I unreal? Malachi lifted his glass to his mouth and held it there. Tuesdays, when he taught three of his four classes, left him drained. Today he was exhausted. Malachi’s day started off with the advanced writing workshop, and Zach Brennan had not shown up again. Malachi had taught the ninety-minute English literature course that started right after the lunch break pausing often, as if he were unable to weave together, and hold, a train of thought. One of his students asked if he was okay, to which he replied, “I’m fine,” with great defence, and then dismissed the class — forty minutes early. When all of the students had left the classroom, Malachi sat down at his desk and wrote out a notice cancelling the creative writing class he was to teach later that afternoon. He posted the notice to his classroom door and then made for home.

Beyond the usually long day of teaching, beyond the ordinariness of his life, Malachi was caught up in the paralyzing, awful, blackly saddening events of the day. In the aftermath of the day’s events, his perception of his life in Claredon had shifted, seen now as imaginary and formless, indeed a fabrication. There remained a contradiction because he knew that there was an inescapable realness to Claredon where he had, over the past five years, carved out a home. And in that realness there was Zach Brennan.

Despite their newfound intimacy, despite having succumbed to desire, Zach was still very much a question mark in Malachi’s life, a dark shade of grey that settled heavily over Malachi’s heart. Malachi felt both joy and sadness as he thought about the day he had gone over to Zach’s apartment — how happy he had felt to finally hold Zach in his arms. And then relief when Zach led him into the bedroom, closing the door immediately as if to lock out the rest of the world. They stood next to the bed, the duvet and sheets scrunched up near the footboard, smiling sheepishly, until Zach lunged at Malachi. They kissed, tongues darting — a great collision that could not be put off any longer, like the sudden ascent to heaven. Zach, with his eyes wide open, wrapped his arms loosely around Malachi’s waist. As the kiss progressed, Zach ran his hands over Malachi’s round firm buttocks, and then Zach pulled Malachi closer to him. It was hard to say who had let out the little moan without releasing the kiss as Malachi grabbed at Zach’s hard penis encased in his sweat pants.

Malachi, with his other hand, stroked Zach’s thick hair, at times clutching at it with a roughness that Zach seemed to enjoy. Malachi then placed his hands on Zach’s shoulders and shoved him down onto the bed.

Zach looked with submission up at Malachi, and Malachi smiled mischievously at Zach. Zach, fumbling to unbuckle Malachi’s belt, kept his gaze on Malachi and, with similar difficulty, Zach unbuttoned Malachi’s jeans. Zach violently pulled down on Malachi’s jeans and underwear. Zach smiled and mumbled, “Oh, fuck, yeah.” Zach then opened his mouth wide and swallowed Malachi’s hard and rigid erection.

Malachi closed his eyes as Zach worked on him steadily.

Zach, held in his own erotic trance, reached inside his sweat pants to stroke his own cock and could feel the precome seeping out and wetting his underwear. Zach’s head slid back and forth along Malachi’s slender manhood in time to the almost inaudible ticking of the clock on the nightstand, gradually picking up speed each time Malachi grunted, “Oh, yeah…”

As Malachi pulled out, Zach looked up to see that Malachi was still smiling insouciantly at him, with compassion, but it also seemed like pity.

Malachi stepped out of his jeans and underwear bunched at his feet, lowered himself to his knees, and stroked the head of Zach’s beautiful cock that was poking out the top of Zach’s sweat pants. Malachi kissed the pink mushroom head before pushing Zack onto his back, which made it easier for Malachi to pull the sweat pants past Zach’s hips. They took off the rest of their clothes, eyeing each other all the while to take in the completeness of their nakedness. Zach stretched out completely on the bed and Malachi lay down on top of Zach, and they kissed again, deep and long. Suddenly, the whole world was before them, draped in the majesty of possibility, and them wrapped up in it, unstoppable.

Afterwards they lay there, tangled up in each other, unwilling to let go fearing they would somehow be disentangled, cut off from each other— recognize the horror of what they had done. Malachi pushed back the hair from Zach’s low brow and kissed Zach’s forehead. Malachi looked intently at Zach and said pertly, “This is very real to me.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Marcus Lopés is originally from Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia. His writing has appeared in Canadian and international literary magazines. Freestyle Love is his first novel. A novelist, essayist, poet, painter and singer-songwriter, Lopés lives in Sherbrooke, Québec.

Website: http://www.marcuslopes.ca

Email: marcus@marcuslopes.ca

What an amazing sounding book!! Thanks so much for making CEWTNK a tour stop!! To continue to follow the tour click here: http://cblspromotions.blogspot.com/2012/02/vbt-freestyle-love-by-marcus-lopes.html

Review of Steaming By Vanessa Barger

2012-02-27T23:01:00.000-08:00

My name is Cornelius Latimer, and I have fallen in love.

The object of my affection isn’t tall and blonde with all the right curves. It isn’t even human. My love belches steam and breathes fire. My world runs on steam and hard metal, and I am a master of both. My Uncle, Rufus Harrison, has funded my expeditions. He’s gifted me with a lab containing all the parts and space I could possibly need. For weeks I have been toiling over my journals, crafting my biggest and best creation yet. It’s heady, this feeling of power. But I made a fatal error. I told a friend about my machine. And now someone who should not know, does. I should tear everything apart, but I can’t.

Love does strange things to people.

My Review

I love reading new things and this novel was definitely that, different. Cornelius is a young man who spends most of his time locked in his mind. Girls and frivolous past times are lost on him as he prefers the company of cold steel and blueprints. That is until his eye is caught by the lovely Temperance. She was a vision and positively stole his breathe, unfortunately for him she had that effect on everyone. What could a tinker possibly offer such a beauty? His best friend was more up for this game than he, but he couldn't resist her. Perhaps he could impress her with his lab?

Which is exactly what Temperance wants to be!! The plot thickens and unfolds as Cornelius attempts to court this young woman. He finds himself on the wrong end of a blackmail and unsuccessfully attempts to rectify the situation. His saving grace ends up being no other than a servant and Temperance's sister!! The twists and turns in the plot are fascinating and seem to widen off into a much bigger picture than at first glance.'

This book brings to light two important themes: Things are not always what they seem and if it seems to good to be true, it probably is!! I really enjoyed the book. I loved the random mythological beings that were thrown into the mix. It was refreshing read that was filled with mystery, suspense, and a touch of romance. I really enjoyed this book!!

First Kiss with Author Debra Anastasia and her newest release Poughkeepsie

2012-02-27T00:40:00.000-08:00

Good Morning CEWTNK!! Are you ready to be swept off of your feet? Well my guest today certainly has every intention of trying!! Debra Anastasia is joining us today to share her first kiss between her lead roles in her newest book! Before we take a peek, let's take a look at the book details:

Summary: He counts her smiles every day and night at the train station. And morning and evening, the beautiful commuter acknowledges him—just like she does everyone else on the platform. But Blake Hartt is not like the others . . . he’s homeless. Memories of a broken childhood have robbed him of peace and twisted delusions into his soul. He stays secluded from the sun, sure the world would run from him in the harsh light of day.

Each day, Livia McHugh smiles politely and acknowledges her fellow commuters as she waits for the train to the city. She dismisses this kindness as nothing special, just like her. She’s the same as a million other girls—certainly no one to be cherished. But special or not, she smiles every day, never imagining that someone would rely on the simple gesture as if it were air to breathe.

When the moment comes that Livia must do more than smile, without hesitation she steps into the fray to defend the homeless man. And she's surprised to discover an inexplicable connection with her new friend. After danger subsides, their smiles become conversation. Their words usher in a friendship, which awakens something in each of them. But it’s not long before their bond must prove its strength. Entanglements from the past challenge both their love and their lives.

Blake’s heart beats for Livia’s, even if her hands have to keep its rhythm. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love never fails. Love never fails, right?

In an interwoven tale of unlikely loves and relationships forged by fire, Debra Anastasia takes readers into the darkest corners of human existence, only to show them the radiant power of pure adoration and true sacrifice. Complicated families and confused souls find their way to light in this novel, which manages to be racy, profane, funny, and reverent all at once

And now lets take a peek at that first kiss and the trailer:

First kisses are so much fun! Thanks to Nikki for arranging this awesome event. I had to share the first kiss from my book Poughkeepsie with you. To set the scene, Livia and Blake are having a breakfast picnic at the train station. They’ve been friends for a few months, but this conversation changes everything for them:

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Blake smiled at her, finally. “Have you ever seen a shooting star, Livia?”

She nodded, perplexed at the change in conversation.

“It’s very beautiful, right?” He nodded with her this time. “It makes you wonder—is that shooting star just a happy accident or has the universe had it planned for a thousand years?” He tilted his face to the sky, his eyes tracking an imaginary star as it screamed to earth. He looked back to her. “Either way, you can’t stop it. You can beg it to slow down or you can just enjoy the show.”

“Am I the star in this story or you?”

Blake wrinkled his nose and chuckled. “Was that a bad analogy? I meant we’re the star, Livia. Us. This.” He shrugged his shoulders like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Us being in the same atmosphere is either a great cosmic catastrophe or the most serendipitous rendezvous.” Blake pronounced the French word like a closeted foreign language teacher.

The pull toward him came from her center. Her eyes never left his face as she moved to her hands and knees. She crawled slowly over the blanket, the breakfast, his legs, until her hands rested on either side of his hips. His smile lifted only on one side. He took care to stay very still, but his mouth opened slightly as she approached. This close to Blake she could smell him. Fresh, sweet fall leaves and mint.

He smelled like a dedicated lover of Mother Earth. The mint was his breath. It wasn’t a manufactured toothpaste, but a marvelous herb scent. Livia had never wanted anything more than to taste his lips right then.

“Would you mind very much if I kissed you?” she whispered.

Blake shook his head.

Livia leaned in and took a gentle kiss. His lips were soft, and they tasted perfect. The smell of his skin combined with that wonderful taste almost made her collapse.

Blake steadied her by placing his hand against her chest. His splayed fingers must have felt how fast her heart was beating. Livia pulled back just a bit to see his eyes again. They were half closed and shimmering.

It was his turn to whisper. “Would you mind very much if I kissed you?”

She shook her head and waited, very still. Blake lifted his other hand to touch her face. Livia had to work not to press her skin into his fingers. His touch was light as a breeze. He traced the features of her face. He trailed his fingers down to her throat and up to her earlobe. He’s so gentle.

As soon as the thought flashed through Livia’s mind, Blake grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking it enough to make her gasp. Then he kissed the living hell out of her.

Oh, oh, OH. Livia felt her arms begin to shake, and Blake took more of her weight onto his forearm. She’d had no idea kissing was an art form. She knew now. Blake had to be the one to end the kiss.

The train. Right. Crap.

Livia had forgotten they weren’t alone. She tried to ignore the tremors in her hands as she cleaned up his smooshed breakfast.

“I’m so sorry I kneeled on your food.” She tried to put it back together.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m all good right now.” And he was. He looked delighted and kept licking his lips, much to Livia’s distraction. “May I take your cooler and blanket for you again?” He held out his hand.

“Please. Thank you very much,” she replied.

Livia needed to go further onto the platform to catch the train, but a set of handcuffs seemed to bind her wrist to Blake’s. He noticed her reluctance and motioned for her to enter his shade again. He bent at the waist and lifted her hand to his lips. Before he released her hand, he looked out at her from his under his eyelashes.

“Have a wonderful day, Livia. I vote for serendipitous rendezvous.”

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

Give a Copy of Poughkeepsie a Home:

Poughkeepsie in eBook, ePack, and Print: Omnific Publishing

Poughkeepsie in Kindle and Print Amazon Kindle Amazon Print

Poughkeepsie in Nook and Print Barnes and Noble B&N

Poughkeepsie Book format allromanceebooks.com

Website

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Watch the trailer

Review of Blue By: Lou Aronica

2012-02-27T00:19:00.000-08:00

Chris Astor is a man in his early forties who is going through the toughest stretch of his life. Becky is Chris's fourteen-year-old daughter, a girl who overcame enormous challenges to become a vibrant, vital young woman - and now faces her greatest obstacle yet. Miea is the young queen of a fantasy land that Becky and Chris created when Becky was little, a fantasy land that has developed a life of its own and now finds itself in terrible, maybe fatal trouble. Together, Chris, Becky, and Miea need to uncover a secret. The secret to why their worlds have joined at this moment. The secret to their purpose. The secret to the future. It is a secret that, when discovered, will redefine imagination for all of them. Blue is a novel of trial and hope, invention and rediscovery. It might very well take you someplace you never knew existed.

My Review

Chris is an amazing dad in the story. It begins with him trying to put back together his life and relationship with his daughter after the divorce. His ex-wife, Polly, had come to terms that their lack of a relationship needed to end, child or no child. No one explained to Becky why the divorce happened, just that her dad had to move out of the house. It was a really sad introduction to a typical people dealing with the ravaging that divorce causes. Polly had remarried and moved on while Chris seems to be stuck and unable to move forward. It isn't due to any lingering feelings for Polly, more the inability to connect with anyone since his daughter was ripped from him. Even though I can understand Polly's need to feel love, she continuously acts very selfish and spoiled throughout the entire story. She caused a major rift between Becky and Chris, that felt like it was motivated by jealousy than anything else. Becky loved her father and throughout Becky's struggle with cancer, Chris basically lived and breathed for his daughter. Maybe Polly should have taken lessons.   Through Becky's sleepless nights dealing with the horrors of cancer treatment, the stories of Tamarisk were born. Chris had begun the stories as a way to take Becky's mind off of the treatment and impending dangers the cancer prevented. Together they created this fantastical world ruled by the beautiful princess Miea, who was everything Becky longed to be. This world became her way of escaping the pain and it was laid out in great detail between the two storytellers. The connection was severed by the divorce and Becky swore to never again revisit the realm of Tamarisk. But all of that changed one night as Becky lay sleeping.

There are signs throughout the first few chapters of Becky's illness returning. No one seems to notice but her best friend, since Becky is able to hide it pretty well.  The strange thing is that a terrible disease is back on Tamarisk, destroying the animal and plant life. Will they be able, with the combined efforts of both worlds, to save Becky and her magical land?

I enjoyed this book even though it had a lot of pain within its folds.   I hate imagining anything happening to a child, being a mother myself. It always makes you take the parents perspective and wonder what you would do in such a situation. I would have shoved my personal life under the bed and completely concentrated on Becky getting better, much like Steve did. But even though there is pain in this book, there is also beauty and wonder. I can't imagine being able to see with your own eyes a world in which you so lovingly created. How the landscape and the animals changed as Becky got older and out-grew somethings. It truly was a treasure trove of creative genius!! This is one of those books that makes you believe in magic again!! I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read it!

Wanted: Bloggers who are interested in hosting Sci-fi and Fantasy Tours

2012-02-26T22:05:00.001-08:00

Hello CEWTNK followers!! I am excited to announce that I will be the new Sci-Fi/Fantasy coordinator for BTS. *Happy Dance*. I will be working with a bunch of great authors and bloggers, like Ronda from Queen Tutts World of Escapism! The purpose of this post is to start to create a network of bloggers that are interested in working with us!! I will be scheduling tours which include the usual stuff such as book spotlights, reviews, giveaways, interviews, and guest posts. Signing up below indicates that you are interested in receiving information on hosting these tours. We don't have any scheduled to date because we are not going live until March 1. So if you are interested in increasing the traffic to your blog, working with a new book tour company, reviewing new work, and are eager to meet new authors, take the time to sign-up below! If you have any questions feel free to email me viajeradelmar@aol.com. I look forward to working with you!!!

Interview and Giveaway with Dana Michelle Burnett and her book Spiritus

2012-02-25T23:50:00.001-08:00

Good Morning CEWTNK viewers!! Today I was lucky enough to snag an interview with Dana. She is here to talk about her latest series Spiritus. I have had the privilege of reading it and loved it immensely!! Stay tuned after the interview for a chance to win your own copy!! Let the questions begin!!

How old were you when you first realized you wanted to write? I was still in elementary school when I decided I didn’t want to be an actress anymore. I thought it would be more fun to create my own stories rather than act out someone else’s.

I agree!! It’s more fulfilling!! Most authors have an unusual story or way that they come up with their ideas for books…Do you have one? For the Spiritus series, I kept driving past the old mansions in Corydon and wondering about the people that lived there over the years. Throw in some old legends (every small town has a few) and Spiritus started coming to life.

Amazing, but I can see an old house opening up ideas! What was your biggest influence that steered you towards writing? I read Gone with the Wind and fell in love with it. I learned everything that I could about the Civil War era (came in handy for Spiritus) and then I learned everything I could about Margaret Mitchell. I was amazed by the way that she wrote the book because she had read everything in the library and that she never wrote before that. I thought I’d give it a try and fell in love with it.

The epic Gone with the Wind, a beautiful classic! I have to ask, what are the hardest scenes for you to write? Any scene with Alastor in it challenges me! It’s hard to write for a ghost that can’t touch anything. Think about it, how does he show his love? How does he comfort his romantic interest?

