Saturday, August 31, 2013

Loving Dangerously Scavenger Hunt and Hop!



Let’s talk Sci-Fi awesomeness. Well my first and most favorite love is a little show called Firefly. I might even have a bit of a Firefly obsession some might say. Why not? This show had it all, action, space, a devil may care attitude, humor and a bit of sexual tension to mesh it all together. Which is what I like to read about in my sci-fi romances the only difference is, I read mostly Sci-Fi erotic romance so that lovely sexual tension usually gets released in some very hot ways!

P.S. If you haven’t watched Firefly, just go and do it now. I’ll wait!

So I’m going to give a shout out to a few of my favorite hot sci-fi romances:

Burning Up Flint by Laurann Dohner

Blurb:

Flint is tall, gorgeous and dangerous. He's a cyborg-the absolute ultimate alpha male. He takes what he wants and holds what is his. Mira is his now. He takes her aboard his ship and has her branded with his mark. He captured her, owns her, and she will serve his every need.

Mira is instantly drawn to Flint, fascinated by his seductive appeal. The sex between them is smoking hot. Until she finds out he is a breeder, contracted to a dozen cyborg women, and she is no more than a possession.

Mira won't share her cyborg and she belongs to no one-not even to a man who has captured her heart. She doesn't know if cyborgs feel... anything. Can Flint love her? Mira is determined to find out, no matter how much trouble she makes for the big guy.



Caught by Menace by Lolita Lopez


Blurb:

Menace’s plan to catch a docile woman is shot to hell when he’s tackled by a dark-haired beauty who wants to save her friend from being Grabbed. Refusing to leave the planet’s surface empty-handed, Menace claims the spitfire with his collar.

Naya clawed her way off the streets of Connor’s Run and vowed to never let any man control her. She plans to make Menace so miserable he’ll set her free, but the ruggedly sexy warrior disarms her with his unexpected patience and kindness.

Against her better judgment, Naya surrenders to Menace’s masterful hands and mouth. Submitting to her new husband brings more pleasure and happiness than she’d ever imagined possible. For the first time in her life, she willingly trusts a man to protect her.

But when past misdeeds catch up with her, Naya puts the depth and strength of that love to the test. Determined to prove he’s worthy of her trust, Menace will stop at nothing to save her.


Dangerously Mine by A.M. Griffin


Blurb:

After aliens invade and conquer Earth, Eva is transported to a distant slave trading planet. Escape and freedom are her only priority, but none of her martial arts training prepared her for what she faces. She finds herself enslaved to the warrior King Taio. Eva’s drawn to this sexy alien male who ignites her heart and body.

Taio is disgusted with the idea of owning a slave—until now. From the moment he sees her, he knows Eva is his for the taking. Torn between lust and duty, Taio knows nothing will stop him from protecting his little warrior.

Publisher’s Note: This story was previously published elsewhere under the title Taken: Eva and has been revised for Ellora’s Cave.

Reader Advisory: Eva’s sexual awakening includes brief female/female exploration.


So these are some of my favorites that I highly recommend everyone to check out! And to help with that, I’m giving one lucky commenter who leaves a valid email address a $10 Ellora’s Cave Gift Card!

Now onto the awesome Blog Hop and how you can enter to win the grand prize, pay attention to the instructions up next in order to enter to win the fabulous Grand Prize!!

Blog Hop Sci-Fi Quote Instructions:

Each stop contains an awesome quote from a science fiction book or movie. They are all found on out-of-this-world photos. Figure out what movie or book the quote is from and post in the Rafflecopter. DON’T post as a comment on the blog stop! That’ll give away the answers.
Have fun and good luck!                     



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, August 30, 2013

Guest Post/Giveaway: Covert Cravings by Jennifer James



Hi everyone! Thanks for having me on today. My name is Jennifer James. I’m here on book tour. Running around, herethereeverywhere chatting about my newest book Covert Craving.

It’s a silly, fun, fast paced sort of a thing. Lots of weird stuff popped up in that book, things that after I wrote them, I had to wonder if I was losing my mind.

