Beth D. Carter's Blog, page 78

Book Review: Cyborg Seduction Series

Bk 1: Burning Up Flint Bk 2: Kissing SteelBk 3: Melting IronBk 4: Touching IceBk 5: Stealing CoalBk 6: Redeeming ZorusBk 7: Taunting KrellBooks by Laurann Dohner
This book review isn’t for just one book, it’s for all seven.  Because I assure you, if you read the fist one you won’t stop until you’ve read them all.  I have a long list of books I’m working through so that’s the reason why I’m just now getting to review these books.  And had I known they were this good, I would have read them a lot sooner! 
Book One is titled “Burning Up Flint” and like any first book in a series, it’s pivotal for setting up the tone of the forth coming books.  This book was good, not my favorite, but I’ll get to that in a bit.  Flint is a cyborg and in my opinion they just don’t make enough erotica romance books about cyborgs. 
Ms. Dohner sets up a great world.  Far in the future, Earth scientists created one step above and beyond androids when they took human DNA and grew these massive warriors in cryo tubes.  Stick a few microcomputers in their heads, add a few enhanced things like strength and healing and you got yourself a breathing sentient person who demands basic human rights.  And what do the human do when they realize they can’t control their creations?  They tried to terminate the whole race, of course.  Luckily many survived by fleeing Earth and settling up home on a new world. 
Flint is a commander and on a raid to steel parts and items, his ship commandeers a vessel holding Mira.  Immediately, Flint takes Mira as “his” and brands her.  Many misunderstandings later, the two finally admit their love and all ends well...with a few bumps along the way.  Now I know I summarized this into a very short couple of sentences, but I want to comment about the series as a whole, and not just this book.
Like I said earlier, this wasn’t my favorite in the series but it was interesting enough to keep me reading the next one.  And I’m glad because by the time I rolled into the third, I was in love!  My favorites have started from the third on because I think by this time Ms. Dohner really discovered this world she created and went with the flow.  I loved Iron and Coal, in particular, and the women who is able to fall in love with these two cyborg men.
Now, here’s what sets this series apart from the others.  In many series, the voice of the author never goes away.  So you read one, you’ve basically read them all, just substitute some names and bam…a finished book.  But each character in this series is unique and not cookie cutter.  Even though the cyborgs maintain a certain robotic intensity, they are written distinctly, as are the women they fall in love with.  For example, in book one Flint is in a breeding pact and must serve women to make sure children are produced.  Mira would rather die than witness that.  But in book four Ice has produced something like twenty-eight children.  In book two the female, Rena is an insurance claim investigator and in book five Jill hasn’t even finished school.  There are so many flavors in these books that there’s something for everyone.

I'm not sure if Ms. Dohner is planning to write any more, but based on this series I'm going to look in her others, notably the New Speices.  
You can read more about all the books at Laurann’s website: http://www.lauranndohner.com/cyborg-seduction-series.php

Welcome Jennifer Labelle!

I want to give a big round of thanks to Jennifer Labelle for visiting with me this weekend!  She his here to promote Meant To Be, which is free on Amazon (June 7-9th).  To get to know Jennifer and her books better, I drew up some questions so we can get to know her a little better.
1) I read the blurb for Meant To Be and it sounds so intriguing!  Can you tell us a little more about it?   Absolutely,
Jenna Baker’s life is near perfect. She’s got an adoring husband, a beautiful son, and a wonderful family, but everything changes in an instant when a trip to pick up her son from his grandparents ends in a horrible car accident, scarring her.  Suddenly, the reality she once had takes an unexpected turn when the husband she thought was dead re-appears. Tough decisions will have to be made when deceit is uncovered and Jenna has to choose between the life she thought she had, and the new one she may have no choice but to accept…  
2) I have one child & I grumble a lot about not having enough time!  How do you stay focused on writing with three? LOL, this is such a great question. :)As you know, being a mother yourself, my number one job is being a mom, but writing is my passion and now that all three of them are in school I try to write then, or at night once I've got them all sleeping.
3) I read that you have an education in addictions work.  Have you ever been inspired by anything in your work with addicts? 
My degree in Addictions Work began for personal reasons that I don't regret, but no, it hasn't inspired my work as of yet. But you never know...