That does prove to be an unusual challenge..lol. Are sex scenes difficult for you to word? Not really. Spiritus doesn’t really have any traditional sex scenes, but my first romance novel Two Out of Three was loaded with them. Even though the novel didn’t do well, everyone that read the book, even if they hated the story, LOVED the sex scenes.

They must have been quite well written!! Do you see yourself writing in another genre? I wrote literary short stories for years and even put them in a novel, but paranormal romance is my favorite genre.

It is one of mine too!! Has your family been supportive? My mother is my first and most critical reader, she can be downright cruel at times, but she’s always right. My daughter is my biggest fan and we take turns supporting each other. She checks my Amazon sales ranks all the time and I cheer her on at every one of her dance competitions.

LOL…now that’s a fair trade!! Are any of your characters reflective of you? Becca and I have a lot in common, but I do have a new idea brewing for when the Spiritus series is done and that character is very me.

Please please make the end happy!! What do you like to do when you're not writing? I am a proud dance mom (don’t believe everything you see on television) and I love cheering my daughter on. I also love old movies and gardening.

I don’t, my daughter is getting ready to start ballet. But there are those competitive scary moms. Who is your favorite book heroine? Scarlett O’Hara is still awesome! I love that she challenged society and took care of herself. She may have wanted a man, but she sure didn’t need one.

Oh..I agree! Do you have any unusual habits that revolve around writing? I stopped smoking almost two years ago, so I’m a compulsive pencil chewer. I write everything out long hand in whatever order it comes to me.

What is you favorite mystical creature? I am Team Vampire all the way. There is something sexy and beautiful about vampires and I hope Edward likes older women.

LOL!!! What were some of your biggest challenges at the beginning of your career? My biggest challenge was silencing my inner critic. It’s still a problem to this day. I have days where I think I’m a story telling genius and then days when I’m a complete literary idiot.

I’d have to squash that one!!! How do you feel about reader comments? I love getting comments from readers. Lately the message has been for me to hurry up and get Haunted out there, but still, it’s nice to hear what readers think about my work.

I’m one of those commenters!! Do you have any advice for new authors? To Quote Stephen King: “Read a lot and write a lot.”

Where are your books available? My books are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. The paperback edition is available from most online retailers.

What can we expect from you in the future? Haunted will be out in the spring and I’m already in the process of outlining the final book in the Spiritus series.

Where can we reach you and become informed of updates?

http://www.DanaMichelleBurnett.com

http://Twitter.com/DanaMBurnett

http://www.Facebook.com/DanaMichelleBurnett

Thanks so much Dana!! I had so much fun reading your book!! Now its your turn fans!! Fill out the rafflecopter for your chance to win!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spiritus By: Dana Michelle Burnette

2012-02-25T21:41:00.000-08:00

A love that refuses to die…

“As I watched him vanish into a soft mist that faded away, I knew that he was no ordinary spirit…I knew that he was a dangerous entity that could be in some corner of another realm planning his revenge, but I also knew that I was hopelessly in love with him.”

When Becca moves into her ancestral home in Corydon, Indiana, her life takes a puzzling and thrilling turn when she meets the ghost haunting the halls. As the seductive spirit lures her closer and closer, she learns about her own past and starts to understand that some mistakes are meant to last.

Becca McAllister has always been different from other girls her age. Never part of the "in crowd", Becca never really fit in anywhere. When her mother dies and her father moves them to the small town of Corydon, Indiana, Becca didn't expect things to change.

But things do change when Becca accidentally makes contact with a one hundred and sixty year old ghost, Alastor Sinclair, that haunts the halls of her new home.

To Becca, Alastor is a seductive spirit that seems to see straight into her soul. To Alastor, Becca is what he was waited a century for--A second chance.

But the closer they get, the more Becca realizes that this isn't the first time she and Alastor have known each other. Worse still, is she the one responsible for his death so long ago? And if so, did he come back for love or revenge?

My Review

Becca had a pretty normal teen life. Until the death of her mother. Death always has a way of changing things. Her dad decides that they need a fresh start, in house that wasn't constantly reminding them of the absence of the one they lost. So, her dad buys the house that originally belonged to his family and moves them from a big city to a small town. Extreme change of scenery, considering you could hear yourself thinking...literally. Becca was afraid of starting all over again and of being the freakish new kid in a school full of people that have known each other all their lives. Surprisingly, her first day wasn't entirely awful and she had even managed to make some friends that were joining her tonight for a seance. Becca wasn't entirely sure what was expected of her, but she longed to have a few friends here so she was determined to go through with it. She would just let them lead the way. They were some what destined for disappointment because nothing really exciting happened, except for the candle blowing itself out at the end. But that was just a stray breeze, wasn't it?

Then the dreams began. At least, Becca thought they were dreams. I mean an incredibly gorgeous man just couldn't appear and disappear in your room while you were awake. Right? Things like that just didn't happen. After a few nights of the dreams and a near death experience, Becca decides to research what exactly had happened at that house so many years ago. What she found not only shocked her, but changed her life forever.

Alright I confess, I am a sucker about the thought of never-ending love. What is Dracula's biggest appeal? His never-ending search for the reincarnation of his love. The fact that he choose to live a cursed existence until they could be reunited, waiting for the day when he could gaze upon her face, just once more. So a love that survives the grave? Beautiful. Alastor has literally cheated death in order to wait for her. But will it be enough in the end? How can you love something you can never touch, never be physical with, never marry, or share a meal with? But Becca knew that she was meant not only to be with him but that also he was the love of her life. But as a senior in highschool, would just love prove to be enough?

I really feel for Becca in this book. But it is so well written, you are constantly stabbed in the heart for many reasons. You feel the lost love between the two and your heart aches for them. You watch them rekindle the passion from the past and your heart bleeds for them. You see the struggles and obstacles in their path and your heart breaks for them. I was completely enchanted by this first book and can't wait to read the rest of the series to see what happens next. Can there be a happily ever after for a ghost and his reincarnated love?

First Kiss with J W Baccaro

2012-02-25T00:01:00.001-08:00

Good Morning My Delightfully Decadent Subscribers!! Today is a special treat because I have opened up my torture vault and uncuffed one of my favorite little submissive male authors so he may entertain you today!! Well, I was GOING to let him entertain you but it seems I am unable to remove the ball gag, and might take him a while to be able to use his hands. Dear me! How long has he been down there? *Evil Grins* But you like it down there don't you Jason? Yes you do!! :) Ok so Jason isn't exactly up for my pleasure right now so you'll have to make do with me...MUAHHHAAAH!! But what I do have is some book detail and an excerpt from his 3rd book in his wonderful series!! Let's take a look:

The Coming of Light Blurb:

The Wizard Crystals of the Elements have fallen into the hands of Abaddon, forever corrupted and transformed to evil. Abaddon now patiently waits in his northern kingdom for the coming of Saruinkai—the evening when the spirits of Darkness rule the night, and when he will unleash the Crystals' horrific powers against their own elements and sweep destruction across the earth.
The Light's hope now lies in the young Nasharin warrior Darshun Luthais—the chosen Guardian, for he alone carries the power to stop Abaddon's black sorcery and end the war once and for all. But to do so he must cross over into Abaddon’s kingdom, and that means destroying the one who guards the border, a Fallen Angelic Throne, the secret to Asgoth's three hundred year Rule and invincibility.
Led by the elvish lord Caelestias, Darshun and his companions must seek out and destroy the Throne, encounter a Witch, and a horde of other vile creatures, only to stir up the entirety of Asgoth, coming face to face with them, a battle that will determine the fate of the world.

And Our First Kiss Excerpt:

An Enchanted Night (short scene from J.W.Baccaro’s “The Coming of the Light.”)

It was a beautiful summer day and the forest couldn’t have looked greener, or the sun shine brighter. Sitting on a large rock, Darshun rested his feet in the cool river, watching the water ripples, listening to the currents, giggling at the poor fishes getting plucked out of the water by the hungry cranes only to rest in their bellies. Then on the other side a woman in white caught his attention. It was…her! The Lady of Light from his dream at Castle Volborg. In the dream she had saved him from a serpent’s bite, and stopped him from ending his own life due to Talvenya’s dark spell of sorrow inflicted into his soul. When all hope had seemed forgotten, life meaningless, there she came, encouraging his heart like none had ever. Her warm touch, immaculate beauty; her enchanting voice, and wondrous spirit; yet why had he forgotten this upon awakening? Only now did the memory resurface.
He stood up and called to her: “Lady of light, you’ve come back.”
Suddenly she vanished and a soft voice from behind whispered into his ear, “No Darshun, you have come back.” He turned around and could scarcely breathe, let alone gaze into those ice blue eyes; her gaze was dominating…but heart-warming, stern…yet lovely.
“Who are you?” he asked, his body trembling so much that he fell to his knees. It was a certain “sacredness” she omitted, like a heavenly perfume. And not for a moment would she take her eyes off him. She raised a hand. “I am someone you should not fear, Darshun. Please, come with me. I’d like to show you something.”
Rising to his feet, he grasped her warm palm. The lady smiled, squeezed his hand gently, and began leading him deeper into the forest, eventually crossing a shallow creek and arriving at a trail free from all growth, obviously man-made, luscious evergreens on either side. Following the trail, they ventured up a short hillside until the woodland ended, stopping at an embankment that stretched down to a flat meadow. Within the field was a gorgeous woman wearing a light blue gown that fell loose from her shoulders and belted at the waist. She also wore a type of headdress, beautifully scarlet that draped over her forehead and down her back like fine long hair. Darshun felt something familiar about her when he looked at her dark blue eyes…and pointed ears. She was an Elf. Then the sound of a galloping horse drew near. He turned around and approaching quickly was a rider on a beastly white stallion. At first Darshun thought he was going to get run over, but the rider passed through him as if he were a ghost. Yet the man looked real, even carried a musky sent. Was Darshun the ghost? He stomped on the ground; it felt solid along with his legs and the rest of his body, meaning he too was real. It all made no sense.
The rider made his way to the lady. His hair was wild and blond, his eyes slate, and he wore a reddish-brown supertunic, a dark purple cape, and thigh-high black boots. The cape made Darshun wonder if he was royalty, but his eyes told otherwise. His aura gave off a sense of a loner, and…something else. As Darshun and the lady of light continued to watch, the man stopped beside the woman, leaped off his horse and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her high into the air. She Clearly these two were husband and wife. Then a silver glow encircled the man and he raised up his arms. It must have been the power of telekinesis, for out of a sack tied on the saddle of the horse came an abundance of red roses, levitating on over, above and around them, forming the shape of a heart. They must have been freshly picked, for their smell was delightfully overwhelming, even from Darshun’s distance. Then the lady cast a spell, speaking a word unfamiliar to Darshun but clearly in the elvish tongue. The roses enflamed with a type of majestic fire yet the petals did not consume, nor was there any smoke. Like a magnificent portrait it looked, two lovers standing in the midst of red roses coated in fire, keeping the shape of a heart, symbolizing the passion burning between them. Then they danced and danced and danced, wondrously, seductively and passionately. The gentle sound of the wind and delightful singing of birds was all there needed to be for melody. As the dance came to an end, the fire went out and gently did the man levitate the roses down so that they perfectly rested around them, onto the grass, still having the shape of a heart, and they both lay down side by side, holding hands.
“The dance of lovers,” the Lady of Light said.
Then it hit Darshun: a man having the power of telekinesis, as his father was said to possess, a lady Elf bearing the power of strange fires, as his mother did…it was them! His parents! Ariel and Meyanna. “Why are you showing me this?”
“Because you wanted to know something deep and personal about your father and mother, did you not?”
“Yes, but…” He lost his train of thought, overtaken by the lady’s smile.
“This is the first time they had this dance,” she said. “Once a month they’d return here and repeat it privately. No one ever knew. It was only for them, a quiet place to share their love and intimacy. Is it not a joy to watch?”
“Of course it is but…how do you know of it? In fact, how is it we are standing here? I am not even born yet!”
“Tonight your seed will begin in this very field, in the belly of Meyanna. But as I told you among our last meeting, Darshun, I have the gift of Timesight and can return to any point in time. Those around us cannot see us nor is it presently happening; it’s a past event, a representation of that one moment in time.”
“You mean you can go anywhere in time and witness the past?”
“Of course. As well as any possible future, a future that holds two or three different truths depending on the choices one makes in the present.”
“That’s mind boggling! You must have witnessed many accounts.”
“No, seldom do I look back into the past. It’s not meant for one’s own pleasure, but specific reasons only.”
“Like what you have shown me, granting my heartfelt wish?”
“I think you know that answer.”
What amazing abilities this…Goddess has, Darshun thought.
I wonder who she really is, why she is so secretive of her identity.
As if reading his thoughts she came closer to him, so close he could have kissed her, her warm breath soothing. But that ever-beautiful and dominant gaze made him bow his head. She had power, not physical strength, rather, a sacredness in truth, love and compassion. And it made him tremble. She put a finger under his chin and lifted to see his face. “Do not fear me, I mean you no harm, child of Abidan.”
“Lady of Light, please tell me; who are you?”
Curving her lips into a smile that melted his heart she answered, “Someone who loves you dearly.”

I love Jason's work :) Ok Jason it's time to go back into the play...err torture chamber..Wave Goodbye!! I might let him come up for air if he is really nice :) and note to self to remember to feed him!! Have a great Saturday!!

18 and Over Blog Hop

2012-02-24T23:23:00.000-08:00

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow #17

Posted by Crystal @ RBtWBC at 2/24/2012 06:30:00 AM

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow is a weekly feature that begins on Fridays and runs through the weekend, hosted by Crystal from Reading Between the Wines. This is a Friday blog hop with the objective to find and visit other book blogs that share the same interest as you, namely books geared towards the 18 & over crowd, and make some new friends!

How to join in:

-You should run a book blog that features and reviews mostly adult reads, some Y.A.’s are okay but 18 & over adult reads should be your majority.

-Make a separate post for the 18 & Over Book Blogger Follow on your blog.

-Copy the html for the button above and place it at the top of your post.

-List & answer the ‘Question of the Week.’

-Place your name and blog title in the linky below and the url for a direct link to your post

-Visit the other blogs on the list and say 'Hi!' Following each blog is not mandatory but I know it is always appreciated, and if someone comments saying they’re a new follower it’s polite to follow back. J It’s always nice to spread the 18 & Over Book Blogging love!

-Contact me (readingbetweenthewines10 at gmail dot com) with any questions!

Question of the week: If you could have a girl's night out (or guy's night out) with three of your favorite authors who would they be and why?

This question sucks because you said 3:) I have a ton of authors I'd love to party with but if I had to pick 3 it would be Leanore Elliot,(because she totally rocks and makes me smile), Natasha Balckthorne(wonderful to hang with and a great writer!), and Regan Black(shes just awesome). But I have so many more like Amber Scott, Cari Quinn, Nora Weston, BK Walker, Larissa Ione, Rachel Firasek, and a ton of others(its so hard to pick 3)!! All of these ladies are hella cool and have been such a joy to work with!!! Thanks so much for being awesome!! What about you guys?

First Kiss and Giveaway with Georgia Fox and The Wagered Wench

2012-02-23T21:14:00.001-08:00

Welcome to my newest First Kiss Spotlight!! Today I have Georgia Fox with me and she is going to share an excerpt and a giveaway of her newest book The Wagered Wench. But first, let's take a look at the book details:

Blurb:

As her father's only child, Elsinora must take a husband to help her run the manor of Lyndower. Although capable of managing the place herself, no one trusts a woman to lead. She can be a wife and mother, nothing more. But she's determined to choose the man for herself and she has just the one in mind—handsome, clever, chivalrous and kind-hearted.

She hasn't met him yet, but he's out there. Somewhere.

However, when her father returns home drunk one evening after a game of tavern dice, Elsinora soon discovers that sobering him up is not her only problem this time. The scarred Norman beast with the crude manners and insulting tongue—the one who brought her father home slung over the rump of his horse, has won not only the manor of Lyndower as his prize after a night of gambling. He's also won Elsinora.

Be Warned: anal sex, menage sex (m/f/m), public exhibition (YES YES YES)!!!!!! Love that cover!! Here are the links to where you can buy your own copy, if you don't win it here!!

http://www.evernightpublishing.com/the-wagered-wench-by-georgia-fox/

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0074AVM4C/spea06-20#customerReviews

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thewageredwench-677250-161.html

And now for a tastey teaser!!!

Her mouth, she realized belatedly, flapped wide open. Pulling

herself together, she exclaimed, "You try to tell me you would be a

faithful husband content with one woman? Do I look like a fool?"

"I do not try telling you anything, woman. I tell."

She folded her arms. "I know about men and their need to sow

seed widely."

"What means this?" He scowled now, the faint smile gone. He

moved closer to where she stood. "Speak plain woman and not in

riddles."

He wanted plain words? She'd give him plain. "Women do not

want a man as often as a man wants a woman. Men are beasts who

enjoy fucking more than women do. That is why men can never be

satisfied with one partner. A sensible wife encourages her husband to

take mistresses, so that she may have peace from his crude fumblings

and the constant toil of childbirth."

