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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Sex Club Secrets by Jennifer Lynne - Review

Hiya loyal readers and welcome newbies,

It's time again to share with you a book that I read and reviewed just for you!  

Contest & Prize details at the bottom, so make sure you read em. 




This week we have Sex Club Secrets which is book 3 in the Gods of Love Series by Jennifer Lynn.


Ella is in love with her best friend Kade. But her love has not been returned, and when bisexual Kade shows no signs of becoming romantic toward her, she decides to call a halt on her unrequited love and accept an invitation to a celebrated Melbourne sex club.

Kade is distressed when the woman he is beginning to see as more than a friend decides to visit Secrets before he can tell her how he feels. He follows her into the club and witnesses her at play with the enigmatic Anteros, a sexy god-like man who seems to know exactly how to satisfy her innermost cravings. But Anteros also feeds the hidden desires within Kade. How can he admit his feelings for Ella when he's not sure he can commit with his whole heart?

Anteros is one of the erotes, an aspect of Eros and the ancient Greek god of requited and unrequited love. He has heard the call of these would-be lovers and intends to show them that friendship can sometimes be the best place to kick start a lasting romantic relationship. But love cannot flourish unless it is returned, and how will he convince Kade—a man who occasionally enjoys other men—that he can be true to the woman he loves? What will happen to this couple when the night ends and they return to the real world outside the door of Secrets?

Has one of the gods of love finally taken on a challenge he cannot fulfill?


Excerpt: 
"Welcome to Secrets, Ella. We're really glad you decided to join us this evening." Her voice was husky and sensual, and a primitive quiver darted across Ella's skin. Wow.

"Thank you," she answered, her skittering heart lending a slight breathlessness to her own voice. "My, ah, friend decided not to join me this evening, so—"

"That's fine." The woman's mouth curled up at one corner in an expression that was almost sly. "Quite often we find it better if patrons come alone, anyway. Less chance of inhibitions getting in the way. Come through, Ella. There's someone here who's been waiting to meet you…very impatiently, I must say."

Her tone was indulgent. Whoever was waiting was clearly a favored—what had she called it?—patron.

Ella's curiosity grew as the other woman wrapped long, crimson-tipped fingers around her upper arm and drew her further into the venue. Would whoever was waiting to meet her be the one who had sent the invitation? Would it be someone she knew?

I hope not.

The only person for whom she had sexual feelings had been left outside the door of the club seething with displeasure at his vanilla friend daring to try something new. And without his approval, either.

Bad luck, Kade. I'm here tonight for me. No one else. Just me. And my unrequited desires, apparently.

The flip-flop of her stomach sent a wave of warmth spiraling downward and her womb squeezed in nervous anticipation of what might lie ahead.

I'm in a freaking sex club! I can't believe I'm here.


               Rach's Review: 5 out of 5 Divas

This book was a great addition to my erotic romance shelf. Ella loves Kade, Kade loves Ella, but neither one has been able to admit their feelings to the other. Finally, Ella is tired of waiting around for Kade, knowing she can never have him. He dates guys, after all. So when an invitation arrives on her desk to come to the Sex Club on her 30th birthday, she decides what the hell

Little does she know that her invitation has come from Anteros, the Greek God of unrequited love. But when she enters his erotic world, all the while wishing Kade were there to share it with her, she's swept away from reality. Anteros, determined to help these two work out their love life while receiving nothing in return, can't help but wish just for once, he could keep his very own couple. 

What else can I say about this little story except HOT, HOT, HOT! These three characters come alive on the page, and though the story is a short one, all three have wounds, damage from their pasts they're trying to heal. I would have loved to see more of their backstories in an extended version of this book, but since we get all three POVs through the book, I felt like I knew quite a bit about these characters. There was also this reference toward the beginning of the book that I will not give away but that I thought was so damned clever and funny, I had to give it a full 5 Divas! Definitely worth a read. Go get it! (Buy links are below) 


Jennifer Lynne is multi-published in sensual and erotic romance and writes from her home in Melbourne, Australia. She has a degree in literature and media studies and has worked as a business writer and journalist for companies both large and small. She has even worked in an optical store! She lives in hope that readers will continue to enjoy her novella-length tales of love and lust.

