Monthly Archives: May 2013
Stone Chameleon Blog Tour: Find out what author, Jocelyn Adams (@JocelynAdams) would chose as her special talent. #UF
Welcome to the blog and my stop on the STONE CHAMELEON Blog Tour. I am beyond excited to be able to share the start of my good friend, Jocelyn Adams’ newest Urban Fantasy series about the Ironhill Jinn.
If you are a regular follower of the blog, you know how much I loved Ms. Adams first UF series, The Lila Gray novels. As a matter of fact, I am not sure I am over the end of that one yet, having just read the ARC for the final installment of that trilogy, due out in June of this year (you are going to love that one, too!).
But, today we are all about the new series, and based on the ARC I finished a few weeks ago, you are all if for another treat. If you liked Lila, wait till you meet Lou. *grins*
Anyway, for my stop on the tour, Ms. Adams and I wanted to do something a little different. Something fun. So I came up with a question for my author friend, that I thought fit nicely into the Urban Fantasy theme.
I got to thinking about the stories I’ve read of Jocelyn’s and her process for writing them. I considered the imagination and creativity woven into every paragraph and came up with this question for our guest author. (Which she was kind enough to answer, of course :P)
As a fantasy author, you write a lot of stories about characters with “special gifts” or unique talents. If you were given a choice, what special gift or talent would you like to have in real life? Why?
Jocelyn’s answer:
Oh my, so much to choose from. As I’ve been sitting here, pondering this, I keep coming back to one of my favorite cartoons/movies/comics, the X-Men. It would be a total toss-up between Wolverine and Mystique.
Being able to heal anything, live forever, and have some kick-ass adamantium claws that slice out whenever I was ticked off would be so awesome. Of course, I’d need Wolverine’s giant chip on his shoulder as well so the world would simply get out of my way. 🙂
Or, like Mystique, I could change myself into anybody at will. Wouldn’t that be neat? Go out as somebody famous or sneak into a bank as the manager and withdraw a few mil. Not that I’d do that, of course, just saying. Hmm, choices, choices. Why not both? 😉
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That would be one kick ass mutant. *grins* I LOVED X-Men, and Wolverine is among my list of favorites. Though, I have a soft spot for Gambit, personally.
So, let’s have a look at Jocelyn’s newest release, STONE CHAMELEON
Blurb:
When a series of unusual murders point to Lou Hudson, Ironhill’s equal rights advocate, as the primary suspect, she has but one choice: find the real perpetrator before her trial begins or face execution.
Lou, the last of the jinn, survives by hiding her abilities after the rest of the elementals fell victim to genocide. As a preternatural pest exterminator and self-proclaimed guardian of the innocent, she’s accustomed to trudging through the dregs of society. Hunting down a pesky murderer should be easy, especially with help from the dashing and mischievous local media darling.
For Lou, though, nothing is ever simple. When she discovers the killer’s identity, to reveal it would unearth her secret and go against her strict moral code, resulting in a deadly catch twenty-two.
BUY LINKS:
Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | MuseItUp Publishing
You can find out more about this, and all of Ms. Adams’ fiction titles here:
Website: www.joceadams.com
Blog: www.joceadams.wordpress.com
Cover Reveal: Remember Me by Amaleen Ison (@AmaleenIson) #YALit
Welcome and Happy Memorial Day to all of you. I am pleased as punch to be participating in a fantastic cover reveal today for a friend and fellow author, Amaleen Ison. Her newest release, REMEMBER ME is coming soon from Decadent Publishing, and I can tell you after having a chance to beta read some of this story… you are in all for a treat. I LOVED it… and I didn’t even get to read all of it yet.
Here are the details on the release:
Title: Remember Me
Author: Amaleen Ison
Release Date: TBA
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Editor: Lea Finley
Cover Artist: Scott Carpenter
Genre: Young Adult
Format: E-book
Blurb: Sera isn’t living. She’s existing—barely. Bedbound by illness, she has no memory of life before the freezing barn she now calls home. A mournful song haunts her dreams and hints at a past not completely buried—one she’s desperate to uncover. Yet Father’s whirlwind visits to draw blood and administer medication don’t provide answers. He only confirms the one thing she already knows; she’s dying.