#4) What made you decide to do this fabulous give-a-way for Meant To Be?
Well, it was my birthday this past Tuesday June 4th, and I thought what better way to help celebrate my 33rd than to give my readers a FREEBIE. It's also a great opportunity to meet new people and draw more interest too. So it's a win/win. :)
 **Happy Birthday!  My mother's b-day is June 4th!!

#5) Ebooks have really reshaped how we find authors and books we read.  How do you reach your audience? 
Through social media (Twitter, Facebook, Website etc..), blogs, advertising, Goodreads, writers groups and through online chats things like that.

Thank you, Jennifer, for visiting Written Butterfly!  I can’t wait to get my hands on Meant To Be!  You can download it for free at Amazon...here is the direct link through Amazon:   http://www.amazon.com/Meant-To-Be-ebook/dp/B004OYTSHE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AZC9TZ4UC9CFC&s=digital-text&qid=1298595348&sr=1-1

I'd like to thank everyone for joining me today. Please enjoy this excerpt below, and grab your copy of Meant To Be as soon as you can. Please feel free to SHARE, SHARE, and share some more too!

Excerpt: He smiled again, taking the last plate from her to dry and shook off the extra suds. Drips of water and soap suds flew through the air getting her wet in the process, and he laughed at her shocked expression.      “Oh, really,” she said in the mood to play. Taking the sprayer hose from the faucet, she turned it on and gave him a squirt. She laughed, and it was his turn to pause in shock.
    She could tell by his expression that this meant war and made a run for it, laughing the whole way. She made it into the living room before he extended his arm to catch her, swooping her up as if she was feather light.
“Got ye.”      They both laughed, but when she turned to face him, he became serious suddenly. She knew then that the games were over. He brushed a strand of hair from her face and pulled her towards him. Slowly moving his face closer, his eyes sparkled and completely absorbed hers.      The kiss started out slow, and she wanted him to take his time with it. She held back a groan when his mouth pulled away and pulled him tighter against her. Her adrenaline pumped faster, and she could feel the warmth coursing throughout her body. There was no thinking twice about it; her desire consumed her.       Pushing him against the wall, she kissed him hard, wanting him in that moment more than she’d ever wanted anything. She liked where this was going, liked being in control, needed it in that moment.
Placing her hands on his chest, she slowly moved them down his beautifully sculptured abs. “Stay,” she whispered, taking a step back so that he could watch as she unzipped her dress. It slowly slid to the floor exposing her bare breasts and the sexy black thong she wore. She kicked it out of the way, pulled his shirt off, and pressed herself against him again, flesh against flesh.
Author contact links: Website: http://www.jenniferlabelle.com Blog: http://labellebooks.blogspot.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/1JenniferLabell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Jennifer-Labelle/168414043184292#!/pages/Author-Jennifer-Labelle/168414043184292 Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4649930.Jennifer_Labelle

How to Write A Kiss!...Backlist Blog Hop & Give-A-Way!

Rawiya - http://rawiyaerotica.wordpress.com Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/rawiyamikemblFacebook - http://www.facebook.com/TheLiteraryTriad
One of the things I have to do as a writer of erotica romance is describe the art of a kiss.  After all, a kiss is everything.  The dictionary defines a kiss as to join lips in respect, affection, love, passion.  How romantic does that sound, eh?  There is a Chinese Proverb that says “kissing is like drinking salted water, you drink and your thirst increases”.  After all, a first kiss represents the spark of love, the hope of the future, quivers in the belly, and tingly sensations all over the body. 

