Lucy Felthouse's Blog, page 316

Book Review: Iron Crowned by Richelle Mead

Article first published as Book Review: Iron Crowned by Richelle Mead on Blogcritics.

Iron Crowned is the third novel in the Dark Swan series by Richelle Mead. Eugenie Markham is the heroine of these novels. She's a shaman-for-hire and all round kick-ass chick. She's also half fairy, and Queen of the Thorn Land. As such, she's constantly torn between the mortal realm and the Otherworld, which has cost her some of the people she cares about.

Eugenie always has a busy life, but just now, things are harder than usual. The Thorn Land and its allies are at war, so she's having to spend more time over there fighting. The trouble is, she doesn't really want to fight – she simply wants to live as peacefully as possible. So when she finds out that there is a magical item that could help her end the war for good, without any more loss of life, she's greatly tempted. However, the Iron Crown is an item that's incredibly difficult to get hold of. But then, Eugenie has never let anything stand in her way before…

Can she retrieve the crown? And what's more, when she has it, can she really trust her so-called allies? Throw in tangled love interests, complicated family matters, three worlds, several kingdoms, loved-up employees and annoying ghosts and you have one seriously pissed off Eugenie and one seriously good book.

As always, Richelle's writing is great fun to read. Eugenie is a fab and very likeable heroine, and this latest book has an intriguing plot with twists and turns I didn't see coming. I was hooked within seconds of opening the book and could barely put it down until I was done. Another corker from Ms. Mead.

Available from:

Amazon UK

Amazon UK (Kindle)

Amazon US

Book Depository

Waterstone's

I'm Up for Book of the Month!

Ahhhhh! I'm up for 'Top Pick' of August over at Miz Love Loves Books! The Best of Lucy Felthouse got a fab review there in August which makes me eligible for the vote. I'm up against some stiff *heh* competition, so I'd like it very much if you'd head over there and vote for me. The poll is on the top right hand side of the website, and it won't take you long at all.

Visit Miz Love Loves Books to vote: http://www.mizlovelovesbooks.com/

Thanks in advance, guys! If I win, I'll be like xx

P.S. Please tell all your friends… show me some love!

Naughty Delivery – A Spanking Good Short Story, Available Now!

Look what just popped into my inbox! Yay, my first standalone short story with Ravenous Romance (I've had stories appear in their I Kissed A Girl, I Kissed A Girl II and Fang Bangers anthologies), Naughty Delivery is now available!

In a rarity for me, Naughty Delivery contains spanking and some domination/submission elements. I hope it hits the spot! Here's the blurb:

Sonia and Ben have decided to bring some more spice into their bedroom by ordering some sex toys off the Internet. The anticipation of their new gadgets' arrival ramps up their passion tenfold, and by the time their naughty delivery turns up the couple are at fever pitch!

But a mix-up with the package leaves Sonia and Ben with some toys they didn't expect. Reluctant to let it spoil their sexy fun, the pair experiment and end up discovering a world of kinky sex play that they've never even considered!

Currently available via the Ravenous Romance website for a bargain price, Naughty Delivery will be available from all the usual suspects very soon. Keep an eye on the book page and my Twitter and Facebook feeds for updates!

Myth Mondays: Behind the Scenes with In the Springtime by Elizabeth Thorne

Please welcome Elizabeth Thorne to Myth Mondays for her post on In the Springtime, which is featured in Seducing the Myth. Take it away, Elizabeth…

*****

"Picking flowers in the field, in the springtime of the year. I heard the sound of chariot wheels, and was afraid with nothing to fear."

Although I've always been a mythology enthusiast, I didn't fall in love with the Persephone myth until the first summer that I worked as a singing wench at the Renaissance Festival. Most of the songs that we sung were performed as a full group, but there were several that were rehearsed separately, which the rest of us therefore didn't hear until the Faire actually opened and we had our first performance. One of those songs was a retelling of the Persephone myth that was so beautiful that it made me cry – not just the first time I heard it, but every time it was sung all summer.

"They say he forced me, but that's not true. Of my own will I followed him down. To his dark place beneath the hill. To his dark palace below the ground"

Unlike many retellings of the Persephone story, in which Hades lures her down to his realm and traps her there against her will, in this song, Persephone went willingly. It tells the story of her falling in love. The conflict in the story wasn't that she was forced, it was that her love had consequences. By abandoning her responsibilities, the world she left became a darker place.

"They say above us the world grew cold, the leaves and flowers began to die. The fruit trees withered and grew old, and darkening clouds filled up all the sky."

Suddenly, the story became much more interesting to me. It wasn't about a young woman kidnapped and in need of rescue. It was about a woman torn between two different worlds – the one where the universe seemed to tell her she belonged, and the one to which she had been drawn by love. She was drawn to both places, but couldn't live fully happily in either one.

