Posted in Book Winners, March 2013 on March 31, 2013| Leave a Comment »
wins a $5 gift card from Jenna Bayley-Burke
*
wins both Secret Heirs of Powerful Men books by Maisey Yates
*
wins HOT PURSUIT by Lorie O’Clare
*
wins a $20 gift card from Anne Marsh
*
Congrats! To claim your prize, please email mad @ romancereaderatheart.com (without the spaces). You have 48 hours to email before a new name is chosen.
Posted in Guest Blogger, Kensington Brava, M - N Authors, March 2013 on March 29, 2013| 34 Comments »
HE’S FEELING THE HEAT
Evan Donovan is a big muscled giant of a man, whose size and strength make him uniquely qualified to be a smoke jumper. No matter how great or how treacherous the challenge, he gets the job done. But when he agrees to look in on a friend’s ex-wife after a suspicious brushfire, Evan learns that some jobs are too hot to handle. Especially when it involves a scorchingly sexy woman…
SHE’S PLAYING WITH FIRE
Faye Duncan is a photographer on a mission, shooting fires for a magazine. But her first encounter with a wildfire isn’t nearly as wild as her first night with Evan Donovan. The moment she meets the bigger-than-life hero, the sparks begin to fly. But things really catch fire when Evan learns she may have taken a photo of the arsonist setting the fires. Evan is determined to keep Faye safe. But if he expects her to trust him with her life, he’ll have to open up his heart—even if someone gets burned…
SLOW BURN, the second in The Smoke Jumper series, released earlier this week on March 26th. The minute I read about smoke jumpers, I knew I had to make them the heroes of a series. The elite of the wildland firefighters, smoke jumpers parachute into the very heart of the smoke and flames. The first and last line of defense between small town Northern California and the fires that burn there every summer, the smoke jumpers are protectors to their core, putting their lives on the line with every jump. Hard-bodied, rough around the edges, and absolutely determined to do whatever it takes to hold the line between the wildfires and civilization, smoke jumpers are the ultimate bad boys of summer who ride into town to protect and defend—and leave as soon as the flames are out.
Of course, I like setting things on fire, in no small part due to the firemen who show up—and Jack Donovan is one heck of a firefighter. Together with his brothers, he runs a smoke jumping operation and parachutes into danger without hesitation. There’s nothing he won’t do to keep Strong, California safe.
Whether you want your firefighter dark and gritty, or whether you’re looking for a sweeter read, I have plenty of favorites parked on my keeper shelf. There are plenty more books that could go on here, but these are the ones that stuck in my head and that are my go-to reads. After all, it’s hard not to fall in love with a fireman!
And my favorite part of firefighter romance? The welcome home, when the fire’s out, and he’s coming home, sooty and tired and victorious. When the hero of SLOW BURN, Evan Donovan, lands after a tough fight against a stubborn wildland fire, he heads straight for Faye Duncan’s arms:
“I need a shower,” he growled. “Something to eat. And sleep. Sleep would be real good right now.”
She sat there. What else did he need? What did he want? He prowled closer, as if there was something, all right, and despite the guys all around them, it was as if they were alone in their own little space. That, or maybe Evan’s jump team had more manners than she’d given them credit for.
He leaned over her, caging her in his arms. “You want to know what else I need right now, Faye?” His smoke-blackened face was fierce and triumphant.
“You tell me,” she murmured, “and I’ll make sure you get it.”
“That sounds good.” He was close enough now that his mouth was only inches from hers. The good manners were fading now; some of the jumpers called good-natured jibes, watching the two of them getting up-close and personal on the stairs. “I want that shower. You want to know why?”
She looked at him, but, God, his thumb was caressing the corner of her mouth, and she didn’t have anything more to say.
“Because,” he continued, his voice rough and low, “I’m taking you to bed, Faye, unless you say no. I want to hole up and make love to you and forget all about this damned fire for a night. I don’t even want to talk about it.”
“No talking, just kisses. Got it,” she said breathlessly.
He backed her into the stairs, letting her feel the hard metal railing at her back. “So you up for kissing me all better tonight, Faye?”
He didn’t wait for her answer. Instead, he kissed her, hard and raw and primitive. His mouth devoured her, his fingers threading through her hair. She was pinned in place. There was no shame, no worry about any audience. Only him and her. She gave back as good as she got. She wanted this connection. His mouth on hers and hers on his. He was alive, and he was there, and, in that moment, this homecoming was all that mattered.