You know how sometimes you see something in real life, and it’s insignificant and you forget it until later, at some bizarre moment, that insignificant moment roars back to life and you realize it wasn’t insignificant at all? It all stuck in your head and you didn’t even know it was there taking up space in your grey matter?

That’s what happens to me a lot when writing a book. I happily type away, laughing over plot points or twists, making crap up, enjoying moments of discovery with the characters or some other thing that goes on, when I have to stop, re-read, and am puzzled. I shake my head and do a WTF? Did that really just happen?

And of course then I try to figure out how in the world I even came up with such a crazy thing.

If I ever get my Google search taken away from me, I’ll be devastated. I’ll still have magazines like Science and National Geographic to help me through, but they don’t have that instantaneous search result return the internet does. (How impatient we are all getting, huh?)

What’s something weird you found out about recently online? I’d love to hear about it. Some of mine: Victorian era nipple piercing, giant isopods, homemade EMFs, Faraday cages, and raccoon feet.



Blurb: 

She just stripped in front of an NYPD detective...

The glow-in-the-dark water at Camp Sunny Woods left Chloe Saunders with the ability to disappear from sight.

Thirteen years later, she uses her “gift” to take out criminals when she can. If she’s got to be part of a freak show, she’s going to do some good while in the buff.

And he’s enjoying studying every luscious curve…

Color blind detective Jacob Greiff smokes to weaken the overwhelming messages his nose sends him. One summer camp trip was enough for him. His priority right now is busting the vigilante leaving burglars tied up with panty hose and women’s scarves.

He thinks he’s hallucinating when he sees a petite, bare foot brunette in an enormous trench coat at his crime scenes because for the first time in years, he’s seeing someone in full color.

He’s not sure he’s buying it, but Chloe sure looks great when she’s “invisible.”

Despite his own supernatural abilities and the raging lust between them, Greiff wonders if Chloe isn’t some kind of nut who gets off on public nudity. She insists she can disappear from view when naked, that he’s the only one who can see her when she’s in the buff.

Their shared past comes to a treacherous intersection when a man shows up at Chloe’s apartment and informs them at gun point it’s time to report for duty—or else.


Excerpt:

Greiff got to his feet and helped her stand. He steadied her with both hands at her waist. “Come on, honey. Hopefully things get nice and boring from here.”

“One can hope.”

They clambered back into the boat, and he lead her to the stairs to go below deck.

A wicked light lit his eyes and he licked his lower lip, his attention zeroed in on her breasts. “There’s a small shower stall and fresh water tank on this boat.”

“Well, salt water does get pretty itchy if you don’t wash it off.”

Lucky cussed and slouched down in one of the chairs. “I’m the one who got shot. I should be getting laid, not him.”

She ignored the whining and let Greiff carry her to the head.

Once inside, he stripped her clothes from her body and forced her to sit on the toilet lid. A cushy towel softened the hard surface.

“No food on board, but otherwise this place is pretty decked out.” He started the shower water and removed his destroyed suit pants.

The hard, thick length of his cock jutted out and she grasped it in one hand. She licked a circle around the head and he tensed, both hands fisted at his sides.

“You’re salty.”

“Ocean water.” His voice sounded strained.

She pumped her fist up and down once, and licked him again. His nostrils flared, and he buried his fingers in her hair.

“I can smell how aroused you are. How wet.” He bent down and cradled her in his arms. “And I think I promised you something.”

She sucked in a deep breath and met him for a long, hungry kiss. They moved under the water spray, and he twined her legs around his waist, supporting her weight with one hand.

“How are you doing that?”

The water cascaded over his dark hair and into his eyes. “I got an extra dose of the Professor’s secret sauce recently. At least, that’s what Lucky thinks. It made me stronger.”

“Oh, Greiff.” Anger, sadness, and helplessness replaced some of her ardor.

