Got this one on my wish list, Laura, strictly for the Lauren Dane novella. Glad you enjoyed most of it!
You need to read the "Chase Bros." series, I think you'd enjoy them!
I like that "Yuck Meter" comment, by the way... :D

Hi, Auntee (big wave!)--

You'll LOVE the Dane novella. Really, really good.

My "Yuck Meter"...yeah, I can handle most erotica stuff, even if I'm not into it. But my YM goes off big time when instead of a sex scene making me hot it makes me think "Eeew...bacteria!" You know?

xoxo
Laura Stamps
Author of Paranormal Romance and Erotica Novels
http://www.LauraStamps.blogspot.com (to read excerpts from my novel series)

Laura,
I am DEFINATELY going to add this to my TBR mountain:) If you like it and recommend it, well I know I will. You are crackin' me up with your yuck factor...Bacteria??? Hee hee...Great review girl!

Oy, bacteria?! 'Nuff said... ;)

I'm not an anthology fan but just the teeny cover on GR with your reveiw made me check it out---I am a sucker for good marketing (lol)!

Hi, East!

I was in a different bookstore today and saw this novel cover-out from 50 feet away. Yeah, I think that's why I bought it too. A cover like that is really gutsy marketing, and I love good marketing too!

xoxo
Laura Stamps
Author of Paranormal Romance and Erotica Novels
http://www.LauraStamps.blogspot.com (to read excerpts from my novel series)

LORD OF THE DEEP by Dawn Thompson--have you seen the cover of this book Laura? It sends you towards cardiac arrest I swear! The book is one of the biggest suck all books I've ever read but that cover [and the blurb on the back somewhat ;) ] made me buy it. It screamed at me when I saw it! BUY ME LADY!! Huge waste of time and money, but what a nice bit of eye candy :D Then you have really good books like Kresely Cole's IAD series. I had them on my TBR pile for months before reading them because the covers weren't very "inviting". MISTAKE! They are some of my favourite books hands down. Right now I'm reading Nalini Singh's SLAVE TO SENSATION and that's another book that's been lolling on the TBR pile because the cover looks tawdry to me so it's not a read-me-now book. I finally picked it up and I'm kicking myself for not having read it sooner. It's excellent! So even though I've been burned on many occasion I'm still judging a book by it's cover subconsciously--like I said I'm a sucker for good marketing (lol!) :D

East:

How about being judged because of a book's cover?! I've told this story to a couple of people (so forgive me if you've heard it already), but today I received a shipment of those kind of books from B&N. You know the ones - they have those very sexy and sometimes embarrassing covers. Nestled in the box full of my hot reads was a copy of the New Testament. No, I didn't order it either! Once my boss and both started laughing, he told me that a disgruntled employee probably decided I needed a good old-fashioned dose of the Bible after seeing my book order.

Laura:

Thanks for another funny review. = )

Tammy that's hilarious that New Testament story! I saw on Amazon while searching for some Maya Banks reviews an add about Amazon's "Christian bookstore deals" just under her books!--I thought ok, someone made a mistake somewhere (lol)! Then just below the reviews is a forum link on Christian books! Someone does not know what kind of writing Maya Banks does I think --or maybe they do and they're trying to get people to amend like whoever slipped in the New Testament into your box(lol!)

The most embarrassing cover I currently have on TBR in Jami Alden's PRIVATE PARTY. Of course it's a trade size too that screams "PORN PORN PORN" so you can't miss it. That's a "home read" only ;) I made the mistake of taking my LORD OF THE DEEP out of the house with me when I was reading it and I had someone say "oh what are you reading". Quickly shoved that into my bag and made it sound like a boring ol' text book. A lot of the books I have have beefcake guys on the covers and a few bodice rippers but you don't see those that often. I have to get a book "protector" ;)

Just curious, East--Did you have the nerve to buy "Lord of the Deep" at a store, or did you buy it online? I'll only go so far buying books at the store with those provocative covers! I usually don't let it bother me, but I had to draw the line with that one! lol
It's been my experience that people only ask 'what are you reading' when you have a book with a sexy cover or title! They never want to know when you're reading a literary classic!
I've had to make a couple homemade book covers to cover some of the books I read in front of my young nephews! I don't want to damage their psyches! My eight year old nephew likes to read and he's very curious about what Auntee's reading--and he asks about the homemade covers (nosy kid!) I just tell him I'm going to sell the book and have to keep it from getting dirty. I know that's weak, but he buys it! :)

Well..as someone who pretty much always has a book in her hand, when people at work or wherever ask me what I'm reading and it's one of the 'good' ones, I usually just say, "Smut, and loving it!!"
J

Auntee and East:

Please let me butt in here! I was going to ask LORD OF THE DEEP what exactly? Then I looked up the book cover. OH MY. I am going to have to add this to my next online order and hope they don't ship another Bible or a whole priest or holy water!