A lonely death without ever knowing her past seems inevitable until a sudden, mystifying return to health coincides with the arrival of a boy in the opposite out-building. The inextricable pull to the stranger, and the broken memories that storm her mind when he’s near, warn of a history quite different to any she could have imagined. If she’s to uncover the truth she craves, she’ll have to decide whether knowledge of the past is worth forfeiting her second chance at life.
Remember Me Goodreads Link:
About the Author: Amaleen Ison is a married mother of one. She lives with her family in Hertfordshire, England, along with her cats (Oscar and Winston), guinea pig ( LouLou), and gerbils (Blackberry and Pumpkinseed). She writes Young Adult fantasy stories that meander into a variety of sub-genres.
As a child, Amaleen lived most of her life in her head. She imagined herself in mystical lands populated by the weird and wonderful. She still spends way too much time daydreaming, but now she writes about her imaginings and weaves them into stories. The fantasy element is always important, but more so the hodgepodge of emotions that arise from her characters first time experiences.
Social Media Links: Facebook | Twitter | Website/Blog | Goodreads
#Sexy Snippets from #CampTortuga: Dance, anyone? #WIP #Erotic
Welcome to my better late than never Sexy Snippets post for this week. With the holiday, I didn’t get a chance to schedule this post ahead of time, so I am coming to you love from a chilly and rainy weekend at my campsite in Upstate NY, I’ve dubbed Camp Tortuga.
This week’s snippet comes from my current erotic WIP, which doesn’t have a title yet, but will be part of what I am calling the Catacombs series. The story is set in England in 1720, so a historical.
The main character, Justine has recently arrived to work at Chauncey House, and this is her first experience with the private parlor behind the dining hall, an area she has been barred from entering. Until now.
Here are my seven unedited first draft sentences.
Eleanor danced closer, her hand sliding down her body as her eyes locked on Evan. She grabbed hold of one of the lengths of colored silk and pulled it free. She tossed the fluff of pink into the air above his head, and danced away with a teasing smile as the material fluttered down to settle in his lap. Another twirl and a few swaying steps in the other direction, and Eleanor pulled free another strip of silk, this time wrapping the ends around the neck of one of the salon’s male patrons. She used the scarf to pull the man to her. She kissed his cheek and released one end of the cloth while pulling it free of his shoulders with the other. Holding the end, she twirled on one foot.
Thanks, as always for stopping by and checking in with me. Be sure to swing by the SEXY SNIPPETS blog and visit with the other participants this week.
Happy Reading!
~Bex
New Release News: Timing is Everything by Tasmin Baker #erotic #romance @evernightpub
Happy Thursday girls and boys. Today I have a dandy new erotic romance to share with you all, courtesy of fellow Evernight author, Tasmin Baker. Not only do I get to share the news of its release — I also have a tasty excerpt to share as well. I gotta say going in, I LOVE the freaking cover.Sour Cherry Designs does it again.
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Timing is Everything
by Tasmin Baker
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Erotic Romance
Blurb: Angie has always wanted to visit the BDSM dungeon her boss and long time friend frequents. When she finally gets there she is scared, interested, and aroused. The car trip home with the man she is secretly in love with, indicates he may feel the same too.
Unable to do much about it that night, Angie frees herself of her current ties and gets ready for the next Friday at Lily’s—taking the risk to lose her job and her best friend. Will it be worth it to find out just how deep Mark’s feelings go?
Be Warned: public exhibition, BDSM
Excerpt: (Mature Audiences Only):
Mark held open Angie’s door and guided her into the car without touching her. Sadness and disappointment shut down her breathing. Angie knew she shouldn’t have felt that way after he had shared such an incredible experience with her, but she did and she didn’t know what to do about the tension between them now.
They had always walked a tight line, Mark and her. He was currently single but had been married for almost ten years before a messy divorce and several girlfriends. She was currently in a new but committed relationship.
They never seemed to get their lives to coordinate properly and their timing was always off. Maybe she shouldn’t have pushed so hard to come investigate this party with him? Had she threatened their friendship?
Mark slipped into the driver side, his hand going to his pants to readjust himself.
“Sorry.” He apologized as he started the car.
