Jess Dee's Blog, page 10
June 14, 2012
Tropical Haze? It must be Bandicoot Cove
Just a week ago we revealed the stunning covers for the new Bandicoot Cove Anthology: The Wedding. Now we thought we’d tease you a little more, with a new cover…and a peak at the blurbs of the three novellas.
Yep, we have a print book coming next year, an anthology of the three stories: Afternoon Rhapsody, Sunset Heat and Moonlight Mirage.
Read on for your introduction to the tropical haze on Bilby Island.
TROPICAL HAZE: The Blurb
Steamy days, sultry nights, sinful fantasies. Welcome to Bandicoot Cove.
Afternoon Rhapsody by Jess Dee
As Bianca puts her pending divorce aside to enjoy her brother’s wedding, she unexpectedly falls in lust with Brody, a gorgeous man who’s also getting a divorce. However, personal revelations change what they thought they knew about their troubled pasts. And suddenly they wonder if it’s possible to move on.
Sunset Heat by Lexxie Couper
Kennedy never thought she’d be standing in front of Luke again. Naked, thanks to her butterfly phobia. He not only still lights her fire, so does his self-professed rake of a cousin.
Luke fell for Kennedy four months ago, yet he can’t stop thinking about sharing her with Addison. And Addison is shocked that he wants to know Kennedy on all levels. But can desire bring three people together? Or will it destroy any hope of happiness?
Moonlight Mirage by Sami Lee
At her friend’s wedding, Hayley is forced to face the former boss whose rejection sent her packing. Mitch makes her burn as hot as ever. Trouble is, she hasn’t come to the wedding alone.
Mitch knows he made a mistake by pushing his one-time intern away. Hayley’s “plus one”is an unexpected obstacle, but luckily Mitch has never shied away from a little competition…
———————-
If you’d like to read the full blurbs of each story, check out Lex and Sami’s personal blogs:
or read on for Afternoon Rhapsody…
Afternoon Rhapsody, The full blurb
A second chance at love is worth fighting for.
Bandicoot Cove: The Wedding, Book 1
Bianca Rogers is one signature away from finalizing her divorce. And she will finalize it just as soon as she gets home. But for this weekend, she’s putting her troubles aside and enjoying the gorgeous, sunlit luxury of Bandicoot Cove, the resort where her brother is getting married. The last thing she expects is to be knocked off her feet—literally—by gorgeous Brody Evans.
The fireworks are instantaneous. Brody is just her type: sexy, warm, friendly, and in the same boat as her: in the process of getting a divorce.
Spending time together is a mutual no-brainer. Attraction quickly grows to full-blown lust. But flying sparks come with increasingly personal conversations, and soon neither of them can ignore their past mistakes or the circumstances that have led them to the island.
Now it’s time to determine whether old hurts and sudden doubts will prevent love from leading them to a whole new happily ever after.
Warning: If you don’t believe in second chances, never thought it was possible to fall in love again and aren’t interested in scrumptious, hot love scenes, then this story probably isn’t for you. You’d be missing out – big time – but yeah…it’s probably not for you.
___________________________
Bandicoot Cove: The Wedding releases in e-format at Samhain on the 2cnd of August.
Afternoon Rhapsody is already up for pre-order from Amazon. Click here, if you’re interested.
Jess
June 7, 2012
Welcome back to Bandicoot Cove
There’s a wedding taking place at Bandicoot Cove.
On the 4th of September, 2012.
SAVE THE DATE
Keep watching the blog for more info about this special event. If you can’t wait to find out more pop on over to the Bandicoot Cove site and look around.
June 5, 2012
Three Of A Kind releases in print
In case you hadn’t noticed the last couple of blogs…I’m thrilled to announce Three Of A Kind is now available.
This is the print anthology of two of my novellas from the Three Of A Kind Series: Raising The Stakes and Full House.
Since you know I’m gonna be posting this at the Down Under Divas in a few hours, what I thought I’d do is share an excerpt from Raising The Stakes here, and one from Full House over at the Divas.
Enjoy.
Three Of A Kind: By Jess Dee
Know when to hold ’em…
Raising the Stakes
Des could kick himself for introducing his best friend Megan to his poker buddy, Alex. The perfect woman was by his side all this time! Her innocent prodding about why he’s suddenly so distant only increases his hunger for her. Then she gets one step too close—and his self-restraint snaps.
Megan had given up waiting for Des to notice she loves him. Now, God help her, she wants both him and Alex. It may sound greedy, but she has a wildly sexy proposition for her two men…and she hopes they agree to play by her rules.
Full House
It took a six-week business trip to make Max realize he’s ready to take the next step with his lover. Except when he gets to Trev’s place, there’s someone living in the spare room. A woman with the face of an angel.
Trev wants more than a standing Friday-night “date” with Max. He also knows he’s falling hard for Grace. But Grace is poised to run. While Trev is vibrating with lust for the delicious possibilities, he has his hands full trying to hold the two loves of his life together…before they both slip through his fingers.
Product Warnings: If you’re looking for a cool game of poker, you won’t find it here. There’s sex. Lots of sex. Hot sex, sweaty sex, gay sex, straight sex, ménage sex. Oh, and romantic sex. Lots of romantic sex. Hot romantic sex, sweaty romantic sex…you getting the picture?
Raising The Stakes: An Excerpt
“Des?”
Silence.
“Desmond? Where are you?”
“Go back inside, Megan.” His voice came from behind the blue gum.
Megan? Des never called her by her full name.
She walked over to him, making out the profile of his body below the canopy of branches. “Enjoying your cigarette?”
He didn’t answer.
“You don’t smoke.” What a bullshit excuse.
“I don’t want company either.”
Crikey, what crawled up his ass? “I don’t care.” She strode over and planted herself in front of him. “What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing you need to worry about.” He didn’t move, just leaned on the tree, one foot resting against the trunk.
“Listen up, mate.” She poked a finger at his chest. “I’m getting sick of you pushing me away. You got a problem, tell me about it.”
“I’m not in the mood for talking.”
She bristled at his tone. “Yeah? Well I’m not in the mood for leaving you out here to brood. It’s not your style, and it freaks me out. So why not cut the crap and spill your guts?”
He shook his head. “Go away, Meg. I need to be alone.”
“Or else what?” Yes, she goaded him, but she had no choice. If she walked away now, she’d never get through to him. He’d just carry on shutting her out, and she’d have no chance to help him. Rather push him until he cracked. Get whatever troubled him out in the open. She couldn’t bear seeing him like this. So tense and so edgy she hardly recognized him.
“Or else someone is going to get hurt.”
She snorted. “Did you just threaten me?” The idea of Des getting violent was laughable.
He glared at her.
“Oooh, now I’m scared. The big, bad Desmond wants to hit me.”
“I’m not going to hit you. You’re being ridiculous.”
“Oh, really? Then why do you look as if you want to smash your fist into something?”
“Megan!” Her name was a warning.
“Will hitting me make you feel better? Will it help get your frustration and anger out?” He needed to get it out. Whatever else he had bottled up inside needed releasing too. He was wound so tight he could snap any minute.
She opened her arms wide, turning herself into a standing target. “Go ahead, take your best shot.” As if he could ever lay a hand on her.
His arms remained at his sides. “Don’t be an idiot.”
“Me?” She laughed out loud. “The only one being an idiot is you. Now, I’m going to count slowly to three, and when I reach the magic number, you’re going to tell me exactly what’s going on in that head of yours.”
Emotion radiated off Des in waves. Anger, aggravation and a million other things she couldn’t identify.
“You ready?” She paused, waiting for him speak.
He didn’t say a thing.
“One…”
Nothing. No confession forthcoming.
“Two…”
Des shifted against the tree, the stilted action a clear sign of his agitation.
“Two and half…”
“Megan,” he growled.
“You wanna say something?”
Silence.
“Two and three-quarters.”
“Do not say three.” His words rang clear through the dark night.
“Why not?”
“Because you’ll regret it,” was his gruff promise. “We both will.”
“Is there something you want to say before I finish counting?”
“No!” His breath sounded heavy. Labored.
“Okay. Fine.” She shrugged, glared at him then smiled. “Three.”
Des snapped. “Jesus fucking Christ. You just don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what?”
“Get the fucking reason I cannot talk to you, cannot be with you.”
“How can I get it?” she snapped right back, matching his tone and aggression. “You won’t fucking tell me.”
“That’s because it’s you,” he snarled.
Oh, well that cleared up everything, didn’t it? “What’s me?”
“You’re my fucking problem!”
She froze. “Me?”
“Yes, you!” He punched the tree. “I can’t get bloody far enough away from you.”
His answer hit her like a giant breaker, throwing her off balance and tumbling her, ragdoll style, through the sea. “Wh-what do you mean?”
“I mean back off. Do not come any closer.”
She shook her head, instantly denying his response. He hadn’t said that. He couldn’t have. Not Des. “Why not?”
“Because you’re driving me fucking crazy.” Each word was clearly enunciated, as though he forced them out one at a time.
Spots danced in front of her face, blinding her. Oh, God. He had said it. All of it. To her. She stepped forward, waving an arm in front of her, seeking something to hold on to before she fell. A branch, anything. She found nothing.
“I said stay away,” he hissed.
Tears rushed her eyes as shock gave way to reality.
Desmond’s issue was her. She was the problem.
Dear God, how could she have been so dense as to not realize it before? He hadn’t stayed away because of some abstract crisis that had nothing to do with her. He’d stayed away because he didn’t want to see her. It was that simple.
A lump the size of China settled in her throat. She couldn’t swallow it down; couldn’t breathe over it. A sob gurgled in her chest and burst out her mouth.
Des hated her.
“Meggy!” Her name was a soft cry of pain. “Christ, please don’t cry.”
What else did he expect her to do? For all intents and purposes she’d just lost her best friend. “You hate me.” The fact burned her throat.
He emitted a sound like a wounded animal. “I could never hate you.”
Semantics. “You don’t want me anywhere near you.” In her mind it meant the same thing.
“You’re wrong.”
“You just told me to stay the fuck away.” The muscle in her cheek ticked furiously.
His shoulders sagged as though he’d lost the will to fight. “Only because I don’t have the strength to stay away from you anymore.”
“I don’t understand,” she told him helplessly. “You’re talking in circles.”
Des said nothing.
She had no idea what she’d done to deserve his ire, couldn’t fathom where their friendship had gone so wrong. All she knew was she couldn’t stand here any longer. Not when her best friend hated her and her heart was breaking in a million pieces.
She held up her hands in defeat and took a step backwards. Tears ran down her cheeks, spilling into her mouth. Her hurt was too deep to fathom, too endless to comprehend.
Alex. She needed Alex.
“Meg! Wait.”
She backed away with another step. Alex would make her feel better. “So you can find another way to tell me to get out of your life?” She shook her head, confounded. “I don’t think so. Have a happy future, Des. I, uh…” The cheek muscle ticked. “I enjoyed being your friend.”
He let out a fierce snarl. “Damn it, I told you you’d regret this.”
Des moved so fast she had no time to register his actions. One second she was edging towards the house, the next her back was flattened against the tree and his arms were around her, holding her so tight she could hardly breathe.
There was no time to think, no time to object. His mouth crashed down on hers, claiming her lips with savage intent. He kissed her like a man starved for a woman, ravenous for a taste of that which had been denied him forever. It was a feverish kiss that went on eternally, scalding her lips and blowing every one of her defenses out of the water.
She whimpered beneath the assault, stunned not just by Des’s action—so at odds with his words—but by his intensity and demand.
Her thoughts tumbled together in confusion. How could someone who hated her, someone who couldn’t get far enough away from her, kiss her like this?
——————–
Ah, I love that scene.
If you wanna finish reading the book, you can purchase your copy of Three Of A Kind at:
Happy reading,
Jess
May 29, 2012
New Cover Art: The One That Got Away
Ooh, I have a brand new cover. And it’s a first for me: the models on the cover are FULLY DRESSED.
*Gasp*
I know. It’s not what I expected. If you’ve seen any of my other covers, you’ll know I like the models to be half naked or clad in sexy underwear or…wearing nothing at all. (Cough, Ask Adam, cough cough.)
So, yep, this one came as a bit of a surprise. What do you think?
Let me be first to warn you: The One That Got Away may look sweet, but it’s not. Hey, of course it’s not. I write erotic romance, remember?
This short story is being released at Musa Publishing as part of their erotic romance line, Calliope. The One That Got Away is my shortest story yet – just 8 000 words, and is part of a new short story line at Musa. Its called Finally Ever After, and will be a second chances line.
I don’t have more details to share with you now, but if you keep checking my website, I’ll have the blurb and an excerpt up soon.
Jess
May 28, 2012
Three Of A Kind CONTEST WINNER
Okay, I know, I know, I’m a day late.
I promised to have a winner by Sunday, and now it’s already Monday. Still, I figure, better late than never.
First off, thanks to everyone who responded. And thank you for all the cool comments. (I just may have read them more than once.)
So, what I’ve done is taken all the names of commenters from my personal blog, International Heat and Down Under Divas and thrown them into a hat. Then I closed my eyes and picked one name.
And…the winner of the print copy of Three Of A Kind is:
MORAN!
CONGRATS
Moran, if you can please email me at
I can get that book in the post ASAP!
Jess
May 23, 2012
A sweet treat in the mail (and a contest)
Don’t you love opening the door to that special delivery?
Seeing a big box with your name on it?
A slight thrill runs up your spine, because you have no idea what’s in the box or who sent it to you, so the possibilities are endless.
Now, I can’t lie and say that’s exactly what happened to me a couple of days ago. Firstly, I didn’t open the door, my hubby did. Secondly, I wasn’t even in when the delivery came. I arrived home to find a box waiting for me. And thirdly, I had an inkling what it was. Okay…so I’d been obsessively waiting for the delivery for weeks! But that didn’t stop the excitement. Believe me, I fairly ripped into the box.
Here it is. A photo sequence of my experience:
1) I open the box with shaky hands
2) I pull the flaps apart to reveal the hidden treasure within.
Yes, it’s my author copies of Three Of A Kind, the print anthology of Raising The Stakes and Full House.
3) I reverently remove one and hold it in my hand:
4) I insert it ever so tenderly into its designated spot on my bookshelf:
And baby makes 8.
So, now I have 9 spare copies of Three Of A Kind sitting in my office. What to do…what to do…?
How about…I give one away?
Tell you what. Just let me know which your favorite novella from the Three Of A Kind trilogy was and why, and I’ll randomly pick a winner and send you a book.
No worries if you haven’t read the novellas yet. Just let me know which one you most want to read, and why.
Here are your choices:
Going All In, Raising The Stakes and Full House.
I’m gonna post this to Down Under Divas and to International Heat as well, and I’ll choose a winner on Sunday.
GOOD LUCK!
Three Of A Kind is available now for pre-order at Samhain Publishing, Amazon and Barnes and Noble
Jess
May 17, 2012
It’s Warming Up On Bilby Island
One wedding, three red hot affairs to last a lifetime. You don’t want to miss this celebration on Bilby Island.
Keep your eyes on this site for more details over the coming months.
From the staff at Bandicoot Cove Resort
May 16, 2012
Barnes And Noble…I love you
(Cross posted to Down Under Divas)
You might read this title and think the reason I love Barnes and Noble is because last year, while in the States, my family and I spent a wonderful fall afternoon whiling away the hours in the B&N on 5th Ave in New York. We hadn’t intended to spend the afternoon there. We just popped in to look around and find a few books for the kids to read, and three hours later we found ourselves sitting in the coffee shop, all of us reading and enjoying a drink, with no thought about leaving anytime soon. Perhaps the afternoon was so enjoyable because we just don’t have book stores like that in Sydney anymore Not since Borders closed down. Now when I book shop I do it on the net. So an afternoon in my favorite kind of store, doing my favorite things was indeed a treat. Anyway, you may think that’s my reason for declaring my undying love for B&N, but you’d be wrong.
You also may think I appreciate this major bookstore because it provides competition for Amazon. Yep, I’m pretty unimpressed with Amazon at the moment. Now that they have all those millions of readers using Kindle, they seem to be having NO problem putting up the prices of their ebooks. Seriously, I never thought I’d say this, but it’s becoming too damn expensive to buy an ebook there. So yay B&N for having consistently lower prices. Now, if you could just import your Nooks and books here to Australia, I’d be ecstatic. However… no matter how ecstatic I’d be, this isn’t the reason I’ve fallen hopelessly in love with B&N.