Have a firefighter book to suggest to me? I love adding to my TBR pile! Name names for a chance to win a $20 gift card to the online bookstore of your choice (Amazon, B&N, Kobo… winner’s choice!)
Posted in Guest Blogger, March 2012, O - P Authors on March 28, 2013| 24 Comments »
Hi Everyone!
I’m Lorie O’Clare. Many of you know me as the author of the lunewulf, as well as other shapeshifter books, including Cariboo lunewulf, Malta werewolves, leopards, black jags and owls. I also write erotic romantic suspense. A lot of you will remember my FBI series, my erotic island books, and of course, what I’m here to talk to you about today, my bounty hunter books.
Hot Pursuit releases on March 26, 2013, this Tuesday. I hope many of you pick it up once it comes out. I think you’ll really enjoy this erotic, action packed, romantic suspense. This is Ben Mercy’s story. He is recently hired on at King Fugitive Apprehension, one of the most successful bounty hunting agencies in the country.
Hopefully today I can wet your appetites and share more about HOT PURSUIT with you.
Ben Mercy has just received his private investigator’s license, which is required in the state of California to be a bounty hunter. It’s been a rough start. Ben is a felon, and although wrongfully accused of the crime, has done time in a minimal security penitentiary. It took a lot of hard, cold cash to clear his record.
Ben hates being in debt to anyone. He works hard, lives hard, and is willing to get his hands dirty to get the job done. When his best friend, Micah Jones, aka Micah Mulligan, is suddenly wanted for heinous crimes and disappears without a word to anyone, Ben doesn’t blame him for not saying goodbye first. He’s been on the inside and wouldn’t wish it on anyone—if they’re a good person.
A million dollar bounty is on Micah’s head. That’s enough to bring other bounty hunters around looking for Micah. When one of the top names in the business ransacks Ben’s apartment looking for clues as to where Micah has run, Ben knows he must warn his best friend. He heads up north to where he knows Micah had headed, Zounds, California, a northern fishing community. All is not as it appears in this picturesque town. Everyone in Zounds appears to have something to hide, including a hot little number named Zoey Cortez.
Zoey doesn’t know a lot about bounty hunters, but she’s willing to learn more about Ben Mercy. If it’s wrong to wish that he is in Zounds to take her oppressive warlord of a father to prison, then so be it. Ben won’t tell her why he is in Zounds but he is willing to take her on the ride of her life.
As the suspense thickens, the pages get hotter, and action and sensuality sizzle, Ben and Zoey learn a lot about each other, and where their paths were meant to take them. Each comes to the other with baggage they must sort through, and sometimes that is best done with someone you love. Their relationship smolders, growing hotter toward that anticipated climax. Finding Micah might save both of them, and Zounds.
HOT PURSUIT is the latest book in my bounty hunter series. There are six bounty hunter books, each about a different bounty hunter. They are: PLAY DIRTY, GET LUCKY, STAY HUNGRY, RUN WILD, SLOW HEAT and HOT PURSUIT. With these books, it doesn’t matter if they’re read in the order released. I know some people are picky about that. And I understand. If I like a book I am instantly at the author’s
website making sure if it’s part of a series I read starting from the beginning. The bounty hunters don’t need to be read in order, however, to fully understand the storyline and characters. Each book is about a different bounty hunter, all of whom work at KFA, King Fugitive Apprehension.
You can learn more about HOT PURSUIT and read the first chapter on my website. www.lorieoclare.com
I’ve included an excerpt from HOT PURSUIT below, but before scrolling down, I have a blog contest just for you. Read the excerpt below. You can click on the link to head over to my website (www.lorieoclare.com) and on the home page there is a link to read the first chapter from HOT PURSUIT. Read either, or both, and post a comment below about something that intrigued you about the book. Tell me what grabbed you and made you want to read more. Of course, be honest, if nothing sucked you in, say so. There are definitely no F’s issued for honesty. J One winner will be selected from the comments posted and win an ARC (advance readers’ copy) of HOT PURSUIT. The winner will be announced on March 30th, this Saturday. I don’t discriminate on where you live. I’ll mail the advanced copy to the winner regardless of where he/she lives in the world.
I’m really excited about Ben’s story. I can’t wait for everyone to read it. Let me know your thoughts. They mean more to me than you know.
Posted in Berkley, Brown Siblings Series, Cover Goodness, November 2013, October 2013 on March 27, 2013| 9 Comments »
It has been a fantastic day for cover reveals in romanceland 😀 First, Thea Harrison revealed her cover for KINKED, #6 in the Elder Races series, at the RT Book Reviews blog. This one is Aryal the harpy’s book and I LOVE that she really looks like she can kick some ass and isn’t in some weird uncomfortable looking pseudo-sexy pose while wearing heels and a mini skirt. I think Berkley did a great job in capturing the attitude of the character whose book I am looking so forward to.