As she spoke he advanced again, each one of her angry words

apparently drawing him in rather than chasing him away as she'd

hoped. With every forward step he took, Elsinora backed up. His eyes

were hot, hard. "And what gives you all this knowledge of men and

fucking? Your father assured me you are a maid. Is this not so?" He

stared at her crossly, branding her again with his mark of ownership.

"Tell me now if you are not."

Aha! This would be her chance to chase him off, but before

she could speak, he added in a calmer tone, "Not that it matters. I

should like to be warned, however."

She stumbled back. He followed again.

Don't think of the way his body fits inside those breeches.

Look at his scar instead and remember how ugly he is, how he

frightened you last night when he loomed out of the dark.

He raised his hand and captured her chin, his thumb pressed to

her lips, the ring on his finger cold against her jaw. She tried to pull

away but found herself trapped by a low stone wall. On the other side

of it there was the dung heap. The Norman widened his stance,

penning her in against the wall. His thumb pressed down on her lower

lip and then his mouth claimed hers.

She raised her knee between his legs but he was ready for her.

Showing off his warrior's reflexes he dropped his tunic and blocked

her thigh with his free hand, pushing it down and then sliding

immediately between her legs. Her gown was in his way, but he

fondled her through the material, trying to work an insistent finger

through the weave. She gasped, and as her mouth opened he thrust his

tongue into her mouth, taking it roughly. Elsinora tasted his

breakfast—ale and something else—mint leaves? He must have been

down to the herb garden early this morning and plucked mint for his

breath. Few men she knew would bother.

"I'll see for myself if you are virgin," he growled into her lips.

She was too shocked to fight. Yes, that must be the reason

why she went limp and let him kiss her again. Let him lift her gown

aside and push his hand between her legs to touch her quinny. The

stone wall pressed into her lower back, but he did not care apparently

about her discomfort. When the callused pad of his finger slipped

between her labia, she almost forgot about it too.

This was a secluded corner of the yard and wreathed in

shadow as the morning sun, not yet reaching its highest point, moved

around behind the buildings. Here no one came unless to heave a

barrow of dung after cleaning out the barns and stables, but that

would not be done again until evening. Spring plowing had just begun

in the fields however, and the manure would occasionally be fetched

by cart, so there remained a small chance of being disturbed. Her

heart kept a scattered pace, her gaze shifting to the corner of the barn

over his shoulder, watching just in case.

He stroked her daisy, working it with a gentle fingertip. Again

his lips covered hers, kissing her as she'd never been kissed, not even

by Stryker Bloodaxe. His tongue wound itself around hers, tugging

and insistent. He moved closer, his strong muscular thighs holding

hers apart while his hand explored her pussy. She imagined her

mother's voice, scolding and harsh as it was most often, telling her to

stop him.

Elsinora what are you doing? Down on your knees, this

instant, and repent girl. Repent!

But how could she get down on her knees with this man's hand

between her thighs?

When his lips released hers, she glanced downward and saw

the stiff bulge in his breeches.

"Stop," she gasped belatedly.

His fingertip was poised within her. He waited, breathing

hard, his eyes black, staring down into hers.

She perused his scarred cheek, her conscience trying to remind

her of his evil. But a spark of wanton desire and curiosity flamed

inside her loins, too hot to be ignored. "Oh, very well then. See for

yourself if I am a maid. Have your proof. If you must."

At once his finger moved further and she tensed against the

intrusion. She stared at the muscle flexing in his shoulder and felt the

finger at the end of that arm penetrating her another short distance

until he felt her hymen. Finally he pronounced, "No man has been

here."

"Now let me go, filthy swine!"

He chuckled and she felt that too, tickling her tender petals.

She gasped. "Just like any other Norman pig, forcing himself

on a woman."

He leaned back a little, but kept his hand on her sex, his finger

in her damp cleft. "I will not take your virgin blood unless you are my

wife. And then you will be my only woman, from that moment on, as

I told you once already."

"Of course!" She turned her face away. "You'll never look at

another pair of titties"

"I might look. I might even admire, but I won't touch. Not

once I have a lawful wife. This I swear."

"I don't know why you bother telling me this," she groaned, as

he worked his finger lightly and teasingly over her blossoming flower.

"I don't care what you do with your cock, Norman." She wanted to

run away, but her legs felt useless. The heat he conjured between her

thighs was fierce, scalding, mesmerizing. His entire hand possessed

her now, the heel of his palm pressed into her pubic mound. Slowly

and carefully he added a second finger to the first.

He leaned over her again, watching her lips as if they were a

small treat held out and he a mastiff fixated on that promise.

"Remember my name?" he growled. "Coeur du Loup. Heart of the

Wolf."

Elsinora had not known what his name meant, but she

shrugged, trying to ignore the fingertips sliding in and out of her now,

slick with the wetness of her passionate, shameful arousal. His touch

was far more tender than the stream and yet the sensations he lured

out of her were much deeper, much hotter.

So what can you do to win a copy of this yummy read? Just fill out the Rafflecopter!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dirty Little Secret

2012-02-23T20:27:00.002-08:00

Wednesday, 22 February 2012

Dirty Little Secret # 36

Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by us at Under the Covers. Every Thursday we get to know other bloggers and our readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. We hope that you will all join us!

To participate in the meme all you need to do is:

1. Be a follower of Under the Covers.
2. Create a post in your blog taking the meme image (code above) and copy instructions.
3. Answer the question we propose! This can be done in any way you like, post a video, write a post etc.
4. Then add your link below.

Non-bloggers: We want to hear from you as well!!! Let us know your answer in the comments!

We hope you join us and let us know your Dirty Little Secrets!

This week's question:

It's lent and time to give up your favourite things for 40 days and 40 nights (or sneak some when no one is looking!) What series of books would you have to give up, and why?

I can't go with a certain series since LMM Barrons series is over(I was seriously addicted to this!! I was one of those people checking daily for posts about WHEN the last book was coming out!!) unless you consider Lora Leigh's Breed series or Nalini Singh's Angel series...heart breaking!! I'd rather just bail on it and give up coke!! LOL!! What about you guys?

Giveaway and Review of Bound By Pleasure: Dirty Discoveries By: Morticia Knight

2012-02-23T02:30:00.000-08:00

Good Morning CEWTNK!! I can't thank all of my new and regular viewers enough for making this blog hop a complete success!! You all rock. So what tasty treat do I have lined up for you today? We are dipping into some decadence with Morticia Knight and her latest book Bound by Pleasure: Dirty Discoveries. Stay tuned afterwards for the giveaway details! Right now, let's take a look at the book:

Young Jeffrey has been forcing himself to lead a very restrained and proper life. The only child of very conservative parents, he has been with the sweet, innocent Mia for almost three years, and it is pretty much a given that their families believe the nineteen-year-olds will be married as soon as they finish school. But while Jeffrey is away on a summer family trip for two weeks, it appears that something drastic happened to Mia - she is completely different and wants to break the whole thing off when he returns.
Jeffrey is distraught, and becomes determined to find out exactly what is going on with Mia. There are several dirty discoveries to be made, not the least of which is what Jeffrey has been hiding from himself. Will Jeffrey be able to convince Mia to come back to him? Or is he more likely to find comfort in someone else's arms, maybe even one of the dungeon participants?

My Review:

So getting into this book I really thought it was going to be about Mia. Low and behold my surprise that it turns out to be all about Jeffery!! Jeffery is your normal average every-day kind of guy. Not aggressive, pretty laidback, tries to do the right thing, and has been smothered in his parents firm religious beliefs. But Jeffery has a secret. A deep dark secret that would blow his carefully constructed world out of the water, should he ever allow his fantasies to run wild. Mia leaving him was probably the best thing that could of ever happened to him. Because through his quest to reclaim Mia, Jeffery meets Master Greg.
Master Greg was tasked with escorting Jeffery out of the house. He had seen Mia chained up, throat deep is some pretty intense sexual debauchery and had completely come apart. Jeffery was completely unprepared not only for the sights to which Mia had exposed him but also to his reaction. Thank goodness he had found a friend in Master Greg. But Greg had other ideas about what to do with Jeffery. As he listened to him sob out his misery, Greg began forming a plan in his head for some more time with Jefferey. After his tears had all dried, he handed him a card with his number and ordered Jeffery to call him tomorrow. He promised he could make Jeffery's pain disappear.
Jeffery is unsure about what to do. Should he try to pick up the pieces of his dreams with Mia as his wife, even though that image of her was forever burned in his memory, or start over again? Mia had been the only person he had ever been with, if you didn't count his impure thoughts. Calling Master Greg the next day suddenly seemed like the best advice ever. He desperately needed a friend.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a short hot sexy ride introducing the discovery of Jefferey:) Jeffery is kind of wimpy but I guess all men can't be alpha, especially when your playing with BDSM. Bottoms are essential to the role playing world and Jeffery fits right in. But does he dare cross that line between fantasy and real life? Find out in this awesome series!!

So how can you win your very own copy of this hot book? Just fill out the rafflecopter!! Good Luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Below the Belt By Sky Warren

2012-02-23T01:39:00.000-08:00

Black belt Abe Montgomery is focused on winning gold. But at nationals, Abe meets Paris, a beautiful, mysterious woman. Paris Rivera has sworn off men and martial arts. Her black belt cost her more than years of dedication and sweat. The fight of Abe’s life looms ahead, with his dreams of owning a school and his future with Paris hanging in the balance. He may dominate on the mats, but he’s fallen hard for her. When the time comes for them to part, he may not be able to let go.

BELOW THE BELT is a 30,000 word novella of erotic romance featuring explicit sex and graphic language. Not for those under 18 years of age or those uncomfortable with the subject matter.

My Review

Abe is a completely focused, alpha, intent on winning that championship so he can obtain his dream of opening his own school. He was his masters prize student and dedicated his life to his art. At an extremely boring opening ceremony, Abe finds his eyes wondering the crowd to the same old throng of partygoers and brainless blondes. He would much rather be practicing for the competition or in his room sleeping then here. His buddies try to liven up the party by forcing Abe to make a bet. Intent on seeing the wager through, he scans the crowd for a challenge. His eyes land on Paris and what happens next blows him away.

Paris so wished she could be anywhere but here. She had long ago given up this lifestyle and wanted as far away from it as possible. But her sister counted on her for support and to keep their mother from totally driving her nuts. That in itself was a full time job. Her mother had been completely disappointed in her when she had decided to drop out of her martial art. So here she was, being a good daughter/sister when Abe approaches her table. At first she is shocked because she knows who he is and couldn't help but wonder why he approached her. Then her hormones start doing a happy dance and all logic fails.

This was a cute short story about love/lust at first site. I would definitely say it starts with lust and ends up in love :) Both characters have their own issues and work through resolving them in this book. Paris has a little more than Abe. Together you get some hot sex scenes and a little sweet romance. I enjoyed this book and can't wait for more form this author!!

Winners!!

2012-02-23T01:08:00.000-08:00

It is time to post some winners!! First off I would like to thank all of you for participating!! This blog would not have gone anywhere without your constant support!! Thank You so much and remember you are all winners in my book!! So let's get down to it :) My first ever blog hop was a screaming success!!! And I have over 100 different ladies to thank for making it that way!! Everyone who joined in, be it comments or links, I want you to know you all Rock in my book!! So I had 7 prizes to giveaway!!

Prize 7 was an e-copy of The Willing and this goes to Sarah K.!

Prize 6 was the Nora Weston Package and the winner is....Beverly G.!

Prize 5 was the first 2 books in the Dragon Saga..and the winner is...Lexi!!

Prize 4 was an autographed print copies of the 1st 2 books in the watcher series and the winner is..Vanessa!!

Prize 3 was some decadent chocolate paint and the winner is....Hilary!!

Prize 2 was my Naughty Box and the winner is.....Rhonda D.!!

And our Grand Prize winner was.....Vivian!!

Next was a copy of Kiss and Make Up....And the winner is.....

Michele!!!

I have 3 winners for the Ghosts of Rosewood Asylum:

Sara B.S won the book

Rachel P V won the Bookmark

and

Christina D C won the postcard

And the winner of Lily is.....MJB Booklover!

All winners have been emailed and have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen!!

First Kiss and Giveaway with author Skye Warren

2012-02-21T23:23:00.001-08:00

Good Morning! I'd like to take a minute to welcome on board our new subscribers!! Thanks for the add and I'll try to make it worth your wild :) LOL..Today I have with me Skye Warren and she is going to share a first kiss between two of her characters in her latest novel Below the Belt. Let's take a look at the book details:

A Kiss Between Strangers

A first kiss can be the culmination of weeks or months of years of longing. It can come at the end of years of platonic friendship or at the end of dates filled with sexual tension. But what about when the couple doesn’t really know each other?

It’s out of order. They aren’t friends yet, they haven’t dated yet, but the situation was ripe and someone went for it. Maybe they’re seeking respite from a stressful time in their lives or maybe they just don’t value the physical relationships…yet. I’d say both of these apply to Below the Belt’s hero, Abe.

He’s here at a National martial arts competition, where everyone is looking at him as the guy to beat. His entire future is riding on winning gold, because that means sponsorships and being able to afford to open his own Taekwondo school. And then, at a stuffy ballroom even, his friends goad him into a bet.

From there he meets Paris. He doesn’t know her. This is only supposed to be physical. It only can be physical, because they hardly know each other. Take a look:

He led her by the hand out into the hallway, with only the muted laughter spilling out of the ballroom behind them. A few people loitered in small groups outside the ballroom doors, but as soon as Abe and Paris rounded the corner they were alone. They walked through the shadows of the spacious hotel hallways, the thick carpet strange under his dress shoes. The chandeliers and sconces were dimmed, the doors closed, not part of the night’s event.

“Are we allowed to be here?” she whispered.

Abe shrugged. “Who’s going to catch us?”

They wandered down the hallway, the voices from the ballroom dimmed to a faint hum.

“You never did tell me what you’re doing here,” he said.

She didn’t answer right away.

Abe heard the sound of an elevator opening from around the corner. He didn’t want to be seen. A pair of heavy doors were nearby, cracked open.

He pulled her into his arms as they stumbled into the dark room.

She gasped.

“Shh,” he said into her hair. They both held still in an embrace against the door. He breathed in the sweet citrus scent of her, fighting the urge to let his hands wander.

When the voices had passed by, she said breathlessly, “I guess that answers that question.”

“What question?” he asked. He was having a hard time focusing with her warmth pressed fully against his body. She had to feel his hardness now.

“About who’s going to catch us.”

“Oh.” He didn’t move away. He tangled his hand in her curls like he’d been wanting to since he first saw them. So soft. His fingers tightened slightly. “We’ll be safe in here. It’s more fun without a crowd anyway, don’t you think?”

“Is that all you think about—fun?”

“No. Hardly ever.” And wasn’t that the truth. Between training and working to save up to open his own school, he rarely had time to kick back or go out. He’d only come to this sponsors’ event because Sa Bum Nim made attendance mandatory.

“What about you?” He trailed his other hand up her hip to rest on her waist.

“What?” She sounded distracted. Good. He was distracted, too.

“Are you all about the fun?”

“No.” She exhaled long and low. “Not usually.”

He rested his forehead against hers, trying to find some control. His cock swelled uncomfortably against his pants. All he wanted to do was grind it into her—no, push it into her—but he had to go slowly. He didn’t want to scare her away.

Abe wanted her. It wasn’t about some stupid bet or even about stress relief. He wasn’t sure what was so special about her, or whether it was purely physical, but he wanted her, and badly.

“Paris, I’m going to kiss you.”

“Okay,” he thought she said. As he pressed a light, almost chaste, kiss to her lips, a jolt of heat seared him. His tongue swiped the seam of her lips. He tasted champagne as he slipped his tongue inside her mouth.

More, set up a steady chant in his head, in time with the rush of blood in his head and his cock.

Her hair was so soft. His hands tightened through the strands. He used his grip in her hair to tilt her head back further, kissed her more deeply. Maybe he was pushing her too hard, too fast, then he’d lose her…but then she moaned against his mouth. Yes. His cock twitched in response.

She was hot. He knew that, but this one small kiss blew him away. Sex had always been purely physical to him before, like lifting weights—going through the motions and at the end reaping the payoff. His body responded like usual now, but there was something else going on. He felt like he had the first time he had walked into his dojang, the school—almost reverent. What the hell was happening to him?

Overwhelmed, he forced himself to break off the kiss. He needed to get his bearings.

“Wow.” She blinked up at him, eyes shining through darkness. “That was…crazy.”

“Crazy good?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

“Yeah. Crazy good.” She smiled, and his pulse thumped in response.

His cock thumped, too, but that bastard needed a time out, before he embarrassed himself. Or worse, nailed her up against the door before she could think about refusing him.

What can I say? Abe is such a guy. He fights, he swears, and he thinks with his… *ahem*. He has a lot of making up to do after this scene, but I think even here, even so early on, there’s this chemistry, this pull that makes him want – no, need – to get closer to her. In a way, there’s something special about it, that it happens to relative strangers, because it’s a complete surprise.

