New release - Kera Faire - The Cleaner

"My only issue? Too short, I so wanted more, but as Kera herself has said, “That’s as long as they made it.” Characters do tell their stories, long or short"

 

"Just loved this one! The stories are short, but oh so good! And frankly, it’s fun as a Yank trying to discern Kera’s Scot’s vernacular. Thank Goodness for Google! But hey, it makes it that much more fun"

 

"Trust me, you want to read this right up to the end. Kera just blew me out of the water with this one!" 

 

Has she been a bad girl again? I think so, yes! Kera Faire is Raven McAllan's dark half and she's releasing the seventh title in her Death Isle series!

Rhonda Verene never thought she’d find herself pregnant and on her own with no means of getting in touch with the father. If only she hadn’t deleted his number in anger. There is only one thing to do, pull up her soon-to-be maternity knickers and find the one bit of family she has left—her brother.

Dan Traynor hated having to leave Rhonda behind. When his country needed him, however, he acted. Besides, it’s not every day you’re offered a job with the Dispatchers. He wasn't ready for Rhonda to crash into his workplace in search of her missing brother, never mind the whole becoming a daddy issue.

With everyone’s life in danger, the time hardly seems right to resume their relationship, but love always finds a way. Especially on Death Isle.

Curious?

Read an Excerpt at Evernight

Or download a sample from Amazon! 

Oldies Goldies - Lynn Burke - The Playboy Bachelor

Here's my homage to the joy of older titles, those books that stayed in our hearts and we don't want to ever ever forget. I will be hosting eight romance authors (every Tuesday and Friday all through August! stay tuned, there may be giveaways!) with their favourite titles from their own backlist. 

Here with me today is Lynn Burke with "The Playboy Bachelor", a sultry hot, heat lever 4 (the hottest, just so you know) menage story  from Evernight Publishing.

Dubbed Boston’s bachelor of the year, Blake Harper knows how to make the North Shore's women sigh and say yes…except for the studious Wren Shipman. The more she resists, the more he's compelled to pursue the little birdie, conquer her, and flee to save himself from a fall he's never wanted.

Wren would love nothing more than to dig her fingernails into Blake's back and squeeze the life from him with her thighs. But she's not interested in being another notch in the billionaire bachelor's string of shapely sweethearts—not when she's so close to earning the precious college degree that will help her rise above the trailer-trash stench she was born into.

With his best friend’s help, the playboy's persistence wears on the young co-ed, until he has the little bird soaring from every fantasy he fulfills. What goes up must come down, and when Wren finds herself falling hard and fast towards a bitter reality, she'll do anything to save her heart from shattering. Even if it means walking away from the only man who had the passion to make her fly.

Curious?

Read an excerpt at Evernight

Or dowload a sample from Amazon! 

And don't forget to check out her other books on Goodreads!

 

Oldies Goldies - Elena Kincaid - Alpha Blood and a Free Read

Here's my homage to the joy of older titles, those books that stayed in our hearts and we don't want to ever ever forget. I will be hosting eight romance authors (every Tuesday and Friday all through August! stay tuned, there may be giveaways!) with their favourite titles from their own backlist. 

I am very very happy to have Elena Kincaid telling us about her Pack Warriors series, a shifter story in four books of which two are already available. And we all hope Elena gets cracking with the remaining two!

"Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today, Katherine. Alpha Blood (Pack Warriors #1) was the first book I published with Evernight and I couldn’t have been more thrilled to become part of the Evernight Family. I just kept picturing a young woman, part animal, part human, writhing in great pain in a forest, and then a story was born. Add in some sexy overprotective wolf shifters, and what more can a girl want? And I absolutely have to thank the fabulous readers. Alpha Blood has won two Reader’s choice awards from Evernight and The Romance Reviews. I wrote Alpha Blood Treat as a Thank you to the readers. It’s a free read over at Evernight.
I’m currently working on Beta Wars, book 3 in the series and hopefully can jump into the 4th and final book in the series, Gamma Trials, right after.
Since becoming part of the Evernight family, I have also been in a few Anthologies, and have another series, Beyond The Veil, which I co-write with the lovelies Maia Dylan and Sarah Marsh. We have four books out now, and are in the middle of writing book 5.
Well, thanks again for having me, and thank you to your lovely readers for stopping by.
Elena Kincaid"

Gemma, a she-wolf, alone and in unbearable pain, cries vengeance against the evil man who caused her suffering.  Jordan, alpha of the White-Moon pack, the largest in the country, has a war to prepare for.  Kane, his brother and beta, struggles to be worthy of the role thrust upon him. 