Find Jennifer on the web at





Buy Links:

  

Jennifer will be awarding a $10 Amazon GC plus a Kindle copy of Platinum Passion (GODS OF LOVE 1) and Aphrodite Calling (GODS OF LOVE 2) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. 



Sunday, February 24, 2013

#SneakPeekSunday from Nona's #Romance WIP

Good morning, all! Welcome to Sneak Peek Sunday. Today I'm sharing a tidbit from an upcoming romance I'm working on, tentatively titled His Kind of Woman. The heroine of this story is Venetia, who appeared as a supporting character in Uncollared.

Here's a brief blurb:



When Roy Girard went looking for Victor Varrano, he never expected a woman to answer the door. He soon discovers that "Victor" is now Venetia. Roy's startled, but even more surprised by his attraction to her. As they spend time together, Roy starts to worry. Though he knows her secret, she does not know his: that he is the brother of the person who made her life hell years ago.

Now for the sneak peek:


Venetia pulled the book out of the bag and stared at it. Then opened it and gazed at the flyleaf. A shudder passed through her.
"I don't…" she closed the book. "How'd you get this?"
"I found it." That was true enough. Now for the lie. "When I moved into my apartment. Someone had left a box of stuff behind and that was in it."
His ears went hot under her stare. If he told her the truth, that he was Travis's brother, she'd never want to see him again. Wouldn't want to be reminded of what she'd left behind. So he lied. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today. And don't forget there are plenty of other sneak peeks available today--you can find them all at:      

Have a wonderful weekend, all!

Nona Raines
Hot Contemporary Romance
Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic
www.nonaraines.com




Friday, February 22, 2013

#Author Nancy Jardine Talks #Romance, Scotland, History and More!


Today I'm honored to welcome fellow Wild Rose Press author Nancy Jardine to The Divas of Desire. Besides writing romances, Nancy also writes historical novels and stories for younger readers. She's a great sport who's kindly agreed to answer five nosy questions from me. Before we start, Nancy has very generously offered a giveaway of her contemporary romance Take Me Now, so once you read the interview, please make sure to scroll all the way down and leave a comment!

Okay, great. NOW let's get started!

Hi, Nancy! Thanks so much for being here today.
You live in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Many of us in the States have a very romantic view of your country. Whenever I think of Scotland, I think of Robert Burns and highlanders. I also think of books and films that are set in Scotland.  Do you have a favorite book that takes place in your home country?

That’s a tough question. There have been many books, of different fictional sub-genres that I’ve really enjoyed that have been set in Scotland. My answer would very much depend on my mood. If I’m in a deep historical mood I love the Scottish novels of Nigel Tranter, his characters steeped in Scottish settings and historical situations. If I feel in what I’d call a ‘Scottish classics’ mood I might answer A Scot’s Quair by Lewis Grassic Gibbon. This is actually a trilogy of novels about a woman called Chris Guthrie who lives in Aberdeenshire, and begins around the turn of the twentieth century. Life for Chris is very difficult in the countryside at this time, hard toil tilling the earth.  Her family is dysfunctional and the era repressive in terms of relationships and marriage -the area permeated with a very Calvinistic, austere Church of Scotland lifestyle. It’s not a happy trilogy but I read it when I was a teenager living in the city of Glasgow which is around 150 miles from Aberdeenshire. When I moved to Aberdeenshire in 1988 the whole setting of A Scots Quair became much more real to me.  Though, back to answering your question I might also be in the mood for a Diana Gabaldon romance set in Scotland, or if I wanted something of the more bizarre, and almost scary, I would probably say something like Ian Banks. His novel ‘the Wasp Factory’ is not one I liked, but yet was fascinated by as a reader. For my ‘crime’ moods I would go for Inspector Rebus by Ian Rankin- these are set in Edinburgh.

I've read Diana Gabaldon and Ian Rankin, but I must admit those other authors are unfamiliar to me. They sound fascinating! Your contemporary sensual romance, Monogamy Twist, is set on an English Estate. Take Me Now, another contemporary, takes place at a Scottish castle.  Are these settings based on places you've seen or visited in real life?

Kintore Townhouse, built in 1747
Mostly the answer to that is yes. When I tour anywhere in the world I gravitate to visiting the large tourist attractions of ancestral homes, palaces and houses of note. I’ve been to many estates in the UK though the house which appears in my ‘ancestral mystery’ romance, Monogamy Twist, is fictitious – a compilation perhaps of many places toured. The front of my house in Monogamy Twist is a larger, much grander version of the historic Townhouse (A Civic Building) in my home village of Kintore in Aberdeenshire. Built in 1747, Kintore Townhouse has curved ‘forestairs’ leading from both the left and from the right to a central doorway on the upper level. My heroine, Rhia Ashton, is conveniently placed to help Luke Salieri uncover his links to Amelia Greywood – his mysterious benefactress- and loves cataloguing all the fantastic antiques she comes across in Greywood Hall.
Hallforest Castle-Kintore

The Castle in Take Me Now is definitely fictitious, but that ‘corporate sabotage’ novel was conceived after I experienced a seaplane trip with 9 of my family. We chartered a seaplane and flew up the west coast of Scotland. During that fantastic trip we flew over many castles, some ruined, some inhabited which I could see had been recently restored to former grandeur.  The heroine in Take Me Now is from Vancouver, of Scottish descent, and is perfect since flying a floatplane is much more frequent occupation in Canada than in Scotland. The whole concept of the fun light-hearted romance came from that one trip. Though, as well as it being based in a fictitious castle, on a fictitious island opposite the real town of Oban on the west coast of Scotland, I have Aela Cameron flying Nairn Malcolm to many other places as they conduct his business and uncover the saboteur who put him in crutches, and who is out to ruin his adventure sports businesses. They have some exciting times in London (his business headquarters) and Paris, and Barcelona and Tallinn (Estonia). They also make a quick trip to Oman in the Gulf States, and to the Caribbean where Aela discovers the culprit! 
Ruined castle


These photographs are amazing! The Beltane Choice is set in 71 AD. Quite a switch from your contemporary romances. What made you decide to tackle a historical novel?

It wasn’t a switch to historical after writing contemporary work. It was quite the other way, in fact.
As a teacher I taught my 5th- 7th graders historical periods, and I loved covering the Celtic/ Roman Britain era of around two thousand years ago. It made me desperate to write a time travel novel for younger readers, taking a trio of kids back to Aberdeenshire during the occupation of the Roman Emperor Severus in AD 210. Unfortunately that work is still unpublished. However, I also wrote the first drafts of The Beltane Choice but set that in the borders between Scotland and England at an earlier time of AD71 just pre- Agricolan times. During the time (usual story of more than a year) I waited for a rejection letter to appear, having submitted my historical romance to one of the big category publishers, I decided to try my hand at writing a contemporary romance. My love of ‘all things historical’ sneaked in, though, since Monogamy Twist is based around a weird ‘Dickensian’ style bequest of that ancestral home you quoted above and around the family tree of Amelia Greywood.  I sent it to The Wild Rose Press and to my utter delight it was accepted immediately. Take Me Now was written after submitting Monogamy Twist and was also accepted immediately. During the submission/ edits stages for those two Wild Rose Press novels I re-wrote my ‘Celtic/Roman Britain adventure’, The Beltane Choice, sent it off to a new publisher I had heard of which is based in Edinburgh, and Crooked Cat Publishing accepted it! I was over the moon since this is the novel I’d wanted to have published for years!
   
It's great that you were able to blend your love of history into your contemporary romance. Your mystery/adventure novel Topaz Eyes involves a worldwide search for missing jewels.  Where have you traveled in real life and does one place stand out as your favorite?