To me that’s what a kiss is really about. Because it’s not a purely sexual thing, it’s not even necessary for quick sex with a stranger, but neither is it platonic. Kisses are about attraction and connection. They may have been strangers before the kiss, but after, they know each other, in that elemental, undefinable way.

If you’re interested in seeing what happens next, be sure to check out Below the Belt. It’s sexy, it’s sweet and it’s only $0.99. Here’s the blurb and the buy links:

BELOW THE BELT is a 30,000 word novella of erotic romance featuring explicit sex and graphic language. Not for those under 18 years of age or those uncomfortable with the subject matter.

Oh, and one lucky commenter will win a copy of Below the Belt. What do you think about chemistry on the first meeting or first date? Do you think it’s something that has to build gradually, or do you think sometimes you just know? Just fill out the rafflecopter and good luck!!

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Giveaway and Review of The Third Son by Elise Marion

2012-02-21T00:55:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to this stop on Elise's fabulous book tour!! I have had the opportunity to review this book and I must say I enjoyed it immensely!! Let's take a look at the book details but stay tuned for details about how you can win a copy of this fabulous book!!!

Title: The Third Son (Kings of Cardenas, Book 1)
Author: Elise Marion
Publisher: Self
Length: 113,000 words
Sub-Genres: Historical, Mystery/Thriller, Suspense
VBT Dates: Feb 13-Feb 22

AVAILABLE AT:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Third-Son-Kings-Cardenas-ebook/dp/B005P8BK6K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1326667972&sr=1-1

BLURB:

Rake. Rogue. Scoundrel. Each of these words has been used to describe Damien Largess, youngest prince of Cardenas, most frequently by his ridiculously somber eldest brother. Damien is perfectly content to spend his days drinking at the card tables, and his nights in the bed of his scheming mistress, especially since doing these things seems to vex his high-handed brother to no end. But when he steps into a glittering ballroom on the night of his twenty-fifth birthday, the roguish young prince’s life will be forever changed.

Beautiful. Graceful. Sensual. When Esmeralda steps into the center of the King’s ballroom to perform for his youngest son’s birthday, every eye in the room is glued to the tall, lithe Gypsy dancer. One pair of eyes seems to burn straight through her, and though she has worked endlessly to shield her heart, she finds her defenses slowly slipping away in the presence of the handsome prince. She cannot resist his devastating charm, nor is she immune to the earth shattering desire in his kiss. As she falls rapidly under his spell, Esmeralda dares to hope for a future she would never have thought possible.

With a deadly plot against the royal family surrounding him in danger and intrigue, Damien will face a decision he never thought he would have to make. Would he step up to claim a responsibility that should never have fallen to the third son? Or will he abandon it to risk all for love?

EXCERPT:

“Tell me about that thing you were looking into earlier.”Damien stood and grabbed the long black instrument from the balcony rail. “This? You’ve never seen a telescope before?” He smiled when she shook her head again. “My father told me about them,” she said wistfully, thinking of the stories her father used to tell her of his travels. “I’ve never seen one in person though.” “Well, allow me to demonstrate how it works,” he said handing her the portable telescope and pointed out various constellations. Esmeralda noticed the way his face softened and his eyes lit up as he showed her each cluster of stars and the history behind them.

“I would not have guessed that you were interested in something as intellectual as astronomy.” Esmeralda regretted the words the moment she said them. She had not wanted to offend him. But he merely shrugged and returned the telescope to its case.

“It is not common knowledge,” he said, rejoining her on the chaise. “My less reputable hobbies are more known than my intellectual ones. I have several telescopes, of varying sizes and for different purposes, kept in the observatory in the east wing of the palace. My personal library contains several volumes on astronomy, poetry, botany, and biology.”

“The rumors I’ve heard about you make you seem so superficial,” she said, unable to believe that this man before her who spoke so eloquently of science and poetry could be the same drinking, gambling rakehell she’d heard so many stories about. “How is it that no one seems to know of your many other interests?”

“That is mostly my fault,” he admitted, toying with his signet ring to keep from touching her skin. “I have kept these interests mostly to myself, though my family and servants know of them. Publicly though, I have only allowed people to see one side of me.”

Esmeralda nodded. “I know exactly what you mean,” she said sincerely. “Being a Gypsy who dances in a tavern gives people certain ideas about me all the time.”

Damien knew he was guilty having misguided thoughts of his own about her. “Yes but you are innocent, where I am not. People have the right idea about me.”

“Then why don’t you change it?”

Damien shrugged. “Because for all the gossip that exists about me, people are more concerned with the heir to the throne than with me. Lionus will be king, Serge will be general of Cardenas’ military, and I will be the third son. No one really expects much from me.”

“But surely you must want more than that? To be known as more than just the last son?”

It was like she had read his mind, Damien thought. How could she have known of his desire for a more fulfilling life?

“Of course I want more. It is just that no one has ever expected anything of me, and so I’ve never expected anything from myself.”

“But there must be something,” she prodded.

“I have often thought of founding a university, perhaps even naming it for my father.”

Esmeralda smiled, and her entire face nearly glowed. Damien felt that smile tugging at his insides, twisting at his heart. “That’s a wonderful idea!” she said, her excitement contagious, sparking something in him now that he had given voice to his dream. “I see no reason why you shouldn’t do just what you’ve said.”

Damien studied her face, illuminated by the pale moonlight. “You are a marvel,” he said softly, cupping her cheek with his hand. He had resisted long enough, the urge to touch her had finally overcome his will. “Such freshness and passion,” he murmured, reaching up to slide the white cap from her head. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders; the scent of jasmine grew even stronger. She stiffened slightly when he leaned toward her, but relaxed when he pressed his face to her thick locks and inhaled. “That fragrance is intoxicating.”

“My mother makes perfumes and soaps,” she said. Or at least she thought she said it aloud. Damien brushed his lips lightly up her neck, moving up over her chin, and finding her lush mouth. The moment his lips touched hers, she was lost.

He swept her swiftly into his arms and crushed her against him, molding her body against his from chest to hip. Though his hold on her was tight and fierce, his lips moved with surprising softness over hers. He took her mouth slowly, trying carefully not to overwhelm her with his growing ardor. He clenched a handful of her hair and tugged gently, slanting her head back to gain better access to her mouth.

He deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding achingly over hers, arousing feelings she never thought could exist low in her belly. Heat suffused through her, spreading from her middle until she was hot all over. Her hands rested on his chest, tingling at the feel of his corded muscles beneath her fingers. He brought his hands to her waist, so slender he could nearly span the width of it with his large hands. He slid his hands slowly upward over her ribcage, his fingertips lightly brushing her breasts. She sighed into his mouth and arched her back unknowingly, her body responding before her mind could rationalize what she was doing. He lowered his head, showering her neck and shoulders with kisses, working his way steadily downward. His hand cupping one breast jolted her senses, sending her blood rushing rapidly through her veins.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

As a child I always had my nose in a book. From R.L. Stine to Chronicles of Narnia to The Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley High, I read it all. When I started Junior High and found out that the school library had over 400,000 books, my goal was to read every single one! Of course I didn't achieve that particular goal, but I sure had fun trying! In high school I developed a talent for writing and discovered romance. Needless to say I combined my love for both and am now a published Indie author. After almost a year of peddling my book from agent to agent with no success I decided that my work was good enough despite the constant rejection. That's when I discovered the world of indie publishing through e-books. I couldn't have made a better decision than stepping out on faith and doing something for myself instead of waiting around for someone else to do it for me.

A litle bit more about me: My husband Kevin and I have been married for 4 years and have two beautiful children, Haley (4) and Gavin (4 months). We are a military family, which means I spend a lot of my time alone with two children. People often ask me how I deal with the military life. I simply say, someone's got to do it, right? I am proud of my husband for serving his country.
When I'm not reading (which is almost always) or writing (I try to every day), I am watching movies (which I love), cooking (which I love even more) or watching someone else cook on TV (love me some Paula Deen). I have been singing my entire life and enjoy being my church's choir every Sunday. My large, extended family is close and means the world to me.

Website: www.elisemarion.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/elisemarion86

Twitter: @elise_marion

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/elise_marion

Email: elisemarionwrites@yahoo.com

My Review:

Damien was the third son. He was not defined with a role and saddled with endless responsibilities as were his two older brothers. He did as he pleased. Yes, he was the womanizing bad boy with the looks and charm, that his older brother constantly frowned upon because of his reckless behavior. He supposed that he really should try to clean up his act, but it was such fun irritating his oldest brother. Being the baby did come with many privileges, the best of which was the unlimited amount of freedom. The truth was Damien had grown rather weary and lonely with his lifestyle, but was unsure of just how to fix it. Fate, it seems, was willing to help push him in an entirely unexpected direction. It all began with a simple dancer at his birthday party whose eyes were branded in his memory for all time.

Esmeralda had a wonderful and free life. Even though her gypsy life was a little at odds with what was considered the norm of her race because her father decided to settle down, Esmeralda loved her family and the club she had help to establish. A terrible accident had robbed her of her father among other things and his loss was a constant stabbing pain in her heart. But love seemed illusive in her life. Her childhood best friend had an extreme crush on her but she felt only brotherly love in return. She longed for the passion and heat that once upon a time her parents had known. But when she spotted Damien sitting in her club, all thoughts of never finding that special someone fled.

This was quite an interesting read!! Though the main part of the book focuses on Damien and Esmeralda, fate seems to throw them quite a cruel hand. The sub-plots in this story are well thought out and leave you quite in the dark about what is really going on in the castle. Esmeralda's grandmother was my favorite character in the book. She had an old-world cryptic way about her and was a genuine fortuneteller to boot!! This story had a piece of a few of my favorite books inside, which made this book all the more enjoyable. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!! In fact this review was the only reason I haven't dived into it yet!! I really enjoyed this book!!

So what do you have to do to win a copy of this fabulous book? Just fill out the raffelcopter below!! Good luck and dont forget to check out the rest of the book tour: http://cblspromotions.blogspot.com/2012/01/vbt-kings-of-cardenas-books-one-and-two.htm

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First Kiss and Giveaway with author Russell Bittner

2012-02-19T23:55:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday my delightfully decadent subscribers. Today I have Russell with me and we are going to be talking about his latest lavishly erotic book Trompe-l'oeil. I'm also going to share with you an excerpt from the book with includes the first f**k as well. No, I haven't decided to change the theme just yet..lol...that was just my way of warning you!! So let's take a look at the book details and get ready to dive into the decadence :)

Why would a woman entering middle age--attractive, sexy, articulate, imaginative, intelligent, charming, charismatic, wealthy and successful in almost every aspect of her life--knowingly give up the only thing missing from that life: namely, love? And love with a younger man she meets serendipitously not once, but three times--and whose appreciation of her quickly grows from mere physical attraction to adoration and then to obsession? The riddle from start to finish is perhaps to be found in the word "knowingly." The answer to that riddle? Revealed only in the final chapter.

DANEKA SØRENSEN is a Danish transplant to NYC, where she manages her life from an Upper East Side apartment building by night and from the top floor of a mid-town skyscraper by day--ostensibly, all under tight control. KIT ADDISON is a fashion photographer with a sideline penchant for flora and poetry who lives on the Lower East Side. The distance between them, however, is about much more than a mere hundred city blocks.

In Chapter One, serendipity brings Daneka and Kit together for the first time as both are exiting the Columbia campus--she from a poetry class in which she dabbles once a week, he from Philosophy Hall in which he labors days and nights without respite. This first encounter is both poetic and philosophical--but too hot to be captured in a mere haiku, too impulsive to be squeezed into an imperative, moral or historical, for either of them. At the start of Chapter Two, already eleven years later, they--or rather his camera and the front bumper of her limousine--meet a second time on a zebra crossing. Her search for a photographer for a special project (too hot and too imperative for any of the more than competent staff of a major magazine of which she is the Managing Editor) leads to a third serendipitous meeting. What follows these three meetings is, in the coming weeks, a game of cat and mouse--until, that is, their affair becomes such that "it seemed as if they might engulf each other in this single, ferocious act, like tigers chasing their own tails and slowly churning, turning, burning into butter."

Their affair takes them from New York to Paris, to the coast of Portugal, to Rome and Positano, Italy, to the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, then back to New York City. What they discover about each other in those few weeks is more than most people discover in a mate or lover over a lifetime. The exploration is an erotic Elysian field, but also a psychological inferno.
What gradually comes to light in the space of two continents and one return transatlantic flight is that, while love's bite may initially be sweet, the aftertaste may be exceedingly bitter--when not downright nauseating.

nauseating.

Teaser Exceprt:

As he started out from Philosophy Hall towards the subway entrance at 116th and Broadway, he was tired - of arguing, certainly, but also of the rules of argumentation. He heaved heavy eyes towards a logic-free heaven, then let them sink back down to earth - finding nothing of Quine's quiddities there to help, but suddenly seeing her as she exited from Lewisohn. He carried a well-thumbed Schopenhauer. She, he saw, carried only herself and a sheaf of papers - though both exceedingly well.

He continued walking towards the subway - watching, then sensing, that her footsteps might now be nudging the continents towards some sublime, quixotic shift. As the two of them emerged from under the arches, he saw a limo standing in a No Standing zone. Her driver also stood - holding open, with a servant's hand and salute, the back door.
She ducked down to enter and caught her mink on the handle; a few papers went flying. He came up quickly behind her; picked one up; recognized the comely shape of verse; read the header and the first two lines:

They Know I Did It

In turns, we're heir to nightmares;

and so, debauched of dreams.

He paused as he considered what he might've just stumbled upon: another Sappho-in-the-making; a masked poetess.

Masked, in-the-making, and in mink - hence, a minx, he thought as he gave the piece back with a single word of acknowledgment - "Provocative" - and accidentally touched her glove in the hand-off. She thanked him soundlessly with only a flicker of her lips, though eyes aided and abetted - and not just a little.

Nice mouth - she thought.

The quad lay behind him; the MTA in front. A turnstile to any torch show in Manhattan was his for the pushing - until, that is, he caught the scent of something like perfume; heard a sound on concrete no sneaker could make; glanced back and understood, in an instant, how easily even heathens could hallelujah when an angel heaved up on a pair of spike heels.

He pretended to fumble with his transit card - which, at his age, was first blush, second nature. Pretending? He still lacked the catechism for it. She, meanwhile, stood at the kiosk attempting to purchase a subway token. An opportunity, he thought - as purchasing subway tokens was clearly not her kind of shopping. But then it suddenly fell upon him like spring rain: perhaps she was no better at pretending than he was, even if one thing was now perfectly clear: fumbling was not her forte.

"Fuck it," he pretended to say as he turned away from the turnstile and started out towards the stairway on the opposite side of Broadway.

"Fandens også!" was the collision of consonants and odd vowels he heard her whisper as he saw a hand slip back through mink and drop the two bills - though he would've known nothing of the syllables, much less of the sexy little accent. Lights on this scene in any case went to dark as he hit the exit.

When he came back up and turned the corner, it was to a set of sun's rays retiring over Riverside. She came up after him and immediately claimed her turf with a single stiletto heel while perusing the panorama - real lighthouse-like. Sending a beacon out in search of lost sailors, however, was not a couch this Siren could get cozy on, as she was more accustomed to being the shoal on which they crashed. And the clean-up? Somebody else's problem.

She finally saw him walking much too cavalierly down 116th in the direction of the park; studied his walk; then mimicked it - staying a frivolous fifty paces behind. He leaned up against the wall of a building, fumbled with a cigarette. She leaned up against her own piece of wall, took out her own cigarette. He flicked at something frantically. She slipped out a Dunhill 18-carat gold-enameled; pressed down gently on the lever; let the electrons do the heavy lifting.

She inhaled, then let the smoke flow back out. Charming as a bounty of church bells chiming 'Glory Borealis' he thought as he caught her exhalation out of the corner of his eye.

He, she noticed, was still flicking. She advanced and extended the Dunhill. He looked briefly into a pair of cool emerald greens, then back at the lighter; cupped his hands 'round while letting one thumb rest an instant upon her glove; took the fire and inhaled.

"Thanks," he said.

"Pas de quoi," she answered.

He lost the momentum of the exchange - though only for an instant. "Vous êtes-?"

"Just teasing," she sniffed as she put the cigarette between her lips and inhaled, then let the smoke stream back out through flared nostrils. Gentle as a riptide, he thought, his brain now just a commotion of molecules. Beautiful and Baudelairian - he also thought, but couldn't say, as he was now just a bashful mass of feet and no mouth.

She, in the meantime, grew bored - and glanced down at his carry-on luggage: The Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason.

Perhaps - she thought - I could throw him a starter kit. "How many squares would a square root wreck if a square root wrecked for a reason?"

Not only beautiful, he thought as he looked up, but -.

They both exhaled simultaneously. Perfect timing, she thought. Much better than sufficient reason.

For the next minute, they exchanged only smoke and stares. He then dropped his cigarette and stamped it out. She dropped hers, kicked it in his direction. He looked down; got a fix on its location; looked back up as he squashed it. Lids dropped like a last curtain call on a pair of prominent cheekbones, Danish-cut. The time for dallying, he thought, is done.

"Wanna chuck wood?"

"Sure," she said. "Let's chuck."

He grabbed her hand and moved. The sun, now a mere palimpsest over the Palisades, drew them in the direction of Jersey, just across the Hudson - and about a million miles away.

At Riverside, he sought a shady spot. Moonbeams can be murder on a mink, he thought. He found a maple, looked for moths - spotted a pair and told 'em to scram - then probed for rough spots before leaning her back against the bark. The curtsy of her coat suggested that rough spots - like moths - were now on the run. Her own sigh confirmed it.

"Te-tell me-" he stuttered.

"Show me," she countered. The stop, he thought, was drop-dead glottal.

He reached under her coat, then let his hand rise slow as sizzle on a hotplate along the inside of her thigh as she rotated. Like a pirate on a picnic, he felt a tremor, paused, waited till it had subsided; then eased his hand on up until it met with an impasse of pure silk.

He was now Marco Polo, but also Kepler, Copernicus and Galileo. He'd found the road to China - but was about to blow it off for a date with the Milky Way.

Like a lonely reverend, he pulled the silk aside, unzipped and slipped in. He'd surely fry - but he had the rest of his life and then some to contemplate how hot the coals. Now, however, he bowed his head to the nape of her neck, inhaled, found tiny hairs with his lips, and touched the salt of her skin with the tip of his tongue.

The sight, feel, smell and taste of her sent his synapses into overdrive, while his cortex collapsed in a smooth smolder. She'd burned her way in - and the memory would forever after stick to him like a brand.

So how can you score a copy of this book? Just answer Russell's question: "What defines an 'erotic novel' (versus a novel with erotic content, but which is really about much more than erotica)?" and fill out the rafflecopter form!!

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Trompe-l'oeil by Russel Bittner

2012-02-19T23:15:00.001-08:00

Why would a woman entering middle age--attractive, sexy, articulate, imaginative, intelligent,

Why would a woman entering middle age--attractive, sexy, articulate, imaginative, intelligent, charming, charismatic, wealthy and successful in almost every aspect of her life--knowingly give up the only thing missing from that life: namely, love? And love with a younger man she meets serendipitously not once, but three times--and whose appreciation of her quickly grows from mere physical attraction to adoration and then to obsession? The riddle from start to finish is perhaps to be found in the word "knowingly." The answer to that riddle? Revealed only in the final chapter.

DANEKA SØRENSEN is a Danish transplant to NYC, where she manages her life from an Upper East Side apartment building by night and from the top floor of a mid-town skyscraper by day--ostensibly, all under tight control. KIT ADDISON is a fashion photographer with a sideline penchant for flora and poetry who lives on the Lower East Side. The distance between them, however, is about much more than a mere hundred city blocks.

In Chapter One, serendipity brings Daneka and Kit together for the first time as both are exiting the Columbia campus--she from a poetry class in which she dabbles once a week, he from Philosophy Hall in which he labors days and nights without respite. This first encounter is both poetic and philosophical--but too hot to be captured in a mere haiku, too impulsive to be squeezed into an imperative, moral or historical, for either of them. At the start of Chapter Two, already eleven years later, they--or rather his camera and the front bumper of her limousine--meet a second time on a zebra crossing. Her search for a photographer for a special project (too hot and too imperative for any of the more than competent staff of a major magazine of which she is the Managing Editor) leads to a third serendipitous meeting. What follows these three meetings is, in the coming weeks, a game of cat and mouse--until, that is, their affair becomes such that "it seemed as if they might engulf each other in this single, ferocious act, like tigers chasing their own tails and slowly churning, turning, burning into butter."

Their affair takes them from New York to Paris, to the coast of Portugal, to Rome and Positano, Italy, to the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, then back to New York City. What they discover about each other in those few weeks is more than most people discover in a mate or lover over a lifetime. The exploration is an erotic Elysian field, but also a psychological inferno.

What gradually comes to light in the space of two continents and one return transatlantic flight is that, while love's bite may initially be sweet, the aftertaste may be exceedingly bitter--when not downright nauseating.

My Review:

The human psyche has quite often fascinated me. It bends, compromises, breaks, and more often than not, punishes itself. How often have you witnessed a behavior or peculiar habit and thought why does he/she do that? Daneka, one of our main focal points in this lavishly erotic tale, has several such habits that are quite fascinating. She is a complex and utterly fascinating character that tries to escape her past by locking her dark secrets away. Unfortunately, our past helps shape us, for good or bad, and always finds a way to break through to the surface. Such is the case in her dealings with Kit. Her carefully erected facade begins to chip away under his continual presence and uncontrollable emotions tumble forth. Emotions, that Daneka has been able to bury and deny the existence of. She chooses instead to concentrate instead on sensations, and uses her erotic dabblings as an outlet.

This story is about their romance. It takes you through their first erotic encounter, to the next professional one, and through the downward spiral of their relationship. This book is an exceedingly volatile roll-coaster ride through the erotic decadence in which their relationship springs forth. Their passion burns hot, and their sexual encounters throughout their travels are each more sensually erotic than the last. But complexity that makes Daneka's character so fascinating, could be the breaking point in the relationship. As worldly as Kit seems to be, Daneka brings a whole other edge, to which in my opinion, proves too much for Kit to handle. Communication is such a fragile thing but it is completely necessary for the growth into something more. Can these two characters climb out of their heads and bring to the table the necessary attributes needed to make this love affair last?

This was a fascinating read. It was erotically off the charts and gives you a taste of the darker side of passion. I enjoyed this book even though many parts of it made me sad. It also makes you reconsider some situations in your own past, and how you may view them differently now. The full picture can be heartbreaking. I'm glad, in the end, that I was able to review this book. I look forward to reading more from this author.

First Kiss with author Jaye Frances

2012-02-19T01:07:00.005-08:00

Good Morning my decadent and delightful viewers!! Today I am pleased to have with me author Jaye Frances, who is sharing a first kiss and the book info on her latest The Kure. Take it away Jaye!!

Thank you, Nikki, for including me in “First Kiss” on Close Encounters With The Night Kind. What a terrific concept! In my new paranormal/occult romance novel, The Kure, the main characters, John Tyler and Sarah Sheridan, share their first kiss in a most unexpected situation. It happens when they’re caught in the fury of a violent storm while attempting to perform a forbidden ritual from the ancient book, the Kure.

Here’s an excerpt:

From the moment the elements had turned violent, John had wanted to move Sarah and Beth out of danger. Yet his salvation was here, falling all around him, if he could keep Beth on her feet long enough to run with him for a few steps.

“John, you’ve got to hurry,” Sarah warned. “The light, it’s changing.”

He shielded his eyes and looked up. She was right. The clouds were moving again, closing like a heavy black curtain over the moon.
Sarah pushed hard at their backs. “You’ve got to go. Now!”
John took a step, pulling Beth along with him, knowing he would eventually have to force her into a run. After a few short strides, he tried to increase the pace, but Beth was already laboring in the thick sludge, unable to keep up. Still drunk and unsteady, she began to pull back, begging John to slow down.
“You’ve got to keep up,” John yelled. “We have to keep moving.”
Beth tottered on flagging legs. “I can’t! You’re going too fast.”
He could feel her hand slipping away.
Sarah caught her cousin by the shoulders. Ever since pushing them forward, she had remained at Beth’s side. “Stay up with John. You have to run, you’ve got to—”
She stopped, her words suffocating in a rush of dark water.
Dark water.
She looked up, squinting into the driving rain, searching for the moon. Only a sliver remained, and it was swiftly fading behind the thickening web of the storm. In seconds, it was gone.
“We’ve lost the light,” John shouted. “It’s over. We have to get inside.”
Sarah’s eyes flashed in defiance, her voice resolute. “We can’t give up now. The clouds will blow over and the moon will come back. We just have to wait for it.”
Given the choice, John would have endured the worst that nature could offer before denying Sarah. But the power of the cure had been swallowed by the convulsing sky. He had to move both girls to safety. He drew her close. “No, Sarah, listen to me. It’s too dangerous. Take Beth’s arm and help me get her inside.” “But we’ve seen it,” Sarah argued. “We need to try one more time.”
He knew her insistence was for his benefit, but the night had become a violent maelstrom, and he would not forsake his promise to protect her. “Sarah, I can’t let anything happen to you. Not now, not ever! I made a vow. To keep you safe.” She started to speak, but John brought a finger to her lips, stopping her. Even through the punishing torrent, he could see her disappointment. He brushed the water from her cheek and she instinctively closed her eyes, as though wanting to feel nothing but his touch. It happened in the middle of a raging tempest, with John naked and shivering in the cold. It happened with the wind at Sarah’s back, the rain pelting them so hard John could only hope she would feel his caress. As he brought his lips to hers and let them linger, he let it all in, wanting to remember the moment forever. They separated slowly. John waited for Sarah to open her eyes before pointing to Beth. Sarah nodded and without further argument, swiftly moved to her cousin’s side. Looking toward the main house, John searched for the huge landmark. But the mansion had vanished in a sea of rain. He turned back to Sarah and shouted. “We’ll each take an arm. You’ll have to lead. I can’t see the house or the barn.” Sarah nodded. “We’ll start off slowly to keep Beth from falling. Get a good grip, she’s covered in—”

A hundred yards away, a massive bolt of white fire erupted from the ground. Later, Sarah would argue that it had been a simple coincidence, while John would continue to wonder if their persistent defiance against the elements had exceeded the limits of some unknown constraint of the spell. Regardless of cause, the storm would no longer tolerate their presence, and it raised its angry voice in a stark display of dominance and power.

Here’s a brief synopsis:

John Tyler, a young man in his early twenties, awakens to find a ghastly affliction taking over his body. When the village doctor offers the conventional, and potentially disfiguring, treatment as the only cure, John tenaciously convinces the doctor to reveal an alternative remedy—a forbidden ritual contained within an ancient manuscript called the Kure.

Although initially rejecting the vile and sinister rite, John realizes, too late, that the ritual is more than a faded promise scrawled on a page of crumbling paper. And as cure quickly becomes curse, the demonic text unleashes a dark power that drives him to consider the unthinkable—a depraved and wicked act requiring the corruption of an innocent soul.

Ultimately, John must choose between his desperate need to arrest the plague that is destroying his body, and the virtue of the woman he loves, knowing the wrong decision could cost him his life.

Jaye Frances was born in the Midwest and grew up surrounded by traditional values and conservative attitudes (which she quickly discarded). She readily admits that her life’s destination has been the result of an open mind and a curiosity about all things irreverent, and she invites visitors to her website with a friendly caveat: “Be forewarned, my life has not followed the traditional path of homemaker, wife, and mother.” When she’s not consumed by her writing, Jaye enjoys cooking, traveling to all places tropical and “beachy” and taking pictures—lots of pictures—many of which wind up on her website. She lives on the central gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one husband, six computers, four cameras, and several hundred pairs of shoes.

For a limited time, read “The Kure” for only $.99 (kindle version)

I always spend the last few days of December reviewing my writing plan for the coming year—to determine what’s going to receive priority and how I will budget my time to make sure I get it done. During one of those planning sessions, I noticed my husband was also putting a few goals together for the new year. When I asked him to tell me about his “resolutions,” he said that one of them was to read more, especially books that fall outside his favorite genres, “just to see what else is out there.” We began to talk about how many more people are now reading books of all kinds, primarily due to increased availability and choice of low-cost eBooks for the kindle and nook. I often see comments from readers who decided to try a particular author’s work because it was ninety-nine cents, or in some cases, free. Then my husband asked an interesting question: “Why don’t you offer some kind of promotion to encourage more people to read The Kure, with the idea that they’ll be more inclined to read the book if you temporarily lower the price?” I really had to think about this one, but after realizing it might motivate a few more folks who are not familiar with The Kure to take a look, I decided to do it. I’m calling it “Resolve To Read”, and it’s going on right now. The kindle version of The Kure can be purchased for ninety-nine cents on Amazon. So if you were planning on buying a kindle version anyway, why not take advantage of the “Resolve To Read” promotion and save two bucks?

My website is: http://www.jayefrances.com

My blog is: http://blog.jayefrances.com

Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12718447-the-kure

My Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Jaye-Frances-writer/171415992923563

Links for The Kure on Amazon and BN:

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Kure-Jaye-Frances/dp/1466262966/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317073140&sr=1-1
BN:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/the-kure-by-jaye-frances?keyword=the+kure+by+jaye+frances&store=ebook
Thanks for stopping by Jaye!! Be sure and check out her Resolve to Read program for yourselves!!

First Kiss with Nandi (Nanny) Berry

2012-02-17T23:41:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy to announce that I have my friend and fellow blogger joining me today for my first kiss event!!!! Nanny is the author of a kick-ass blog called Getting Naughty Between the Stacks :) Stop by and check out her blog : http://gnbstacks.blogspot.com/ Stop by and say Hi if you have a chance. Nanny always has some smokin hot authors and reads over there. Today she has agreed to talk about her newest book release and guess what? You can get it for free!! Let's take a look:

Through His Stomach By Nandi Berry

Free on Smashwords

Buy link- https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/132866

Blurb:Through His Stomach is a Valentine Short Story.

People say the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
Becki's first love has always been food. Her second love treats her like she's his little sister. Deciding to take and seduce Paul into realizing she isn't just his best.friend little sis. Becki uses her first love to catch her second.
Warning: this book contains inappropriate use of chocolate, and will make you hungry... for food and possibly other things.
Bonus: At the end of the book are two recipes for chocolate body paint.

Excerpt:

Paul drew in a sharp intake of breath. He knew he should back up, yet he didn't. Even as his cock began to press against his jeans. Becki shifted in front of him, this time actually rubbing against him. He looked at her, as she peeked over her shoulder. He watched unable to look away as her pink tongue darted out licking a dollop of dark gooey chocolate off the spoon. A mischievous smile graced her luscious lips. Damn it she was actually trying to seduce him. He'd seen that sparkle in her eye, one too many times. Ben was going to kill him, but by God he was going to earn his pummeling. Becki licked her lips. “Want a taste?” Yes he wanted to taste her lips, her neck. He wanted to removed all her clothes and taste every inch of her body. Not trusting his voice he nodded. Dipping the spoon in the bubbling chocolate she pulled it back out and blew on it. Turning she held the up to him. Two could play her little game. A shocked look crossed her face as he pulled the spoon from her fingers. Her eye's widened as he dabbed her lips with chocolate. Her breath hitched as he went in for the kill, darting out his tongue and licking it off her mouth. Then pressed his lips against her's turning it into a kiss. She tasted like the chocolate, with a hint of Cayenne pepper, and her own unique flavor. She whimpered as he pulled away. “Delicious.” Reaching behind her he turned the burner under the pan off.She smiled, her lips red and plump from the kiss. “So it's true the best way to a guys heart is through his stomach.” Paul chuckled. “You know Ben's going to kill us, right?” Becki put her arms around his neck. “I guess we should make the best of it then. Also my chocolate rocks are ruined, so we have a pan of melted chocolate to use up.”He groaned, pulling her tight against him. “Aren't you worried about our respective siblings and how they'd feel?”She frowned looking up at him. “This was Vicky's idea, she's known about my feelings for you for a long time. Ben will just have to deal. I'm more worried about how you feel.”He rocked his hips against her's. “That's how I feel.”Her eyes fluttered shut as she practically purred and he felt his resolve weakening. It was hard to say no, with her pressed up against him. The idea of drizzling spicy chocolate all over her body, playing through his mind. Becki looked up at him, pulling back she plucked the spoon from his hand. “I'll have you covered in chocolate yet.”

First Kiss and Giveaway with The Dazzling Regan Black

2012-02-17T01:21:00.000-08:00

Hello and Welcome to CEWTNK!! I am so thrilled to have Regan with me again!! Today she is here to share an excerpt of her fabulous novel Matchmaker's Mark and the First Kiss that goes along with it!! I had the opportunity to review this fabulous novel and you can check it out here : http://closeencounterswiththenightkind.blogspot.com/2011/10/matchmakers-mark-by-regan-black.html
Stay tuned afterwards to see how you can win your own copy!! Regan is also participating in my blog hop and has offered 3 lucky commenters a chance to win an earring and necklace set+ her e-book, and two other great books. Click here to enter: http://www.reganblack.com/paranormal-romance-novels/a-little-naughty-is-good-for-you/. And now take it away Regan!!

This excerpt is from The Matchmaker's Mark and showcases the first passionate kiss between Lily and Dare. Lily has returned to her flower shop after her brother Cade has trashed the place fighting a werewolf who'd been holding Lily hostage:

With her sleeves rolled up to put her shop to rights, Lily had to accept her mark in all its bigger and bolder glory. Was the mark why Dare hadn't kissed her? She was sure he'd thought about it, but he'd pulled away. The mark wasn't twitching right now, thank the gods, but it was gaining color, deepening as if she was in the process of layering a tattoo.

Everyone around her had their thing and seemed comfortable with it. Cade and Dare had the Elite Guard. The werewolf had growling and intimidation. She had flowers.