Oh God Tammy NO! Don't buy the book! It's horrible! It's like an x-rated version of Disney's The Little Mermaid! It's pure porn and poorly written at that. It's super-flowery and stilted. I only know a few people who've read it (suckered in by the cover like me!) and no one liked it even a smidge. Ok there must be some people who liked it because it's still selling but wow was it ever bad! Lords of Satyre have similar covers (and are supposed to be equally bad I've heard!) but Lord of the Deep is the best I think ;)

I laughed at your "deep what" question--LOL! "The deep" meaning "the sea"--though by looking at the cover you could be led to believe otherwise (lol!!!) Mind you there's so much of this guy's schlong description in the book that it could easily be interpreted for that too! ;)

They might send you a whole stack of Bibles this time if you do end up ordering it ;)

LOL Auntee about your nephew! My mother in-law is ALWAYS asking me what I'm reading. She doesn't like romance books so I always say it's "about a woman in medieval times" or "it's about Scotland" LOL! Too complicated to get into the nitty gritty ;) And yes I shouldn't care but still...

I buy all my books online because there are no English bookstores where I am and to order from the stores here would take months because they only ship overseas orders by boat and charge a huge fortune for it. With the up and down American dollar my best deals are from the US. It's often more expensive for me to get something from neighbouring Australia than to have it shipped from the US --and that's with shipping if you can believe it.

It doesn't really bother me to buy racey books at the bookstore either or ask for them say when I'm on vacation in an English speaking country---of course I have to put up with the "comments" and "looks of gawwwwd" from hubby :) Sometimes just to bug him when he's looking at some Clive Cussler or Tom Clancey book I'll drop all my romance novels that I plan on buying in his arms and say "can you hold these for a minute I have to find a salesperson and ask something" and then I hightail it out of there :p Once he sees the covers I've dumped on him he's no doubt swearing and rolling his eyes :p

Thanks for the tip, East. The book looks like it is worth buying just for the cover alone!

BTW: When someone who doesn't like romance novels questions what I am reading, I normally tell them it is "women's fiction" unless I am in one of my smart ass moods. Then I just smile and tell them I am reading smut!

The "smut" comment must get quite a reaction :p

You guys are hilarious!!!

East you are so bad--your poor hubby! :D

You know you are one determined reader--I really feel for you and what you have to go through to get your books--most people would probably just give up!
I am curious--how long does it take for books to get to you after you've ordered them? You must really have to do a lot of planning before you buy--I guess "Fire and Ice" is somewhere in the Pacific on it's way to you, huh? :D
Hang in there!

He more than deserves it believe me Auntee (lol!)

I'm a book addict and if I don't get my fix on a daily basis I'm in withdrawal hell!!!

If I lived in the US I'd be one rich woman what with all the money I'm charged in overseas shipping I swear! You guys get free shipping left right and centre when you order online or even just walking into the bookstore and feasting my eyes on the shelves and shelves of books is always a highlight for me :) Thankfully book buying is my only vice :p

Books usually take a good 3 weeks to arrive from the date they were shipped from North America. If I order off Amazon then I have to factor in another week for their packaging etc--hoping it's in stock too! The only planning I do is to see how I can take advantage of the 4 books for the price of 3 deals this way I always get one free. This never works for erotica or trade size books though it's usually only mass market. I don't usually buy one book at a time---I like to point out my saving techniques to hubby on occasion, but he's a hard sell :p Thank god I don't particularly like hardcovers otherwise I'd really be in the poor house! I'm on a few bookswap sites to but I prefer new books --I shudder to think what I spend in a year! And yes Fire and Ice and the 4th IAD is flying around the Pacific waiting to come to its new home :D

I agree Auntee. This whole discussion has me ROTFL!

Wow, East. I feel incredibly spoiled. But I bet it feels like Christmas when your books finally arrive!

I love to tear into the boxes when they do arrive that's for sure :) I usually get an order every 3 weeks or so so it's mini-Christmases throughout the year :D

(Hi, Tammy)
Glad you enjoyed my review!! It's a fun book.

(Hi, East)
Yowza! You're right. The covers of "Lord of the Deep" and "Private Party" are HOT. Good thing "Private Party" has gotten such good reviews on Goodreads. I'm going to add it to my TBR list. Speaking of covers, I adore covers with yummy guys or HOT scenes. And I would LOVE to have steamy covers like that on my novels. But so many of my readers complain about hot covers, in that they don't like to read them in public or buy them in bookstores. So I put pretty covers on my books. I have a new hot PNR vamp series coming out next year, and after doing lots of market research with my readers I have decided on black covers with just the title and my name and a big, bright, gorgeous flower on the cover (because the main vamp in the series owns an impressive greenhouse). Would love to have yummy guys on the covers but it would probably hurt my sales. Oh, well...

(Hi, Auntee!)
As for buying hot covers, I have no shame (grin). And I'm lucky the girls who work at my local Waldenbooks not only know me but are also as hormonally charged as I am, because I will buy a book with a cover like "Vegas" without batting an eye. Not only do they drool over the cover while they are ringing it up on the cash register but will then pull me back to their awesome erotica section and pull out all the covers they shelved recently that made them see stars. So I'm in good company there. Amazing since this is the Deep South Bible Belt. But then you could say I crossed that line a long time ago when I came "out of the broom closet" as a Witch. So me being a "lusty" Witch is probably no big shock to anyone.