Two opponents must confront the cause of their obsessive fury in the latest Novel of the Elder Races…
As a harpy, Sentinel Aryal is accustomed to dealing with hate, but Sentinel Quentin Caeravorn manages to inspire in her a burning ire unlike anything she’s ever known. Aryal believes the new Sentinel to be a criminal, and vows to take him out as soon as the opportunity arises. But the harpy’s incessant wrath has pushed Quentin to the limit, and forces him to make a deadly vow of his own.
To put an end to the conflict, Dragos, Lord of the Wyr, sends them on a reconnaissance mission to the Elven land of Numenlaur. Forced to work together, Aryal and Quentin’s mutual antagonism escalates. Each fight draws forth more passion—culminating in an explosively sexual confrontation. But when their quest reveals real danger, Aryal and Quentin must resolve their differences in ways beyond the physical, before the entire Wyr is threatened.
November 5, 2013
theaharrison.com
Then Lauren Dane revealed the cover for DRAWN TOGETHER, #6 in the Brown Siblings series, at her blog. IT’S RAVEN! It’s finally Raven! Insert some fan-girl squealing here because this is a book I’ve been begging for for years. I’ve been a Raven fan since she appeared in LAID BEAR and I’m so excited that the time is almost here. Plus, this cover is absolutely gorgeous! ❤ ❤ ❤
Beauty is more than skin-deep…
Tattoo artist Raven Smith is blunt and hard, broken and jaded, dark and beautiful. While she doesn’t hide her painful past, she does keep a wall around her heart. She’s free sexually—but no one gets to the real Raven, beneath the prickly exterior.
With a voice like smoke, Jonah Warner is a smooth-talking, highly successful attorney, with a body that should never be hidden by a suit. He’s the kind of man who never takes no for an answer and always gets what he wants. And what he wants is Raven. She’s a survivor, and he finds that incredibly alluring.
Jonah gets under her skin in a way Raven’s never experienced. He makes her break all her rules—including her no monogamy rule.
But when a figure from Raven’s past shows up at the tattoo parlor and drops a bomb into her life, their relationship will face the ultimate challenge. Raven must finally come to terms with her past if she’s ever to have a future with Jonah.
October 2013
www.laurendane.com
Posted in Guest Blogger, Harlequin, March 2013, W - Z Authors on March 27, 2013| 30 Comments »
The secret baby theme in romance is a contentious one. My unofficial twitter poll revealed that people either really like it…or they hate it with the fire of a thousand suns and hope that all secret baby books will become infested with fleas.
And while there are notable exceptions for me (there are exceptions to every rule, after all!) I have to make a confession…*whispers* I don’t like secret baby books.
I know. I know, it’s a terrible admission. But it’s true!
In fact, I made that stunning confession to my RT roommate last year. “I’ve never written one,” I said. “And I’m not sure if I could.”
So imagine the LOLs when I got home and got an email from my editor. Would I be interested in doing a linked duet. Why, yes I would. They would be released back to back! Terrific. And if they could have a secret baby theme, that would be great!
I think Alanis could write a new verse to her classic song, Ironic, just for me.
That was what led me to do a poll on twitter about secret baby books. Because I wanted to figure out a way I could avoid some of the things about them I find problematic, while honoring what people enjoy about them.
So I asked people: If you like secret baby books, what, for you, are the factors you find most compelling? What is it about them that draws you in?
Overwhelmingly, it had to do with the reveal. The hero finding out he was a father. Then, the hero dealing with this sudden an irrevocable change to his life. The all-power alpha male brought down by a tiny baby. The playboy’s life disrupted by diapers.
Armed with that information, I set out to create the books that would become the Secret Heirs of Powerful Men series.
Book one, Heir to a Desert Legacy features Sayid and Chloe. Now, the secret baby technically isn’t Chloe’s or Sayid’s.
Chloe was acting secretly as the surrogate for the royal family of Attar and when the sheikh and sheikha are killed in a car accident, she’s left holding the baby. A baby she’s not sure she wants, a baby she doesn’t really have any right to keep.
When Sayid discovers his brother’s child, and heir to the throne is alive, he goes to get him at once and bring him back to his own country. Chloe has a life that doesn’t have a place for a child, and she briefly toys with the idea of letting Sayid take the baby. But ultimately, Chloe can’t just let Sayid walk away with the child she gave birth to, and she agrees to go back to Attar for six months to give herself time to prepare for their eventual separation.
I enjoyed the dynamic of this one, because both characters are rocked by their love for this child that neither are very equipped to deal with. And then of course by their attraction to each other.
Book two, Heir to a Dark Inheritance features Sayid’s brother in arms, the Russian ex-mercenary Alik. Alik is essentially morally bankrupt and has spent most of his life man-whoring his way through the world.
Until he gets a notice that he has a child, and that unless he comes to claim parental rights, that child is going to be adopted out to someone else.
Alik is in no position to take care of a child, but he can’t imagine never seeing his daughter either. Can’t imagine abandoning her like his own parents did to him.
But Jada Patel, the widow whose been caring for little Leena, and who is attempting to adopt her won’t be parted for the child she considers to be hers. Which leaves them with one option, naturally. Marriage! 😉
In the end, I had a blast writing this ‘secret baby’ series. The characters were some of my favorites to play with (how can you not enjoy an amoral ex-merc??). And it was truly rewarding to watch all of them try and deal with the demands, both physical and emotional, that loving a child, even an unexpected one, places on you.
So now I’ve talked about secret babies…what are some of your favorite romance themes? Comment below and you’ll be entered to win epub copies (DRM free so conversion is possible) of BOTH of my Secret Heirs of Powerful Men books, Heir to a Desert Legacy and Heir to a Dark Inheritance!
Posted in A - B Authors, Contemporary, Guest Blogger, March 2013, Samhain Publishing on March 26, 2013| 12 Comments »
Of all the islands in all the world, she’s come to his.
Under the Caribbean Sun, Book 2
Holly Hansen has sacrificed too much to let anything-“especially” a man-get in the way of making her clothing line a success. When she arrives on the island of Anguilla, she zeroes in on the biggest threat to her make-or-break photo shoot. At six-and-a-half foot of sculpted Dutch muscle, Harmannus Prinsen is every inch the womanizer of Caribbean legend, but he will “not” be seducing any of her models. She knows exactly how to make sure of it. Make the girls think he’s taken.
Harm is stunned when the curvaceous beauty greets him with a mind-numbing kiss. She’s the embodiment of every pin-up portrait he collected as a teen, with a sassy tongue and a body that begs for his touch. Sure, he’ll pretend to be her date…but only if they “really” date.
Despite her best efforts to remain immune to his charms, Holly finds herself falling for the man behind the myth. She begins to wonder which island she belongs on…Manhattan or Anguilla.
Warning: Contains an island bad boy with an orgasmic library, and a career-focused heroine who learns that being the focus of one man’s…attentions…isn’t so bad. Clothing optional.
How to start a story. It always hangs me up. I know the characters I want to find a way to weave together, a few predicaments they’ll find themselves in, but it’s not until I know how it all begins that I can write forward.
With my latest, Caribbean Casanova, I had a daring woman and a beast of a man and a problem with how to introduce them to one another. These two were not going to get along, so a cute meet was only going to annoy them and they were prickly enough. When you can’t do sweet, you might as well go for sexy.
So she kisses him. Not in a hey-sexy-I-can’t-help-myself way, but in a I-have-a-few-tricks-up-my-sleeveless-dress way. And since he’s a man, sexy woman all over you short-circuits the defense mechanisms. Temporarily.
As a reader, I’m a sucker for a cute meet. Give me a fun first impression and I know our couple has a great story to tell the grandkids. In my print release this month, For Kicks, the heroine literally falls for the hero. Or on him. Whatever.
What are some of your favorite story openings? Whomever has one that entices me to buy a book wins a $5 Amazon (or other ebook retailer) gift card… I’m an easy mark. So go on…
Jenna Bayley-Burke :: blog | website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads
Caribbean Casanova :: Samhain | Amazon | B&N | Kobo
Posted in April 2013, Book Reviews, G - H Authors, Paranormal Romance, Penguin Group on March 25, 2013| 3 Comments »
Mary has felt different her whole life. She married Justin in an attempt at normalcy and when he admitted he was gay and their marriage was dissolved, all she felt was relief that she didn’t have to pretend anymore. Now the chaos in her life is coming to a head. Dropping weight she can’t afford, losing sleep because of dreams she can’t understand, and suddenly hearing voices in the wind, Mary is on the edge. To avoid a doctor’s appointment Justin insists on, she takes off for a drive, not knowing that one decision will save her life and change everything she thought she knew.
After a day filled with visions, kidnap attempts, and murder, Mary is found by Michael who starts to explain to her why she has felt different. They are from an alien race that came to Earth over 6,000 years ago in search of a criminal, The Deceiver. They are born to humans and their souls are reincarnated after death then reborn, where it takes years for them to recover their memories. Each of their members have a partner, a counterbalance to their soul that they aren’t complete without and Mary is Michael’s. But this is the first time in 900 years that Mary’s soul has been reborn as Michael has searched each life for her. Now Mary must adjust quickly to her new reality and old memories that are flooding in because she is on The Deceiver’s radar and that is the only hope Mary and Michael have of surviving this life with their souls intact.
Rising Darkness has a much different feel than Harrison’s Elder Races series. It’s dark, it’s sinister, and while it is definitely a romance, it has a very strong urban fantasy vibe. Intense and tightly woven, it drew me in from the beginning and kept me reading late. This is also a two-parter. Mary and Michael’s journey will continue in Falling Light next February. I was a little torn on what to say in this review because I can’t recommend Rising Darkness unequivocally to everyone. If you prefer the more traditional romance with the HEA tied up in a neat bow at the end, you may not love this book as much as I did. If you are looking for a unique, intense paranormal romance with strong world-building, then I’d recommend giving Rising Darkness a shot.
Favorite quote
“You’re a miracle,” he said. “I didn’t think I knew how to feel anymore. I thought I was half dead.” He covered her mouth with his and whispered against her lips, “My miracle. My home.”
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: April 2, 2013
Format: Print and digital
Preorder:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Posted in Book Winners, March 2013 on March 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »
The new winner of a $10 gift card from Eliza Daly is
Congrats! To claim your prize, please email lillie80 @ gmail.com (without the spaces). You have 48 hours to email before a new name is chosen.
Posted in Book Winners, March 2013 on March 24, 2013| 2 Comments »
wins a $10 gift card from Eliza Daly
*
wins a digital copy of Wolf With Benefits by Shelly Laurenston
*
wins Once and Again and Lost in You by Lauren Dane
*
wins A Fine Romance by Christi Barth
*
wins Down For the Count by Christine Bell and a $10 gift card
*
Congrats! To claim your prize, please email lillie80 @ gmail.com (without the spaces). You have 48 hours to email before a new name is chosen.
Posted in A - B Authors, Entangled, Guest Blogger, March 2013 on March 22, 2013| 16 Comments »
He was a dare she’d never been able to resist…
Cat Thomas has never been the kind of girl to stick. A self-professed infatuation junk, she latches on the newest, hottest guy on the block, then finds a reason–real or imagined–to dump him. When she accepts a dare to rekindle her high school flame and jump in bed with her brother’s best friend, Shane Decker, she knows she’s in trouble. She can’t resist the man, even after all these years apart, and that just won’t do.
Shane has come back to town for a couple reasons. The biggest one? He’s tired of living away from those he loves, including Cat. But now she’s spooked and will do anything to drive a wedge between them, including trying to fix him up with other women through an online dating service.
What does he have to do to make her see that settling down doesn’t mean settling, and he’s ready to spend a lifetime proving it?
Thanks so much to the ladies at RR@H for inviting me by today! I thought it would be fun if, instead of me rambling about my book, we got to know each other a little! I’ll start off with MY top five pet peeves. THEN, I’ll ask YOU guys to list YOUR top five pet peeves in comments! And one random winner will get a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card and a digital copy of Down For the Count, book 1 in the Dare Me series. (unless their pet peeve is contests. In that case, I’ll pick another person.)
Okay, so that’s me. What about YOU guys? What drives you nuts? It doesn’t have to be rational. It could be “The sound of my husband chewing lettuce” and I won’t judge. This is a judgment-free zone!
Oh, and if you’d like to learn more about my Dare Me series, click HERE for the first chapter in each book!
 | JenM on The Closing of Novel Thou… |
 | Mad on The Closing of Novel Thou… |
 | flchen1 on The Closing of Novel Thou… |
 | Patoct on The Closing of Novel Thou… |
 | bookmom on The Closing of Novel Thou… |
No Smexy Time
Mild Smexy Time
Moderate Smexy Time
Hot Smexy Time
Muy Caliente Smexy Time
Tearjerker
Sigh Worthy
Funny
Recommended Read
All-Nighter
Hawt!
Suspenseful Read
Sweet Read
Family
Oriented
Impressive
Worldbuilding
Honorary Mention of Book Sluts 'R' Us Blogger Awards by Kris & Tracy
RR@H Novel Thoughts & Book Talk 