Jaci Burton's Blog, page 43

Sad News

For those of us in the romance community, we're a tight knit group, traveling from blog to blog and getting to know each other… at least virtually.

One of those people who has always been so thoughtful, giving and so wonderful in this community is Fatin from Novel Thoughts.

Fatin lost her husband Tuesday in a senseless, tragic workplace shooting. My heart goes out to her, her four daughters and her entire family.

Please feel free to leave your condolences here at the Novel Thoughts blog.

For Buddy

You had such a loud bark, the biggest head, the heaviest feet.

You guarded the back yard fiercely, yet you had the sweetest disposition.

You ran fast, played hard and learned quickly.

You were loyal, adorable, proud, tough, and you made the past ten years a complete and utter joy.

You were loved by many.

And you were gone way too soon.

We'll miss you, Buddy.

Surrender To Me, By Shayla Black

My friend, awesomely talented author Shayla Black, has a new book that released this week. Check it out!

Surrender to Me

Wicked Lovers, Book 4

Publisher: Berkley HEAT

ISBN-13: 978-0425236550

ISBN-10: 0425236552

Release Date: March 2011

Genre: Erotic Romance

Order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders | Books-A-Million | Overstock

Download eBook: Kindle | Nook

For more information, click here. Read the first chapter here.

A secret fantasy.

Hunter had everything until a bullet put his career as a Navy SEAL on hold. Restless and in need of distraction, he accepts an intriguing proposition. Restless and uncertain about his future, he accepts an intriguing proposition: share an acquaintance's girlfriend and fulfill her fantasy of a ménage. It should have been just a night of sexual adventure between three consenting adults. But Kata is like no other girl Hunter has ever met. By turns audacious and sexy, then vulnerable and aloof, she's a heartbreaker he's determined to master. But he needs more than one night. And he wants to do it alone.

An uncontrollable obsession.

Kata never expected to leave her comfortable relationship and explore something so dangerously forbidden with a stranger. Hard as she tries to resist, the guilty pleasure overwhelms her, and she surrenders herself, inch by inch, to the hardcore man who wants her for himself. Consumed by blazing desire, they're soon threatened by the shadows of the past. And now to keep Kata safe, Hunter makes her a bold proposition of his own. Saying yes will destroy her heart. But saying no could cost Kata her life.

Excerpt after the jump:

EXCERPT

Prologue

Friday

Rubbing damp palms on his denim-clad thighs, Hunter stood in front of the bathroom door Kata had retreated to and let out a deep breath. It didn't help; every muscle remained clenched. If there was another fucking way . . . But there wasn't, and he knew it. This was it.

His heart pounded as he pushed into the room. The fragrant, humid air wrapped around him. Everything smelled like her: spicy amber, sweet lilies. Beyond arousing. Like always, he turned hard and aching in an instant.

God, he loved this woman.

Seeing him, she gasped and scrambled for her towel on the basin. He grabbed the damp terry cloth first, loving the hell out of her in nothing but a lacy, baby blue thong. Her smooth olive skin and lush breasts with those tight, rosy brown nipples tempted him like nothing ever had. The dark ropes of her wet hair dripped down her back, framing her freshly scrubbed face. He couldn't wait to get back inside her, hold her again. Yesterday, she'd been dealing with too much, so he'd backed off, hadn't pressed his way into the snug, silken clasp of her pussy.

Tonight, all bets were off.

Realizing that he wasn't going to give her the towel and that he blocked the path to her clothes, Kata faced him squarely, chin raised. "What now? I've told you how I feel and what needs to happen. If you're here to stop me from leaving, you can't."

Ah, that stubborn streak of hers that intrigued him so much. Normally, he'd argue until he wore Kata down or seduce her until she gave in with a well-sated cry. This situation was far from normal. Until dawn, his most important role was to keep her safe. Nothing mattered more. Hunter had only one way left to do that . . . and give her what she wanted.

It was going to tear his fucking heart out.

He had no illusions; he'd never be the same. He'd be every inch the miserable bastard his father had been for the last fifteen lonely years, that Logan was now. Hunter had always sworn he'd do whatever it took to hang onto the one woman meant for him.

Goddamn it, in a handful of hours he'd have no choice but to let her go.

Hunter crossed his arms over his chest, restraining the urge to embrace Kata, stroke her tempting flesh—and never stop. "First, if you go home, you're not only putting yourself in danger, but your family, too. You might not know everything about this asshole threatening you, but he knows you. Why wouldn't he come after those you love?"

Kata's stubborn chin rose, but she nodded. Though she didn't want to, she saw his point. Now he had to put all his cards on the table, even though he had the losing hand.

"I have a proposition, honey: Today, I'll do whatever it takes to neutralize the threat against you. Tomorrow, you'll be free in every way." He clenched his fists. "I'll sign the fucking divorce papers."

As soon as he choked out the words, Hunter wished he could take them back. For him, she was it—had been since the moment he laid eyes on her. He wished he could make her understand, but unless she came to love him in return, accept his needs and her own, they were doomed.

Surprise flashed across her face, along with something else—regret, maybe . . . or was that his own wishful thinking?

She smoothed out her expression. "T-thank you for finally being reasonable."

Reasonable? In five seconds, she wouldn't think so. "I'll do that, if you spend tonight with me."

It's Update Time

We've made a few updates to the website.

We've added a new cover. NAUTIER AND WILDER, the second anthology of my Wild Riders series and author Lora Leigh's Nauti series, will release December 6th, 2011.

Kirkus Reviews today. It's an awesome writeup about the cover, my book, and my postcard giveaway. Thank you, Sarah!