“Shh, sweetheart. There ain’t nothin’ to do about it now.” He reached behind her and grabbed a bottle of floral scented shampoo. He moved and pinned her to the cold wall of the stall with his groin and one knee beneath her ass. The heat of his shaft was trapped between them. “You okay? You complained about your pelvis earlier.”

“Oh, I’m terrific.”

The blue of his eyes gleamed, and he massaged the lather into her hair, then his. With slow, exquisite care, he washed every inch of their bodies, then took the shower head down and sprayed them off. He spun around and rested his back against the wall.

“I need to soap your back.” He handed her the shower head.

Desire melted her muscles into putty. Unable to take more of his hands roving over her, but never touching her where she craved the most, she wrapped his cock in her fist and stroked it hard. She licked his chest to his neck until she reached his mouth and plunged her tongue inside.

“Give me that.” He reclaimed the shower head and positioned it so the stream struck her clit from behind.

The force of the water teased and tormented, but wasn’t enough to shove her off the precipice into orgasm. He sucked on her neck and ears, the heavy muscle of his thigh dug into her ass cheek. She wriggled and squirmed as her frustration mounted.

“That feels good.” With both forearms on his shoulders and the strength in her thighs, she hoisted herself higher and sank down again. “But you inside me would be even better.”

“Not in here.” He re-mounted the shower head in the holder over head. “You’re not healed enough if we slip and fall.”

“Jake—” His name sounded a lot like a whine, even to her, but she didn’t care.

“Nope.”

He strode into the bedroom with the water still running and laid her down on the bed careful not to let his weight rest on her legs. With both hands, he spread her thighs wide and kissed his way from her belly button to her clit.

LINKS:

About the Author:

Jennifer James hates to talk about herself in the third person and has now started so many series books she’s wondering if she has a mental illness. A traditionally published author who recently dipped her toes into the oceans of Indie land; she’s finding the water quite nice and plans on sticking around. She loves Dirty Palmers in the summer, Spiked Cocoas in the winter, and Jack and Honey with Pepsi any time at all. Recent college grad, wife, mother, cat wrangler, and dog belly scratcher, Jenn spends a lot of time at her computer, frowning at the shenanigans of people only she can hear.

LINKS:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal/Giveaway: Something to Prove by Shannyn Schroeder

Something to Prove
The O’Learys
By: Shannyn Schroeder
eKensington
Releasing January 2014




Blurb:

Two ambitious people team up to prove themselves to their families—and find there may be more to their partnership than just business…
Elizabeth Brannigan is determined to show her father she’s capable of running the family business. Saving his struggling Chicago bar seems like the perfect project. But she’ll need a little help dealing with the rough crowd. Who better to assist her than the handsome co-owner of a thriving Irish pub? Of course, with so much work to do, there are bound to be a few late nights…
Colin O’Leary’s father passed away before he could prove to him that he wasn’t a screw-up. Now he wants to show his brother he’s responsible enough to own a bar of his own—and Elizabeth may be able to help him. But when their professional aspirations clash, tempers—and passions—flare. Are they mature enough to mix business with pleasure—or will they have to choose between the two?


Buy Links:




Link to Follow Tour:

About the Author:

Shannyn is a former English teacher, who now works as a part-time editor while raising her three kids.

Even though she wrote from high school through college (mostly poetry), she’d never considered a career as an author. Writing fell by the wayside as she focused her energy on creating lesson plans and new and fabulous ways to torment her teen students. One group in particular dubbed her “The Torture Master,” a title she carried into motherhood.

After the birth of baby number two, Shannyn resigned from teaching and fell in love with reading romance novels. She read so many books so quickly that her husband teased, “If you’re going to read so many damn books, why don’t you just write one?”

So she did.

That first book is safely buried on her hard drive, but the process set Shannyn on the path to where she is today—agented with a debut ebook coming out with Kensington in late 2012.

She is recovering from her Diet Coke addiction, fears putting her foot in her mouth on social media, and has a renewed appreciation for the bad girls of the world.