When young girls start to disappear and rumors of a dangerous serum surface, the two men are brought face to face with their destiny.  A fiery passion blooms between Gemma and her men, one that heals her body and soul, but a dangerous war still lies ahead.  Will they be successful at stopping an evil tyrant before another girl goes missing or will Gemma pay the ultimate price?  With her life.

Alpha Blood has some very nice reviews out there!

" I absolutely love this book! It starts out super intense and ends on a very sweet note. Gemma is in a horrible position but her strength was amazing! All she needed was a little help from her sexy alpha males (mmmm that's TWO sexy alpha males), and she could battle anything.
The yummy scenes between her and her men, Kane and Jordan, were smoking hot! A lot of authors have a hard time writing love scenes with three people, but Elena did a FANTASTIC job!"

"Gemma is a character that faced many hardships before finding her mates. Her meeting Jordan and Kane was the best thing that could happen to her. It brought them great joy even as they had to fight to be together. The first book ended too soon for me and left me wanting more time with these characters. The announcement of a second book made me very happy but it is only a brief interlude with the mates. You can enjoy the sweetness of their special time together in this companion to the story. I hope the author will deliver a longer treat for the readers who have grown to love the characters."

"One of the BEST sort stories I have ever read. Fast paced, engaging and sexy read! The characters were extremely well fleshed out for such a short read. The drama was intense and the sex was SUPER HOT! Great job Elena!"

Are you curious now?! I know I am! 

Read an excerpt at Evernight! 

Or get a sample from Amazon! 

Or sink your fangs in Elena's Treat (ahem!) 

Follow Elena

On her blog 

Through her Website 

On Facebook 

Or on Twitter! 

Oldies Goldies - T. Lee Garland - Hott 'n Handy

After my epic rant last week (see it here, there also a giveaway, you know?) I resume my backlist party regular program. Here's my homage to the joy of older titles, those books that stayed in our hearts and we don't want to ever ever forget. I will be hosting eight romance authors (every Tuesday and Friday all through August! stay tuned, there may be giveaways!) with their favourite titles from their own backlist. 

Say hello to T. Lee Garland and her irresstibly titled "Hott 'n Handy" a scrumptios, mmf Romance on the Go (short story) published by Evernight.
Seriously, can you resist a book with a title like this?! :)

"Hi, this is T. I wanted to give you a little back story on my book Hott ‘n Handy. The story developed over a slow day at work with a co-worker and me brainstorming.  What woman doesn’t love a sexy, (hot) fireman? And my story has two!

Also, I have always been attracted to men who were good with their hands (wink) and could fix stuff. Call me twisted, but a guy working on a leaky faucet or a broke down car just speeds my heart up every single time. You will find that Adam and Eli are both Hott ‘n Handy.

As for Shelby, you have to admire a woman whose world has come crashing down, yet she doesn’t wimp out? She has come from poverty to fight her way up to be the darling of daytime TV, only to be fired. She still knows what she wants and she’s not sitting around waiting for it to come to her.

I hope you will find Adam, Eli, and Shelby as fun reading about as I did writing them! A special thanks to Lynne, my co-worker who came up with the fun title, Hott ‘n Handy, just says it all.

And lastly a huge thank you to my hostess, Katherine Wyvern."

You are very welcome indeed T!

Shelby Barton was America’s TV darling having grown up in the public eye on a much beloved soap opera. Until the day she was fired. Embarrassed, she flees to the tiny town of Nugget Knob, West Virginia to hide out and decide what to do next. She purchases a rundown house and plots her next career move. 

Adam Hott and his best friend Eli Handy are firemen who also run a home repair business, Hott ‘n Handy repairs. The two take one look at the beautiful starlet and know they want her in their bed and in their lives. 

Shelby has a decision to make. Was home in New York, complete with the backstabbing people and her glamorous career in daytime TV? Or was home in little Nugget Knob, West Virginia, between two hot and handy men who adored her?

"Hott 'n Handy" has some lovely reviews out there:

"Ms. Garland does an excellent job of making not only you, but your e-reader sweat with all the steaminess coming off of this book. I fell in love with Adam and Eli and wish they were real so that I could have a chance at them! Shelby was really well written as well. I thought she was a great character and, although she was a movie star, she was relatable.

"I think that the plot was smooth and there weren’t any awkward moments are times when things didn’t make sense. The opening really drew the reader in and the ending was a perfect happy ending! It was well written and the pace was just right for a Romance On The Go. So it’s not exactly long, but it’s long enough to have a thorough plot and not feel like the reader is missing part of the story. I recommend this book for lovers of ménage romances and if you’ve never read a ménage, do it! This one is a great book to get your toes wet."

Are you curious?

Read an excerpt at Evernight 

Or download a sample from Amazon! 
And don't forget to check out all her other books
On Goodreads!

A Wyvern Rant

I am sorry, but I have to take a break from my backlist party today, to post some more personal considerations.

Ever since Doris O'Connor posted a link to this astonishing article here I have felt a “Wyvern Rant” building up. Those who know me well know that I don’t rant halfway, but no, this time I will be moderate... more or less. We are all authors here and I don’t want to hit anyone on the head (well, I do want, but we can’t always have nice things, can we??)

So why do we write “pornography”?

Unlike some of my colleagues I don’t even object to my books (at least some of them) being called pornography. I didn’t exactly overexert myself coming up with a plot for Black Carnival, for example. Let’s face it, there’s just enough plot to string the sex scenes together. Still, it is considered poor taste to call it Porn. We do strive to write about lovable characters, not just about mating bodies. Still. Nowadays even calling a book Erotica is dicey. So, let’s agree to call it Erotic Romance. Whatever you call it, it’s still sex. 

Why do I write about it? Because I love words, and I love sex. I like flowers, horses, ducks and ships too, and I like to write about all these things too. But I got to admit that writing about sex is more intriguing. 

I don’t think there is anything in life more fabulous that good sex. What can I say.

We all have our little manias. Like, you, Philippa, have this thing for dead kings and queens, and that is fine, fine. I mean, my publisher probably would not touch it because it’s necrophilia, which is considered poor taste in some circles, but it’s ok, I don’t judge you, we all have our little quirks. I have this thing for carpentry. Once had a memorable orgasm, while reading  a very technical book called “The American Built Clipper Ship”. To this day, the words “black-locust trunnel” sends a sinful shiver up my queer wood-working back. As I said, we all get off on something or other, live and let live, right?

Why do we write about sex… Jesus, have you ever written poetry? Have you EVER had an orgasm, Philippa? Tell me, as a writer, is there anything more challenging than describing the utterly indescribable, flirting with disaster, always on the edge of the dreaded precipice, that purple prose, always wondering if that one metaphor is one too many, one too far? Always wondering if you can capture at least the ghost of that fantastic moment… Always wondering, are words, ever, enough?

In the bound red obscurity

Of my blind, tied body

My world is only – you

Your silence is my dark night-sky

Your skin is the warm earth upon which I stand

Your fingertips open the path for me

Your tongue is the river that sweeps me away

From the darkness

Into raging phosphorescent seas

Floating in silver waves – foam and salt tears

And your member - deep inside me

Is the life tree of this world

Its roots hold me fast into time and place

But its wind-blown top

Is the sea-voice of the storm

No, I mean, I am a gardener, and I love flowers, but even a million squillions daffodils won’t bring me to such a pitch of poetic fervour. No, it takes a lover and a good oestrogen high to get me in that state of wordy passion. 

I write about sex because it is beautiful and immensely powerful and ineffable. Because it is alive, it is life, and one good shag is worth a thousand dead kings. Have you ever had oral sex so mind-bogglingly good that you had visions? (yes, this literally happened to me, no I don’t do drugs, and yes, my husband is that good, what can I say, suck it up, Philippa). Have you ever longed for somebody so much that every curve of their body became an object of agonizing worship? Have you ever loved someone so painfully that the first touch of their skin brought tears to your eyes? Are you seriously telling me that these things, some of the most elemental things a human being can ever experience, are not worth writing about, are not worth deploying excellent prose for, when so many words are wasted every day on so many trivial objects?