Angie laughed. What else was there to do at a moment like this? They were both turned on, and yet they could do nothing about it. “Why? I’m as uncomfortable as you are, I’m sure.”
His head turned to her, brown eyes piercing in the darkness. Angie didn’t let her gaze drop. She had always wanted this man and her arousal was partly due to him. But, she couldn’t, she was in a relationship!
However, with Angie’s heart rate increasing steadily and her head fuzzy as though intoxicated, that didn’t seem all that pertinent at the moment.
“You’re aroused?” His voice was gruff, as though he had been standing around a campfire too long.
Angie giggled, again inappropriately. “Of course I am. Did you see that final scene? Wow …”
Mark cleared his throat and shifted in his car seat again. His face showed worry and something Angie couldn’t work out, which was unusual as she usually read him better than anyone.
She frowned as she surveyed him a moment longer. “Mark, what’s wrong?”
He cleared his throat and set his shoulders. “We’ve been friends a long time and I have no wish to ruin that …” he trailed off.
Angie’s heart rate sped up again and she clenched her knees together as a new gush of wetness soaked her panties. “Yes?”
“I’ve always wanted to taste you.”
BUY LINKS:
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Author Bio:
Tamsin Baker is an Aussie girl who LOVES to read. For fifteen years she read romance looking for the ‘good’ bits.
When she found erotic romance and pure erotica reading it was like coming home to people who knew what she wanted to read and wow, did her head space change.
Tamsin could now read what she wanted and found she could write a little too. She’s only beginning this journey but she looks forward to putting out lots of books in the future and reading even more!
Links:
Sinful Sirens #Giveaway Hop Winner: Congratulations to… #Winner #LeapofFaith @evernightpub
It’s time to announce the winner of my giveaway in the Sinful Sirens Giveaway Hop this past week. I probably should have had this done a few days ago, but as usual, I am a bit behind.
To remind you all, I’d offered up an e-Book copy of my latest erotic romance release, A LEAP OF FAITH to one lucky Facebook or Twitter follower.
Blurb: New submissive, Faith Daniels, is completely infatuated with her amazing Dominant, Richard Halstead. So when he sends her a summons via text message a full day before they had plans to meet, she can barely contain her excitement.
But, Richard didn’t just invite her over for a play date. Not this time. He has a proposition for Faith. One that could change the rest of her life.
* * * * *
All of the qualified entries and been run through the randomizer, frisked properly, and put in neat little rows.
And the lucky winner is:
Elizabeth Blower
*cue confetti and fanfare*
Congratulations, Elizabeth. Check your email for a note from me. 🙂
A big thank you to everyone who entered, and I hope you had as much fun as I did on this HOP. More gratitude to Under the Covers and Guilty Pleasures for co-hosting the event.
Oh! I almost forgot… If you didn’t win and you still want to snag a copy of A LEAP OF FAITH, the buy links are below.
See you all next time.
LEAP OF FAITH BUY LINKS:
Evernight Publishing | All Romance eBooks | Bookstrand | Amazon
#WickedWednesday: A Visit from the Sexy Doris O’Connor and her newest #erotic release.
I’m quite exited to share the #WickedWednesday spotlight this week with one of my favorite erotic romance authors, Doris O’Connor. She’s been a guest at the Book Nook a few times now, so my love of her writing is no secret. This week, Doris is sharing a steamy snippet from her latest erotic romance release with Evernight Publishing, The Billionaire’s Unwanted Virgin.
Here are the deets on the new story: (my kids would laugh if they saw me use “deets” in a sentence — just sayin’)
Blurb: Lie back and think of England. She could do this. It was only sex, after all. Auctioning off her virginity was the easy part—going through with it not so easy. When Alice realizes who has acquired her, keeping her emotions out of the deal seems an impossible task.
Self-made billionaire Lakota, Lance Kemnay has no time for women, let alone one who would sell her virginity to the highest bidder. Ever practical, however, he sees in Alice a solution to his immediate need for a wife. The emotions she stirs in him are just lust, and lust can be dealt with. As they connect emotionally and physically, his resolve to keep his heart aloof is tested beyond limits.