Author Links:




Giveaway:

Two Digital Copies of A GOOD TIME by Shannyn Schroeder (O’Leary’s Series)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Review: Rumpling Riley by Virginia Nelson


Blurb:

Riley Gold likes things neat. He appreciates order, organization. Sure, he wants to find love but he sticks to the kitchen, loving his life as a chef, where he can carefully measure, time, and control every situation.

Basil Culver grew up alone. An orphan, he got bounced from home to home and learned at a young age to keep people at a distance. Attachment meant eventual agony—when the person unfailingly abandoned him. Better to live every moment, allow for the chaos of the universe, and keep rolling.

When these opposites clash, sparks fly. Can Basil manage to rumple Riley’s carefully tucked sheets?

Buy Link:

Amazon     

My Review:

Rumpling Riley is a great new M/M from Virginia Nelson with some fun and unique elements. A sexy romance, filled with heroes with quirks that learn to overcome their quirks for each other, throw in a bit of a foodie romance vibe and I was instantly hooked.

Riley Gold is a man who loves control and I could definitely understand where his issues would be a barrier to a relationship but Basil Culver easily overcomes those barriers with an amazing ease.

I adored Basil, mostly because of the way he instantly fell for and cared for Riley all while battling his own issues. Ms. Nelson does an amazing job blending these two men into a seamless relationship. She writes a quick hot read that I will gladly read again and shout about to all of my friends.


5 Books


I received a book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review. 

Spotlight: Burning Sage by Deena Remiel



Sage Wilcot, an accomplished scientist, has set her sights on her lifelong obsession, studying the volcanos of the island of Santorini. Once there, though, she gets more than she bargained for. The dormant volcano is waking and shaking things up in the process.
 
An enigmatic stranger—from a mythical ancient city—comes to her rescue and challenges her to believe in the unbelievable. Will she take the huge leap of faith for love’s sake or stay cloistered in her fortress of certainty and solitude?

Buy Link:

Excerpt:
“Well, now what?” She brushed the sandy grit off her hands and sloshed her way to drier land. “I’m here. On a grumbling volcano. Alone. What the hell was I thinking?” She shook her head at her own audacity and stupidity.
“You were thinking of me, perhaps? I can only hope.”
Sage spun around at the sound of the low-timbred voice. “Emmanouel?”
He stepped out of the shadowy darkness and outstretched his arms in a welcoming gesture. “In the flesh. And you, Sage, are too, I see. Looking splendid.”
“Yes, much less dusty and grimy. It’s amazing what a shower and some clean clothes can do.” Really, Sage? That’s your big comeback?
He laughed lightly and sauntered closer to her. “So were you?”
“Was I what?”
“Thinking of me.”
“In a way.”
“In what way?”
“Annoyance, actually.”
“Why is that?”
“You disappeared on me earlier. You were following me out of the hole we were in, and then when I went to introduce you to a colleague, you were gone. I could have used some backup on my story about my face being injured and how you fixed it with that watery stuff of yours. See? It’s all gone. No cut, no bruise….”
“Just beautiful, soft skin that I long to touch.” His husky voice sent thrilling pulses through her body and a tingly sensation across her skin. He reached out, and with the back of his hand, tried to caress her cheek. Barely controlling her burgeoning lust, she stepped back.
“Now cut that out. I’m trying to be angry with you.”
“I’m sorry. Go ahead.”
“Well, I can’t now. You kinda fizzled it out of me.”
“Oh, good. So now I can touch you, yes?”
“No!” she huffed, and stepped farther out of his reach. “You can tell me where you went and why you’re here now. How did you know I’d be here?”
“I never left. I can never leave.”

About The Author:

My name is Deena Remiel, and I am an author of paranormal romance and urban fantasy.  It seems the longer I write, the darker my stories get! But I just can’t get enough of Good vs Evil! I also teach language arts to middle schoolers. Curiously, I find myself being called upon to write all sorts of correspondence for  my family and friends, but they  are everything to me, and frequently serve as fodder for elements of my novels, poems, and posts.  They take it all in stride, though, and with good humor. So, it’s really a perfect give and take relationship!