My only challenge now is keeping my publisher from freaking as every new novel he publishes of mine has more and more hot sex in it. In fact he has gotten to the point where he flips through the manuscript first to check out all the sex scenes. Then he emails me when his heart rate returns to normal. Only then does he start at the beginning of the manuscript and read it all the way through. I can only imagine what he is going to say when he receives the manuscript for the third novel in my Witchery series in June ("Call of the Witches"). I'm going to have to do some sweet-talking for sure! But that's what I get for being such a stinker. Yeah, I enjoy every minute of it. *big smile*

xoxo
Laura Stamps
Author of Paranormal Romance and Erotica Novels
http://www.LauraStamps.blogspot.com (to read excerpts from my novel series)

Laura,

I'm just wondering what you thought when you saw your review for "What Happens in Vegas..." got 23 comments. I bet you were like...huh?!
It looks like we just got on a roll last night and it snowballed--look what you started! :D

You're a lucky girl to have a nice, big Waldenbooks nearby, with all the erotica you could want. I've just got a couple of Border's Express and a B&N nearby, and the selection is really limited. I think I'm going to have to venture further out towards the big city and find a bigger book store!

And all that sex you're putting in your books--I think Ms. Holly is rubbing off on you!! ;D

Hi, Auntee!

Yeah, I am really lucky to have the Waldenbooks in my mall. Borders has been through some tough times in the last 5 years and closed some of the other Waldenbooks stores in town and cut the one I go to in half, size-wise. Still it has everything to do with the great girls who work there and their love for erotica. My local B&N is 6 times larger, and it was a store I used to shop at a lot too. But they have a new regional manager who rules like a pirate, so he got rid of the section for Southern Fiction (which sold a lot of books) and guts the store regularly with massive returns. And they mix erotica with their smaller romance section, so you really have to hunt there. Not to mention the trouble both of my print publishers are suddenly having when it comes to getting my books in there now, considering my books have always sold well for them before this new DM took over. Ugh! What can I say? The book business is always a challenge (grin).

Ha! I freaked when I opened my hotmail account this morning and saw all the comments on my review. What a hoot! But I'm not surprised I started something with it. My acupuncture doctor says he can always tell when I'm there. He says it sounds like the ladies section is having a party. So I guess we started our own party here with this review. Sounds good to me!!

I know. Holly has been a wonderful influence on me. I have always admired how Kathy Love makes her sex scenes erotic and the frequency of her sex scenes the max in PNR. So that is what I try to do too with my PNR novels. You have a certain amount of sex scenes per book for PNR, and you have a certain amount for erotica. I want to get as close to the wire as I can with my PNR novels without falling off the cliff into erotica. And I've been dragging my publisher along with me. Good thing I was raised in the Deep South....my talent for sweet-talking has come in really handy when it comes to that. But I'm lucky in that he's a really nice guy, too. Although I do tend to make him blush...much to my delight (big smile). I know, I'm such a stinker!

xoxo
Laura Stamps
Author of Paranormal Romance and Erotica Novels
http://www.LauraStamps.blogspot.com (to read excerpts from my novel series)

You know a black cover is quite eye-catching I think too Laura because it's so stark an unusual to see. The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by A. N. Roquelaure and Anne Rice is black with just the title and it caught my eye right away. Must be hard to find something new and fresh when you put out a book.

What exactly does a "witch" do in this day and age???

Hi, East--

Thanks! I'm glad you like that idea. I thought it would be pretty too. I can just see a bright pink tiger lily on one cover and a bold sunflower on another. They would really pop against a black background, you know? I paint all my own covers (used to be a professional artist 20 years ago before I began painting with words). And florals are what I am known for, so it should work. I also have florals in a collage with elemnts from the novel on the cover of "What Witches Want."

Thanks for giving me my first big laugh of the day! What does a Witch do in this day and age? Great question! I was telling someone the other day that is exactly why I wrote my Witchery series novels ("The Witches of Dixie," "What Witches Want," and "Call of the Witches"). People really have no idea what Wiccans and Pagans do these days and how we live our lives. All they know are the myths, most of which are untrue. So I decided to set the record straight with this novel series. Not to convert (because Witches aren't into that), but to educate as well as entertain with a good story.

Have you been to my main book blog yet (the link is in my sig)? You'll find links to that series there and the first two chapters of each novel to read as well as comments from readers and reviewers. That should tell you a lot. If you want more info send me an email at laurastamps@mindspring.com and I'll be happy to chat with you about this basically feminist, nature-loving religion. Big fun!

xoxo
Laura Stamps
Author of Paranormal Romance and Erotica Novels
http://www.LauraStamps.blogspot.com (to read excerpts from my novel series)

I'll have to check out your blog then and get the witch low-down :)