It should be easy, right?  Writing a kiss should be the easiest thing in the world for someone like me.  But capturing the beautiful act of kissing can be extremely difficult to describe.  A written kiss has to be just the right blend of romantic and Oh la la! with no hint of being wet, sloppy or smacking (as I’m sure we’ve all experienced at least once in our lifetime!)
In my first novel, Black Leather Pants, this is how I wrote Kiley and Penny’s first kiss:“Kiley's tongue slid into her mouth, twined with hers, danced, jolting a salacious moan from her. He explored each hidden corner. In and out he plunged, sweeping aside any doubt that this was exactly where she needed to be at this moment.”
Also, writing such a monumental step as a kiss in the love story of two people has to be stimulating for the reader.  It’s my job to not only write a believable love scene, but to bring that love scene to life.  So sometimes dragging out that first prolonged moment can be sweet torture. 
In A Silver Lining I wrote:   “His hand hit the wall next to her head, trapping her. He leaned in so close that she felt his breath on her face. An answering need rose sharply inside her, and she itched to touch him, to bring his lips down upon hers. Fire ignited her blood. Her heart thumped almost painfully while her pussy creamed for the hard cock that pulsed through his heavy denims, pushing against her thigh. The overwhelming urge to fall to her knees and suck him into her mouth for a feast had her reeling.”
So how does a writer write a kiss?  We close our eyes and jump back to that first moment, when we experienced that soul shattering kiss that changed us forever.  We write them from our heart, from our hopes and wishes, we draw them out from every movie and book that turned us on.  We study kisses, deconstruct them, fantasize about them.  And we read…a lot!
While there are many ways to write a kiss, and many different scenarios to engage in a kiss, perhaps the most rewarding is that kiss when the happily ever after starts.  Love stories start with a kiss, and though they may not end specifically with one, the reader knows that the kiss is there, waiting in our imagination when we turn the last page. I would be happy to give away any one of my titles…all you have to do is leave a comment and a way to contact you!  One lucky winner will be drawn the day after the blog hop (name out of a hat, picked by my trusty assistant…AKA: son) and can choose any title. I’ll email you the PDF version of my book!   Thanks so much for visiting with me!
Please visit the others in this Backlist Blog Hop!

Memorial Day and a Memorial...2013

In the United States, Memorial Day is the day when we stop and remember and give thanks to the men and women who have died for our country.  Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the War Between the States (1861-1865) to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War.  By the 20th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who’ve died in military service.
I give thanks to those who've died in service.  And although my father didn't die while in service, he devoted his life to the Army and I wanted to share my last memories of him:

This weekend is particularly hard for me because my father served in the Army for twenty-two years, retiring as a Master Sergeant.  I lost my dad, James Cowsert, last year in a way that still leaves me sleepless.  I held his hand and watched for four hours until he drew his last breath.  I was the one that called time on him, 2:15 on a Monday afternoon.  And he knew he was dying.  There wasn’t any peace or blessing that his pain was almost over.  I saw a man who wanted to live but his body just wouldn’t let him.  When my father died, I was holding one hand and my step-mom the other and I laid my head on his chest and cried.  I cried for an hour, until his body began to harden and his skin turned pasty.  Then I forced myself to walk away because I would have stayed like that for days. 
The next day I had to deal with the mortuary.  Me, alone.  Not my one brother who lived two hours away and never showed because he “couldn’t deal”.  Not my sister who actually worked in the same hospital that my dad was in but only came when I texted her he was gone.  And not my other brother who left earlier the day he died because he had to take his daughter’s boyfriend to visit a sick aunt in the next state.  Because my father was being cremated I had to run around to get their faxed signatures saying it was okay to cremate him.  I had to help fill out the death certificate.  And I had to leave my father’s body in the place that was going to turn him to ash. 
It’s been fifteen months and I still cry at the drop of a hat.  I don’t know how to put behind me the heartache I went through during the four hours I had to watch him die or the crap I went through to make sure his final wishes were carried out.  My boyfriend tells me I was lucky that I got to say good-bye, to say my peace to him, but no one should watch their parent suffer and fade away like I did. 
So on Monday, Memorial Day, I will say a little prayer in my heart, giving thanks to all those who have died in service to this country, and I’ll send a special thought to my father, wherever his soul may be, for giving twenty-two years. 

Writing Menage Stories

**Now that is something I did not expect to hear. I actually look at the man in front of me and I see items I do not recognize as being from this world: wires in his ears, a gun too futuristic looking to be real, and a posture of pride shining through discipline. The first man lets me go gingerly, and I turn quickly to face them, making sure my back is clear. Both men are tall with identical musculatures, in what I used to call the suave David Beckham look—corded muscles and bulging sinew. One man is white, with close-cropped dark hair and light eyes, though I can't tell the specific color in the darkness. I can see a dimple flashing in his right cheek. The second man is black, though his skin isn't very dark—more like a creamy mocha. He has beautiful chocolate-colored eyes with lashes that make me envious. I realize both men are staring at me with peculiar expressions.
 Writing two Alpha men falling in love with one woman is like making a circle out of a triangle by hammering one edge at a time.  You have to shape the dialogue, mold the emotions, and smooth out the rough edges.  The characters have to make sense as does the love between them. 
I like writing two men who are complete opposites of each other, but who balance each other out.  Two sides of the same coin.  One can’t exist without the other.  To me, those are the type of men who would fall in love with the same woman and not be too scared, jealous or emasculated to be in a ménage relationship.  Those types of men are sexy, ther're breathtaking, and I love creating the dynamic between them.   
**So I do the next best thing. I stop fighting, making my body limp, and I crash to the ground like a heavy bowling ball. The sudden deadweight in his arms makes my captor swear and fumble forward. It is just the tiniest, most minute shift, but I take advantage and rear up my head to smack into his face. It isn't hard enough to break anything, but I hope it makes him see stars long enough for me to twist from his grasp.

With two strong men, only a strong female can complement them and make the circle complete.  She can be soft but underneath that has to be a woman not afraid of taking what she needs and being honest about what she wants.
There are many types of ménage out there and different formulas for every writer as well as every reader.  My ménage books are either MFM or MMF and in my opinion, writing two men involved who find a female for a trio is a trickier because of the established emotional connection between the two men.  Writing in a woman without leading to excessive jealousy or anger between the characters has to be thought out and planned well.  In the two MMF books I’ve written, I did address the issue of jealousy because I think that’s a logical, natural progression of feelings and I like exploring that avenue. 
Of course, there is also the menage that I've not written about, the FFM story.  Two females are interesting dynamic twist to the menage story because females handle certain issues differently than men.  Perspectives can change, emotions can be wrung a little more tightly.  I've read two FFM books by my fellow Siren author, Rachel Clark, and she writes thought provoking and interesting characters.  You can check out her books here:  http://www.bookstrand.com/rachel-clark
The desire to have two men love, desire, protect and sexually fulfill their woman is a fantasy many have.  And yet it’s not necessarily the sex that draws us in, but perhaps a primitive knowledge inside us that knows love isn’t always black and white, that sometimes a heart is big enough to beat for more than one person.  
**Excerpts from my novel, Spirals.
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Updates: 1. My MFM trilogy, McKnight, Perth & Daire, is now available!  Book 1 is Otherworldly, Book 2 is Hereafter, & Book 3 is Breathless.
2. Coming soon is Star Mates, to be released on June 5th! 
Blurb:

Emmarie Tice is a singer in small town Claring, Missouri.  While coming home one evening from practicing at a wedding reception, she is abducted by a UFO.  She awakens from her cryo sleep when the ship crashes upon an asteroid and is rescued by the handsome Captain Pell Raiden.
She soon learns humans are nothing more than slaves in the new world she finds herself in.  Pell is part of a waning resistance movement, and he’s angry because the appearance of an Earthling proves that the technology to bring humans to the Amarante System, the one his parents died trying to destroy, was still operational.  But despite his anger, he is drawn to Emmarie, and the two find a love that transcends space.
But a traitor is in their midst, one who acts on selfish desires, and puts Emmarie in great danger.  As she struggles to find a footing in this new world, she has to hold onto the one thing that refuses to die…her love for a rebel captain who left her to finish what his parents started.

 3. My sequel to Love Story for a Snow Princess has been picked up by Siren for an August 2013 release!  Titled Once Upon a Love Story this will be an inter-racial MF erotica romance letting Caleb find his happy ever after! 
Blurb:

Caleb Tasker lost his wife to cancer but it took him a long time to put her memory to rest.  Deciding he needs a vacation, he accepts the gracious invitation of living in his friend’s Malibu home for an over due holiday.
Delilah Ward grew up in rural Mississippi and ran away when she was sixteen, moving to Los Angeles with thoughts of being anything but the person she was born to be.  But reality settled in quickly and the bright lights of Hollywood soon faded into the dark abyss of dancing on a darkened platform.
Caleb is used to love being easy and Delilah is used to fighting against everything.  They have nothing in common except a wildfire attraction that won’t let go of them.  But when tough choices need to be made, will they both be able to be honest to what they really want?  


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The Observance Psychology of BDSM

*Please note: while the title of this blog may say "Psychology" do not expect an in-depth psyche evaluation here.  It's just a blog.


I've recently started reading books immersed into the BDSM lifestyle.  Not because I'm personally drawn to the thought of being a Dom or Sub but because of the psychology behind it.  A friend gave me an article from Marie Claire (Jan. 2013) The Joy of Submission (as told to by Erin Zammett Ruddy) about one woman's experience being a submissive.  One sentence stuck with me: "I love that Fifty Shades of Grey has gotten women talking more honestly about their fantasies, but I hate that the book perpetuates the notion that a Dom must be messed up to be into this kind of sex".  The article states she shares her life with a Dom, who is married but hasn't told his wife, while she is very open to her husband that he isn't all that she needs.  From what I've come to understand, trust is an important aspect of BDSM so I was a little confused by her reasoning.

Aren't we all, as humans, a little messed up in one way or another?  Some of us go to therapists, some of us medicate our troubles away with either pills or another substance.  And some of us want to be collared, tied up and whipped.  Chocolate and vanilla, as apropos as that.  We are all needing something or someone to help fill whatever void we are looking for, whether it be emotional, physical or material. My first BDSM book was The Reluctant Dom by Tymber Dalton (I did a book review on it below) and I'm very thankful that I picked this title first since it introduced a way of life from the POV of a character who didn't understand.  As he went through his journey I began to understand as well.

Now, I've not personally talked or interviewed a Master or slave but I've researched (as any author is wont to do) and have come to the conclusion not everything is black or white. Of course, I'm talking about literature so to have a book you have to have drama.  Fifty Shades of Grey may perpetuate Doms in a harsh light but you wouldn't have a book without internal conflict and personal growth, so there you have it.  Take the fiction with a grain of salt.

I don't think I would ever personally want to become part of the lifestyle but that doesn't mean I wouldn't
want to visit a munch or a play party.  (See? Lingo.)  I find the art of Shibari beautiful even if I don't really want to be on the receiving end.  And I don't know if I could ever be comfortable going through the day naked.  Of course, not everyone who is into BDSM lives it 24/7.  Fantasy, after all, is usually a part time endeavor.  But now I find myself looking at people's necks, wondering if the necklace with a heart lock pendant on it is actually a day collar.  Because that would be cool.

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Okay...I forgot I signed up for Hump Day Hook so I apologize for that!  Here is my paragraph below, from my book "A Man After Midnight":


“Why?”  He countered.  “There’s nothing wrong with a little role playing.  A little voyeurism.  Maybe even a little pain.”

“Only perverted people like that kind of sex,” she said in a low tone.

“Then you must be perverted,” he said with a chuckle.  He picked up her hand, twinning their fingers together, and brought her hand to his mouth and licking the back of her fingers.  “You never answered my question.” 
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Please visit the others for Hump Day Hook at: http://humpdayhook.blogspot.co.uk

Book Review: The Reluctant Dom by Tymber Dalton

The Reluctant Dom by Tymber Dalton http://www.bookstrand.com/the-reluctant-dom
WARNING: SLIGHT SPOILERS
I had bought this book a while ago but never read it because of various reasons.  And I’m glad I waited because this book packs an emotional punch that doesn’t let go of you for a long time.  I connected to the characters of this story, not because of the BDSM theme, but because of the raw emotions Ms. Dalton managed to capture beautifully with words. 
Kaden is dying and he turns to his best friend, Seth, to take over being his wife’s (Leah) Master.  Seth is completely surprised by their lifestyle, living the BDSM way 24/7, and he’s not sure if he can cope.  But Kaden needs him and he agrees to move in, not only to help care for Kaden but to learn.  And he has to learn everything from the ground up, from all the lingo to handling the different whips to dealing with his guilt over loving Leah.  They have to cram a lifetime of learning into a little more than a year.
And they also have to cram all the love in that short amount of time too.  Ms. Dalton handled a very traumatic and heartbreaking turn of events for Kaden into an amazing love story.  Within the first few pages you understand immediately the depth of love Seth and Kaden have for each other.  It’s not a male/male romantic thing but more of a twins-brotherly love.  And Seth loves Leah while Leah has always loved Seth. 
The journey is sometimes difficult to follow...not from context, but from the tears that will flow.  Ms. Dalton wisely told the story from Seth’s POV, so those of us who don’t quite understand the BDSM lifestyle or the need to feel the “bite”, we learn to relate as Seth learns.  We grow to see why Leah needs to have a Mastier, why she needs the bite of a whip across her ass.  But this story is less about Leah and more about Seth’s process of dealing with the impending loss of his best friend, how he feels about “stepping” into Kaden’s shoes, and coming to terms on how strong he needs to be.  He goes from being a fuck-up in life to a Dom.  And it’s told absolutely brilliantly! 
I recently lost my father and I sat by his bedside, holding his hand, watching as he took his last breath.  I know how it felt and the eventuality of Kaden’s fate hit my heart like a ton of bricks.  All the while I knew what was coming, but like Seth I kept hoping for a miracle.  I’m sure Ms. Dalton had a box full of Kleenex next to her as she wrote this book, and I can’t sing her praises enough. 
I’ve always admired Ms. Dalton’s work and she’s a writer I aspire to be like one day.  This is one book I’ve got to have in paperback so it’s a permanent addition to my personal collection.  Put down “Fifty Shades of Grey” and pick up a real book…this book!

The Tortured Hero

What do we define as a tortured hero? 
Is it the physicality of being a hero fighting for the side of right that we root for?  Or is it the internal struggle he goes through that keeps us hanging on? 
Perhaps it’s us who are attracted to dominance, seeing the Alpha in our fantasy that makes us salivate whenever we find that hero that surmounts all obstacles to prove what a man he is.  He can be the complete opposite of what we have in reality or, maybe, the complement to the person who lies next to us in bed.  
He can be the bad boy with a heart of gold, or the battling firefighter.  Maybe he’s the SWAT member, or the policeman, or the spy fighting insurmountable odds.  Perhaps he’s just the guy next door struggling with loss.  Tortured heroes come in all shapes and sizes with various backgrounds as a platform to his story. We can fall in love with his strength, be it from his heart or from his muscles.  A good man is hard to find and the best stories come when our emotions are engaged.
I think it’s fair to say that it’s every romance author’s dream to write a hero that transcends the page.  Authors can write our hero into a box and either save him or sink him.  We are the master’s of his fate.  Of course, in a romance novel, a happily every after (or happily for now) always has to be met and personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  If I’m going to engage my feelings in a character I damn well better have him get his girl (or guy). 
But creating that right blend of tortured hero and interesting guy is hard to do.  I’ve read many hits but I’ve also read many misses.  Even writing a ménage story has to have that right, delicate balance of Alpha and Beta, and I’m not just talking shifters here.  The beautiful thing about romance novels is that there’s something for everyone and a tortured hero just waiting to be found.++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In celebration of the release of my newest novel, Hereafter, I’ll be giving away one PDF version of it (or book 1 in the series titled Otherworldly, if you wish). In both stories, I’ve hopefully created heroes that are yummy as well as a bit tortured.  Detective Jonas Daire is tortured by the presence of Agent Nash McKnight while Nash is tortured with the images of sassy clairvoyant Charlotte Perth in Jonas’s arms. Whatever is a girl to do?  To win, please leave a comment about what tortured hero you love.  One winner will be chosen on Monday, the 29th, so please leave a way to contact you!