Stephanie lives in Minnesota.
Twitter: @deenaremiel


Guest Post: Diane Leyne

 


I'm originally from a small town in Nova Scotia but grew up in Toronto where I still live. In addition to reading (all types of books) and writing, my loves include photography and travel (over 20 countries and counting). And I'd love to hear from my fans!



Call of the Wolf Series: Claimed by Wolves


Samantha Anderson is carrying out her grandmother's last wish and visiting the Northwest to learn about her family's heritage.

She's surprised by her immediate attraction to the five McAllister brothers: sexy big brother and pack alpha Gabe, hot carpenter twins Bart and Nick, and young and sweet fitness trainer twins Eddie and Andy. She's even more surprised when they all decide to pursue her.

What she doesn't know is that the wolf-dog shape-shifting brothers have recognized her as their mate and are determined win her over so she'll agree to a formal mating ceremony which will tie her to them forever.

The only holdout is Gabe, who worries about mating with a human and wants to learn more about her before revealing their secret. To do this, he decides to spy on her in wolf-dog form. That's when he finds out that Samantha has a secret of her own.


Five Wolves and a Girl

Claimed by Wolves is my very first Paranormal romance and it didn't take me long to figure out why people like to write them because you can create your own world and your own rules.  Life they way you'd like it to be (if only in your dreams). 

I have written a number of erotic romances and I generally write MFM (or MMF) with the occasional MF and MFMM for variety.  Obviously in real life, a couple whether it is MF, MM or FF is the norm.  In erotic romance, a triad is often standard.  It may be rare in real life, but just within the realm of possible.  MFMM and beyond just do not happen to 99.999% of us, and if they did, there would be jealousy and time sharing fights.  And one very tired, albeit hopefully well satisfied, woman!

But in paranormal, you can go to MFMM and beyond and treat the relationships as the norm.  There's no shock or judgement unless I want to have that as a plot point.  I make up the rules, and I get to decide what is normal.  For example, in my fictional town of Harmony, Washington, wolf-dog shape-shifters are not exactly "out" to most of the population.  Instead, they blend in and are just normal productive citizens holding down jobs including political office and owning businesses just as the local gym and custom furniture store.  Their most unusual trait which the other citizens politely ignore:  brothers share a mate.

In Claimed by Wolves, Samantha is desired by not one or even two men, but the five shape-shifting McAllister brothers led by Alpha Gabe who also happens to be the Mayor of Harmony.  And because I make up the rules, I can have all five not only happy to share her but needing to share her.  In my made-up world, shape-shifting wolves mate for life, so not only does the heroine get to be the object of affection of multiple, non-jealous men, but once mated, they will be devoted to her for life with no possibility of their straying.  Ever.  And once mated, she gains the stamina to keep up with them in the bedroom.  Now that's a great fantasy.   

Another challenge to this type of novel, which appeals to me as a writer is the challenge of writing so many main characters.  How do I ensure that all the men have enough non-sexual interactions with the heroine to justify them all falling in love and how creative can I be to make sure they all get enough horizontal time with her as well.  On the plus side, with five men in the mix, there are a lot of possible combinations in the bedroom!

It's also not easy ensuring that the heroes are differentiated.   They are not clones.  They have to be individuals and that can be even harder than the sex scenes.  There's limited conversation during sex, but out of bed... the reader has to fall for the guys and understand why they fell for the heroine.  And because she has to deal with multiple men, the heroine has to be a strong woman.  Which brings me to the subject of humour. 

I've always tried to put a little humour in all my books because I think that humour is an important part of life, and if I'm trying to make a story about shape-shifters and five men and a woman seem normal (and in the town of Harmony it is), then they have to have a sense of humour about the whole thing.

For Claimed by Wolves, I wrote my first extended humorous scene, and it was actually this scene that I envisioned first before I had written a single word and before I had the rest of the plot straight in my head.   I knew I wanted a strong heroine who wouldn't put up with any crap and a bull headed Alpha dog who needed to learn a lesson.  The result:   the scene I like to call: "Gabe goes to the vet". 