Why do we write about sex?

Because so much we do and are in our life, whether we like to admit or not is dictated by our subconscious, and boy is our subconscious bashed about by our sexual instinct… I think the way people have sex, tells a lot about them. When I was writing Spellbreakers, there was so much world-building in it, that I seriously considered stripping the sex scenes out of it, and submitting it as a fantasy novel. But then I realized, while rewriting it this way, that I had lost a very significant chunk of the characters’ personas and development. I don’t think you HAVE to use sex to explore your characters’ psyche, but it is one hell of a way to do it. We are (sometimes) at our most raw and unguarded during sex. It is something worth exploring.

Am I saying that all romance is excellent literature? Hell no. But then, MOST LITERATURE is not excellent literature. Quality, or lack of it, is not confined to some genres or other, dear Philippa.

Ok, rant over. Do leave a sexy comment below for a chance to win a e-copy of either Black Carnival or Spellbreakers, your choice. Let’s celebrate.

Backlist Party - Kory Steed - From Lightning to Love

Here's my homage to the joy of older titles, those books that stayed in our hearts and we don't want to ever ever forget. I will be hosting eight romance authors (every Tuesday and Friday all through August! stay tuned, there may be giveaways!) with their favourite titles from their own backlist. 

I am truly proud of having as a guest today Kory Steed with his debut novel, From Lightning to love. Once more I find much in this book to relate to. But I will not stand in the way. Here is what Kory himself has to say about the story:

 "From Lightning to Love is the first installment in my Lightning Series, and it’s my first, published, M/M novel. It grew organically, in part, out of my past life experiences. In others, it reflects what it was like to be a gay man during the time period between the 1990 and 2010. Book two, Lightning’s Hidden Menace, will be released by Evernight Publishing soon.

The two main characters are very important to me for a few reasons. They’re personalities reflect how I see gay men in contemporary society; and I have to admit, I’ve put a little bit of myself into each of them, almost as if they were my children. In addition, the societal pressures placed on gay people plays a significant part in what their fears are and how they’ve been forced to live their lives. I also included a few of my passions, nature, the animals people have included as parts of their families, and cooking. Wherever I could, I tried to incorporate these loves into the story.

The story begins with an introduction to Jason, a gay, thirty-seven year old former American army medic who served two tours during Operation Desert Storm between 1991 and 1993. In 1994 he received a medical discharged for PTSD.

After leaving the service, Jason worked in a local hospital’s ER for a few years, but he became more and more disillusioned with his life because he had to live it in secrecy. On a whim, he bought a lottery ticket and won. Once a multi-millionaire, he used his winnings to purchase a secluded tract of land in the Bear River Mountains in southeastern Idaho where at the time that the story begins, he has lived for eleven years.

We meet the second main character, twenty-three year old Aaron, the morning after a violent autumn storm when Jason began to check his home and property for damage. He discovered Aaron dangling by a shredded parachute in a tree. We later learned that Aaron was the newly signed, star quarterback for a fictitious American professional football team. Because of the remote location, there was no way for Jason to get help, so he had to care for Aaron alone while he recovered from his injuries.

I created this scenario because it forced Jason and Aaron to interact with only each other, without any influence from the outside world. There was no plot or outline when I began the manuscript."

 

When thirty-seven year old army medic and Gulf War veteran, Jason, discovers an unconscious man hanging by a parachute from a tree on his secluded mountain property, little does he realize how his life will change. Isolated and alone, Jason uses his training to save the young man and soon learns he is Aaron, a twenty-three year old professional quarterback.

Having lived in near isolation for many years, Jason is ill-prepared for the physical attraction he develops for Aaron while tending his wounds. While Jason struggles with the emotions that begin to surface, Aaron’s strength returns, and his ravenous sexual appetite is revealed. In the weeks that follow, the two men become entwined in a passionate love affair that soon blossoms into a deep and caring bond.

Dare they hope for a future together? Will their new found love survive the separation of Aaron’s rescue?