And speaking of postcards, I mentioned this before on the blog, but in case you forgot or if you didn't see it, if you want an oversized postcard of THE PERFECT PLAY, email fatinATnovelsidekickDOTcom with your mailing info and she'll be happy to send one your way. This includes international folks, too!

Maya Banks & Julie James Book Winners

Wow. Thank you all for participating in the giveaway. We had 219 entries in the comments. I'm sure Maya and Julie will be thrilled so many of you wanted their books.

I used random.org to choose winners, and the winners are:

The winner of Maya Banks HIDDEN AWAY is:

LISA (mslizalou)

And

The winner of Julie James A LOT LIKE LOVE is:

GSCL (obsidian)

Congratulations to both of you!

And thank you again to everyone who participated. I hope you all will go out and buy these awesome books when they release tomorrow.

Book Giveaway!

There are two amazing books releasing next week. I've read them both already (lucky me!), so i'm going to give you all a chance to win them.

The first one is Maya Banks HIDDEN AWAY, the third book in her amazing Kelly Group series. Awesome action adventure romance. Hot heroes, amazing heroines, sexy and romantic. I've loved every book in this series.

A man who shoots first and asks questions later…

Most people would take an all-expenses-paid trip to the beach in a heartbeat. Garrett Kelly only accepts to keep tabs on Sarah Daniels, who's in hiding after witnessing a murder by Marcus Lattimer, her half-brother—and a personal enemy of KGI. This gig may be beneath a disciplined soldier like Garrett, but if he gets a shot at Lattimer, it will all be worth it…

…and the ultimate moving target.

But Garrett hadn't counted on falling for Sarah. He'd considered seduction as a tactical maneuver, but when he glimpses Sarah's dark past, he feels an urgent desire to keep her safe—even after she disappears on him. Garrett doesn't know exactly who, or what, Sarah's running from, but whatever it is, she's running for her life…

The second book is Julie James A LOT LIKE LOVE. Funny, sexy contemporary romance, with a to die for hero and a feisty heroine. I loved this book so much.

THE FBI WANTS HER COOPERATION.

As the daughter of a billionaire and the owner of the city's top wine store, Jordan Rhodes is invited to the most exclusive parties in Chicago. But there's only one party the FBI wants to crash: the charity fundraiser of a famous restaurateur, who also happens to launder money for the mob. In exchange for her brother's release from prison, Jordan is going to be there—with a date supplied by the Bureau.

AGENT MCCALL JUST WANTS HER.

As the top undercover agent in Chicago, Nick McCall has one rule: never get personal. This "date" with Jordan Rhodes is merely an assignment—one they're both determined to pull off even if they can't be together for five minutes before the sarcasm and sparks begin to fly. But when Nick's investigation is compromised, he and Jordan have no choice but to pretend they're a couple, and what starts out as a simple assignment begins to feel a lot like something more. . .

To be entered to win the contest, just tell me which book you'd like to win. Or if you want either, just tell me that. I'll choose two winners, one for each book, on Monday.

Contest is open internationally. You must be a minimum of 18 years old to enter. Contest void where prohibited.

Good luck!

Gift Certificate Winner!

Wow, people! Over 200 comments to my Birthday post and giveaway! You made my birthday weekend so awesome. Thank you!

I read every entry about your favorite gift. They ran the gamut from the awesome to the poignant, from home made gifts to amazing trips and bling, from gifts of the heart to the incredibly creative. I loved them all. I laughed and cried reading them, and enjoyed every single one of your entries. Thank you for sharing them with me!

I used random.org to select a winner of the gift certificate. The winner is:

ERINW !!!

Congrats, Erin. I'll be emailing you shortly. And thank you again to everyone who participated. You rocked my world.

It's My Birthday!!!

It's my birthday today!!!!

So that means there should be presents, right? Not for me, of course. But for you! Yes for you!

How about a $25 gift certificate to Amazon or B&N? Winner's choice.

And if I choose an international winner, we'll do something else like books of equal value from the Book Depository.

To enter to win, tell me what was your best birthday present ever.

I'll choose a winner Monday.

Now let's celebrate with cake and tequila! (Don't mock me. It works.)

In Jeopardy

Is anyone a Jeopardy fan out there?

Biker Dude and I love Jeopardy. We love to watch the show and attempt to answer as many of the questions as possible in order to see how dumbsmart we are. We figure if they held 5th grade Jeopardy, we'd do all right. Then again, we don't do very well on Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader, either, so maybe not.

Anyway, this week for three days they're doing Jeopardy vs SkynetWatson, where two of Jeopardy's smartest and highest money winning contestants are going against Watson, an IBM computer who has been taught to answer Jeopardy style questions.

Yesterday's show, the first day of the competition, was fairly interesting. It's a little artificial intelligence, some baby steps for technology, a bit of man vs machine, and a little trepidation on my part:

I've got my eye on you, SkynetWatson….

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope your day is filled with love and romance.

I'm guest blogging over at the As The Pages Turn blog today. You could win THE PERFECT PLAY, so head on over and leave a comment!

Biker Dude and I finally got out of the house this past weekend. The weather is warming, the snow is melting, and I think everyone within a hundred mile radius of where we live thought much the same thing about the warm weather and snow melt–FREEDOM! Traffic was heinous, the mall was packed as if it was the day before Christmas, and I'm pretty sure couples were doing their Valentine's Day partying on Saturday, because crowds were thick. It was hideous, but I still didn't care. I was out of the house, the roads were clear and I was one happy camper–okay, except for the traffic. Could have lived without that, but far be it for me to begrudge the other people on the road their opportunity to get the hell out of their houses.

Not sure wehther we'll go out tonight or not. I might be just as happy staying home and ordering a pizza. I'm easy that way. How about you? Any big Valentine's Day plans?

Sink into a romance today. It's the best thing to do on Valentine's Day.