Thanks and happy reading.

Diane Leyne




Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Spotlight/Giveaway: Acceptance by Starla Kaye



Being the CEO of a major architectural company in California has taken over far too much of Chase’s life, leaving no time for romance. But when a handsome Spaniard offers drinks and conversation, talking leads to one spectacular night and an awareness of what he really wants. But once Rico returns home to Spain, Chase will be alone, again.

Rico lives on his family’s strict schedules with no time for contemplating what is missing in his life. He doesn’t expect to meet someone special on this business trip. But he is drawn to the big, striking blond American. Giving Chase someone to talk to, takes Rico’s mind off his problems. And a mutual attraction gives them both a chance to forget everything else and let their passionate natures run free.
Chase has a company to run and Rico must return home to Spain, a truth they must both accept, but will acceptance be enough when it comes to waking up alone?

Buy Link:

Excerpt:

“Regrettably, I believe it is time for me to return to my hotel.”
Chase set down the empty shot glass, and a frown creased his brow. “I understand. I’ll admit I don’t like seeing the evening end.” He eased his chair away from the table. “The least I can do is give you a ride.”
A ride. Rico’s body interpreted the phrase in a whole different way. His heart pounded with the urge to press the striking man for much more than a simple goodbye. Instead he valiantly controlled his need and said, “I believe we should take cabs this night. I would hate to think of you getting into an accident because we both enjoyed too much whisky.”
Chase didn’t even attempt to protest. He stood, nodding. “We can share a cab, if that’s all right with you.” He turned to face the bartender. “Just put it all on my tab, Tom.”
“Not a problem.” He picked up the phone beside him. “I’ll call for your cab right now.”
“Thanks.” Chase started to pull out his wallet but stopped when he saw that Rico had already tossed a considerable tip on the table.
Rico yawned, exhaustion catching up with him as well as having sat for too long. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.”
“I apologize for keeping you out so late.” Chase headed for the doorway. “Hopefully you can get some rest before your plane leaves tomorrow.”
Rest wasn’t what appealed to Rico at the moment. His gaze had followed Chase’s taut ass as he walked ahead of him. He’d been thinking all night about what the handsome blond would look like naked. The man had a well-toned body and a confident way of carrying himself that had captured his interest upon meeting. When they’d shaken hands, something had passed between them. A slight tingling sensation, but more than that. He’d been almost certain Chase had felt the connection as well. It had been a long time since Rico had experienced such a powerful attraction and an aching need to take someone.
“Are you all right?” Chase asked, turning to stop and wait for him to catch up.
Pulled from his wandering thoughts, Rico said, “Si. I just have something on my mind.” He drew in a settling breath and forced a smile. “Someone, actually.”
“Someone?” Chase asked, raising one eyebrow.
Interest was there in the man’s expression, in the heat that flashed in the blue eyes. Rico took a chance. “You.”



About The Author:

Live, love, laugh…such simple words, but words I take to heart. There are never enough hours in my day to do even half of the things I would like to do. But no matter how crazy my life gets, I try to incorporate my words to live by (live, love, laugh) into each day.

Family and friends are extremely important to me. Life is far too short not to spend time with these special people in some way each day. My husband supports me in my writing craziness…always eagerly waiting for that million-dollar sale. (Dream on.) My daughter supports me in so many ways, including designing my website and fixing the many computer screw-ups I manage on an almost daily basis. And my friends, especially fellow writers, support me when I need it, just as I support them in return.

Beyond my family, I enjoy traveling anywhere, at anytime. But I will never see enough. I will always hunger for one more trip. All of my many adventures and observations of people and places help my writer’s imagination. I’m filled with ‘what ifs’ and ideas for yet more characters. My writing, too, leads me on many adventures. I dabble with romances of many sub-genres: contemporary, historical Western, medieval, sci-fi, paranormal, and Regency.

Twitter: @starla_kaye

Giveaway: 

Starla has generously offered one commenter an ebook copy of The CEO and the Cowboy! Just leave a VALID email address!