I can’t say that one particular place has stood out as my favorite place to visit. I’ve been very lucky to travel a lot, and whenever possible I add in details of places I’ve visited into my writing since I love to share those experiences with my readers. My husband travelled a lot on business and I joined him in far flung places during my vacation breaks from school.  So far I’ve only two places added to my novels that I’ve not personally visited and they are Tallinn and New York.  I didn't want to repeat any destinations in Topaz Eyes that I’d used before in my novels so I have Keira Drummond and Teun Zeger travel to Heidelberg, Vienna, Amsterdam, Duluth and Rochester Minnesota and New York on that quest to find the Tiru Salana emeralds. Topaz Eyes is also heavily based on a complex ancestral tree since I wanted to develop further the ancestral tree creation I’d started with Monogamy Twist.
I will probably write in the European destinations of Prague, Venice, Florence and Verona sometime – along with Vancouver, Banff, Calgary and the places I've visited in California!

Nancy, can you tell us more about one of your books or what you have planned for the future? We can't wait to hear more!

I’m currently writing a sequel to my historical novel The Beltane Choice. This one takes on a character that appears in The Beltane Choice into a story of his own. This spans a little more than a decade and culminates in one of the most well known battles between the Celtic Tribes of what we now call Scotland and the Roman Empire. The battle of Mons Graupius was devastating for the Celts of the North.
A second working progress is a family saga – very loosely based on some facts gleaned from my own family ancestry researches. My saga starts around 1850 and will go through to approximately the 1930s.
Of course, I’m also going to have to find time to partially re-write my novel for younger readers and market it as a novel for ages 12-14yrs and get it published! 

Thank you for asking such interesting questions and for featuring me!

Nancy, thanks so much for being here. It's been great fun and I've learned a lot!



Blurb for Take Me Now
Nairn Malcolm’s looking for the impossible. He needs a highly skilled, enterprising aide who’ll be at his beck and call 24/7. No ordinary Jane Doe will do. He doesn’t expect the only candidate who drops in at his Scottish castle for an interview to be so competent…or so stunning.
Aela Cameron’s got exactly the right mix of talents to satisfy all Nairn Malcolm’s needs, and more. She loves the jobs he needs done, adores his castle, and finds his frenetic lifestyle energising. But she’s only looking for temporary: not to fall in love with the man.
Can Nairn convince Aela she’s tailor-made for him in every way…and not a passing fancy?      

EXCERPT:
Unadulterated vigor oozed from every last bit of him—overall a dangerous concoction. Something stirred way-down-low inside Aela again. He was a real honey, and the bee in her wanted to be very sticky.
Her mind whirred. The man bore a vague resemblance to the ruggedly handsome thirty-two year old Nairn Malcolm of the internet photograph, but would the blonde limpet in the recent celebrity snapshot want to curl herself around this forbidding wreck of a man? Aela thought not. She wondered, though, if his blank expression was caused by current circumstances, or if this was his normal demeanor, since he hadn’t been smiling in the photograph either.
With the high granite wall as his backdrop she could easily imagine this man lording over the castle, ruthlessly challenging any invaders to his domain. Taking any woman he wanted? Now there was a thought she was happy to entertain. A tiny smile broke free. Tamping down her crazed imagination she re-assessed him.
What had the guy been doing to get himself in such a state?
Who was he?

Take Me Now
Amazon.com : Print and ebook    http://amzn.to/MOmbWT
B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Take-Me-Now?keyword=Take+Me+Now&store=allproducts
Youtube trailer    http://youtu.be/stDC4Yhm2r0
Amazon.com author page for all novels http://amzn.to/RJZzZz 
Nancy Jardine can be found at:  http://nancyjardine.blogspot.com   http://nancyjardineauthor.weebly.com  http://on.fb.me/XeQdkG   Twitter @nansjar

Nancy is offering a giveaway of her romance Take Me Now to one lucky commenter! Please leave a comment with your email address or just say hi! The winner will be selected on Sunday.


Have a wonderful weekend, all! 

Nona Raines
Hot Contemporary Romance
Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic
www.nonaraines.com

Sunday, February 17, 2013

#SneakPeekSunday with Nona and her #Erotic #Menage!

Good morning, all, and welcome to Sneak Peek Sunday!


