Lily Harlem's Blog, page 229

Thankfully Naughty Giveaway Hop

A big welcome to the Thankfully Naughty Giveaway Hop! I'm going to be giving away something wicked so keep on reading!
If this is your first visit to my blog, helloooo! As you can see from the right hand side of this page I have many novels and novellas published and I have to say they each have their own wicked merits. If erotic suspense and hostage taking is your thing then try Stockholm Surrender, or if those bad boys of the ice get you all a fluster try my Hot Ice series. Then again you may prefer more than two in a bed and that would land you softly amongst my fellas in The Glass Knot and Shared and Shared Too. Whatever you pick of mine it will be steamy 'and' romantic (Oh, except for Dangerous to Know, that one is pure erotica!) and if I've made you fall in love with the hero or heroes, you will definitely get to find out what he/they are like in bed and what their particular brand of kink is!

Kink, fetish, it's a broad subject and while I was doing some research for a book lately when I found some information that I thought I'd pass along to all of you today.
The science bit!
Fetishism: is the use of non-sexual or nonliving objects or part of a person's body to gain sexual excitement.

Here are some I thought I'd share with you today...
  Acousticophilia: sexual arousal from certain sounds Agalmatophilia: sexual attraction to statues or mannequins (Remember the Kim Cattrall film from the 80's?)





Andromimetophilia: love of women dressed as menAquaphilia: arousal from water and/or in watery environments, including bathtubs or swimming pools (Oh, yeah, I get this one!)






Aretifism: sexual attraction to people who are without footwear, in contrast to retifism Dendrophilia: sexual attraction to trees and other large plants. (?)Diaper fetishism: sexual arousal from diapers Eproctophilia: sexual attraction to flatulence (Ick!)Katoptronophilia: sexual arousal from having sex in front of mirrors. (This one is already in a few of my books! Cross-Checked and The Glass Knot.)





Klismaphilia: sexual pleasure from enemas (Now I've read this in a few books but I haven't been there...)Plushophilia: sexual attraction to stuffed toys or people in animal costume, such as theme park characters 





Schediaphilia (aka Toonophilia): love (or sexual arousal) to cartoon characters/situations Sitophilia: sexual arousal from food (Ah, 91/2 weeks! Go on, watch it, you know you want to.)





Spectrophilia: sexual attraction to ghosts Trichophilia: love (or sexual arousal) from hair Xenophilia: sexual attraction to foreigners (in science fiction, can also mean sexual attraction to aliens) 
Of course these are only a few of many fetishes out there, but I had no idea they all had names, but I suppose when you're researching you're bound to come up with some pretty unique topics.
So, what do you all think about this? Let me know your thoughts and I'll pick a winner at random to choose any one of my ebooks featured on this blog, including the Harlem Dae Box Set which is 3 novels and 3 spin-off stories!

Happy hopping

Lily x



Back to the Hop

Mr D Gandy!

Many of you know that I have a not-so-secret little crush on David Gandy - swoon - I even have a Pinterest board dedicated to him. If you can relate to my lust-addled thoughts, then you'll enjoy this... 
Naked David

Great Review for The Glass Knot

I'm thrilled that Long and Short Reviews have read, reviewed and loved The Glass Knot, my sexy m/m/f novel set in the beautiful Cotswolds. Here is what they have to say...