Damn that werewolf. His overbearing presence and infernal insistence that she wasn't good enough for him had put a spotlight on her perpetual solitude. Was it too much to hope for one decent boyfriend? How was she supposed to have any confidence when even a shape shifter didn't find her worthy?

Henry [the cat] strolled by, eyed her cautiously, and she wiggled her fingers with one hand while she dried her tears with the other. "I'm just being a girl," she told him. "It's not contagious." The cat turned on the purr, rubbing his face against her knee and hand. The comforting rumble and soft fur eased the ache in her heart a little.

"You know," she whispered to the cat, "I indulge in the goofiest fantasies. I saw Dare, the other elf," she clarified for Henry "and thought he might be the one." She pushed to her feet, letting the cat guide her to his food bowl.

"I know it's silly, but he's seen so much of the world, I thought maybe he'd be more open-minded about me."

Henry turned a tight circle at her feet as she poured cat food in to his bowl. "Do you know how many times I've researched these symbols and the Matchmaker legends? It's been an obsession. I need to forget about it. I'm just letting life pass me by."

Henry finished his kibble with all due haste and darted out the door, clearly unwilling to listen to more girlish nonsense.

And that's what she was indulging. Nonsense. So she had a human mom and a weird birthmark. She was done waiting for life to come to her, done being a pawn. Her shop gave her a purpose and work she loved, but she'd been waiting for Mr. Right to walk in, see her mark and say, "Hey look. I was meant for you!"

How passively pathetic.

In her mind, he'd be a tall, lean elf who could overlook her less than stellar DNA. Funny how her elf roots ruled her romantic and sexual preferences, when so many fine-enough human males had been interested. Though she'd dated, she'd always held something back from the men on this side of her life.

"No more," she muttered. I'll take a cruise, meet someone and just do the deed. That'll relieve the pressure." And if she never met the counterpart for her birthmark, she wouldn't have any regrets.

"The hell you will."

She spun, gaped at the imposing form of Dare standing just behind her, with a smug looking Henry twining between his feet.

"How? What?"

"He…fetched me." Dare's hands fisted at the thought of her 'doing the deed' with some unworthy stranger. He might not be much of an improvement on the concept, but at least he was her kind. Mostly.

He would never let her execute such a foolish plan. If she'd managed to sail away in search of… he couldn't even think it… Cade would've killed him.

"I don't see how anything about me is really your business."

"Where is Cade?"

"Out. How should I know?"

"I will stay until he returns." Dare watched as she got to her feet. Tracked her progress as she approached him, temper sparking like blue flames in her eyes. He'd never seen a more beautiful sight.

"You will not. You are not my keeper. I don't need another brother!"

"I hardly think of you as a sister." She opened her mouth again, but his blood roared in his ears. He captured her mouth with his. Gripping her arms, he dragged her closer until her breasts were crushed to his chest, the friction delightful as the breath sawed in and out of both of them.

Her mouth softened, welcoming his kiss. He reveled in her sweet taste. When her tongue boldly stroked his, he gasped, catching the scent of the roses she processed rather than the lilies she was named for.

She filled his senses, zeroed any hope of rational thought. He'd never been more grateful to be stupid.

His mouth fused with hers as his hands learned the truth of her shape, skimming over lean muscles and molding to her soft curves. Her hips, hot under his palms, were an answer to every male prayer.

But she was not for any other male.

She was for him....

website: http://www.reganblack.com

twitter: @ReganBlack

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReganBlack.fans

The Matchmaker's Mark on amazon: http://amzn.to/oQuURu

The first boy who kissed me 'romantically' made his move in Kindergarten. (Back then, our teachers and parents thought the chaste peck on my cheek in the middle of a school open house was adorable rather than sexual harassment). Decades later, when I first kissed the man I did marry, it was a blend of shock and delightful perfection. I knew he was the one for me!

As an author I love writing about kisses. From awkward to perfect, kisses can reveal so much about the characters.

As a reader, do you find yourself anticipating that scene where the characters first lock lips? And which type of kiss is your favorite: tender, possessive, or an awkward moment that turns into sigh-worthy?

Btw, there's no wrong answer to that question...so do tell!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dirty Little Secret!!

2012-02-17T00:49:00.000-08:00

Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by us at Under the Covers. Every Thursday we get to know other bloggers and our readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. We hope that you will all join us!

To participate in the meme all you need to do is:

1. Be a follower of Under the Covers.
2. Create a post in your blog taking the meme image (code above) and copy instructions.
3. Answer the question we propose! This can be done in any way you like, post a video, write a post etc.
4. Then add your link below.

Non-bloggers: We want to hear from you as well!!! Let us know your answer in the comments!

We hope you join us and let us know your Dirty Little Secrets!

This week's question:

Heroes in historical romance like the extremes - the virgin hero or the rogue rake. Which of the two makes you shudder in pleasure?

I have to say the rogue rake :) I loooooove bad boys!! The harder or more tortured the man is, the more the thrill of the conquest for me!! I live through my heroines, so I like them to have a challenge!! They must have a good heart and loads of experience because lets face it ladies, only a man who knows more than me can make me shudder!!!

What are your opinions?

Winners!!!!

2012-02-17T00:39:00.000-08:00

It's that time again!! We have had some fabulous giveaways end and it's time to announce some winners!!! Yeah!! So let's see who won!!

And the winner is........JoHana H. B.!!

And the winner is.....Joanne B!!!!

And the winner of a copy of A Breach of Promise is.....Heather Chamblin!!

We have 2 winners for this hop because we have 2 prizes!!!
Julie W won a copy of The Kure!
Foretta won A World Apart!!

Thank you to everyone who entered!! I wish I could give you all a prize because you are all winners in my book!!

First Kiss and Giveaway with Xavier Axelson and a Review of his Newest Paranormal...Lily

2012-02-16T00:36:00.000-08:00

Good Morning CEWTNK!!! I know your busy hopping around the fabulous blog hop my partner and I have put together but I have a special treat for you today!! I have the wonderfully talented Xavier Axelson with me today!! * Happy Dance* I had the pleasure of hosting him the last time he toured and he agreed to come back to talk about his newest book Lily!! So here are the details of Lily before we get into Pryor and Ned's first kiss!!

Buylink:

http://spsilverpublishing.com/product_book_info/coming-soon-c-2/lily-ebook-p-714

Book Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SY8R3kX2B0

Blurb:

When Pryor's daughter Lily is taken by a wolf, Pryor is convinced she has turned into the creature he sees lurking in his woods. He swears she promises to return to him. But is it his despair and desperation making him see things or is there something more lurking in the shadows of the forest? When he meets Ned, a silversmith who helps him with a plan to bring his daughter back into his life, he begins to live again. But can his newfound love help ease the horror that may be waiting? What if the ultimate horror isn’t when Lily was taken but it’s when Lily returns and he realizes his nightmare has only just begun...

Excerpt:

LILY

I am Lily's father, my name is Pryor. It was a year ago last Father's Day when she was taken from me. I still believe being Lily's father is the most important thing in this world.

Unfortunately, my daughter dwells in another world.
* * * * *

I glanced at the necklace. Ned's pressed close to me, but the necklace I hoped would bring Lily back to me felt closer. Ned was soft in his sleep; not the bull of a man he was when he's awake. I loved him soft and I loved him hard. It was his hardness that grounded me, that brought me in from the darkness. The necklace caught the light of the fading moon and I wondered where Lily was tonight.

The old clock on the nightstand hummed quietly; its vintage florescent glow a pale mockery of the necklace that lay beside it and yet I heard the clock, it won in that department. Time always does.

Ned moved against me, I could feel his arms pull me close, felt the bulge of his muscles, his arms thick and powerful. He had never loved a man before me. I had only loved Lily. Once she changed, I had little left to love; in fact, I was certain love had disappeared from my life all together.

The clock still hummed, never quiet; it's old and made noise as if time itself wanted us all to know that it was passing and with each minute Lily fell farther and farther into the darkness. The tears came then and at the same time Ned's cock pushed more firmly against my back. He grumbled, pulled me even tighter so that I could truly feel his penis--not hard, not entirely soft--on the edge of wanting. A tear fell and I gasped a little. Seeing the necklace; hearing the clock, feeling Ned's cock, his muscles, I fell away into him and closed my eyes.

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I was," I replied softly.

"No you weren't," his voice was sleepy; distant and yet he knew things, he knew I was awake, thinking about my lost daughter.

"It's Father's Day," I answered, skipping over my lie. "Do you think she will come?" I felt him nod and nodded in return against my pillow. Another tear fell.

"Come closer," he whispered.

"How much closer could I get?"

"Closer," he said again, a growl, a grunt; there was the bull I knew.

His lips brushed on my neck, a hand on my thigh stroking, touching, pulling a sigh from my mouth. I wiped a hand across my face.

"I never get sick of touching you," he whispered wetly, his tongue tracing my ear.

Smiling, I turned in his big arms and I could feel my thoughts ease. Ned had that way about him. 'Magic arms' I called him because he had this way of holding me that made me feel completely safe and for one man to be able to do that for another was amazing.

I kissed him and was happy to discover his breath was not bad but sweet, the trace of his toothpaste before bed still there and I smiled even as I kissed him. Ned sighed gently, his cock fully hard now, urgent, pressing. I reached down and stroked him through his boxers; he was already wet. I tried to pull my tongue from his mouth but he only pulled me closer, deeper; at one point I was almost certain one of us was going to stop breathing.

He finally relented but only because I jokingly squeezed his balls a little too tightly.

"Fuck, you make me nuts," he grumbled, we both laughed at his joke.

His hand reached for my cock; I slept naked so there was no flimsy cotton between his rough hands and my skin.

"You like that?"

I nodded, I did like it, I'd thought I wouldn't ever be able to like sex again, or any intimacy after Lily disappeared.

His hands were rough but I relished his edges; he touched me as if he knew me and, after a year, I guess he kind of did.

"You want me to suck it?" His voice was hoarse with his question; there was still a shy embarrassment behind it, as if he couldn't really believe he was going to suck cock.

"What do you think?"

My response excited him. I could see it in his eyes, even in the dark; the fading moon told me just enough.

When you had a daughter like mine, you learned a lot from the moon.

Where to find Xavier Axelson:

http://www.facebook.com/xaviersaxel

http://www.twitter.com/xaviersaxel

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/francis-xavier

http://www.xavieraxelson.com

And now another sneak inside at their first kiss!!

Ned and Pryor’s First Kiss

Xavier Axelson

We hadn’t kissed the first time we fucked. It had been too desperate, I had been too desperate, and Ned too overwhelmed. Our meeting of tongue, teeth, and lips; lips I would know in a dark room, blindfolded, came later.

***

“Hi,” I said, trying to sound casual; but wanting him more than I could stand.

“Hi yourself,” he replied, and looked up at me from his work.

“I forgot something,” I said and moved closer to him.

“Yeah?” He half-smiled before his eyes returned to the piece of jewelry he was working on.

The closer I got the more I could smell him; my tongue darted over my lips hoping to taste Ned’s scent.

“What’d you forget?” He asked, not looking up.

Unable to stand it any longer I leaned down, jerked his chin towards me and hungrily pressed my mouth against his as if his mouth held the key to assuage my hunger.

His lips resisted at first, his body reacted; stunned, and weary.

Had Ned kissed a man before? I wondered, but the thought fell away as his mouth opened and our tongues met. I pulled him closer to me, groaned as I felt the hardness of his body, and the softness of his lips.

More, I thought as Ned grabbed the back of my head and pulled my tongue deeper into the warmth of his mouth, I want more…

Breathless, I tried to pull away, my body needing air, my heart only wanting more of him; I tried to pull away and gasped as we parted.

Ned bit my lower lip; pulled and teased me back into his oral forge. He was not just a silversmith, he was a miner; mining a cave not empty, but sleeping, neglected and damaged. His first kiss told me he would repair what was condemned, he would search out the treasure behind the loss, and the precious behind what had perished.

My Review:

Yes. This book had some incrediably hot sex scenes in it :) I was very excited when Xaiver contacted me to review this book. I absolutely loved his last book. It was full of yummy food and decadently wicked sex. But the story tied to this particular romance is heart-wrenching. Only a parent could relate to the pain and utter loss that is expressed so solemly in Pryor. His daughter was taken from him by a wolf as he helplessly watched her being dragged away. He was unable to find her no matter how frantically he searched. Lily was all he had in his life and now she was gone. The town had distanced themselves from him because of his steadfast refusal to change his story. They considered him crazy. There were no wolves reported to ever have been anywhere near the town but Pryor swore that his daughter was taken by a wolf. Not only that, but he also believed she had turned into one.

As a mother, I can absolutely empathize what Pryor was going through. The pain, longing, and helplessness expressed in the story captures you and will literally bring you to tears. Nothing can comfort you when so much is left unknown about what is going on with your child. The guilt and worry had made him practically unrecognoziable, to himself as well as others. He shut himself off from life and away from everyone he knew. Until he met Ned. Ned was like a becon of light in all of the darkness surrounding him. A solace of temporary comfort where he could just breath for a little while. But will Ned believe him? Or will he write him off as everyone else had? I enjoyed this book immensley and really really hope Xavier intends to expand on the series!!

Now for the giveaway!! For your chance to win your own copy just fill out the rafflecopter!! Good Luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Naughty After Dark

2012-02-14T21:35:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first ever Naughty After Dark Blog Hop hosted by lovely and talented Natasha Blackthorne and yours truely!!

All of us naughty gals have linked up to bring you some yummy treats that will tickle...well some part of your fancy. LOL!! So what can you win here? Lets take a look at the prizes! And don't forget I have several other giveaways going on. Feel free to enter them all!!

1st Prize (Int)

A $25 dollar Giftcard

Prize 2 (US) Naughty Box

What's in my Naughty Box?

1 whip :)

1 pair of cuffs

1 blindfold

1 feather tickler

2 choice books out of Larissa Iones Demonica Series or other if you have the entire series

Prize 3 (US) Chocolate Paint LOL!! Ladies and Gents...trust me when I say, this is tons of yummy fun!!
Prize 4 (Int) Autographed Print copies of the first 2 books in The Watcher's Trilogy!

Prize 5(Int) Ebook copies of the first 2 books in The Dragon Saga:

Prize 6(Int) Nora Weston Package Ecopy

Prize 7(Int) Ecopy of The Willing

And as a special treat CS Splitter's first book in this series, The Reluctant is free on Amazon!!!
Click here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Reluctant-Crayder-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B004VS751O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329281756&sr=8-1

So all you have to do is fill out the rafflecopter form!! Stay Naughty and good luck!! And don't forget to ceck out the rest of these great blogs!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

First Kiss with author Karice Bolton

2012-02-14T21:30:00.000-08:00

Yes...I will be yours!! Hello CEWTNK!! Today I have the fabulous author Karice Bolton to share not only her characters first kiss, but her awesome new series as well!! Take it away Karice:

Thank you so much to Nikki for allowing me to provide a guest post! In honor of all things in the kiss category, I thought it would be fun to provide an excerpt from Awakening between Ana and Athen.

A little snippet about me, and why I find it so fun to write at least a few romance scenes in most everything I write is because I married my H.S. sweetheart. I totally believe that falling for people hard and fast isn’t a bad thing. It might not be for everyone, but it worked for me (many moons ago)!! So for this series, I thought it would be intriguing to dive into long lost loves, memory loss, fallen angels, and battling for it all in The Watchers Trilogy. As the titles kind of allude Awakening has more romance, Legions has romance and lots of battles, and Cataclysm has a lot of both!! Cataclysm will be out in the Spring!! I hope you fall for Athen as much as I did while writing about him and Ana.

I’d love to hear about your first smooch in the comments section below – whether it was hysterical, out of this world, or completely forgettable!

Thanks again and hope to hear from you!

Alone in snowy, remote Whistler village, Ana tries to build a new life since losing her parents. With a cozy condo, a sweet-faced bulldog and an evening job to leave the days free for the slopes, life slips into a great routine. If only she could shake the guilt for not remembering anything about her parents and banish the night terrors that haunt her every dream.
On a whim, Ana goes out with Athen, a guy she's just met in the Grizzly Pub... The only problem is that she feels like she already knows him.

Within 48 hours of meeting Athen and his family, Ana's world implodes. She falls for Athen quickly and before she knows it, a past life begins to resurface. As thrilling as the revelations appear at first, she fights against the chilling information that Athen is from the underworld. Soon she begins to struggle as her own supernatural gifts are slowly unveiled, and she realizes that the nightmares she's been having might be premonitions and not dreams at all.
It is up to Ana to decipher between fact and fiction before it is too late, and her new love, Athen, follows in her same fate - one that is lost between two worlds.

Excerpt from Awakening:

I walked over and grabbed his hands. We settled down on the floor and held each other. It was wonderful, and for once I wasn’t being overly eager. I was eating up every second of what the afternoon had in store for me. I knew tonight would be the night. Like he said, the other times weren’t right. Tonight would be perfect. I was going to let him be in charge. We spent hours laughing, catching up on memories I had no recollection of. I was so intrigued to hear details about my life.

Athen wanted to walk the beach, and I thought that sounded wonderful. I quickly got dressed and met him in the kitchen where he was preparing a plate of smore’s ingredients. That made me chuckle.

“What are you giggling about?” He asked.

“Nothing. Sometimes it seems too perfect. Like I am in a coma and will wake up at the worst moment.”

“Nope. We belong together. Besides when you are together for as long as we have been, you don’t sweat the small stuff. That’s what people always get caught up in, but stretched over our lifetimes, most things are pretty inconsequential.”

He grabbed the skewers, the Ziploc baggies full of goodies, and my hand as we left out the back door. I hadn’t really gotten to visit the beach since I arrived.

I never noticed from the house, but they had little solar lights on the trail down to the beach, which was nice especially with my lack of coordination. The beach was amazing, not the typical sandy beaches that are on postcards, but rather shiny, multicolored pebbles with patches of sand and boulders encasing the path. Athen brought me to the largest patch of sand. Enough for a picnic or maybe sunbathing, not that there is ever that much warmth, I thought to myself. I looked over to the right and saw the ferry heading back to Edmonds, how special this place was. I was extremely lucky to be a part of it. The sun was gently saying its goodbyes for the evening, and I scanned the beach for Athen. Finally I spied him behind me gathering pieces of wood. I was wondering if it was for a bonfire or for a backup at the house. The twilight hours were so mind numbingly beautiful that it was easy to forget the chill that was hovering in the air.

“What are you doing? Is there anything I can help with?”

“I am about to start a fire. It’ll only take a second. I think I got it handled.” He said beaming. I noticed how proud he was whenever he did something to make me happy. My insides immediately warmed. I felt so special, so very lucky.

“Oh yeah, the smores! How could I forget? I think I must be a little antsy.” I laughed.

“Can’t imagine what for.” He said with his eyes reflecting the moonlight that was beginning to show itself.

I sat on the blanket near the fire, purely in awe of everything. As the sun drifted away, we were left with nothing but darkness. The gentle lapping of the waves mixed with the crackling of the fire was so soothing. I looked over at the glow as it danced in the darkness. I leaned my head against Athen, soaking up everything that this day had brought to me so far. I knew it was coming to a close. I didn’t want it to end. I looked up at Athen, wanting nothing more than him for all eternity. I knew he wanted the same.

“Thank you Athen. Thank you for everything.” Then it hit me – the beach! My dream! This was my dream - this was the beach. Heaven was about to exist. I was certain of it.

Athen stood up, grabbed me from the blanket where we were sitting and cradled me in his arms. I could feel him moving, that he was taking me somewhere, but with the darkness I wasn’t able to judge where we were going until he gently laid me down against a boulder. The coldness of the boulder mixed with the heat of my body was shocking. I looked into his eyes, with the darkness around us, I saw that his eyes had a gentle, green glow, very soft and sensual. I wondered if mine had the same. I saw the man who I had loved for centuries and would for centuries more, but at this moment in this lifetime, it was a first. He began lightly kissing my neck as I began unbuttoning his shirt. The quiet sound of the fire crackling brought me back to reality for a moment before I heard Athen begin speaking.

“Tonight’s the beginning of our eternity Ana. I will not lose you again.” His hand was lifting my sweater up, and I could feel his breath on me like never before. It hovered over every inch of my body, bringing me to a level of pleasure that I didn’t think possible. I grabbed his neck and didn’t ever want to let go. I could feel the strength of his arms as he continued to caress and kiss every inch of my body. With every crash of a wave, an insurmountable flood of desire ran through me. A love that I had longed a lifetime for was finally my reality. A partner who would carry me into eternity was finally with me. Nothing in my life was predictable any longer, and that was fine with me as long as I had Athen by my side.

My body moved rhythmically with his, never wanting this moment to end. I had tried so many times before, and Athen was right. This was the right moment. I could feel his hands gracing every part of my body with the lightest of touch as he cradled me in between him and the boulder. His kissing became more intense and passionate, stopping every so often to hold my head in his hands to look me in my eyes. I had never been more connected to him. This was perfection for me. I knew this was the life that was meant to be mine again. I grabbed his shoulders and began kissing his chest more intensely as he held me closer. He lifted me from the boulder, carrying me to the blanket that he had so carefully laid out for us near the fire. His warmth came through me again. I knew that this night would continue for as long as I wanted. I hoped the fire between us would never die down.

Doesn't this look like an amazing!! Come back soon for the review!!!!

Naughty After Dark Blog Hop

2012-02-14T20:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first ever Naughty After Dark Blog Hop hosted by yours truly and the lovely and talented Natasha Blackthorne!! All of us naughty gals have linked up to bring you some yummy treats that will tickle...well some part of your fancy. LOL!! So what can you win here? Lets take a look at the prizes! And don't forget I have several other giveaways going on. Feel free to enter them all!!

1st Prize (Int)

A $25 dollar Giftcard

Prize 2 (US) Naughty Box

What's in my Naughty Box?

1 whip :)

1 pair of cuffs

1 blindfold

1 feather tickler

2 choice books out of Larissa Iones Demonica Series or other if you have the entire series

Prize 3 (US) Chocolate Paint LOL!! Ladies and Gents...trust me when I say, this is tons of yummy fun!!
Prize 4 (Int) Autographed Print copies of the first 2 books in The Watcher's Trilogy!

Prize 5(Int) Ebook copies of the first 2 books in The Dragon Saga:

Prize 6(Int) Nora Weston Package Ecopy

Prize 7(Int) Ecopy of The Willing

So all you have to do is fill out the rafflecopter form!! Stay Naughty and good luck!! And don't forget to ceck out the rest of these great blogs!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Men are Idiots? LOL By C. S. Splitter

2012-02-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

Before the hate comments start pouring in, one of my guests today, C.S. Splitter(who wrote this post) is in fact a man!! So if he wishes to gender bash then he may!! LOL!! Take it away Splitter!!

Men are Idiots

How many times have you heard that? The thing is...it is often true. We all have our moments. Sometimes, however, being an idiot pays off. It did for me, at least.

I am the analytical sort. I look at numbers and try to see patterns. I research topics to draw conclusions. This is especially true when it comes to business and writing IS a business.

But I did not do those things before I wrote “The Reluctant.” I just got some inspiration and tried to write a good story. Had I done a little research, I would have realized that women rule the fiction market making up about 80% of the audience. If I had known that beforehand, I would have written a different book. I would have written a different series. I would have catered to what I thought women wanted in their reading.

Instead, I made my main character, Tom Crayder, a regular guy. There are no bulging muscles, no bodices being ripped, and no overt romantic gestures. I know what you are thinking: “Splitter! Not all women demand those things in their books! Even those of us who like some of that stuff have wider tastes. You are really stereotyping the female of the species.”

Err....all I am saying is that had I done my research, the numbers might have led me to those conclusions. I didn't say they would have been right. In my ignorance, I took my main character one step further: I made him a bit of a pig. He doesn't mean to be a pig, he just can't help himself sometimes. He draws wrong conclusions, let's his libido do his thinking at times, and is generally a fellow idiot.

So, I wrote a book with a male lead who has few traditional leading man characteristics AND I made him in such a way that 80% of the audience would have a hard time liking him. I told you I was an idiot.

However, what no amount of research would have shown me was that women would like Tom. More than 90% of the emails I receive are from women and, almost universally, they take on this form:

“I didn't like Tom at the beginning. That part about him considering cheating on his wife was a huge turn off.”

“I hated Lorena, the home wrecker, too!”

“By the end, however, Tom had grown on me. He reminds me of my husband/boyfriend/friend/brother/father. Finally! An honest portrayal of a man. He really is a good guy and those scenes with his wife are heartwarming. And are you going to give us more background on Lorena in the future? I really want to know more about her...”

They, whoever “they” are, say that numbers do not lie. I disagree. Numbers would not show just how diverse women's tastes in books really are. Numbers would not support having a “regular guy” as a main character. Do women read action/adventure? You bet.

Ignorance is bliss. Ignorance run wild is idiocy. I was wildly ignorant and, now, I am glad about it.

“The Reluctant,” the first book in the series, went nuts on the Amazon charts in January. Book two, “The Willing,” just came out in eBook form in November. Both of them have just been released on Amazon in print.

Did I mention that I have made “The Reluctant” free? Well, it is. Just follow the links below. Plus, we are giving away “The Willing” as an eBook today!

If you didn't win “The Willing,” I am also offering a promo price for the blog tour at Amazon. Free + $.99...I told you I was an idiot.

Splitter

Splitter's Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/splitter

SplittersWorld Blog: http://splittersworld.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002241805910

Twitter: @SplitterCS

Let's take a look at his books:

The Reluctant:

Action, adventure, suspense, and thriller in one story told with a liberal dose of humor.

Tom’s problems are not unique. His business is failing and his wife has to work too many hours to make ends meet. He is under some rather large financial pressures and wants more from his marriage and his life.

He finds his respite in the air as a private pilot. Unfortunately for Tom, he is behind on payments for his plane and is forced to take odd jobs from a local crime boss. Tom is no criminal, but the errands he is running are just slightly on the wrong side of the law and the money is almost good enough to allow him to make his plane payments.

Just as things begin to come under some semblance of control, he meets a woman who just might represent the adventure he seeks. He soon discovers that appearances, and beautiful women, can sometimes be deceiving.

“The Reluctant” is the first in the Crayder Chronicles series and yet is a stand alone story with a satisfying conclusion of its own.

The Willing:

Book Two in "The Crayder Chronicles"

How far would you go to protect your friends and family?

Tom Crayder is the All-American guy next door with a business, a wife, a son, a mortgage, and an expensive hobby. He is also a politically incorrect, wisecracking operative working for a shadowy organization dedicated to administering justice outside of a broken system. Not even his wife knows of his other life when she finds herself unwittingly involved in a drug war.

Strap in with Tom as he navigates his way through the strata of a drug cartel. Lock and load with Lorena, a hard-hearted assassin, as she lends her deadly skills to Tom’s fight for his family. Sit back to watch Tom and Lorena figure out how to work together without killing each other.

Join the rest of the cast from "The Reluctant (Crayder Chronicles)" as they pitch in to track down the hitmen that threaten their associate.

Some mysteries are solved. Some questions are answered. Some live. Some die.

Sounds great right? Well tune in for the blog hop where this book is up for grabs!!!!

First Kiss with Legend of the Inero Dragons By: J F Jenkins

2012-02-14T18:04:00.000-08:00

Hello CEWTNK~!! Today is an extremely busy day and I'm, sooo excited about everything that I am starting early!! I am a tour stop on JF Jenkins book tour, and am offering up a copy of the first and second book in the series (Lucky guys!) in a giveaway that will be posted on the blog hop page!! J F is going to share with us a first kiss excerpt which is then followed by my review! It was a great book!! Take it away JF:

THE FIRST KISS

That perfect moment where you're looking into your significant other's eyes, and all you can think about is what their lips will feel like against yours. All you want to do is know, and so you lean in, hoping they'll want it too, and BAM the first kiss happens. In the media, it's usually painted as some kind of magical moment between two people. In reality, if it's a true, first kiss, it might be kind of awkward.

Those are my favorite first kisses to watch in the movies. They're especially fun to write. In “Legend of the Inero Dragon” there is a first kiss moment. I won't give away too many spoilers but it's by far one of my favorite kiss scenes I've ever had to write. What made it so special though was the fact that it was a true first kiss. Awkward, sweet, tender, but still special. The first kiss can tell a lot about a person. I've had first kisses that missed the sparks and only had the awkward going on with none of the sweet and tender. Then I've had a first kiss that was awkward, but had the sweet and tender as well as the special.

Another first kiss that was fun to write was one for an upcoming novel I have coming out. In it, the couple who is on-again, off-again, gets back to the on-again stage. It's the kiss that tells them whether or not they need to keep being together again, or call it quits for good. Again, no spoilers, but it was fun to write something that represented such a trying and meaningful time for them both.

The kiss is powerful, the first kiss especially so. The more real and heartfelt they are, the better. There doesn't need to be violin's playing and roses involved. Things probably won't go smoothly, but if the love is there, then that's what makes the first kiss, true love's first kiss..

And now on to the good stuff!! Here is the book blurb and my review:

Twin brothers Jason and Matthias Inero are the favorite sons of the great dragon lord of fire. More often than not they get whatever they want. Matt wants to do great things for his people while Jason wants to go off and explore the world. Both can have what they desire, but not until they take a bride and enter into adulthood.

Enter Kat and Gwen, two girls from very different backgrounds. Kat is happy to leave her home when the royal guard comes to bring her to loving arms of her childhood sweetheart, Matt. Gwen on the other hand is livid to be taken from her farm only to be thrust into Jason's life, and he's not to thrilled with the idea either. They have one year to find happiness with each other, or else they will be placed at the mercy of the ruthless dragon lord Lynx. Favorite or not, dragon law must be obeyed.

As their nation begins to prepare for war against a neighboring tribe, the brothers find themselves as key components in the battle plans. A dark prophet has had a vision of Inero victory, but at what cost? Both must decide where their loyalties lie and what they're willing to sacrifice – including each other – to achieve their goals.

My Review:

This story begins with the selection of a group known as the Elite. Young girls are stripped from their parents when they come of age. This story takes us through the process by focusing on the twin boys and their chosen mates. Matt was lucky. He had met and fallen in love with Kat 5 years before the selection process even began. He could never tell Kat how he felt, what he was, or that he hoped she would be chosen as an elite so they could be together. All he could do was be there for her when she needed him and hope that through his friendship, he could gain her love. He was ready to give up everything and run away with her if she wasn't selected. His heart beat solely for her, and there was no other for him. Matt was determined to tell his father of his wishes, only to be smiled upon because his feelings for the girl were so apparent. Of course she was chosen as an elite, his father assured him. His twin Jason, however, wasn't as fortunate. He had no interest in marriage, or mating and hated having to go through this. But this was a rite of passage, and a necessity. When he entered the room and looked over the females that had been chosen, his eyes were immediately drawn to Gwen. She wasn't the most beautiful or the curviest, but she seemed to be the only one there that really didn't want to be there. It was that honest expression that drew him to her and his choice was made.

This really was quite an enjoyable book! You start off thinking the characters are all given to you at face value, good twin and not so good twin, which ends up throwing you completely off balance towards the middle of the story. The political churnings inside the book are surprising and there is a lot going on behind the scenes that is only hinted at during the book. This book leaves you wanting to dive into the next because of all the unanswered questions. It truly keeps you on your toes as far as guessing want is really in store for our characters. Its hard to say which character is being totally honest, not only with themselves, but with the others involved. I did enjoy Navi. This was the twins stepmother, and was in her own rite, a story inside of another one. I would have liked to have known more of her story. But I suspect those answers are going to be waiting for us in the next book!

First Kiss and Giveaway with author Stephen Prosapio

2012-02-13T22:46:00.000-08:00

LOL!! Happy Valentines Day Everyone!! I have with me today, for your amusement and viewing pleasure author Stephen Prosapio. He has agreed to share with us an excerpt from his newest work, along with giving away a copy of his book Ghosts of Rosewood Asylum!! Take it away Steve!!

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

While much of the world focuses on new romance, I certainly think there’s a lot to be said for keeping older relationships spicy. As a writer we’re often challenged to write love/sex scenes, and they’re difficult enough when new lovers meet. What about writing those scenes where characters are involved in existing relationships? How do you/they keep things exciting?

So, in celebration of Valentine’s Day and those who keep romance in their everyday relationships, below is the rough draft of a scene I came up with for my cozy paranormal mystery novel in progress. Suggestions are welcome, but I’d really rather have a discussion on the words used/over used//rarely used/never used in various formats of fiction. For example, how exactly is a sex scene in a mystery suspense novel different from one in a romance novel? How does erotica take it to the next level?

Scene below Diego (female) has just come home from a difficult day of disappointments. Her live in boyfriend Corey is already home.

“You want to talk about it?” he asked gently.

She shook her head. “No. Not right now anyway.”

“Thank God!” He lifted his eyes to the ceiling and raised his hands in homage to an invisible deity.

“You’re. An. Asshole.” She tried desperately to say it without slanting her lips into anything that could be taken for a smile. She stared at him with mock ire, and then gave up and grinned. “Asshole,” she repeated.

“Aww, baby.” Corey made his way from the kitchen with his arms outstretched.

“No. Stay away from me.” But she made no attempt to escape the hug. She made him work for it though—a little anyway—by not hugging back.

“C’mon babe,” he said. She let herself go a little bit limp within his enveloping arms. “If you don’t want to talk about your bad day, then there’s only one way I know to relieve your stress…”

He had a point.

Their kissing started softly but matured into hot and heavy even before they reached the bedroom door. Diego let him lead her all the way to the bed. Then she turned the tables.

She slipped around him never leaving his torso. As he turned toward her, she reached and dug her fingers into the upper part of his chest, then she shoved him backwards onto the bed. She’d pushed with all her might and loved that his broad frame could take any frustration she could dish out on it.

He was already scooting upwards toward the pillows and sliding out of his jeans when she pounced on him.

“Ugh. Geez, babe.”

Diego growled and then lowered her mouth to his, pressing down hard. She could taste the salty remnants of his after-work beer. His lips enveloped and caressed hers as her tongue smothered his. The insides of her thighs gripped his hips, and she rhythmically worked him into position. He swelled to greet her. Corey broke their kiss and exhaled heated breath into and around her mouth. She needed his flesh.

Diego pulled away and lifted his shirt exposing his lean taut abs and muscular chest. Pulling it up over his face, she stopped and let it pin his arms over his head. He started to struggle it off, and that’s when she pressed herself over the tip of him. Rubbing gently and then, shoving herself around him—around it—pressing her herself down down down until he was all the way up inside her.

His eyelids fluttered; Diego felt a gush of his hot breath in her face. She began grinding herself onto him. There was no pleasant—no nice girl—word for it. Grinding. She let all her pent up frustrations from the day eke out her very pores.

Diego caught glimpse of Corey looking up at her. His eyes wide in excitement and wonder. He’d seen her aggressive before but maybe never like this. It was then that she realized she was still holding his arms to the bed in the tangled shirt.

She loved Corey. Loved what a man he was. Strong and confident but there were times where she not only needed to take him, but needed to overtake him.

Her insides were electric and treacherous; they felt like a live wire in search of a spark. She got closer and closer but wasn’t going to climax without him. She clenched herself around him and pumped in rapid purposeful succession.

“Christ!” he moaned. And she felt him give way.

She let herself go, and a wave of wet electricity spilled from her. The live wire inside zapping everything within its reach. She convulsed in excruciating pleasure and then collapsed on his sweaty flesh. Diego even allowed herself a girly coo of satisfaction. She was spent.

Outside the window, a motorcycle roared down the street. Farther off, a train rambled by. For a moment, it seemed absurd that life was continuing on as usual, as though nothing orgasmic had just taken place. Their breathing slowed to normal.

“Feeling better?” Cory asked, his voice both deep and content.

Diego sighed. “No,” she said. “Now I want to talk about it.”

Thanks for sharing that with us Stephen!! So to enter in the giveaway, just fill out the rafflecopter. Be sure to answer Stephen's question!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Barrage!! With Snowbound Valentine!!

2012-02-13T22:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!! I have a few treats for you today!! First I have this lovely book I'd like to share with you that has a yummy excerpt. Let's take a look at the book details:

Title: Snowbound Valentines (Touch of Love Anthology)

Author: JL Oiler

Publisher: Silver Publishing

Length: 176 Pages/33,431 Words (Entire Anthology)

Sub-Genres: Contemporary, Erotic, M/M/F

AVAILABLE AT:

Silver Publishing - https://spsilverpublishing.com/product_book_info/coming-soon-c-2/touch-of-love-anthology-ebook-p-805

BLURB:

Morgan Phelps finds herself living in a small West Virginia town after her car decided it could go no further. Thankfully, the local café needs a waitress as badly a Morgan is needing a job. Now six months later, she finds herself working the midnight shift on Valentine’s Day and as though things didn’t already suck, the weatherman has predicted a major snowstorm heading straight for them. Lucky for her, she won’t be working the late shift alone.

Trey and Christian are not only best friends and notorious ladies men, but they are also secret lovers. This dynamic duo have both been attracted to the pretty red head working at the café with them since she started and a slow valentines night and a snowstorm might be the perfect opportunity to turn their twosome into a threesome.

If cupid works his magic, these three snowbound lovers might just discover they are a perfect combination for happily ever after.

ADULT EXCERPT:

Christen came out of the back, wiping his hands on a faded blue dishtowel, as the only customer in the place finished paying at the register and departed. His dirty blond hair looked like he just climbed out of bed. The thirty-year-old fry cook drew women into the small establishment with his rugged good looks and cut muscles. Every woman in town and a few of the men seemed to venture to Molly's just for a peek. Morgan often wondered how many he gave private "cooking" lessons. He looked big, bad, and bulging like some sort of god. In fact, a tribal tattoo representing the god Ares circled his left bicep, and Morgan often thought he might be the god reincarnated.

Trey and Christen were darn near inseparable friends. They even shared a house together about two miles outside town. So naturally, Molly scheduled them to work the same shift. Lately that shift included Morgan as well. The three amigos handled the evening shift together five out of seven days a week. Working with those two was the highlight of her world at the moment. Morgan could spend hours just watching them as they moved about the small café. If anything in this town seemed worth staying for, the sight of both men horsing around and laughing together happened to be it. What Morgan would not give for a night of hot sex with either of them. Too bad they treated her more like a little sister than a potential lover.

"Looks like it's just us three tonight," Christen said, hopping up on one of the silver and red stools surrounding the counter.

"Most likely won't have any customers this evening." Trey said with a wink. "Tonight being Valentine’s, and with what the television said would be a pretty good storm blowing in, we might be stuck here alone all night." He added while moving up to stand only a few inches from the blond cook.

"Well then," Christen responded, a broad smile on his chiseled face, which revealed his perfect white teeth. "We should make ourselves comfortable and settle in for a long hard night."

Morgan's jaw dropped to the floor as she watched Christen run his hands around Trey's waist then up his back intimately before the smaller male leaned down and kissed him. Not just a peck, but a full out tongue-down-his-throat-make-you-weak-in-the-knees kiss.

When finally the two broke away from one another, Christen sighed and Morgan could tell he was smitten with the owner's son. This was not something she expected—she understood the two were close, but Morgan witnessed firsthand both dating women. Hell, their sexcapades were legendary in the small town. Morgan heard Molly just three months ago complain about yet one more paternity test the court ordered her beloved son to take, and then rejoice when the test came back negative.

"Hey Morgan," Trey said, awaking her out of her state of shock. "When you can close your mouth, would you mind keeping an eye on things out here while me and Chris go back into the office and fuck?"

"Or you could join us if you like." Christen offered with a suggestive wag of his perfectly sculpted eyebrows.

Morgan could not move. She thought perhaps someone glued her feet to the floor and cut out her tongue. After looking at her a moment, both men chuckled.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

JL Oiler grew up in the mountains of West Virginia where she still lives with her husband and children. She is a graduate of Fairmont State University in Fairmont West Virginia, and holds a Masters degree from Ball State University in Muncie Indiana. She always possessed a passion to create stories to entertain her friends and family, but life led her on a variety of paths before she found the opportunity to return to the dream of writing stories to share.

JL currently has stories with Rebel Ink Press and Silver Publishing. She enjoys the Erotic Paranormal genre, but has dabbled in other areas of romance as well. Her first release came in January of 2010, since that time she has had multiple individual releases as well as the opportunity to work on several anthologies. She can often be found chatting about upcoming events or releases on Facebook.

Website - www.joiler.weebly.com

Yummy!! Be sure to check out the rest of the tour here: http://cblspromotions.blogspot.com/2012/02/blog-barrage-snowbound-valentines-touch.html.

Winners!!

2012-02-13T22:04:00.000-08:00

We have had a lot of giveaways end and now its time to announce the winners!!! Yeah!! So the lovey Cari Quinn was on not to long ago and she offered up winners choice from her book list!! And the winner is..........Veronica De Luna!!

Next we have Steve's Giveaway of is Fabulous book and a $10 amazon card!!

And the winner is......Mary Preston!!

and the winner for Romancing the giveaway hop is....Jennifer S.!!

And the winner of the Valentine's Day package hosted by my good friend Nora Weston is...Savannah Miller!!! Congrads to all my winners and I hope you all have a great Valentine's Day!!!

First Kiss and Giveaway with author Faye Robertson

2012-02-13T00:59:00.000-08:00

Good Morning CEWTNK!!! Today I have a special guest with me!! She is from New Zealand!! Doesn't that rock? I'd love to spend my Valentines Day there!!! Faye is going to share with us a little bit about her new release, Kiss and Make-Up and give one lucky commenter a chance to win their very own copy!! Let's take a look:

Blurb

The Opportunity of a Lifetime…

Makeup artist Tabby Rogers is thrilled to land a job on a New Zealand movie set with lots of perks, including getting her hands on sexy Kiwi stunt man, Eli Black.

The sexual electricity zapping between them can't be denied, but neither of them is in a position to handle happily-ever-after. Eli’s jetting off to Hollywood, Tabby’s next assignment is in the UK. But there’s nothing wrong with a short-term fling, right?

Except as the sparks burn hotter and responsibilities pull at them from opposite ends of the globe, it quickly becomes clear that something’s gotta give. Must Tabby sacrifice her hard-won career for love? Or will Eli forever be the one that got away?

And a little tease with their first kiss:

She rested her hands on his chest, his muscles hard beneath her fingers. She looked up at him helplessly. "I'd coped fine until I met you. But it's been torture all week. You're driving me insane." He laughed, slid one hand behind her head, and kissed her.
Oh, it was a heavenly kiss. His lips were soft, gentle, and he kissed her very, very slowly. He moved his mouth across hers with a tenderness that surprised her. After a while, he brushed his tongue across her lips, and she opened her mouth to him, sliding a hand up to cup his face. She inhaled as he pulled her to him, one hand in the small of her back, the other threading through her hair as if he were afraid she might move away. There wasn't much chance of that. Tabby was so hot for him she was almost self-combusting, and she delved her tongue into the warm cavern of his mouth. He groaned and deepened the kiss as he pushed her back the four or five inches to the wall. She met it with a bump and gasped.

And a little bit about our author:

Bio

Faye Robertson lives in the sub-tropical Northland of New Zealand with her wonderful husband and gorgeous teenage son. She writes fun, flirty, and sexy contemporary romances for the modern woman who likes intelligent, spirited heroines, and hunky but approachable heroes. She’s won several romance writing competitions and is a member of the Romance Writers of New Zealand. She would much rather immerse herself in reading or writing romance than do the dusting and ironing, which is why it’s not a great idea to pop round if you have any allergies. You can check out all her books at www.fayerobertsonromance.com.

She rested her hands on his chest, his hard muscles hard beneath her fingers. She looked up at him helplessly. “I’d coped fine until I met you. But it’s been torture all week. You’re driving me insane.”

He laughed, slid one hand behind her head, and kissed her.

Oh, it was a heavenly kiss. His lips were soft, gentle, and he kissed her very, very slowly. He moved his mouth across hers with a tenderness that surprised her, given that she’d practically given him permission to rip off her clothes and do whatever he wanted with her. After a while, he brushed his tongue across her lips, and she opened her mouth to him, sliding a hand up to cup his face. She inhaled as he pulled her to him, one hand in the small of her back, the other threading through her hair as if he were afraid she might move away.

There wasn’t much chance of that. Tabby was so hot for him she was almost self-combusting, and she delved her tongue into the warm cavern of his mouth. He groaned and deepened the kiss as he pushed her back the four or five inches to the wall. She met it with a bump and gasped.

Links

Website: http://www.fayerobertsonromance.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/serenitywoodsromance

Twitter: @FayeRobertsonNZ

Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/fayerobertson

Book Sounds awesome!! So for your chance to win just fill out the rafflecopter!! Good Luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

2 Kindle Fire July Blog Hop Sign Up!!!!

2012-02-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

Hosted by:

Queentutt's Word of Escapism

Close Encounters of the Night Kind

Sponsored by:

Various Bloggers & Authors

(see list below)

Hello Everyone! Are you are ready to celebrate Independence? Well Ronda and I (Nikki) are celebrating big along with our wonderful Co-sponsors. Yes we are Cocked & Loaded with some amazingly great books, Shootin Stars with the Authors & Bloggers, and Blasting a Giveaway with TWO (2) KINDLE FIRES loaded with the Co-Sponored Author's book (s).

Cool Right! Not only that, at each stop on the hop you have more chances to win more great prizes. So join in and lets have some fun!

I'd like to take the time and give a Special Thanks to our Fore Fathers and our Military Troops for fighting to keep our Liberties & Freedoms.

Blogger Sponsors:

Rage, Sex, & Teddy Bears

Reading Between the Wines

Fictional Candy

Sam, E, and R's Awesomness

(list is under construction)

Author Sponsors:

Natasha Blackthorne

Keta Diablo
Bonnie Elliot
Regan Black

Victoria Vane
Stephen Prosapio
Nandi Berry
BK Walker

(list is under construction)

Hop Rules:

1. Posts must be up at 12 am on the 5th. I will be checking!! Any post not up by the allotted time will be deleted from the event (By 2nd day of Hop).

2. Posts must include the hop button which is supplied below.

3. Posts must include either the linky list, the links to the next three bloggers, or a link back to either Queentutt's World of Escapism or Close Encounters with the Night Kind. We want everyone to be able to hop to all the sites.

4. Your post must include the main link from Queentutt's World of Escapism in order for them to enter for the Kindle e-readers using the Rafflecopter. There will only be one Rafflecopter for the 2 Kindles.

5. Lets keep this simple and only have two main requirement and that is they follow you in some way (ie... GFC, RSS, newsletter, by email, facebook, twitter, or G+ for entry for your prize) and or leave a comment (up to you if you want them to comment).

6. Your giveaway can be anything but it must include something related to the holiday theme of celebrating the fourth of July, Independence, and freedom. It can be Sexy, Sweet, or just a tribute to the 4th. Prizes like jewelry or clothing..or decadent like candy, sweets or chocolate, a book (meaning anything book related, swag, reading lights or book accessories, gift cards, e-copies, or paperbacks), or if your a blog designer and want to strut your stuff you can offer services and or templates, buttons, or other gadgets - its all welcome!!

7. Hop ends at midnight on the 11th and winner announcements must be given out within the next two days.

8. Have fun :)

Special note to authors... If you would like to donate a book to add to the Kindle Grand Prize collection, but do not wish to participate in the hop itself, please email me viajeradelmar@aol.com with the details!! Participating authors are more than welcome to donate books as well :)

This is a Blog Hop!

Close Encounters with the Night Kind

Breaking News on a Hot Hot Hot New Release that goes on sale today!!!

Winners!!

Guest Post with Author Marcus Lopes

AVAILABLE AT:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Freestyle-Love-ebook/dp/B006G3CB52/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322645484&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/freestyle-love-marcus-lopes/1104119697?ean=2940013548930&itm=2&usri=freestyle+love

Allromance.com: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-freestylelove-648175-145.html

BLURB:

Review of Steaming By Vanessa Barger

First Kiss with Author Debra Anastasia and her newest release Poughkeepsie

Review of Blue By: Lou Aronica

Wanted: Bloggers who are interested in hosting Sci-fi and Fantasy Tours

Interview and Giveaway with Dana Michelle Burnett and her book Spiritus

Spiritus By: Dana Michelle Burnette

First Kiss with J W Baccaro

18 and Over Blog Hop

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow #17

First Kiss and Giveaway with Georgia Fox and The Wagered Wench

Dirty Little Secret

Wednesday, 22 February 2012

Dirty Little Secret # 36

Giveaway and Review of Bound By Pleasure: Dirty Discoveries By: Morticia Knight

Below the Belt By Sky Warren

Winners!!

First Kiss and Giveaway with author Skye Warren

Giveaway and Review of The Third Son by Elise Marion

Title: The Third Son (Kings of Cardenas, Book 1)Author: Elise MarionPublisher: SelfLength: 113,000 wordsSub-Genres: Historical, Mystery/Thriller, SuspenseVBT Dates: Feb 13-Feb 22

BLURB:

EXCERPT:

First Kiss and Giveaway with author Russell Bittner

Trompe-l'oeil by Russel Bittner

First Kiss with author Jaye Frances

First Kiss with Nandi (Nanny) Berry

First Kiss and Giveaway with The Dazzling Regan Black

Dirty Little Secret!!

Winners!!!!

First Kiss and Giveaway with Xavier Axelson and a Review of his Newest Paranormal...Lily

Naughty After Dark

First Kiss with author Karice Bolton

Naughty After Dark Blog Hop

Men are Idiots? LOL By C. S. Splitter

First Kiss with Legend of the Inero Dragons By: J F Jenkins

First Kiss and Giveaway with author Stephen Prosapio

Blog Barrage!! With Snowbound Valentine!!

Title: Snowbound Valentines (Touch of Love Anthology)

Author: JL Oiler

Publisher: Silver Publishing

Sub-Genres: Contemporary, Erotic, M/M/F

AVAILABLE AT:

Silver Publishing - https://spsilverpublishing.com/product_book_info/coming-soon-c-2/touch-of-love-anthology-ebook-p-805

BLURB:

If cupid works his magic, these three snowbound lovers might just discover they are a perfect combination for happily ever after.

ADULT EXCERPT:

Winners!!

First Kiss and Giveaway with author Faye Robertson

2 Kindle Fire July Blog Hop Sign Up!!!!

Title: The Third Son (Kings of Cardenas, Book 1)
Author: Elise Marion
Publisher: Self
Length: 113,000 words
Sub-Genres: Historical, Mystery/Thriller, Suspense
VBT Dates: Feb 13-Feb 22