Can he trust his tender feelings, or has he been taken for a fool by the one woman he thought he could trust?
Be Warned: BDSM, spanking, rimming, anal sex, wax play, erotic asphyxiation (my kinda story…)
Now that I have you on the edge of your seat, here is this week’s #WickedWednesday snippet — from THE BILLIONARE’S UNWANTED VIRGIN by Doris O’Connor.
Excerpt: (Mature Audiences Only)
“That’s my girl.” She offered him a tentative smile, and he released her wrists. “Hold onto the sides and don’t let go, or I’ll have to tie you. Are we clear?”
“Ye … es.” A surge of affection swamped him at her whispered reply, and he sat back and watched her hands grip the sides of the sun lounger in a white knuckled grip.
He ran his hand from her collarbone through the cleft of her amazing tits down over her tummy and then tapped her mound. She bit her lip, and her body tensed. He did it again each time with more force than the last until her rib cage rose and fell in tune to her gasps of breath, and he could see the evidence of her arousal darken the crotch of her bikini bottoms.
“That’s for wearing them, when you know I want to be able to see your sweet cunt.” He ran his finger under the elastic with infinite slowness and then yanked the material up sharply until it dug into her slit and compressed her clit.
She shuddered and tried to clamp to her legs together, but a swat to her thigh stopped her. He pulled tighter, enjoying her struggle to stay still and to keep her legs relaxed, and the fine sheen of arousal coating her skin. A delicate blush spread all over her body, and she threw her head back and arched off the lounger. He bent to suckle one of her luscious nipples into his mouth, and she panted his name.
“Lakota, please … oh God …”
He smiled around his precious mouthful, and bit down hard at the same time as the fabric of her clothing ripped. A gush of her juices coated his fingers, and he slid three fingers deep inside her core. She clamped around the digits and screamed. He left a trail of little bites along her skin until he reached her swollen labia and withdrew his fingers. She moaned her denial, and he slapped her little nub of pleasure, sending her tumbling into her orgasm.
Hot, right? Now you get why I like her stories so much. If that doesn’t get your Wednesday started right, I don’t know what will. 😛
You can grab your copies at Evernight’s site (click the book image above) or Amazon, ARe, and Bookstrand. Probably other’s too.
See you all next week.
Book #Review: The Watcher by Lisa Voisin #YA #Paranormal #Romance @inkspellpublish
The Watcher by Lisa Voisin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Watcher is a well written YA tale of eternal love, redemption and impossible romances. 17 yr old student, Mia Crawford is your typical HS senior until a trip to the park changes everything. The story features a love triangle, lots of tension, emotion, suspense, a rich history, and strong characterizations. While I think the main theme of the story has been done before, the author gives the tale enough twists and turns to keep the reader from feeling they have seen this all before — just with different characters.
I’m not one for spoilers in reviews, so I wont rehash the story or plot, but I will say I was drawn into the story from the beginning and Ms Voisin did an excellent job of keeping me there until reaching the end. I never felt the story line was predictable or felt I knew what was coming before it did — something that I come across a lot when reading YA stories. That was a nice change for me.
Even the secondary characters felt real and well defined. I would have like to “Like” Michael a bit better, but for me at least, he was a bit annoying in that he was forever sending Mia mixed signals that at some points made me want to reach into the book and throttle him. That being said, he did get me to react emotionally — which I can appreciate because it means despite his flaws, he was a nicely complex character.
I’m giving this 4 stars because of the Michael annoyance factor and because I would have liked to see some of the ancient lore referenced in the tale to be a bit more fleshed out and a bigger part of the overall story.
I would highly recommend this story to any YA romance fans and anyone who enjoys a good Angels and Demons tale. Looking forward to checking out more work by this author.
#SexySnippets: Please, Sir, may I have some more… #LeapofFaith #erotic #BDSM #Romance
Hello and welcome back to the blog for another weekly tease brought to you by SEXY SNIPPETS, where we share 7 steamy sentences from a WIP or published work.
Being that A LEAP OF FAITH just released on Wednesday, I thought I would stick with that story for this week’s excerpt. This particular snippet comes from my favorite scene in the story — Faith and Richard’s “romantic” dinner.