Prepare to be seduced along with one of the heroes. The Glass Knot is a saucy bit of writing that fans of ménage style romances will appreciate. Ms. Harlem has created a believable and entertaining seduction that engages a reader’s senses.
The first thing I want to mention is the style of storytelling. It’s written in first person POV which is not an easy thing to do. However, it’s not done in the typical fashion. The first part introduces Josh’s perspective and the reason and catalyst for the plot. The meat of the story, (meat – inside joke) is based solely on Laura’s side of things and a reader follows her journey toward acceptance of an unconventional love style. The conclusion is the wrap up told from Nick’s viewpoint. Getting into his head was crucial not to mention satisfying because it proves without a doubt that this blended family was strong and healthy and it provided the perfect happy ever after ending.
It’s the journey that makes reading The Glass Knot such an entertaining read. The part that stands out for me is the seduction of Josh. Ms. Harlem paid attention to details like their eyes, breathing, how certain body parts were affected and her choice of words to describe and show the progression of Josh’s introduction to man/woman love was scorching in its intensity and clarity. It’s the highlight of the whole book.
How the author chose to explore human emotion, passion and the problems it can cause when it’s overwhelming was also a testimony to quality writing. It’s a sticky wicket when trying to balance and mesh a potential new love in with an established way of being and living. I think Ms. Harlem handled that whole process well. People make mistakes and having the courage to stand up and be accountable takes a certain level of bravery many people lack. I enjoyed how the author had her characters handle it.
For readers who look for quality ménage descriptions, actions and variety of sensual pleasures, Ms. Harlem delivers. The Glass Knot isn’t a story about sex with little reason; it’s a story that gives a reason for the sex. It’s the best one – love. Josh, Nick and Laura do explore their budding love in all ways physical but in each encounter a reader sees their bonds and connection grow and strengthen. That is when passionate and explicit love works – when the emotions are truly involved and the reader is vested in those emotions. Ms. Harlem was effective in capturing that and sharing it with her readers.
The Glass Knot is everything an erotic romance should be. Readers are getting a treat when they choose this book because the story and romance is solid. I’m glad I read it and credit Ms. Harlem for providing me a wonderful reading experience.

Amazon   Amazon UK

Please Welcome Lisabet Sarai!

Lisabet's new book Her Secret Ingredient – M/F/M BDSM Erotic - is out now at Totally Bound. Buy from Totally Bound and get a sizzling extra chapter, available only to TB VIP readers!


Blurb
Stir in a pinch to stir up his passion
When the Tastes of France food channel offers Mei Lee “Emily” Wong a series of guest spots, she jumps at the opportunity to take her culinary career to a whole new level. Ultimately, she wants a show of her own, but first she has to prove herself to Michelin-starred network founder and effective dictator, Etienne Duvalier. A legend in the world of classic French cuisine as well as a domineering perfectionist, Etienne is sceptical about the culinary abilities of a woman from Hong Kong. To make things more difficult, the master chef is also so gorgeous that Emily can't help being attracted to him.
Emily tries to solve both problems by spiking her luscious profiteroles with an ancient Oriental aphrodisiac. Unfortunately, Harry Sanborne, the low-key, bespectacled producer for Emily's show, samples the delicacies she intends for Etienne's consumption. His powerful reaction to her secret ingredient comes as a pleasant surprise to them both. Harry turns out to be far more impressive in bed than on the set. However, he can't do nearly as much to advance her ambitions as Etienne. Emily tries once more to tempt the exacting M. Duvalier with her special cooking as well as her feminine charms. The outrageous results threaten to end her TV career forever - until Harry steps in to save her reputation and claim her heart.