"Oh yes its true then that life is good and I have learned the lesson it can teach. That you can never have all you want, and you never want what's within reach."

The song remained stuck in my head for a good five years, and when I saw a call for an anthology of mythology erotica, I knew that Persephone was the story I wanted to tell. However, although I expected to write a dark and beautiful romance, like the song I adored, that wasn't what ended up on the page. Instead, I ended up writing about what I thought it might really have been like if Persephone had been just another teenager, defying her overbearing mother in the hopes of finding love.

"The sweetest flower that ever grows, grows far deep inside a bush of thorns. And happiness then is like the rose, for without pain nothing good is born."

A lot of mythologies use a romantic relationship to explain the cycles of the year, because such relationships often are cyclical. They run hot and cold. They make us happy and they make us miserable. The only difference, is that when the gods feel those conflicting emotions that they shape the world to reflect their moods. All that mere humans can do is alternate between having a lot of sex… and eating a lot of chocolate.

Then again, it's probably for the best that we can't throw lightning bolts, and that the only way we can turn our former lovers into beasts is through a creative application of Photoshop.

Find out more about Elizabeth on her website, http://www.withbatedbeth.com/

Find out how to bag your copy of Seducing the Myth here.

Six Sentence Sunday – 28/8/11

Following on directly from last week, these six sentences come from my story, Down by the Pool, which appears in the anthology I just edited and released, Seducing the Myth. More info here.

Also, to comment on this post, it's the link at the top ^^ – not the bottom. Thanks guys!

My reporter's instinct kicked in and I slammed my book down on the table, startling the trio of pensioners. Whipping a notebook and pen out of my bag, I stood and moved over to their table.



One round of drinks later and I had everything I needed. This was going to be one hell of an article.



*****



By the time I parked my car in the lay-by near the pool some two weeks later, I'd done my research. The gentlemen in the pub had given me their version of the legend, the information they had about the recent disappearances, and the rough location.

Want to know more about Six Sentence Sunday and see all the other delicious entries? Click the logo below:

A Good Week for Reviews & Competitions

Wow, it's been a good week for my erotica collection The Best of Lucy Felthouse. First, the fab review I received earlier this week and now… another fab review! *happy dance*

This latest review comes from Kinky World:

"…expect well-written sex scenes that are based around a believable plot that allows for some good, hot sex. If you want some great sex that is surrounded by a good, enjoyable plot that makes each story unique, check out The Best of Lucy Felthouse."

Check out the full review and story-by-story breakdown here.

Bag your copy here.

Also… I promised you competitions, so here they are! Just in case you haven't been keeping track of all my guest blogging escapades (they're all listed in the sidebar —>), you can win goodies here, here and here. Check it out!

Have a fab weekend, everyone. And if you happen to be on the east coast of America, please stay safe guys!

New Erotica Out Now – The Look of Lust

If you're looking for a hot new read to steam up your eReader, then look no further! The Look of Lust is available now. It contains six sexy stories, including two from yours truly (one under the pseudonym Louisa Harvey), one from fellow Northern bird and all round awesome chick Victoria Blisse, and also tales from Jade Taylor, Lynn Lake and Arlie MacGregor.

My first story in the eBook is one of my favourites. It's called Farm Hand, and those of you that have been keeping a close eye on my Totty Tuesday posts will know who the inspiration was for this sexy outdoors tale. If you haven't, why on earth not? But I'll nice and give you a link to the post. Warning – he's hot! There's also an excerpt from this story on the book page of this site, here.

My other story, published under the name of Louisa Harvey is called Spa Daze. This was inspired by my visit to a health spa last year. Sadly, the only part of the tale that is true to life is the setting. The rest is just the result of my over-active imagination. But hey – what kind of writer would I be if I didn't have one of those?!

Find out more about both my stories and the other four seriously sexy tales here. The Look of Lust is available from the Xcite website only at this very second in time, but it'll be rolling out to other retailers very soon, so watch this space.

A Fascinating Discovery – Non Piercing Nipple Jewelry

As hinted in my post "Temporary Crystal Tattoos Are For the Faint Hearted" the other day, my quest of discovery also ended up with me stumbling across non piercing nipple jewelry. Such is the Internet. Now, unlike my occasional wish to get a tattoo, I've never wanted to get my nipples pierced, and I still don't. It suits some people, sure, but it's just not for me. Plus I have my ears and belly button pierced, and that's quite enough. At least people can see my ears.