Today I'd like to share a tidbit from my most recent release His and Hers and Hers, an FFM menage romance.



This snippet takes place about half way through the novella and is in Jordan's (the hero's) point of view:


     
     When had he turned into a chest-thumping caveman? But just as he’d never share Ky with another man, he couldn’t stand the thought of sharing Cassie either.
    “Wow,” Kyla said as his tongue swept Cassie’s mouth. “That is really hot.”
     He pulled back and held out his hand. “Room for one more, baby. Come here.”
     Kyla stood and pressed against him. He kissed her hungrily, still cradling Cassie in his other arm. When he broke the kiss with Ky, Cassie moved in to softly claim her lips.

Hope you enjoyed that! If you'd like to read more, His and Hers and Hers is available at these booksellers:

Loose Id       Amazon       All Romance ebooks        Barnes and Noble


And don't forget to check here for other yummy morsels this Sneak Peak Sunday!

Have a super Sunday, everyone!

Nona Raines
Hot Contemporary Romance
Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic
www.nonaraines.com



Friday, February 15, 2013

#Author Barbara Barrett Cooks Up Great #Romance!

Photo by Leslie Sloan


Happy Friday, everyone! I hope your Valentine's Day was a happy one spent with someone you love. Today we have a special treat for you lovers of romance. Our guest today is author Barbara Barrett. Her debut book The Sleepover Clause was published by Crimson Romance. Her new title, And He Cooks, Too (from The Wild Rose Press) is currently available on Kindle and will be officially released March 22. Barbara's kindly agreed to let me ask her five nosy questions. So let's get started!

Your upcoming release from The Wild Rose Press, And He Cooks, Too, features a hero who's supposedly a television chef. Fess up—do you enjoy watching cooking shows?

“Enjoy” is a nice way of putting it, since I haven’t yet reached “addicted” stage and hopefully never will. I recently added “The Story Behind the Story” to my website where I explain where I got the inspirations for this book: both came from TV cooking shows. Although I’ve learned some interesting cooking techniques along the way, my main fascination has been with cooking show personalities, in particular, Rachael, Giada, Bobby, and Paula. I only have to mention their first names and you know who I mean. That’s how popular they’ve become. I got to wondering if off-camera they’re different people, more introverted, less nice, etc. The hero’s aunt, the self-involved executive producer of the show, is based on where that speculation took me. Not that my favorite cooking celebs are anything like that, but their on-screen personas were a great jumping off point. The other inspiration for the story, my heroine, comes in part from my impression of the numerous TV cooking competitions. To make them more interesting, the producers focus on small tiffs and major confrontations as chefs’ egos clash. Female chefs, in particular, have to develop thick skins and egos to survive in the culinary world, so I gave her an ego and added a tendency for impulsiveness, which is what gets her blacklisted at the start of the book and forces her to reinvent her career.  

That's such a fun concept for a romance. And He Cooks, Too, has received some very nice reviews from Amazon readers. Nick, the hero, has a secret that he's keeping not just from the heroine Reese, but from his viewers as well. How were you able to keep Nick a sympathetic character even though he's not the awesome cook he pretends to be?

Love those nice reviews, but can always use more.
Though I love secrets and the revelation of secrets in stories, I chose to make the reader aware from the start that Nick can’t cook, so they could come along for the ride as he attempts, unsuccessfully, to free himself from the pressure of living a lie. I felt if they learned about his lack of cooking skills later in the book, they would feel duped. Next, I tried to incorporate Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat theory for Nick by almost immediately showing him in a favorable light, doing something for someone else. I have Nick counsel his aunt’s assistant after a dressing down she has received from his aunt. My heroine, Reese, overhears this session and is immediately struck by his compassion and sensitivity. Later, I introduce his friend, Dave, who, by serving as Nick’s sounding board, helps reveal more of Nick’s motivations and needs.

Other authors I've interviewed have mentioned Save the Cat and I have it among my reference books. It's a great source for us writers. Your first book, The Sleepover Clause, features a city girl from L.A. who lands smack dab in the Midwest and hates it there. What attracted you to this "fish out of water" theme?

I wrote this book as a Valentine to my hometown of Burlington and my home state, Iowa. I wanted to present the town and the state and the people who live there as more than residents of the “flyover zone.” I wanted them to be seen by readers as the caring, hardworking, and intelligent people they are. So I introduced them through the eyes of the visitor, Aubrey, my heroine, a native of Los Angeles who has grown up hearing about the town through the jaundiced memory of her mother, who used to live there. Aubrey arrives with “attitude,” hating the weather, the scenery and the fact that she has to “hide out” from disgruntled clients back in California in this sleepy little burg. She even goes so far as to think to herself that “Iowa sucks.” But with time and help from some very resourceful residents, she changes her tune and is able to deal with the client situation she has been avoiding. It doesn’t hurt that she falls for the youngest brother of McKenna Custom Coaches as well.   

On your website, you describe how important your characters' careers are as part of their storyline. Why is that?

I spent over three decades as a human resources professional for Iowa state government. My job was learning about other people’s jobs – what they did, what competencies they needed to do them, and how well they did them. That experience is now an integral part of me. I don’t know how to describe my characters’ lives without going into their occupations and jobs, because those help define my characters’ motivations, aspirations and even limitations. For instance, in The Sleepover Clause, Aubrey trusts a client, a so-called friend of her mother, and foregoes her usual due diligence on a project, and on the client’s word, redecorates her mountain hideaway in Louis XIV style. She’s unaware that this is the client’s way of getting back at her estranged husband for straying. When the client and her husband get back together and he goes ballistic over the changes to his man cave, the client denies ever having given the okay to the project. Although it’s Aubrey’s internal conflict, her need to gain her mother’s approval, that provides the motivation for her actions, it’s her job as an interior decorator that provides the vehicle for the story.
 
What are you working on now? Tell us more about your current or upcoming releases. We're all ears!

I’m currently working on two projects while two others percolate in my brain. The first, Driven to Matrimony, is a shorter story than my others to date (approximately 50,000 words) about a forensic accountant who places her job in jeopardy to convince her over-fifty movie star mother to slow down her rush to the altar with a twenty-year-old film student only to find herself attracted to the young man’s father. The other is the sequel to The Sleepover Clause, currently titled The Travel Clause. The two that are currently gelling (already written and revised awaiting a final revision), are the first and second of what I’m calling “The Dances of Sullivan’s Creek” trilogy about the people who are part of building a residential development in Iowa – the developer, the architects and civil engineers, the general contractor, the sales manager and the interior designer. The first is titled Saved by the Salsa and the second is Tough Enough to Tango.

So you're writing about your beloved Iowa again. I'm intrigued by the titles of your Sullivan's Creek series. How does dancing relate to building a residential community? We'll definitely have to read your books to find out!


And He Cooks Too    Barbara Barrett 

Three men, three lies. Two made her doubt herself and the last nearly destroyed her career. And now, blacklisted by the city’s finest restaurants, Chef Reese Dunbar must put the resuscitation of her battered reputation in the hands of yet another man. The television experience Nick Coltrane’s cooking show offers is her best option. But after giving her heart to him, her trust is put to the test when she discovers that Nick has lied about the real reason he brought her on board – he wants her to replace him before his audience learns he is a fraud; the host of “And He Cooks Too” can’t cook. Reese must not only come to terms with Nick’s deception, she must also reconsider the unhealthy motivations behind her relentless drive for success. Before he can escape the charade he has allowed himself to be party to, Nick must stand up to his aunt, the only woman who has always stuck by him, and risk losing her support. Reese’s parting words, questioning whether the woman owns his soul, help him find the courage and self-knowledge to do that. In return, he helps Reese realize the folly of atoning for a teenager’s mistake through an adult’s misplaced ambitions. Only as they come to trust the other are they able to return the other’s love and pursue the careers that give their lives meaning.