Buy Totally Bound 
Excerpt
“Even our Monsieur le Chef can be swayed by great food. The desserts – oh, I’ve just got to try one of these...”
“No! Harry...” 
Before I could stop him, though, he’d nipped a cream puff off the pile and popped it into his mouth. His eyes went wide as he chewed and swallowed. 
“Unbelievable! Give me another...”
“Please, no...!” I grabbed at his arm, but it was too late. He’d already devoured a second choux.  “Those are supposed to be for Etienne...”
“Come on, you’ve made at least two dozen. He won’t miss one or two.”  Harry made as if to reach for a third puff. I hung on, trying to restrain him, but he was far stronger than I. Under that dorky clothing, I felt his muscles tense and shift.  
He halted, his fingers inches away from its target, as if suddenly aware of my touch.  Turning away from the tower of pastries, he gazed down at me. Behind his glasses, his mocha-coloured eyes gleamed with powerful purpose.
“Harry?” My stomach did a somersault. My cheeks felt as though they’d just come out of the oven. Meanwhile he held me in that fierce, all-consuming stare. 
My right hand still gripped his left arm, near the shoulder. He reached out to rest his on my shoulder, as if we were about to dance. “You know, I actually see something a lot sweeter right here.” He slid his palm down my back and pulled me to his chest with a decisiveness that sent my pulse into overdrive. When he leaned in close, I smelled the almonds on his breath.
“Harry...I don’t think...”  
“Shh!” He enforced this directive by fastening his mouth on mine in an energetic kiss. 
He tasted, unsurprisingly, of sugar and cream. His firm lips moulded to mine while his tongue teased at the seam, coaxing me to open. I shouldn’t have given in, but I honestly couldn’t help it. He might look like a bit of nerd, but this guy really knew what he was doing. Wet, but not sloppy – forceful, but not brutal – alternating between deep penetration and playful flickering – he kissed with consummate sensuality. All I wanted was to swoon in his arms, to let him take me over.  He seemed eager to oblige.
The hand on my back wandered down to cup my ass and pull my pelvis against his. I gasped at the size and rigidity of the lump pressed against my pubis. My nipples snapped into aching knots and moisture flooded my already damp panties. He laced the fingers of his other hand through my hair, using them to control the position of my head as he drank his fill of me.  
His mouth slipped away from mine to nuzzle below my ear, somehow finding the precise spot that’s directly connected to my clit.  Meanwhile he groped my breasts, squeezing hard – harder than I usually like, but now I actually wanted more. 
Apparently he did, too. He tugged at my blouse, trying to pull it out from the waistband of my skirt, and finally succeeding. The first graze of his fingertips along my naked skin sent a wave of arousal crashing through me. 
“Wait – no – aah...oh...” My protests faltered as he deftly extricated one of my breasts and caught the nipple between his thumb and forefinger. He tugged on the taut node of flesh, twisted it, flicked it back and forth. I swear I felt him doing the same to my clit. At the same time, he caught my earlobe between his teeth, worrying it like a pup with a toy.  
Oh God! He was all over me, fondling and caressing whatever flesh he could access through my dishevelled clothing – and it was glorious! Crumpling my skirt to the waist, he worked his clever fingers under the elastic of my panties to stroke my soaked fur. I jerked against his palm, wanting him to explore more deeply. He appeared happy to oblige, pushing into my channel with his fingers while strumming my clit with his thumb. I wormed  my way into his loose trousers and clung to his cotton-covered ass, feeling his gluts flex as he ground his astonishing hardness against my belly. 
I’d never doubt my grandmother again.  





About Lisabet
Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – nearly fifty single author titles, plus dozens of short stories in various erotic anthologies, including the Lambda winner Where the Girls Are and the IPPIE Best Erotic Book of 2011, Carnal Machines. Her gay scifi erotic romance Quarantine won a Rainbow Awards 2012 Honorable Mention.
Lisabet has more degrees than anyone would ever need, from prestigious educational institutions who would no doubt be deeply embarrassed by her chosen genre.  She has traveled widely and currently lives in Southeast Asia with her indulgent husband and two exceptional felines, where she pursues an alternative career that is completely unrelated to her creative writing.
For more information about Lisabet and her writing, visit her website or her blog Beyond Romance.

Sunday Snog

Hello Sunday Snoggers! I'm thrilled to be immersed in writing another Hot Ice book at the moment, so today I thought I'd go back to the start and give you a steamy snippet from book #1 Hired...

Blurb


One hundred grand to babysit bad boy Logan “Phoenix” Taylor on a paradise island—seriously, how bad could he be?

Frankly, it didn’t matter. Not when it would make my dreams of going to nursing school possible. I wasn’t even expected to talk to him, just hang out in a luxurious villa on a private beach and study. Simple, right?

But I hadn’t counted on Logan being so deliciously bad that he was oh, so good. And when the temperature cranked to boiling point, he knew just how to satisfy the deepest, darkest part of my soul and give my body exactly what it needed. Amongst the sand and waves, we transported each other to an exquisite world of pleasure where only we existed, only we mattered.

But the heady mix of emotions and lust couldn’t keep things from spiraling out of control back in reality, where I had to keep the truth that I’d been hired to entertain him a secret at all costs…even if it shattered my delicate heart. Even if it cost my destiny.






I looked at his handsome features, stiff with worry and frustration. “I’m sure you get plenty of offers from slim, glamorous ‘rink bunnies’.”“Yeah, sure, but they’re exactly that, rink bunnies. They’re false and they just want to date a hockey player. They don’t want to date me. If I worked in a bank, or on a construction site, they wouldn’t be interested.” His gaze scanned down my t-shirt and sweatpants. “Besides, I don’t like skinny girls,” he said flatly. “I like women, women who are soft and have curves in all the right places. Women who look and feel like women. And I like women who like me for me, not because I’m good at whacking a puck into a net.”I looked into his eyes for a sign that he was lying. Did he really like my curvy shape? There was no shifting of his irises, his words had been honest. It meant a lot to a girl who’d struggled to maintain a positive relationship with hips that wouldn’t fit into skinny jeans and breasts that needed support at all times. “I like you for you,” I said, my insides melting at his openness. “A lot.”“Yeah, right.” He folded his arms over his chest and studied the screen.Suddenly I saw a way to fix my karma. I could prove to Logan just how much I liked him and do something about the white-hot lust that he’d injected into my veins. I would simply refuse the money from Fergal. I still had my job at The Grill because I’d taken leave to come to the island. So I could revert to my original plan of working my way through nursing college. The bonus being, I’d have had a fabulous holiday to catch up on study, for free, and to top it all off, the company of a gorgeous, sexy guy.Karma would be restored.Simple.I placed my empty wineglass on the table and moved closer to Logan. “I really am sorry about earlier. If I could explain I would.”His looked at me and his gaze dropped to my mouth. I thought for a second he might shift away, but he didn’t. He stayed very still, frozen, as if exerting considerable willpower to remain motionless with his hands in his lap.“Perhaps you’ll let me make it up to you,” I said quietly. I could already feel my body crying out for his. The remembered sensation of those lips on my naked flesh had my heart rate picking up and blood pooling in my pelvis.“What, and have you walk away again?” He ran his tongue ran over his bottom lip, coating it in a soft sheen. “And leave me in need of another damn cold shower.”“I’m not going anywhere.” I pressed the palm of my hand to his stubbled jawline and kept his focus on me. “I’m staying right here.” I moved my head so close our noses touched. “On this very soft, very long sofa.”His eyes narrowed.“And I’m going to take off all these old clothes,” I whispered onto his mouth. “If that helps persuade you to let me make it up to you.”Heat smoldered from his intense gaze. “I’m persuaded,” he murmured, just before his lips took possession of mine. His kiss was still gentle but hotter than before, and there was an urgency to it now as well. His tongue plundered in, caught mine and started a crazy dance that took my breath away.I felt his hands brush my stomach as he curled his fingers under my t-shirt, pulling it over my head and freeing my messy ponytail from its band. My hair settled on my bare shoulders, tickling the hypersensitive flesh. I got the feeling he wasn’t going to give me a chance to change my mind this time. But he didn’t need to worry, I was buzzing for him, as desperate as he was to pick up where we’d left off.

Thanks for stopping by, if you'd like to find out more about Hired and the other books in my Hot Ice series then check out my website. Or, alternatively, click on the Hot Ice covers on the right of this page to be taken straight to Amazon to buy and read  reviews.

Lily x

Saturday Spankings

A huge welcome, as always, to Saturday Spankings! Here's a deft thwack from High-Sticked, the m/m book in my Hot Ice series (like all the books about these bad boys of the Vipers hockey team High-Sticked can be enjoyed as a standalone read). There isn't loads of spanking in this novel but these guys do play as hard off the ice as they do on it!




He set a fast pace. I pushed back for more as he gave it to me hard and good. Soon I was getting ready to explode and release my desire, my lust. My breaths were ragged, my cock filled to full hardness and the pressure in my balls was almost painful. “I’m coming,” Todd shouted, straightening and slapping my butt again. “Come with me. Oh, please, Matthew, come with me.” It was a good hard whack, and when combined with the lusty desperation in his voice, my climax detonated. “Yes, yes, yes,” I shouted. I didn’t bother keeping quiet like I had the night before, now I let my pleasure rip from my lungs.



Amazon  Amazon UK  Ellora's Cave 
Hot Ice

Beauty and Pain by Harlem Dae

Beauty and Pain is book #1 in the A Bit of Strange short story trilogy coming from Totally Bound early 2014 and written by myself and Natalie Dae.

The books are Beauty and Pain, Pain and Pleasure and Pleasure and Danger. The cover for the first book has just been revealed. What do you think?

New Authors....

Are you a budding author? Do you have a manuscript and wondering what to do with it? If so check out the tips on my website...

Sexy as Hell hits the UK charts!

That's right, a few weeks after taking the US Amazon charts by storm, the Sexy as Hell Box Set is now romping up the UK charts. If you haven't already, grab yourself this bargain set of 3 novels and 3 spin-off stories.





Another great 5* review just in too...

I read the first book The Virgin and was hooked on the characters of this series. This box set is an excellent way to have the books and secondary stories all together at a super value pricing. I enjoyed the secondary stories just as much as the main characters trilogy. The first book's title was changed from The Virgin to The Novice in the set.

Amazon  Amazon UK  Harlem Dae

Running Against Traffic by Gaelen VanDenbergh

Please welcome Gaelen VanDenbergh to my blog today. Gaelen is a new author to me and I'm thrilled to have her and her new book Running Against Traffic stop by for a visit. Not only that she's going to share a few thoughts on making characters real for all you budding authors out there.

Blurb for Running Against Traffic
Paige Scott spent her childhood shuffled between relatives who ignored her, and her adult life hiding in her crumbling marriage to wealthy David Davenport. When David suddenly thrusts her into a remote, impoverished world, Paige is forced to face the betrayals of her past - not to mention the colorful townies of her present. Unexpected friendships and her discovery of running propel her on a jagged and comical journey toward learning how to truly live.



How to Make Your Characters Believable by Galean VanDenberg
Your characters are crucial to a good story. Yes, there must be a plot. Things have to happen to these people. But in my opinion, if the characters are not believable, the most riveting story will fall flat.
You have to know your characters. What do they like to eat? If they had a day entirely to themselves, alone, what would they choose to do? Do they have secret dreams or desires that no one knows about? How do they react in various situations? If you think about a close friend of yours, think of all that you know of that person's idiosyncrasies. Carefully consider your characters in the same way. 
Consider personal history. Where did they grow up? What was their family situation? Do they have brothers and sisters? Were they nurtured or neglected or something in-between? What turning points occurred in their life? What were their relationships like with partners over the years? 
If I find myself struggling with the process of getting to know one of my characters, and this has happened many times, I pretend we are meeting for a drink, and I ask them questions. As the conversation in my head progresses, I begin to sort out who this person is and what made them who they are, what brought them to this point in their lives, what they are going through in the present. I can be very nosy.
Once your characters become real to you, your writing will portray them honestly, and they will therefore be believable to your readers. 
Finally, pay attention to the details. For me, once I have truly gotten to know a character the way I would know a close friend, I can hear them talk, I see their body language, and I often think I know how they would react in certain situations. Though, as I write, they sometimes surprise me, and then we have to go back to the bar to discuss it. Why did they do that? What made them say that? Don't let them try to change the subject. This may be their story but it's your book. Find out what's really going on. 
If this seems like a lot of work, consider your friendships in real life. Did they just come about, or did you spend time getting to know these people? It wasn't really work, was it? Well, with some people it's work. But with people you have created, it should fascinate and engross you. For me, it's the absolute best part of the writing process.

Gaelen



BUY LINKS
AMAZON BARNES & NOBLE GOODREADS 

About Gaelen
Gaelen VanDenbergh is a writer, runner, and compulsive list-maker who lives in Philadelphia with her family, a fat cat, and several fish. Her debut novel Running Against Traffic, was a Global Ebook Award nominee, a semifinalist in the The Kindle Book Review’s 2013 Best Indie Book Awards, a semifinalist in the Readers' Favorite 2013 International Book Award Contest, Indie Book of the Day, June 30, 2013, a 2013 Beach Book Festival Award nominee, and has received a four star review in InD’tale Magazine.
When not writing, Gaelen enjoys reading, running races for charities, and spending as much time in Key West and the Adirondacks as she can.

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