However, since I'm quite an inquisitive person, I ended up following links all over NippleCharms.com and spent some time looking around the non piercing nipple jewelry section. I have to admit, I was impressed. I had no idea that these things existed, let alone that they come in so many different types and designs. Did you know you can get nipple shields, nipple dangles, nipple clips and many more? The possibilities, it seems, are endless.

The differences between the nipple rings and shields appear to be minimal. They're basically different types of jewelry which have a hole in the middle to put your nipple through. The shields have more width to them and a pattern, meaning it will sit on your areole. Nipple rings are much simpler. They're all really pretty and have lots of different designs, so there's something to suit all tastes. Anyone can find something that will fit most any occasion.

Nipple dangles are quite different. They actually more closely resemble dangly earrings! The idea is simple, you slip a loop, or noose, around your nipple and then the rest of the piece dangles down. The designs vary with different gems, stones and so on attached, so you can change the look as often as you like!

What they all have in common, though, are the reasons that people wear them. Aside from not wanting to have your nipple pierced for cosmetic or other reasons, according to the website, they have a similar effect to using something like love eggs; i.e. even if nobody knows about them, you certainly do and can be aroused and have a grin on your face all day long!

This was actually the aspect that got my mind working the most. Although they're not my bag, the idea of other people wearing nipple charms, nipple rings, nipple dangles and so on in secret to make them feel horny is brilliant. I just find it amusing that people could be at work, grinning away and in a fabulous mood, chatting away to colleagues or even their boss, and the entire time they're wearing this non piercing nipple jewelry. Everybody else would be completely oblivious to the fact.

So if you read any of my stories in the future and they make mention of nipple shields, nipple rings, nipples dangles, etc, you'll know exactly where I got the inspiration! In the meantime, if I've inspired you to go and check them out for yourself, have a peek at NippleCharms.com.

Myth Mondays: Behind the Scenes with In a Dry and Dusty Land by Lydia Nyx

Please welcome Lydia Nyx to Myth Mondays for her post on In a Dry and Dusty Land, which is featured in Seducing the Myth. Take it away, Lydia…

*****

When I finished In a Dry and Dusty Land, part of the Seducing the Myth anthology, I was stunned at how much research I had put into what turned out to be a less than 4,000 word story. I swear I've written entire novels that didn't require as much research as this (very short!) story did.

All right, maybe I'm exaggerating, but it sure felt like it.

The idea started when I read about the Sumerian myth of the edimmu, ghosts of the violently killed and sometimes unburied dead. Anyone who reads my work knows I tend to lean toward the darker elements, so of course I wanted to involve them in a story somehow. Murderous ghosts aren't exactly the stuff of romance though, so I delved deeper into Sumerian mythology and ended up incorporating the god Utu as well, ruler of the sun, dealer of justice and upholder of the law. This god also mirrors the Assyrian god Shamash, which is neither here nor there, but I want some of that research I did to see the light of day.

All in all, this short story required me to research the following long list of subjects:

-          U.S. military rank and protocol

-          The political and military climate in Iraq at the time of the story (2007)

-          Areas of Iraq where fighting was going on at the time and American forces were patrolling

-          What those areas are like climate and agriculture-wise

-          The role and restrictions of news correspondents in hostile territories

-          Which U.S. cities host the most Iraqi immigrants (to give Siraj's parents a realistic city to immigrate to)

-          What civilian life is like in Baghdad under military watch

-          IED's

-          And of course, all the details of the Sumerian mythology I used

I did so much research for such a little thing! Research is one of my favorite parts of writing, so I didn't mind it at all, and now I have all this information if I ever need it for something else (maybe I should start auditioning for trivia shows…).

Also, I was pleased with myself for coming up with the name of my secondary protagonist, Siraj Yahya, because I just love how it sounds and naming the figments of my imagination is always the hardest part for me. And yes, I did have to do research to come up with a name that would fit his heritage. So it goes!

Find out more about Lydia on her website, http://www.lydianyx.com

Find out how to bag your copy of Seducing the Myth here.

Six Sentence Sunday – 21/8/11

Following on directly from last week, these six sentences come from my story, Down by the Pool, which appears in the anthology I just edited and released, Seducing the Myth. More info here.

Also, to comment on this post, it's the link at the top ^^ – not the bottom. Thanks guys!

They were discussing a place up on the moors, a pool that was reputed to be haunted. Legend told of a malevolent mermaid lurking in its depths, and several mysterious disappearances in the vicinity. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. The thought of a mermaid in Staffordshire really tickled me. It's a landlocked county – in fact, you can hardly get any more central.



Normally I would have dismissed what they were saying out of hand, but although the legend was undoubtedly ancient, the disappearances were recent.

Want to know more about Six Sentence Sunday and see all the other delicious entries? Click the logo below: