Mari Carr's Blog, page 81

Kathy Kulig

One of my favorite authors, Kathy Kulig, is taking over the blog, entertaining you while I’m away at RT. She has a new book coming out today and the title reminds me of one of my absolute favorite weeks of the year!

One Night Stands

You barely know his last name, and he barely knows yours. Maybe you met while traveling on business, through friends, on vacation, at a friend’s wedding or another event, but one thing for sure, the chemistry is there and you want each other BAD! The sex is guaranteed to be hot! Well, maybe, if you communicate well.

The number one reason for having a one night stand? Sex, hot, hot sex!

Chances are you may never see each other after that night, and you understand that, and if you’re smart you’ll accept that reality. There’s a risk of guilt and shame the morning after too. In a small percentage of one night stands, the couple end up in a long term relationship, even marriage, but don’t count on that.

Are there rules or tips for one night stands? Just because the sex is casual, use common sense:

Don’t have one night sex with a co-worker, a boss, a sibling’s friend, or anyone who’d put you in an awkward situation later.
Practice safe sex, obviously.
Don’t discuss personal matters. A data dump of your last break-up/divorce is a big no-no.
Never let a stranger tie you up, duh.
Keep the clingy emotions out of it. Remember the number one reason for having a one night stand.

Two adults doing are what they both want, and that isn’t a bad thing as long as you don’t have any expectations the day after.

What are your thoughts on one night stands?

In my new release, SPRING BREAK, release date 4/13 from Ellora’s Cave,  my hero and heroine have a one night stand that actually turns into a ménage. They know what they’re getting into. They’re adults and accept that this may be a onetime fling. See what happens their morning after.

Here’s the Blurb:

Spring break beyond your wildest fantasies? If Justin Watkins can stop keeping watch over his college students like Big Brother, he might convince the prim-and-proper Mariko Maguire to be his sex partner at the invitation-only adult club called TropiX.

Mariko is in Fort Lauderdale on business, trying to secure new clients for her PR firm. Abandoning prior commitments for one wickedly lustful evening—a one-night stand of kinky sex—was not on her agenda.

Carter Bosworth is looking for an evening of sex games during his layover in the tropical playground. He’s a regular at TropiX and always open for a new thrill. His plans are sidetracked, but it may be to his benefit after all when he meets the beautiful Mariko. The potent heat developing between Justin and Mariko tempts her into shedding her inhibitions, and an exploration in eroticism develops beyond her imagination at the fetish club.

Excerpt. 

Thanks so much for having me Mari!

I’m giving an ebook copy from any of my backlist books. I’ll select a name from one of the people commenting on this blog post on April 18th. Please leave your email in the comment

Find me: www.kathykulig.com

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Look out Chicago!

Here I come! The Romantic Times Convention will take place this week in the Windy City and I couldn't be more excited. This week will mark the first time SO many of my International Heat pals will be in the same place at the same time. IHers in attendance will include Rhian Cahill, Lexxie Couper, Lila Dubois, Jambrea Jo Jones, Mari Carr, Bianca D'Arc, Anne Rainey, Valerie Tibbs, and Jayne Rylon. Yep…if you're counting that's 9 of the 12 of us. Chicago is in a whole lotta trouble! LOL

While at the conference, I'll be sitting on a panel about ebook publishers, hosting Red Hot Pictionary with the IH gals, attending the nightly parties (zombies, fairies and hip hoppers, oh my!). I also get to help Lexxie Couper celebrate her birthday (I won't tell you which one). My editors will be there as well–yay! I'm rooming with Jayne Rylon–poor girl always gets stuck with me! What I don't anticipate doing is sleeping or dieting. I won't miss either!

If any of you live in the Chicago area there is an ebook expo on Thursday from 4-6 and a huge print book signing on Saturday from 11-2. Both are open to the public. Check out the RT link above for more details. I'd love to see you!

Quote of the Day

I haven't done a quote lately so I thought I'd share this one I heard just last week. It resonated as so true to me…

"Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: All of them make me laugh." – WH Auden

Saturday Snippet

The song Tracks of my Tears reminds me of my book, Kiss Me Kate. In the story, Kate's been kicked around by life and a cheating husband for years. Finally, she decides to take back control of her life. I really like Kate. She's strong, intelligent and no matter how many times she's knocked down, she manages to get back up again.

Snippet:

"Jesus, Kate." Rick rushed to her side. The compassion and worry in his voice was her undoing as tears flooded her eyes.

She didn't recall Rick picking her up and carrying her to the sofa in the living room, but she figured he must have because when the sobs finally subsided, she was tucked on his lap as he rocked her, whispering comforting words in her ear.

"I'm s-sorry," she stammered. "I never c-cry."

"Good God, Kate." His grip on her tightened even more. "I think you're allowed under the circumstances."

As Kate struggled to pull herself together, she took several deep breaths and forced the tears to stop. "I'm okay now."

Taking her chin between his fingers, he raised her face until she had no choice but to look into his dark eyes. She watched an angry scowl cross his face as he turned her head slightly to the left. "He hit you."

Realizing Zack's blows must have left a mark, she reached up to cover her cheek and nodded only slightly, afraid of the absolute fury she saw on Rick's face.

"I'm sorry I didn't shoot him. I'll have to rectify that situation the next time I see him."

His anger and tough words struck her as funny and sweet and incredibly macho and before she could think better of it, she laughed.

Rick looked at her, completely confused by her sudden about-face, which only caused her to laugh harder.

"Can I playLois Lane to your Superman?" she asked in between giggles.

Rick merely smiled at her silly comment and took her breath away with his response. "You can be my Lois anytime, gorgeous lady, but do you think I'm kidding about shooting that asshole?"

Realizing she was laughing at his attempts toward chivalry, she quickly stopped and shook her head. "No, I'm sure you mean it. But you're a smart guy, Rick, and I'm sure by tomorrow you and I can figure out a way to get even with Zack the Rat without going to prison. Trust me, he's not worth that. Okay?" She hoped her light tone would help the seriousness of her words penetrate the anger that continued to linger in his eyes.

"Revenge without prison sounds good." His gorgeous, dimpled grin was back in place and causing her to squirm on his lap. The movement brought her derriere in direct contact with a surprisingly firm part of him and she gasped, looking up into his eyes. The laughter and anger she'd found there in the previous moments were replaced with something much more disturbing and exciting—lust, pure and simple lust.

"Rick." Her voice was a mere whisper and she fought to repress a shiver as his eyes traveled from her face down her body.

Glancing down, she realized she was as good as naked, with her shirt hanging open to reveal her lacy new bra and her skirt hovering around the tops of her thighs, leaving at least two inches of bare leg showing above her black garters.

"Oh." Her unfamiliar feelings of lust and the lingering fear of Zack's actions crashed in on her all at once and stole away the self-confidence she'd felt when the night began. She looked like a disaster and felt even worse. She struggled to cover herself despite the trembling of her hands. Rick grasped her hands in one of his to still them.

"No, let me." He pulled her skirt down gently. "I'm afraid all the buttons are gone on this shirt." The slippery material of the blouse refused to stay closed.

His words brought frustrated tears to her eyes. "The best laid schemes o' mice and men," she whispered under her breath, her voice hoarse from crying. As far as seduction set-ups went, this had to have been the worst in all of history.

"Gang aft a-gley? Go astray?" Rick finished her quote with a question in his voice.

Kate was startled by his knowledge of the Burns poem and the annoying fact that he always answered her mumblings. She shook her head in amazement. "How in the hell did you know the rest of that line?"

Rick laughed. "Tenth-grade English. We read Steinbeck's novel. I must have paid attention that day. What was it referring to here?"

Regretfully, Kate rose from his all-too-cozy lap. "It's not important." Her seduction plans for Rick were hanging in tatters around her, much like her ruined shirt. So much for making a better first impression on Rick than the one she'd managed in May. She'd started the night feeling confident and beautiful. Now she could feel the mascara tracing the tracks of her tears, her hair hanging limply down her back and her sexy new clothes were utterly ruined.

"I should run up and change my clothes. I'm a bit indecent."

Kate thought for a moment Rick was going to say something, but he merely nodded and she escaped to her bedroom. As she closed the door behind her, she fought back the fresh round of tears that threatened. Walking to the mirror, she inspected her face. The damage Zack wrought was worse than she'd feared. Her mascara was indeed smeared down her face. Almost all of her hair had escaped its French braid and she could see a dark bruise forming on her right cheek where Zack slapped her not once, but twice. The thought of his attack and her image in the mirror didn't upset her as much as it made her furious.

"That son of a bitch," she muttered. "Who the hell does he think he is?" Zack Summers married her fresh out of college, stole her innocence and then steadily ignored her for the next six years. Now, just as she was getting back on her feet, the bastard returned for round two.

"No sir. Not going to happen."

Catching her reflection in the mirror once more, Kate felt her confidence crumble, considering her plans for tonight once more. "Not going to happen." How could she seduce Rick? Even with fancy clothes, hair and makeup, she'd been a nervous wreck.

"Back to square one," she said to herself as she briefly toyed with the idea of calling Jill to get another much-needed pep talk.

No. No Jill. There was no way in hell she was going to let Zack the Rat ruin one more night of her life. She'd worked hard for tonight and she deserved it. She wanted one night—well, actually one week of magic with a man who made her toes curl and, by God, she was going to have it. No more acting like her usual bumbling, mumbling, nervous, shy self. Grabbing a tissue, she started to scrub away the mascara.

"You can do this," she chanted as she washed her face, combed out her tangled hair and changed her clothes.

When she looked in the mirror again, she saw herself—Kate Harper—and again she was filled with uneasiness. Considering her sister's silly advice, she wondered, what would Jill do?

Go downstairs and rip the man's clothes off.

"Oh yeah," she muttered with a light laugh. "Good luck with that, Kate."

Kiss Me Kate is available at Ellora's Cave, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, and All Romance Ebooks.

Want more snippets?

Megan Hart:Read in bed!

Rhian Cahill

Eliza Gayle

Lissa Matthews

Mandy M Roth

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin

HelenKay Dimon

Leah Braemel

Shiloh Walker

TJ Michaels

Lauren Dane

Hoppy Easter Blog Hop

This holiday weekend I'm participating in a super fun blog hop. Details can be found here. There are lots of awesome authors giving away some pretty cool prizes.

I'll be awarding one winner an ebook copy of my latest release, Screwdriver. The contest is quite easy. Since it's Easter and everyone thinks of sweet treats, in the comments section simply tell me what candy you'd like the Easter Bunny to hide under your pillow this year.

I'm also running a second contest from now until the end of the month. Subscribe to my blog to have your name thrown in the hat to win a signed print copy of one of my books as well as some other fun treats. Contest ends April 30. Already subscribed? No problem. You're already entered.

Screwdriver, Cocktales, book 2

When Jordan Lance isn't poring over spreadsheets for Books and Brew, she's fantasizing about the store's landlord. Too bad she's squarely in Gabriel's "just friends" column. Jordan's prepared to pine forever—until she meets Casey. The handyman is hot, handsome, charming…and Gabriel's best friend. Suddenly her wicked fantasies are porntastic times two.

Casey has suspected his friend's interest in Jordan. If he can push them together, he might get Gabriel off the bimbo train he's been riding. The plan? Jealousy. And it's working. It's not long before Gabriel's deeper feelings forJordanemerge. Problem is…so do Casey's. What happens when two friends want the same woman? Red-hot ménage, baby.

Two gorgeous men exploring every inch of her body? Um, yes please! Jordandoesn't know if threesomes are considered acceptable, but she's sure of one thing—being this bad feels far too good.

Excerpt:

Casey looked closer at the AC unit. "Damn. I was afraid of that."

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"I was hoping it was an issue with the belt, but the motor bearings are shot. I'm going to need to order a part."

"So it's not getting fixed today?"

"I'll see if I can rig a workaround for the time being." He stood and stretched. "God bless it, Jordan. I apologize if this offends you, but it's hot as hell in here." Reaching for the hem of his t-shirt, he whipped the thin cotton over his head and fanned himself with it.

Her now-familiar blush returned and Casey felt compelled to prod, to see if his suspicions about Jordan's underlying naughty side were true. "Just so you know, I absolutely will not be upset if you decide to follow suit and work shirtless for the rest of the afternoon."

The twinkle in her eyes let him know she enjoyed his joke. "I'm fine with my shirt on."

"You sure?" he teased, taking a step closer. "I don't mind helping you peel it off." He reached out but she darted away, her smile widening.

"Casey," she said, swatting his hands away. She dodged behind the AC unit and he followed.

The two of them played a quick game of cat and mouse as Casey chased her around the storage closet.

He'd just captured her, Jordan squealing loudly, when the door to the closet opened.

"Jordan? Are you okay?" a deep voice asked from the hallway.

Gabriel peered around the door and Casey wondered what his best friend thought he was seeing. They certainly presented a risqué picture—Casey shirtless, his arms wrapped around Jordan from behind while she laughed.

"Hey, Gabe." Casey released Jordan and pulled his shirt back on. "What are you doing here?"

Gabriel's response was slow in coming as his gaze traveled from Casey to Jordan. "I was checking on your progress." Gabriel's eyes landed back on Casey's face and they narrowed angrily. "Looks like you're making some."

Shit. Casey's suspicions about Gabe's feelings for Jordan were confirmed in an instant. His friend was hot for the accountant.

Problem was…so was Casey.

"We were taking a break," he explained.

Gabriel looked at Jordan, his expression softening. "You're blood-red, Jordan. You need to get out of this heat."

Casey glanced at her face. Gabriel had made the same mistake he had. Jordan wasn't hot. She was blushing. Big-time.

"I'm okay, Gabe. No worries," she answered. "I can see why you two are friends. Casey's cure for the heat wave is going topless too."

Gabriel's expression darkened even further as he snapped his gaze to Casey once more. "Topless?"

"Actually, I think we're done for the day," Casey said, anxious to change the subject before Gabriel pulverized him. "I need to order a part before I can fix the unit."

Jordan frowned and he sensed she was surprised by his sudden retreat to safer territory. Gabriel had never referred to Jordan as anything more than a pal, but Casey could read between the lines—even if his oblivious friend couldn't.

"Um, yeah. That's right. We were just wrapping things up. It was nice of you to come by and check on us." Jordan's gaze drifted to Gabriel's face and she smiled.

Crap. The pure longing on Jordan's face told Casey all he needed to know in regards to her feelings for Gabriel. It told him more than he wanted to know.

Jordan's cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. "It's Steph. We made plans to do a late lunch. I should take this."

She walked toward the door as she answered the phone. Gabriel stepped aside and let her escape. Casey suspected he wouldn't be freed as easily.

"What the fuck were you doing?" Gabe's question was murmured, but even in the quiet tone, Casey detected the anger. A small part of him was thrilled to hear any emotion at all from his friend.

"I told you. Taking a break."

"With your clothes off?"

Casey shot him a dirty look. "I took off my shirt to cool down. I've been in this godforsaken sweatbox for nearly two hours. Besides, what the hell are you so pissed off about? I'm here because you asked me to fix the air conditioner."

"Why was Jordan in here?"

And now they were getting to the heart of the matter. "I asked her to help me."

"Since when do you need an assistant?"

Casey was hot and tired and annoyed. Not a good combination. Gabe was poking the bear. "I spotted a gorgeous woman and an empty closet. Come on, Gabe. You're a smart guy with a degree in finance. Put two and two together. I'm not averse to mixing work and play."

Gabriel shook his head. "You're not playing with Jordan."

His friend's vehemence tweaked Casey's temper. "Last time I checked, you weren't my keeper. Or Jordan's."

Gabriel rubbed his neck wearily, and for the first time, Casey noticed the dark circles under his friend's eyes.

When he spoke again, Gabriel's voice was calmer. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I saw you with Jordan and I…shit, I guess I lost it."

"Why? I'm not an asshole to women. You know that."

Gabriel shrugged. "I know. She reminds me of Annie in a lot of ways. Somewhere along the line I've become a bit protective of her."

Annie was Gabriel's only sibling, and no little sister had ever been loved more. Casey wasn't sure how to respond. Gabe's initial reaction screamed of jealousy, not brotherly instinct. "I can see why. Jordan's very sweet."

Gabriel didn't seem to appreciate his answer. "So sweet you felt compelled to strip off your shirt and corner her in a storage closet?"

Yep. Definitely jealous.

Screwdriver is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Ellora's Cave

Genre Days

Genre Days continues! The International Heat ladies will be entertaining you with AUSTRALIAN books. There will be lots of excerpts and a daily prize. I hope you'll check it out here.

Nick Blackthorne World Tour

I'm thrilled to be a stop on Nick Blackthorne's World Tour. This man rocks…he's sexy, sensitive, hot. Let's just say he melts my butter! If you're following the tour, I know you're looking for the song lyric, so here you go.

And I want to cry but I can't find the tears

Now! More about Lexxie. Did you know she and I are collaborating on a new series for Ellora's Cave? It's called Foreign Affairs and the first book, Misplaced Princess, should appear in May or June. One of the books that made me KNOW I wanted to write with Lexxie was Love's Rhythm. Lexxie let me beta-read the book for her and I was blown away. She's just so damned talented! Be sure to put this book on your wish lists! You won't regret it!

Love's Rhythm by Lexxie Couper

His music moves the world. Can his love move her heart?

Nick Blackthorne knows all about words of love. They're the reason he's the world's biggest rock star. The irony? He turned his back on love a long time ago, lured away by the trappings of fame.

An invitation to a friend's wedding is a stark reminder of how meaningless his life has become. When he enters that church, there's only one woman he wants on his arm—the one he walked out on a lifetime ago. But first he has to find her, even if all she accepts from him is an apology.

Kindergarten teacher Lauren Robbins once had what every woman on the planet desires. Nick. Their passion was explosive, their romance the stuff of songs…and it took fifteen years to get over him. Then out of the blue Nick turns up at her door, and all those years denying her ache for him are shattered with a single, smoldering kiss.

But molten passion can't hide the secret she's kept for all these years. Because it's not just her heart on the line anymore…and not just her life that'll be rocked by the revelation.

Product Warnings

Remember your first crush on a rock star? Now add smoldering sex, a raw and undeniable passion, soul-shattering orgasms. And secrets…

Excerpt:

"Hello, Lauren," a deep male voice said behind her.

Lauren squealed. An honest to goodness squeal. At the same exact second she spun on her heel and swung her satchel, weighed down with two textbooks, her uneaten lunch, car keys, half-empty water bottle, twenty-two hand-drawn self-portraits tucked in a sturdy cardboard folder, her purse and her iPad.

The satchel smashed into the temple of the man standing behind her.

There was a solid thud, a surprised oof, followed by an even more surprised, "shit, that hurt," before the man went down like a bag of bricks, collapsing to the ground in one fluid, graceful drop. No, not just the man, the rock star. The rock star the whole world idolised, the one who'd grown up in this very parochial town with her.

The rock star who'd stolen her heart in that life she refused to think about.

Lauren's mouth fell open. Her pulse turned into a sledgehammer. She stared at the motionless man lying at her feet, refusing to believe what her eyes were telling her. Nick Blackthorne was here in Murriundah, and she'd rendered him unconscious with the very satchel he'd given to her fifteen years ago.

"Oh, no."

The words were a whispered breath. She dropped to her knees, the ground's winter-damp seeping through the linen of her trousers as she reached out with one hand and gave Nick's shoulder a gentle push. "Nick?"

He didn't move.

Oh boy, Lauren, you've KOed the world's biggest rock star.

She shoved him again, a little harder this time. "Nick?"

He didn't make a sound. Not a bloody one.

"Shit."

Her heart slammed into her throat, just as hard as the satchel had hit his head. She licked her lips and brushed a strand of his black hair from his forehead. He was just as gorgeous as always. Older, yes. He was almost thirty-seven after all, but the years looked good on him, so good. In fact, they suited him. When he'd been a teenager, he'd been god-like in his beauty. When he was in his twenties, that god-like beauty had verged on painful to look at. She'd spent many nights lying in the bed they'd shared for a year and a half, gazing at him while he slept, wondering at his perfection, her belly knotting with love, her sex constricting with longing. And then it had become just her bed, Nick nothing but a ghost in her heart.

She'd stopped reading articles about him somewhere in his late twenties, knowing each one would only make her stupid heart ache. But it was impossible to avoid seeing images of him. He kept popping up on the national news. Australia loved one of their own, especially when they'd won a Grammy or Billboard Award, or when they were dating Hollywood royalty or British royalty, something Nick Blackthorne seemed to do on a regular basis. Even worse was the local Murriundah Herald, the small newspaper constantly keeping the town aware of their famous son and his activities. Those images were hard to escape, and when she had let herself stare at them for longer than a heartbeat, she'd noticed his late twenties and early thirties only elevated his looks to a lived-in sexiness. The tiny seams around his eyes, the lines by his nose, they all heightened what she'd never forgotten—Nick Blackthorne was a sexy, sexy man. And now here he was, unconscious on his side in the Murriundah Public School's muddy playground, looking even sexier than she remembered.

Damn it, what was he doing here? What the hell was he doing back here?

For me?

She frowned, shaking her head at the notion. No. Nick wouldn't be here for her.

Could be. Isn't that what you've dreamed about for the last fifteen years?

Her frown turned into a scowl. No, it bloody well wasn't. She had moved on. She wasn't still the naïve young woman with impossible fantasies and fairy-tale wishes of happy-ever-afters. And if he was here for her—her heart smashed harder into her throat at that thought—he could bloody well bugger off. The last thing she wanted was—

He groaned. A barely audible noise deep in his chest.

Lauren started, a tiny yelp slipping from her. "Nick?"

She nudged his shoulder again, but the groan was about it. "Well, at least I know I didn't kill you," she muttered, giving him a glare. He lay there on the cold ground, long, lean body decked out in black jeans, a black shirt and a black leather jacket she knew would cost more than she earned in a month.

Lauren rubbed at her mouth. What was he doing here? And was he alone? Surely he travelled with an entourage? A bodyguard? She'd seen enough paparazzi images of him to know there was usually a hulking great big guy shadowing him wherever he was. Where was that guy?

She sat back on her haunches, studying the empty playground around her. There were no massive hulking great big guys running at her, which meant she would have to deal with the unconscious Nick.

A tight twisting sensation stirred in the pit of her belly and she bit back a groan. She was not going to get all horny and excited at the idea of dealing with Nick. Besides, there wasn't a hope in hell she could lift him by herself and carry him to her car, even if she wanted to. At five-foot-six and one-hundred-and-thirty pounds wringing-wet, she wasn't exactly the lugging-unconscious-rock-stars-around type even if said unconscious rock star had more than once lay full-length atop her in bed, on the living room floor, the kitchen bench, the—

Lauren slapped her hands to her face, killing the utterly insane train of thought. God, was she an idiot? What the hell was she doing thinking about Nick making love to her?

"You a masochist, Lauren Robbins?" she snarled under her breath, grabbing at her satchel/instrument of destruction before digging her phone from its lethal contents.

She turned it on, keying in Jennifer's number. Hopefully, her best friend was sticking with Friday-afternoon tradition and had closed her vet clinic early. Jennifer was used to dealing with heavy, unresponsive animals, being the only vet in the district. Dealing with an unconscious Nick Blackthorne would be a breeze.

"I've got the margaritas chilling in the fridge already," Jennifer Watson said the moment the connection was made, not bothering with any kind of greeting. "Tell Josh you'll be home later than normal tonight."

"I've got a problem, Jen," Lauren answered, trying hard not to let her gaze roam over Nick. Trying but failing, damn it.

"What's up? And if you tell me you're marking school books I'm coming over there to thump you."

"I'm not marking school books, Jen." Lauren rolled her eyes. "Now shut up and listen carefully."

Jennifer made a dramatic ooh sound before laughing. "Okay, Miss Robbins, I'm listening. What's your boggle?"

Lauren bit at her bottom lip. "Umm, you know how I told you I once dated Nick Blackthorne?"

Jennifer let out a sharp snort. "You mentioned it in passing years ago and never let me bring up the subject again. Is this a confession? Did you lie to me? Or are you going to tease me some more with tales of your past? Did you also date Hugh Jackman? Guy Pearce? Geoffrey Rush?"

Lauren laughed, rolling her eyes. "No, I didn't. But I did date Nick Blackthorne."

"And I'm going to say the same thing I said when you told me before—lucky bitch. Now tell me what's up?"

Lauren took a deep breath. "Well, he's here now."

Silence answered her. For a good twenty seconds or so. Then Jennifer said, "Nick Blackthorne is here?" Her voice, normally calm and laced with mirth, like she knew a really funny joke and was on the verge of sharing it, raised an octave. "In Murriundah?"

Lauren gazed at Nick's face, his stormy-grey eyes shuttered by thick black lashes resting on cheekbones high and strong. A decidedly purplish bruise was beginning to make itself known on the side of his face. "In Murriundah," she answered on a sigh.

Jennifer made a strangled little sound. "And?"

"And I just knocked him unconscious in the school playground."

"What the—"

Lauren jerked the phone from her ear.

"What the hell do you mean you just knocked him unconscious?" Jennifer continued, her voice far from calm and loud enough Lauren could hear each word even with the phone nowhere near her ear. "Why? With what? And why? Jesus Christ, Robbins, who are you really and what—"

Lauren returned her phone to her ear. "Jenny!" she snapped, "I don't have time right now. I need your help. I can't move Nick by myself and I can't leave him on the ground. He'll catch a cold—"

"A cold?" Jennifer interrupted. "You can't leave him on the ground because he'll catch a cold? How 'bout you can't leave him on the ground because he's Nick Blackthorne?"

Love's Rhythm is available for preorder at Samhain. Get your copy today and be ready for the release on April 17!

Genre Days

Genre Days continues! The International Heat ladies will be entertaining you with MULTICULTURAL books. There will be lots of excerpts and a daily prize. I hope you'll check it out here.

Nikki Duncan

Resonating Characters by Nikki Duncan

We all have characters that resonate with us, that stay with us for years. Sometimes these characters are people we meet in real life. Other times they're from books (Roarke, Percy Jackson) or movies (Captain America, Wolverine) or TV shows (Reese from Person of Interest, G from NCIS: LA, Auggie from Covert Affairs). In looking at these first characters who came to mind, I noticed a commonality among them all. Aside from all being male, they are all, in their own unique way, strong and mysterious.

I like to believe everyone has an inner strength that will allow them to overcome hardships and struggles. And an air of mystery about someone is just sexy.

One of my favorite characters ever was Jarod from THE PRETENDER. In case you're not familiar with the show (and *gasp* if you're not) it was on during the '90s with Michael T Weiss as the lead character. He was a genius who could become anyone he wanted to be. As a child he was kidnapped and studied. Then, in his adulthood, he escaped. The entire series was about this man learning how to live in the outside world while always running from the people who had exploited his genius his entire life.

I watch this series over and over and am always amazed at how relatable this character is. You can see his pain and loss and sadness in his eyes. You can see the loneliness that he so desperately wants to overcome, but despite his wants he can't let people in. It's simply too dangerous for them.

The hero in book 3 of the Sensory Ops Series is my own personal Jarod. Dr. H is an empathy who was stolen as a child and experimented on until he was finally able to win his freedom. Unlike Jarod, Dr. H wasn't chased by the people who'd held him most of his life. Or he wasn't until they realized he had something they wanted. Now, all agreements are off and the new game is on.

Tell me which characters resonate with you. Name several. Are they from books or movies or television? What do they seem to have in common, and why do you think you relate to them?

Commenters will be entered into a drawing for an ARC of ILLICIT INTUITIONS, set to release next Tuesday.

Love could be their greatest liability.

Ava Malia knows three things. She was once a kickass covert operative. She will eventually adjust to her new team, the FBI Specialized Crimes Unit. And the only way to finally be free of her professional past is to solve her first case and get her hands on a game-changing technology. The only problem? Success rides on her ability to swallow her distaste for the persona she must adopt in order to earn the trust of a mysterious scientist.

Dr. H escaped childhood captivity with three things. His sister. Complete control of his gift. And an engulfing distrust of anyone in the government. Adjusting to a life of freedom hasn't been easy, but he's found peace in solitude. The sexy woman auditing his empathic studies, though, has a way of getting under his skin that's both arousing and disturbing. Plus, his psychic ability warns him of secrets so deeply buried in her psyche, they'd be better left alone.

Yet their instant attraction strips away all their protective barriers, down to the foundation of a new, fragile trust. And a vulnerability that, when an old enemy opens fire, could blast away any chance of a future.

Read an excerpt of ILLICIT INTUITIONS now!

Genre Days

Genre Days continues! The International Heat ladies will be entertaining you with FANTASY books. There will be lots of excerpts and a daily prize. I hope you'll check it out here.