 Lightning to Love has some lovely reviews on the web:

"The teasing back and forth as they discover each other is so tantalizing! Jason's struggle to let himself open up is held in masterful tension with Aaron's innocence and vulnerability as he is restricted to bed and discovering his own limitations and needs. Add in a dose of the medical restraints and the skilled tending of a seasoned Army medic and instead of the same, old seduction scene, Jason can't help himself but tend to all of the young jock's needs. This really opens up to some super-steamy scenes that are described in sweat-throbbing detail. It's as sultry as it is romantic when a love so unthinkable turns into something so epic."

"I think what I liked most besides the story itself was the way the writer handled the backstory. A lot of the time it's hard to tell it without it being very slow. Yes this was a slow burn but this enabled you to focus more on what led to them being there. I am looking forward to reading more from this author. No spoilers but for a first time author this really blew me away."

Would you like to know more?

Read an excerpt at Evernight 

Or get a sample on Amazon 

Or connect with Kory

On Twitter

On Facebook

On Goodreads

Or learn more about him

On his Evernight bio page

or on his Amazon author page

The second book in the series is already underway (I know that Kory is working on the edits right now! ;)  ) so stay tuned for it: Lightning’s Hidden Menace, coming soon from Evernight Publishing.

Backlist Party - Lorraine Nelson -Daydreams and Night Scenes - Giveaway!

Here's my homage to the joy of older titles, those books that stayed in our hearts and we don't want to ever ever forget. I will be hosting eight romance authors (every Tuesday and Friday all through August! stay tuned, there may be giveaways!) with their favourite titles from their own backlist. 

I am hosting today with great joy, a very old friend, one of the very first authors I connected with when I became published. Lorraine Nelson, with her Daydreams and Night Scenes!

As always, let's see what the reviewers have to say about this book:

"Weaving together a modern-day Cinderella story with a delightful dollop of Pretty Woman, author Lorraine Nelson delivers a romance that is certain to please current—and gain many new—readers. A wonderful cast of supporting characters, culinary descriptions that will have foodies drooling and vignettes of eastern Canadian life add sparkle to the tale of Miranda “Randi” Stuart, a woman who believes in herself as well as the magic of love, and Alex Denning, a billionaire playboy who is so much more than the façade he’s learned to assume around others. How the two overcome their black moment is a series of wonderfully poignant surprises that, combined with the spirit of the Christmas season, create an ending readers won’t soon forget. For a romance book that keeps the plot firmly on the romance, this book is sure to please. And Ms. Nelson’s writing style and voice are the sinfully delicious icing on the (wedding) cake!"

And:
"I like the steam, the two-steps forward one-step back and both of them trying to figure out what in the world makes them happy. My disappointment in this book was that it had an ending. I could have kept reading!"

A night of love..Fantasy or Fateful Alliance?

Miranda Stuart is lushly built, hauntingly beautiful, career-oriented, and extremely intelligent, but thanks to a teenage crush on Alex Denning, a man who was way out of her league, she acts out of character when they meet up years later at a posh resort. When she finds out his room is adjoining hers, she determines to have her fantasy night in his arms. When the night’s magic should have begun (unbeknownst to him) our dashing, billionaire playboy enters the scene with bright lights blaring and another woman in tow. Had she just set herself up for blackmail?

Read an excerpt:

Miranda Stuart (Randi to her friends) sidled up to the bar and ordered her favorite pre-dinner drink, a Long Island Iced Tea. She’d taken a much-needed break from the convention activities ongoing at the posh luxury resort. She hadn’t drawn a complete breath since arriving, hence the need for a touch of liquid refreshment.
Randi perched on a padded stool and sipped her drink while facing a mirror that spanned the full width of the bar. She didn’t pay much attention to the reflection of clientele in the popular nightclub until he came into focus.
Her eyes zeroed in on absolute power and raw sexuality radiating from the drop-dead-gorgeous man. Stopping now and then to engage in conversation, he towered over everyone as he circled the room drawing inexplicably closer to where she sat.
This couldn’t be happening. Randi couldn’t believe billionaire playboy, Alexander Denning, had casually straddled the stool beside her. He was the only chink in her armor of collective cool. Alex had been her first real crush and he didn’t even know she existed.
Averting her eyes, she caught a look at herself in the mirror. She, who had fought her way to the top in a man’s world, who had perfected a calm, efficient, and sophisticated façade, was looking as giddy and star struck as a teenager on her first date…and all he had done was sit beside her.
Taking a sip of her drink to cure her dry throat, she swallowed too quickly and began sputtering and choking. When he handed her a napkin and patted her back for good measure she felt the touch of his large, gentle hand all the way to the tips of her toes.
“Better now?” Alexander asked as she came up for air.
“Yes, much better. Thank you,” she stammered in embarrassment.
“No thanks necessary. My name is Alex,” he offered, giving her time to compose herself. “You made quite an entrance earlier,” he remarked.
“Me? Make an entrance? You’ve must be joking.”
“Not at all. Every eye in the room followed the sway of your hips and those endless, long legs as you strutted toward the bar. The women in envy, I suspect, and the men with their tongues hanging out.”
“Now I know you’re poking fun at me. Does this line of flattery actually work on the women you connect with?”
“It’s not flattery. It’s fact. And this is the first time I’ve tried this approach so, you tell me,” he responded with an engaging grin, “is it working?”
“Only because I have a weakness for broad shouldered, blue eyed Adonis look-alikes.” She laughed self-consciously, feeling out of her element.
“You have a beautiful smile,” he said.
“Thank you, Alex. To what do I owe this chance encounter?”
“Ahhh, if you knew me better, you’d know that I don’t leave anything to chance,” he stated suggestively, easily holding her emerald gaze with the fierce intensity of desire he knew burned in his. “Will you spend the evening with me? We could have dinner, dance a few slow tunes and get to know each other better.”

Are you intrigued?

Read a sample on Amazon!

Other books to check out from the same author:
 Zakia and the Cowboy
Covert Mission: Undercover Cop
Trouble Brewing in Thunder Creek
A Cowgirl's Pride
Cameron's Quest
A Bride for the Taking
Kidnapped: The Search for Casey
Cowboy Dreamin"
And coming soon: Abby's Intent

Check out all of Lorraine's books here

And leave a comment below for a chance to win a ebook from her well known Thunder Creek Series!

Backlist Party - Katerina Ross - Tenderly Wicked - GIVEAWAY

Here's my homage to the joy of older titles, those books that stayed in our hearts and we don't want to ever ever forget. I will be hosting eight romance authors and/or books (every Tuesday and Friday all through August! stay tuned, there may be giveaways!) with their favourite titles from their own backlist. 

Today I have smeone absolutely special as a guest, Katerina Ross from Moscow, with her beautiful debut novel "Tenderly Wicked".

"This M/M story is set in my home city, Moscow. There are no M/M publishers in my country at all, so I had to write it in English :)" she told me.

As an Italian who also chose to write in English, I can relate to that particular challenge!

Look at what reviewers have to say about Katerina's debut novel: 

"... this book was an extraordinary good read. We meet Max living in Moscow who wants to explore his kinky side as a Dom, something he has never done before. He goes out intending to visit a BDSM club but before he enters he spots Vadim and after talking they return to Max's flat instead. It turns out Vadim is a natural submissive who has been very cruelly treated in the past. Will Max be able to be everything that he should be to his new sub and can this be more than a one off assignation?

I really enjoyed the way Max treated Vadim. He cared enough to find out what made Vadim skittish and perhaps ashamed about what they were doing and encouraged Vadim to relate how he had come by his bruises and scars. There was such feeling and emotion in the writing and the book had obviously been well researched. I would give it 10 stars if I could."

Wow!! Well done! :)

 

Max, an American expat in Russia, has always been interested in the wicked ways of BDSM, but his unusual tastes haven't always been well received. Now he has Vadim, an eager Russian sub willing to fulfill his most daring fantasies. But there’s one problem—Max isn’t quite ready to accept what's right in front of him. His deep-seated insecurities threaten to spoil what's growing into more than just a kinky pastime.

Would you like to read more?

Read an excerpt at Evernight 

Read a sample on Amazon 

 If you are sufficiently teased (I know I am!) leave a comment below for a chance to win a delicious digital copy of Tenderly Wicked! Winners will be announced next Friday!

Other books from the same author you might want to look up:

Soul Infection