Samantha MacLeod's Blog, page 34

Too Many Books?

During our recent move, my beloved husband made the subtle suggestion that I may have a few too many books.

So I decided to test this by piling all the boxes labeled “BOOKS” in one corner.

And how many boxes of books did we just haul 580 miles?

Yup. That’s probably enough to kill someone.

Oh yeah, there’s boxes behind the boxes.

Now bear in mind, those boxes don’t include cookbooks…

There are more shelves of cookbooks. But they were messy.

Or gardening books…

Or any of the kids’ books…

Also, dinosaurs

Yeah, all those boxes are just MY BOOKS.

Honey, we’re gonna need a bigger bookshelf.

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Actual Book, Take II!

Look what I just got in the mail!

Sexy, isn’t it?

Lustily Ever After, A Two Dame Production’s anthology of erotic fairy tales, is now available in paperback!

Did I mention I’ve got a short story in this antho?

“The Ballad of Tam Lin” is my story about a trip to Scotland, a crumbling castle, and a mysterious stranger.

And it looks so pretty!

So. PRETTY!

Check out the new paperback here.

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Honeymoon Release Date!

Yes, there’s a sequel to The Trickster’s Lover, my paranormal romance about surviving graduate school, falling in love, and preventing Ragnarök.

The sequel, Honeymoon, is a short story that takes place several months after the events of The Trickster’s Lover. And it’s pretty hot.

Yup, this hot.

If you haven’t read the novel, you’ll still be able to enjoy the story.

Also, if you haven’t read the novel, you can buy The Trickster’s Lover here for literally less than a pumpkin spice latte at Starbuck’s.

My novel is more satisfying.

Here’s the blurb:

Mythology expert Caroline Capello agreed to marry Loki, the Norse god of fire and lies.

She didn’t realize the most dangerous part of their marriage might be the honeymoon.

And the release date?

Drum roll!
NOVEMBER 15th!

I’ll see you on Amazon then, my friends!

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Book Review: Falling Deep by Janine Ashbless

I loved, loved, loved Janine Ashbless’s dark, erotic fairytale Summer Seduction.  Falling Deep is the sequel, and the second book in Ashbless’s Lovers’ Wheel series.

Did it live up to the first?

In a word:

Falling Deep basically takes everything I liked about Summer Seduction and turns it up to 11.

Everything gets more intense in this book.

The characters become more nuanced, from the protagonist Liz’s mysterious great-aunt to the even-more-mysterious old man locked up in the attic. Even the garden around Enniswitrin House becomes more dangerous, fascinating, and compelling.

I won’t be giving too much away (because it’s right there in the book blurb) by saying mild-mannered former librarian Liz has just discovered she has the best role in all of fairytale history: She must have sex with each of the Twelve Months to turn the Wheel of the Year. These Twelve Months just happen to be incredibly attractive men who are very interested in giving oral.

You know, just like real life!

And that would be enough of a plot to carry this novel, honestly.

But it doesn’t stop there. Falling Deep introduces new threats, new characters, and multiple layers of ancient myth. In addition to turning the Wheel of the Year, Liz is going to have to figure out how to save the world. And rescue a very, very sexy imprisoned king.

Speaking of sexy, those scenes with the Twelve Months..?

Like I said, everything gets more intense in this novel.

I didn’t even think I was into submission until I read…

Yeah. November is that good.

Suffice it to say, the world of Enniswitrin House was so fascinating and complex in Summer Seduction I wasn’t entirely sure where Ashbless could possibly go with this series.

And she pulled it off, beautifully.

Falling Deep does everything a sequel should do: The world gets more interesting, the threats intensify, and the characters become darker and complicated. Yes, the sexy time scenes are amazing, but Falling Deep has much more going for it than Liz turning the seasons.

All I can say now is: BRING ON WINTER!

You can check out Falling Deep here. Tell October I said hello.

Vote Loki!

Yup, it’s election season. And that can only mean one thing…

It’s time to vote for your favorite sexy hero in the Paranormal Romance Lover’s second annual Battle of the Beasts!

Loki’s in the running, and it looks like he’s up against dragons, shifters, angels, and possibly aliens. Of course, could any of those possibly be as sexy as the Norse god of fire and lies?

Nope.

Click here to vote, and make Loki proud!

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Sale This Week!

Say, what can you get for .99?

Not a latte.

Not a gallon of gas.

But hey, from today until October 14, you can buy a copy of The Trickster’s Lover, my sexy paranormal romance with the Norse god Loki, for .99!

This could be yours! (As an ebook!)

From the 14th to the 18th, you’ll be able to get The Trickster’s Lover for $1.99. Which is still less than a latte.

And Loki will last a lot longer than a cup of coffee, I promise.

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Sneak Preview of The Trickster’s Lover Sequel

Yup, there’s a sequel to The Trickster’s Lover.

It’s a short story, it takes place several months after the events of The Trickster’s Lover, and it’s called Honeymoon.