No, the real reason I love this bookshop is because…Office Affair is flying out of their doors. Last week a miracle of kinds happened. Office Affair hit the B&N Nook bestseller list. Much to my stunned surprised, it crept into the Top 100. Hello? The top 100? That is freaking awesome. Some of my books have hit bestseller lists on Amazon, but I have never had a Top 100 on Nook.
Then something even more amazing happened. Office Affair hit the Top 25 at Nook. Um, hello? My book in the top 25? Not possible. Then…the IMPOSSIBLE happened. It hit the Top 15. May I just state that at this time I was unable to breath. In fact, since the book hit the Top 100, my lungs have been acting funny. I haven’t gotten an adequate breath of oxygen in a week.
Here’s the astounding part. Not only did Office Affair hit a high of No 12 on the site, it was also featured on the Nook Home Page…UNDER FREAKING BESTSELLERS!!! And that just blows my mind.
As I write this post, Office Affair is spending (what I suspect) is its last day (maybe even hour) on the home page. It’s fallen now to now 26. (Yeah, I refresh the darn page every hour. I am that obsessed.) But may I just say, this has been the ride of my life. I’m okay with not breathing properly, especially if this is the cause.
Thank you to Barnes And Noble Nook Books and thank you to all you readers who have bought the book. You have made me a very happy, albeit very teary, writer.
Jess
May 15, 2012
The Spanish Computer
LOL, I received this in my inbox.
Loved it!
THE SPANISH COMPUTER
A SPANISH Teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.
‘House’ for instance, is feminine: ‘la casa.’
‘Pencil,’ however, is masculine: ‘el lapiz.’
A student asked, ‘What gender is ‘computer’? Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether computer’ should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.
The men’s group decided that ‘computer’ should definitely be of the feminine gender (‘la computadora’), because:
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.
(THIS GETS BETTER!)
The women’s group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine (‘el computador’), because:
1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;
2. They have a lot of data but still can’t think for themselves;
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems,
but half the time they ARE the problem; and
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.
The women won.
Jess
May 1, 2012
Office Affair is now available
Sweet.
Hmm, actually, it’s not so sweet. In fact, if anything, it’s downright dirty. And hot. And sexy. And jam packed full of very explicit love scenes. But then, isn’t that exactly what we want in a romance?
So, what are reviewers saying about Office Affair?
Fallen Angel Reviews: “WOW is all I have to say for Jess Dee’s Office Affair. Right from the start I was hooked, and boy, once you start reading the latest from her, you’re not going to want to put it down. This is definitely a book that will rock your senses .” (Reviewed by Melinda B)
Guilty Pleasures: “Office Affair is yet another HOT book by Jess Dee!! This is definitely a book that will get you hot and bothered. She once again grabs you from beginning to end with a great story of how two people deal with the hurts and failures of the past.” (Reviewed by KcLu)
Pearl’s World Of Romance: “Explicit, provocative, unapologetic and did I mention hot? Breathtakingly hot! I may have actually panted a few times. Djeezus, who needs a heater when you have Jess Dee books?” (Reviewed by Pearl)
OFFICE AFFAIR: The Blurb
All work and no play? Not for this girl. Not anymore.
Melissa Sparks has had enough. Enough of being an overachiever, enough of having no social life, enough of being lonely. Just this once she wants a change. Something different. Something that looks very much like her business associate, Ben Cowley.
Ben is all alone in the deserted offices of Preston Elks. He’s gorgeous, he’s single and he’s been her secret fantasy for the last two years. It’s a split-second decision, but there’s no going back.
When Ben looks up from his desk, the last thing he expects to see is his too-serious, straight-laced colleague stripping naked. It’s been a year since his last relationship ended, and though he’s still picking up the pieces, Melissa throws his carefully balanced world off its axis. So does her offer: a brief affair, no strings attached.
Right about the time he realizes a simple affair will never be enough, she’s back in professional mode—and clearly as distant as ever. Now it’s up to him to show her that what they have is no fluke…and he’ll do whatever it takes to convince her. Even if it means inviting another man into their bed.
Warning: This book contains a man haunted by his past decisions, a woman determined to succeed, sex hot enough to steam up every office window on the block, and a voyeur who gets off watching those windows steam up.
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Office Affair is available now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Samhain Publishing or your favorite e-bookstore.
Jess