Troubling issues in NA Romances

I’ve gotten into reading NA (New Adult) love stories and love the issues being addressed.  Everything from child abuse (The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorensen) to anal rape (Wait for You by J. Lynn) and various topics in between are explored.  Both of those books, by the way, are excellent. 
However, I recently finished two books that left me feeling very let down.  I won’t name names (that wouldn’t be fair) but what both of these books had in common were drugs and cheating.  Now, I totally get a book where either issue is brought into play but that’s not what I’m really bitching about.  My trouble is how the heroine of the story deals with it.  In both books, the heroine is the one who cheats on her boyfriend with the hero.  And in both books the “hero” is drawn back into the world of drugs. 
I get that dealing with either issue is one a lot of us have gone through (myself included) so using that as point of contention is realistic.  But the choices the heroine makes when confronted with either problem will either make or break my emotional investment into her character.  Co-dependency or immature tantrums are a turn off for me.  It’s a very fine line to walk and balancing those conflicts can be very difficult. 
Filling space to make the book longer, dragging out the insecurity in a way that’s unbelievable, only to have everything wrapped up with a HEA in the last couple of pages in a book is a cop-out, in my humble opinion.  Emotional growth, facing fears and coming face to face with whatever it is holding back the HEA is paramount in the satisfying development to a fantastic ending.
My two top picks for a wonderful, well rounded novels dealing with cheating issues are:
Beautifully Damaged by L.A. Fiore
Just for Now by Abbi Glines
I’m always looking for recommendations so if you have one please leave a comment!  I’m going to start doing book reviews and would love to have ideas!

Hump Day Hook & Contest!

Today is a special Hump Day for me because I am giving away an advanced PDF copy of my new novel, Otherworldly, due for release on Thursday, April 11th!
Blurb:
Charlotte Perth is all about sass because her job is reminds her all too well the limits of human life.  She’s clairvoyant but her gift is unique.  She can only summon murdered souls and interprets the visions they send her.  When she’s hired by a wealthy woman to determine the fate of her great nephew, little does Charlotterealize this is one ghost that refuses to cross over.

Detective Jonas Daire feels Charlotteis a fake, out to swindle money from his rich aunt.  When Charlotteproclaims the nephew is not only dead but has been murdered, Jonas feels especially disgusted at Charlotte’s “profession”.  But when his cousin’s body is discovered in the place that she said it would be, with detailed accounts of how he died, he places her under suspicion. 
Jonas and Charlotte work together to find the killer.  As the two grow closer together, another malevolent force won’t stop until the truth is buried…until Charlotte’s ghostly visions are her own.
This is book one in the McKnight, Perth & Daire trilogy.  The second book, Hereafter, will be released April 25th, and in that, Charlotte gets to work with her old flame, Agent Nash McKnight.
For this Hump Day Hook, I decided to go with something a little bit naughty!  +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
She expected him to swing her up into his arms and take herupstairs, but instead he pushed her against the wall as his lips traileddown her neck. His hands moved her shirt up, touching lightly overher skin as the fingertips traveled upward until they reached herbreasts. She moaned and arched her back, thrusting more into hishands. He moved the bra up to expose her, his thumb flicking lightly over her nipples. When he tried to move his mouth to them, herclothing became cumbersome. Impatiently, he swept them over herhead, throwing them carelessly on the floor somewhere behind them.++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To win a free PDF copy of Otherworldly, just leave a comment and one name will be chosen on Thursday by my trusty assistant (AKA: son), so be sure to put some way to contact you!   Also, check out the others in the Hump Day Hook as well!  Thank you!
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