When is it coming out, you ask?

Why would you ask me?

Eh, sometime next month.

You can subscribe to my newsletter for updates on the release, and I’ll let you know the very second the sequel is available.

And now…

Drum roll!!!
Excerpt from Honeymoon

“Come away with me,” Loki said.

I raised myself on one elbow, staring at his smile. I think he’s serious. “I don’t know,” I said, my hand tracing the rise and fall of his chest. “I’ve got that interview with Stanford. And the publisher wants my revisions by next week, plus I’ve got that article to finish with Loncovic.”

“Come away with me anyway,” he said, his eyes dancing. “Let’s have a honeymoon.”

“We are going to have a honeymoon,” I said. “We’ve already booked the resort in Norway…”

My words trailed off as I watched his eyes darken. He is serious.

“Yes,” I said, reaching for his hand, lacing our fingers together. “Yes, I would very much like a honeymoon. With my husband.”

His lips curved into a smile as I kissed him –

-and then I felt a gust of gentle wind, and I opened my eyes.

We were standing in a field.

It was almost, but not quite, a normal field. The colors were a shade too vivid, the air a breath too soft against my skin. It was like we’d stepped into a painting, smeared with the golden hues of late summer. A distant pine forest murmured in the breeze and delicate, shell-like flowers nodded towards the sun.

I looked down and was immensely relieved to find I was not naked. I was wearing a soft black and gold dress, the cut similar to what I’d worn in Asgard. It matches his armor, I thought. My husband’s armor. I smiled as I felt my cheeks flush.

“Matching outfits?” I asked.

“Honeymoon,” he said.

“Where are we?”

“Álfheim.” He smiled at me. “The home of the Light-elves.”

There was a sudden gust of air, a sick, heavy twack noise. Loki’s body shuddered against mine. An arrow shaft thick as a ruler was embedded in his shoulder. I screamed.

“Oh, good,” he said, sinking to his knees. “They remember me.”

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Let The Record State: A Poem

When all is said and done,

please let the record state

 

You once danced

in a fountain

in Paris.

 

You fell in love in Rome.

 

And once,

in Florence,

a handsome boy stole a pomegranate over a fence.

 

You ate it together,

the juice staining your lips and hands.

 

Lips and hands that

never touched.

 

Although you did share

that pomegranate.

 

There may have been

certain misapprehensions

 

but

 

When all is said and done,

please let the record state

 

There was also

a fountain.

 

I know, I know – the fountain in the picture is not in Paris.

Apologies!

Book Review: Summer Seduction by Janine Ashbless

I love a good fairy tale, erotica, a great plot, and evocative settings. I also love anything that turns convention on its head in a graceful, natural way.

Oh, and I’m a sucker for just about anything British.

I did say anything British…

So I loved Summer Seduction by Janine Ashbless.

Me, after reading this book.

Summer Seduction opens when mild-mannered librarian Liz Haven, who’s just lost her job and her flat in London, receives a mysterious invitation to join her great-aunt Moira in the fabulously named Enniswitrin House.

Ashbless’ descriptions bring this house to life, and it’s exactly the kind of place where I wish I’d spent my childhood: the perfect rambling, mysterious, old English house in the country that I’ve pictured since the first time I read C.S. Lewis, with an overrun garden, an apple orchard, and a really fantastic kitchen.

Liz doesn’t exactly find a magical passage to Narnia waiting for her in Enniswitrin House… but what she does find might be even better.

The magical world Ashbless creates in Summer Seduction is fascinating and believable, in the way that dark, old fairy tales and myths are believable. And this is some seriously fabulous erotica; these are the most exciting and imaginative sex scenes I’ve read.

In addition to having great sex, this novel  gleefully ignores conventional romance tropes.

Or romance “guidelines”

Instead, Ashbless subverts expectations to create a fascinating story about a woman finding herself, literally and figuratively, in a world full of magic, danger, and sex. And I get the feeling things are only going to intensify in the next book…

Check it out here – Enniswitrin House is worth a visit!

Have fun, loves!

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Norse Gods & Your Week: Sunday

Monday through Friday have ties to Norse mythology, and Saturday… uh… kind of does.

What about Sunday?

Well, there’s an easy answer to that question.

NO.

Sunday is named after – you guessed it – the freaking sun. And that’s the end of the story, my virtual friend.

You’d all be screwed without me!

But if you’re the kind of person who wants to bring Norse mythology into everything (and if you are, I love you for it) then Sunday can be tied to Sol, the sun goddess.

Yes, in Norse mythology the sun is pulled in a chariot driven by a woman.

Sorry, Apollo

Sol’s brother Mani, the origin of the word Monday, pulls a chariot carrying the moon.

And why does the sun move so quickly across the heavens?

Well, because both Sol and Mani are being freaking chased by giant wolves named Skoll (Treachery) and Hati (Hate).

Run, baby, run!

And the wolves will catch them, once Ragnarök begins.

Sleep well, friends!