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Saturday, October 8, 2011

ARC Review: The Gift of Shayla by N.J. Walters

It's Christmas Eve and Adam is spending the evening with his longtime best friend Rob and his wife Shayla. Adam has been in love with Adam for years and recently started having feelings for his wife. He's afraid of how they would both react if they ever knew the truth. Right before Adam decides to leave Rob announces that he has his present for him, and oh what a present it is. When Adam goes up to Rob's room to get it, he's surprised to find a naked Shayla wrapped in a bow waiting for him. Shayla and Rob's gift to Adam is a night together.

This was is meant to be a quick and spicy read. And oh it's spicy! I actually had to put the book down for a bit because it was getting me all hot and bothered, but in a good way. The story takes place through everyone's eyes, so we are able to see where everyone is coming from. My favorite part was watching Adam and Rob interacting with each other. Adam is so terrified of this ruining their friendship and Rob is just so curious about it all. The scenes between them both were way hot and at times I honestly forgot that Shayla was even in the room. I liked that she just let them have their moment.

I really liked this story and I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.

**ARC copy provided by NetGalley**

RATING:


Friday, October 7, 2011

Guest Post with Author Juniper Bell

Today I would like to welcome Author Juniper Bell to the blog. Juniper is currently on tour promoting the release of her book Go Deep. So if everyone would please welcome Juniper.

Thank for you having me on the blog, I’m very excited to be here! As a writer of erotic romance, I’m often asked how my friends and family feel about my chosen profession. It’s a good question, even though if I worked as a dentist, I’d probably never face it. I used to say, Oh, they think it’s great. It’s my lifelong dream, after all, and they’re happy for me.

But the truth is, I had to ease them into the idea. My first completed book was a romance, hold the erotica – something I felt my parents could read without cringing. But I included a few sex scenes, because, well, I like them. To me they seemed tame compared to what I’m used to reading. But to my family, I might as well have posed naked in Playboy. They loved the story, but didn’t see why I had to put in the steamy parts.

That’s when I realized I wasn’t writing for my family. They don’t read romance—they never understood why I love it so much. So why should I worry about pleasing them? If I’d really wanted to please them, I should have become a Medieval art history professor or a globetrotting foreign correspondent. No form of romance writing was ever going to fill the bill.

I never tried to get that first book published, and now I know why. I wrote it for my family, so they could read something of mine before I went off into the truly forbidden realm of erotic romance. Once I started down that road, they’d never be able to read me again (without risk of heart attack!)

That experience taught me that I should either quit writing romance or go all the way—write what I want, what fascinates me, what excites me. Obviously, I chose the second route, because once I discovered how fun writing erotica is, no way was I turning back. I never told my family, but my favorite scenes in that first book were the ones they hated.

So why do I love writing erotic romance? I get to follow my characters into their most intimate moments. I get to know them at their most naked, their most exposed, their most vulnerable. My latest release, GO DEEP, is a good example. A husband and wife both long to take their sexual relationship deeper, but not sure how to break through the barriers—what could be more intimate than that?

What else…I get to bring fantasies to life without harming my real life relationship. I get to speak plainly, without dancing around in a vague world of euphemisms. I get to tell stories that involve one of the most basic, primal, essential urges in the universe. I get to connect with readers who feel the way I do—that explicitly erotic stories can be beautiful, emotional, intense, and very freeing. I like reading them, and I like writing them even more.

My family has made their peace with my profession. They don’t read my books, but they don’t criticize either. I’m completely fine with that. It’s our own version of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” I don’t tell them about my latest M/F/M with BDSM, they don’t ask.

Luckily, I have a husband who thinks my career is the best thing ever invented.

Erin Kellison Winners

Congratulations to:

Sebrina C.
on winning the Shadow series

and

Pam B.
on winning a copy of Shadow Bound

Both winners have been contacted via email. Thank you to everyone that participated. =)

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Follow Friday #13

Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop put together by two hosts:  Parajunkee and Alison Can Read as a way to help bloggers become aware of other blogs and bloggers. It's a great way to make new blogger friends.


Q. If you could pick one character in a book, movie or television show to swap places with, who would it be?


These questions sure don't get any easier do they? I'm not sure if I would really want to switch places with anyone. I would miss my boyfriend too much. There are a few different characters from that I wouldn't mind swapping places with, the only downfall is the world that they live in. All of the characters I can think of are based in a paranormal world, and I honestly don't want to deal with any sort of baddies. I'm kind of a wuss and I definitely don't want to fight any vamps or demons like Buffy does. I also wouldn't mind swapping places with Elizabeth Bennett, but I'm not too fond of living without running water, air conditioning and indoor plumbing. 

I guess if I were to pick anyone that I would go with Samantha Baker from 16 Candles. Yes, her parents forget her birthday, but it's totally worth it in the end because she gets Jake Ryan. And who doesn't want that hunky hottie? 




Just follow these simple rules to join in on the fun:
  1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host {Parajunkee Alison Can Read} and any one else you want to follow on the list.
  2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers- Jagged Edge & A Neverending Fantasy
  3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing on Parajunkee's blog.
  4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
  5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
  6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers.
Thanks for stopping by. =)

Behind the Blogger: Mandi from Smexy Books

Hi everyone. So I'm starting something new here on the blog called Behind the Blogger and I hope you all will like it. Every Thursday I am going to feature a blogger from a different blog. I will be interviewing them and getting to know them and their blog a bit better. I figured this was a great way to bring attention to the many blogs and bloggers out here in the blogosphere.

My first guest blogger is Mandi from Smexy Books. I was actually lucky enough to meet Mandi at this years Authors After Dark in Philadelphia and she is awesome. I'm not going to lie, I was in total awe of her when I first met her because I just love her blog so much. But she was super nice and we even talked a little about the BDB, which we are both obsessed with. So, please help me in giving Mandi a warm welcome to the blog. =)

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Interview with Author Gayle Callen and Giveaway



Today I am so excited to welcome author Gayle Callen to the blog. Gayle is here promoting the release of her newest book Every Scandalous Secret and I just loved it. You can see my review for it here. Gayle was kind enough to let me ask her some questions and I'm excited to share them with you all.


First off, can you tell us a bit about you?
My  name is Gayle Callen, and I write Victorian historical romances for Avon Books. I've been writing ever since I was a kid, but it wasn't until I had babies who napped that I was able to make up my mind to try to publish my work. Even then, it took me thirteen years to sell my third completed manuscript in 1998. Every Scandalous Secret is my 25th  book. I also write medievals as Julia Latham.


Did you always want to be a writer?
I wrote stories that were passed around by my friends in high school. But I went to college thinking I wanted to be an aerospace engineer. Uh…designing a new part by next month? I don’t think so. So I went back to writing.


What kind of writer are you? Panster or Plotter?
Definitely a plotter. Notice the “aerospace engineering” reference above. I love details and plans and maps and character Goal/Motivation/Conflict charts.  I spend as much time plotting the book as I do writing it. I need a blueprint to follow when I’m writing, although I still have to figure out a lot of the book as I go along, but at least I know the main scenes.


Why write a book in the Victorian era? What about this era draws you in?
Things began to change for the aristocracy. The industrial revolution really took hold, changing how everyone thought about wealth and land. I like having characters conflicted about what it now meant to be a gentleman. And I like that they can ride trains!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Caressed By Moonlight Winner

Congratulations to:

Melanie A. 

on winning an eBook copy of Caressed By Moonlight by Amanda J. Greene

Winner has been contacted via email. Thanks to all who participated. =)

Guest Post with Author Madison J. Edwards and Giveaway

Today I would like to welcome to the blog author Madison J. Edwards. Madison is currently on tour promoting her book According To Plan. So please everyone welcome Madison to the blog.

What do you do when things don’t go According to Plan? For starters, you’d trick, deceive and lie to the very person who ruined your best laid plans.

Welcome to the world of Shelby Stewart, P.I., who’s been hired to find Harrison Grant. To complicate matters further, her ex-partner, ex-lover, ex-everything Tank shows up looking for Harrison as well, albeit for a very different reason. Harry’s the prime suspect in the grisly murder of a call girl, Lulu, in L.A.

That wouldn’t be so bad, but Tank plans on staying at Shelby’s house, and makes it obvious he’s quite willing to help her heat the sheets, again. Shelby knows that sex with Tank is dangerous, fast and sometimes a little dirty. Now is not the time to become sidetracked. Besides, this job could launch her company into a whole new stratosphere, so it’s imperative she remain focused.

Frustration becomes Shelby’s newest partner as she makes plans to out-manoeuvre Tank in their parallel quest. Tank, on the other hand, is always one step ahead of the game—and is not what, or whom, Shelby thought.

Places to purchase:

Monday, October 3, 2011

Review: Shooting Stars by Bella Andre

I really wanted to like this story. In fact, I really enjoyed the beginning. The story just started off with a bang. I just have a problem with the second half, that is where the story became everything I dislike about short stories. I just don't understand how four different people all seem to fall in love within moments of meeting one another. It just wasn't believable. Maybe if this story was longer and we were given a chance to see the characters grow and get to know one another I would have believed it. This story just had so much potential to be excellent but it just fell flat for me. Though on the bright side, there were some pretty steamy sex scenes that were quite enjoyable and I really liked the beginning. So Shooting Stars wasn't a complete bust.

RATING:

Sunday, October 2, 2011

ARC Review: Tie Me Up by Lauren Hawkeye and Giveaway

**Review**

Tie Me Up is another great short by Lauren Hawkeye. Seriously, if you have 15 or 20 minutes I suggest picking up this book. It was just so hot! Lauren just has a way with being able to pack just enough in her stories to leave me feeling fulfilled yet wanting more. I am also really enjoying the common thread of the wedding going through all of the shorts. It's interesting to see certain events through more than one persons eyes. I definitely will be on the lookout for more stories from Lauren Hawkeye.

RATING:


TIE ME UP
By Lauren Hawkeye
Pub date: October 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-426-88547-1
Book two of the Erotic Me series


Barbara always thought of Ethan as her little brother’s annoying best friend, and she was sure he just considered her his friend’s nerdy big sister. Until the hot night after her brother’s wedding. Alone in the heat, it’s clear Ethan sees her in a way she never saw herself: as a sexy, sensual woman. And for the first time, Barbara feels ready to break free from the painful memories that have haunted her for too long—by exploring her passion for Ethan…

**Author Info**


Lauren Hawkeye is a writer, theatre enthusiast, knitting aficionado and animal lover who lives in the shadows of the great Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada. 

She’s older than she looks—really—and younger than she feels—most of the time—and she loves to explore the journeys that take women through life in her stories.
http://www.LaurenHawkeye.com



**Giveaway**
Lauren is offering a tour wide giveaway.
One winner will be chosen in mid December after all of the tour stops have been completed. To be eligible you must answer all four questions on the form and have a US or Canada shipping address. 


Up for grabs-
A Prize Basket filled with a bag of Kicking Horse Coffee, Le Chocolatier chocolates, Rocky Mountain Soap Co. items, and several other items. 

So what are you waiting for? Fill out the FORM and good luck.