Portia Da Costa's Blog, page 25

Happy New Year!

Look at this beaut!

Isn't this cover for the Mammoth Book of Hot Romance gorgeous?

My contribution is FIRE AND ICE, a somewhat wintry story with a warm, naughty centre. Lots of other fabulous authors between the covers too, notably my super writing buddy, Saskia Walker!

Seasons Greetings!

The God of the Hive

The God of the Hive by Laurie R. King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful! I devoured this at top speed, desperate to know the resolution of the story that began in the previous book.

There were some great new supporting characters in God of the Hive. I'm not usually a fan of child characters, but I found Estelle to be very likable. And I loved Robert Goodman! He was intriguing and playful, tragic and yet somehow triumphant. With his blond puckishness, he somehow reminded me of my own current muse... ;)

I thoroughly enjoyed this fine addition to the Russell/Holmes saga and now I can't wait for The Pirate King next year.

View all my reviews

I'm Christmas visiting today...

with my buddy Madelynne Ellis, who's running a fun Advent calendar at the moment. Behind today's door there's a saucy excerpt from A GENTLEWOMAN'S PREDICAMENT!

Advent Calender Day 19: Portia Da Costa

The *other* Patrick and Miranda

Because I'm a colossal doofus and my memory is a bit dodgy, I've managed to write two pieces of fiction lately where the names of the hero and heroine are Patrick and Miranda. I'm not sure how I've got fixated on the name Miranda, unless it's because this wonderful lady is so funny, but obviously, the name Patrick is derived from my current Muse, the divine Patrick Jane, the clever yet tragic central character in The Mentalist.


A couple of days ago, I linked to an excerpt of TOUCH OF HEAVEN, my late 2011 paranormal erotic romance novella from Samhain - in which Patrick #1 is the mysterious and hunky next door neighbour of Miranda #1.

Today I have a link to the story of Patrick #2 and Miranda #2. This Miranda is a successful and dynamic businesswoman who's a bit of a workaholic and desperately needs a bit of downtime and a change of scene. Luckily, she has a remarkable and rather gorgeous male PA, who also happens to be called Patrick. When the pair go for a drive in the country, their roles are reversed, and Miranda discovers that the super efficient and normally subservient Patrick is actually a thrillingly dominant lover with a taste for kinky fun.

Why not not check them out as they set out on their excursion...

A VERY PERSONAL ASSISTANT

Unfortunately, there's a little bit of a wait to read the full story. It'll be published by Harlequin Spice Briefs in March 2012.

THE LANGUAGE OF BEES

The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another wonderful installment of Mary Russell's memoirs. I was a little bit slower to become immersed in this one than some of the others, but once I really got stuck in, I was as captivated as ever.

I think the slight problem for me was that I've never been a fan of Irene Adler, and have been even less fond since I discovered Mary! So it wasn't easy to warm to Adler's son, initially.

Clearly, it wasn't a problem with the writing, just my own prejudices. I've become quite protective of Mary and Sherlock's relationship and don't want echoes of past loves to intrude.

Silly, I know, but it just shows how skilfully the memoirs are written and how deeply I've been drawn into them. :)

Naturally now, I'm dying to read THE GOD OF THE HIVE!

View all my reviews

TOUCH OF HEAVEN - a first look

Pleasure with a perfect stranger can be divine

When Miranda Clay first sets eyes on her neighbors' temporary house-sitter she gets a delicious, erotic treat that she hadn't bargained for - mysterious Patrick likes to sunbathe without his clothes on! Mesmerizing and golden, her new friend is more than just a handsome face and a perfect male body though, and his healing hands and his uncanny natural empathy quickly dispel Miranda's aches and pains and her fears of growing older. But as the pair are drawn ever closer, and their physical intimacy becomes transcendent, a stunning revelation and an agonizing choice threaten to part them even while a lasting love blossoms.

~~~~~~~~~~
Touch of Heaven is a sexy paranormal novella that's due to be published by Samhain Publishing in the second half of 2011. 
Click here to read an excerpt and meet the divine Patrick! :)

Stories of Married Bliss...

Here's a wonderful anthology that I'm really excited to be a part of - compiled by a legendary editor!

WITH THIS RING, I THEE WED - edited by Alison Tyler

As the title suggests, this is a collection of stories themed around weddings and marriage, from the engagement stage right through to the anniversary celebrations of long-standing couples. My story is called ANNIVERSARY WALTZ and describes the rather perverse anniversary celebrations enjoyed by a loving and long married couple, Amanda and Julian. They're a husband and wife who love to play games...

Read an excerpt here

Published in May 2011 by Harlequin Spice

In the New Year and beyond...

Here's my provisional schedule for 2011 and beyond:

March 2011 - Far From Perfect - contemporary romance from Samhain
May 2011 - The Anniversary Waltz - BDSM short story in With This Ring, I Thee Bed
July 2011 - Fire & Ice - short story in the Mammoth Book of Hot Romance
Autumn 2011 - Touch of Heaven - paranormal erotic romance novella from Samhain
September 2011 - Another Chance - erotic romance short story from Spice Briefs
January 2012 - In The Flesh - historical erotic romance novel from Harlequin Spice
March 2012 - A Very Personal Assistant - erotic romance short story from Spice Briefs
September 2012 - A Gentlewoman's Rescue - Ladies' Sewing Circle #3 from Spice Briefs
March 2013 - A Gentlewoman's Dalliance - Ladies' Sewing Circle #4 from Spice Briefs
TBA 2012/13 - Historical erotic romance novel #2 from Harlequin Spice
There's a possibility that there might be one or two other story items, but nothing definite. I'm very keen on the idea of self publishing something too, perhaps a small anthology of stories to start with.

Look forward to excerpts of a few more items on the list in the near future.