(Faith is currently blindfolded and has just been fed a scrumptious morsel by her Dom, Richard)
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Would you like more?”
Her more carnal urges clawed their way to the surface, but she pressed them back into the darkest corner of her psyche. “If you wish, Sir.”
“Oh, no, little one, not what I wish. Pay attention when your dominant speaks to you. I asked if you wanted more.”
Trust me when I say, things only get better from here… but you will have to grab a copy of the story to find out.
(Yes, I can be a real bitch sometimes *wink*)
Here is where you can snag yourself a copy:
Buy Links:
Evernight Publishing | All Romance eBooks | Bookstrand | Amazon
As always, I really appreciate you stopping by and sharing a bit of your Sunday with me. Be sure to swing by the SEXY SNIPPETS blog and check out the other participating authors offering you a bit of heat this lovely Sunday morning.
Until next time…
~Bex
Book #Review: Need by Stephanie Lawton (@Steph_Lawton) @InkspellPublish #New Adult
Since this is a NA title, I thought some of you might be interested in this title, and the review done by my “alter-ego”. Enjoy!
Blurb: Isaac Laroche is cursed. All he wants to do is hide out and feel sorry for himself. Never mind that he got caught sleeping with his seventeen-year-old piano student, or that he abandoned her when the truth was exposed.
Isaac’s feisty high school sweetheart has different plans. Heather Swann has returned to their hometown of Mobile, Alabama, to regroup after breaking up with her troll of a fiancé. She’s restless and looking for a diversion, but she bites off more than she can chew when she sets her sights on rehabilitating Isaac with her unorthodox sexual, mental, and physical plans.
The two quickly reconnect, but their happiness is threatened by family secrets, old vendettas and the death of a beloved father-figure.
Can Heather handle Isaac’s baggage, or will her own come back to haunt them both?
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars for this decidedly…
View original post 332 more words
Book #Review: Need by Stephanie Lawton (@Steph_Lawton) @InkspellPublish #New Adult
Blurb: Isaac Laroche is cursed. All he wants to do is hide out and feel sorry for himself. Never mind that he got caught sleeping with his seventeen-year-old piano student, or that he abandoned her when the truth was exposed.
Isaac’s feisty high school sweetheart has different plans. Heather Swann has returned to their hometown of Mobile, Alabama, to regroup after breaking up with her troll of a fiancé. She’s restless and looking for a diversion, but she bites off more than she can chew when she sets her sights on rehabilitating Isaac with her unorthodox sexual, mental, and physical plans.
The two quickly reconnect, but their happiness is threatened by family secrets, old vendettas and the death of a beloved father-figure.
Can Heather handle Isaac’s baggage, or will her own come back to haunt them both?
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars for this decidedly grown-up sequel.
My Review: After reading and enjoying the first book in this series, WANT, I wasn’t entirely sure how I would feel about a sequel featuring Issac after the events that closed the first novel. As someone who really rooted for Dave when it came to Julianne (yes, I like nice guys), I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to really relate to or sympathize with Issac as a main character.
I need not have worried. Ms. Lawton was able to draw me into Issac’s angst and really feel for him, despite what a cad I thought he had been. By the time he’d run into Heather again, the author had me squarely on his side and feeling badly enough for him to want to root for him to find happiness.
I don’t do spoilers in my reviews, so I will keep the plot points talk to a minimum, but I will say that this book is definitely more maturely written than WANT. There are some interesting “adult” oriented themes here that would appeal to a more mature audience. Saying that, I did feel the shift to an NA genre from the original’s YA stamp was warranted, and made sense for the story when you consider Issac was a great deal older than Julianne in the original story.
I really enjoyed getting another glimpse into Stephanie Lawton’s skewed deep south society. Being born and bred in Upstate New York, I’ve often wondered if life in the south is really that interestingly dysfunctional.
NEED earned 4.5 stars from me. Shy of five, mostly because despite my general “like” of Heather, I never really felt connected to her the way I was to Julianne in the first novel. I am, however, willing to concede that some of that is my own bias — having enjoyed WANT so much.
I would not hesitate to recommend this one, and if you read the first novel, it is a MUST READ.
View all my reviews (Goodreads)
Bex Book Nook 