Excerpt:  And He Cooks Too
            The woman, her boss had called her Reese, angled her head, as if absorbing the man’s statement. It was the first real look Nick had gotten of her. Not bad. Not bad at all. “Patrice got the job because of Julian Parker, not because you and she got together?”
            He glanced away. “Uh, well—”
            “Both of you?” She started for the door again. “I am so out of here.”
            Louis clamped a hand on her shoulder. “C’mon, Reese. Cut the drama. I thought if I explained the situation, you’d understand.”
            “What I understand is that there is nothing here for me anymore.”
            “You know the code, Reese. Chefs don’t leave their kitchens in the middle of service. You’re good, but not good enough to test it.”
            She twisted around. “You can thank your new sous chef for the timing. Do you think her telling me just prior to the dinner hour was an accident?”
            “Stick around. We’ll work out something,” he coaxed.
            “Yeah, right.”
            “Nobody leaves me high and dry. You’ll regret going out that door.”
            “Let’s see who regrets what.” She ripped a net from her head, allowing a mass of raven black hair to escape, and pushed through the door to the outside world.

Purchase And He Cooks, Too here


Find Barbara Barrett here:




Twitter: bbarrettbooks

Thanks so much for being here today, Barbara. It's been fabulous!

Have a wonderful weekend, all!

Nona Raines
Hot Contemporary Romance
Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic
www.nonaraines.com



  





Thursday, February 14, 2013

Blade Dance - March 1st release

I was finally given a release date for my new novella, BLADE DANCE for March 1st. In addition to being available at www.decadent.com, it will be available from:
 
Amazon, B&N, ARe, BookStrand, CTR, Smashwords, and within a couple of weeks after release it will pop up on Sony, Kobo, Apple bookstore, iPad, Library Direct and Diesel.
 
Amazon is also usually before or on the release date, as is ARe; some of the others take a little time.
 

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Rachell Nichole - Sneak Peek Sunday


Howdy,

And welcome back to Sneak Peek Sunday!

I have a few lines from my recent release, An Affair Across Times Square. This piece comes from Chapter Five.... Enjoy


Tyler thrummed his fingers against the railing in the elevator. He didn’t remember the ride to the eighteenth floor taking so long the day before, or any of the days before that. But the extra time gave him a moment to clamp down on his panic. He’d started having second thoughts on his subway ride through the city. What kind of idiot looked forward to gawking at a half-naked woman across the street?

So there you have it folks, your little teaser for today. :-) 

I hope you enjoyed it. 

An Affair Across Times Square is on sale now at these locations: 

All Romance Ebooks -  http://bit.ly/T6Drrh
Barnes & Noble – http://bit.ly/SM3DFW
Loose Id  - http://bit.ly/OALcBV



Don't forget to check out the other authors this week! http://www.sneakpeeksunday.blogspot.com/2013/02/sneak-peek-sunday-2102013.html

Friday, February 8, 2013

#Author Rachel Leigh, Sexy Settings and #Romance #Giveaway!


Happy Friday, everyone! Today I'm honored to have fellow Wild Rose Press author Rachel Leigh with me today! Rachel has written several erotic romances for the Scarlet Rose line and has hosted me on her blog a few times. I'm so happy she agreed to be with me here today and let me ask her five nosy questions. What's more, she's offering one of her books to a random commenter, so PLEASE be sure to leave a comment that includes your email address. Let's get started! 

        1.    Hi Rachel! Thanks so much for being here with us today. What made you decide to write contemporary erotic romance as opposed to paranormal, historical or sweet romance?

It was more a case of the heroine in my first novella, “Explicitly English” deciding for me! I started writing what I thought was a mainstream contemporary romance but whilst writing the “train scene” things heated up out of my control. I soon realized that this was not AT ALL suitable for mainstream… after that I was addicted J

2.   Some writers write for years and suffer many rejections before being published while others hit the jackpot on the first try. What was your road to publication like?

I’m from the UK and started out with the aim of getting published in British women’s magazines. After many rejections and feeling very low, an online friend suggested I try The Wild Rose Press. The first story I sent them was accepted––I was ecstatic! Since then, I have enjoyed working with my editor so much, I haven’t yet submitted to another publisher.

3.  In your book Explicitly English your heroine Laura leaves the city to try a new start in the countryside. Are you a city girl or a country girl at heart?

Definitely a country girl! I live in a small English town, which is perfectly located, and in easy access to a busy city in one direction and acres of countryside in the other. It’s my dream to one day own a huge farm with horses and lot of dogs running around as I write all day long. Ahhh…

4.  That sounds like an awesome dream, and I hope it comes true for you.Your book Hot Summer Sands is a sexy romance that's set in Greece. Where's the sexiest place you've ever been?

The sexiest place I’ve been is actually Zante where the book is set. It’s a beautiful place, where lots of rich people moor their yachts and spend time sitting at tables outside glamorous restaurants. The sea is crystal clear and the heat is always a huge aphrodisiac to me. Lord only knows why I live in England, lol! :D

5.    Sounds like a wonderful place to visit and it really must have provided a lot of inspiration! Your upcoming romance Teach Me to Ride takes place in the world of show jumping. Sounds like a fascinating setting for a story. Do you have any personal experience with with horses and show jumping? Please tell us more about this story!

I have hardly any experience with horses! I used to ride my friend’s horse as a child and loved it. I won a couple of gymkhana rosettes and learned the basics of riding and jumping before I was thirteen years old. After that, we lost contact and I haven’t rode since L. I would love to own a horse one day as I feel a special connection with them, but as far as the world of show jumping goes, everything in “Teach Me to Ride” is from my imagination. Oh, and a huge chunk of inspiration from one of my favorite writers, Jilly Cooper.
           
If you love horses, I highly recommended you read her Rutshire Chronicles, starting with book one, “Riders”. Fabulous ‘80s bonkbusters with lots of scandal, sex and intrigue…

Wow, thanks for the recommendation, Rachel. I've loved horse stories since I read Black Beauty as a girl, and I'm always looking for new books and authors to read. And thanks so much for stopping by today! It's been great!



Rachel’s latest release is Hot Summer Sands and available now from The Wild Rose Press. Here’s the blurb & buy links:

Chef Michelle Hutton flees her controlling mother in the UK for the sun and freedom of Greece, longing for a new beginning and maybe just a bit of Zante’s local heat. Sexy, pro-bono lawyer Sam Clarke might just be the one to teach her to let go. He's sexy, capable, and totally in control. And too damn hard to resist.

Sam Clarke and his best friend had once been the baddest boys to hit the local party scene— sex, booze, and more sex—until his friend is killed. Sam turned his back on the blatant sexuality of the island years ago, but can’t resist Michelle’s desire to bask in the sun and explore the need that grows between them.


Rachel’s Links:


Giveaway:

Rachel is giving away a free download of any of her three novellas (reader’s choice), to one lucky commenter! You can tell us about your favorite vacation spot, whether you love horses, if you're a city or a country mouse, or a book you've recently enjoyed. Or just say hi!  Don't be shy--please leave a comment!

Have a wonderful weekend, all!


Nona Raines
Hot Contemporary Romance
Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic
www.nonaraines.com













Sunday, February 3, 2013

Sneak Peek Sunday with Rach

Hello all,

Welcome to our first Sneak Peek Sunday. A special thanks to Krystal Shannan for taking up the torch and continuing within the vein of Six Sentence Sunday! I'm so happy this is continuing.

And now on to the Sneak Peek.

This week's excerpt comes from my latest release, a lesbian erotic romance titled Queen of Hearts. This is when Maya spots Erica from across the club one night.

            Oh, God. It was the woman. The one she’d been thinking about for seven days. “Her.”
“What?” Jake leaned closer. “Who?”
“Her,” she said, nodding toward the woman as she bellied up to the bar.
“Who, her?” Jake said. But Maya ignored him. As she walked away, she heard Jake say something else, but she waved him off. Maya had to talk to the mystery woman from the commercial. 


Queen of Hearts is on sale now! 
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/YftYl9
Barnes & Noble : http://bit.ly/10cUqaU
               All Romance Ebooks: http://bit.ly/XYumAN


Thanks all for joining us today. Enjoy!

~Rach

TRR

The Romance Reviews