Lily Harlem's Blog, page 232
October 22, 2013
Out Now - Sexy as Hell Spin-Off Stories
Yes, that's right. Natalie and I enjoyed writing our Sexy as Hell Trilogy so much we've written three short stories about the secondary characters. They're out now and they're wild, raunchy and like the series push all the boundaries!
The Harlequin
Marti, who features in The Harlequin, is in book #1 of the trilogy, The Novice. Because of his unusual lifestyle, flamboyant appearance and daring act at Eden Street, Marti really deserved his own book, not least because in part he was responsible for Victor (the hero in The Novice) finding his own inner beast and releasing his animalistic passion on a very delighted Zara.
Marti shares his life with Joel, the only man who has accepted Marti for exactly who he is—a guy with male and female parts. Although they are in love, they do like to dabble in threesomes from time to time. When Marti’s snake, Rio, becomes ill, a visit to the vet gives them more than just antibiotics for the snake…
Please note it is M/M/M and dabbles with medical fetish.
Amazon Amazon UK
The Mistress
Fifi and Carlos, who feature in The Mistress, are both in books #1 and #2 of the trilogy. Carlos plays a larger role than Fifi as Zara’s slave. For a giant of a man he is surprisingly gentle and submissive and is understandably lost when Zara finds Victor to ‘play’ with. It was decided, therefore, to give Carlos his own story with the slightly scary Fifi and see how things worked out for them.
Is Fifi’s bark worse than her bite, or is it all a show? Fifi has wanted to be Carlos’ Mistress for a long time, but he was bound to Zara, their boss. Now, with Carlos set free, Fifi has stepped in to fill Zara’s shoes. But surely Fifi wants more than Carlos can possibly give. Has she got the courage to ask him to be her slave 24/7? And, more importantly, does he even want her as his full-time Mistress?
Amazon Amazon UK
The Star
Julie, who features in The Star, is in book #1 of the Sexy as Hell Trilogy. Although she doesn’t have a major role she does have a major impact on Victor and how he perceives people living the BDSM lifestyle. It was judged, therefore, only fair that Julie have her chance at happiness and The Star was born.
Julie just wants someone to love her as she needs to be loved, to whip her as she needs to be whipped. No man so far has had the bottle to dole out pain to the degree she likes it—until The Star comes into her life.
Amazon Amazon UK
Find out more about the Sexy as Hell Trilogy on the Harlem Dae website - the first book, The Novice is available at a bargain price for a limited period of time.
The Harlequin
Marti, who features in The Harlequin, is in book #1 of the trilogy, The Novice. Because of his unusual lifestyle, flamboyant appearance and daring act at Eden Street, Marti really deserved his own book, not least because in part he was responsible for Victor (the hero in The Novice) finding his own inner beast and releasing his animalistic passion on a very delighted Zara.
Marti shares his life with Joel, the only man who has accepted Marti for exactly who he is—a guy with male and female parts. Although they are in love, they do like to dabble in threesomes from time to time. When Marti’s snake, Rio, becomes ill, a visit to the vet gives them more than just antibiotics for the snake…
Please note it is M/M/M and dabbles with medical fetish.
Amazon Amazon UK
The Mistress
Fifi and Carlos, who feature in The Mistress, are both in books #1 and #2 of the trilogy. Carlos plays a larger role than Fifi as Zara’s slave. For a giant of a man he is surprisingly gentle and submissive and is understandably lost when Zara finds Victor to ‘play’ with. It was decided, therefore, to give Carlos his own story with the slightly scary Fifi and see how things worked out for them.
Is Fifi’s bark worse than her bite, or is it all a show? Fifi has wanted to be Carlos’ Mistress for a long time, but he was bound to Zara, their boss. Now, with Carlos set free, Fifi has stepped in to fill Zara’s shoes. But surely Fifi wants more than Carlos can possibly give. Has she got the courage to ask him to be her slave 24/7? And, more importantly, does he even want her as his full-time Mistress?
Amazon Amazon UK
The Star
Julie, who features in The Star, is in book #1 of the Sexy as Hell Trilogy. Although she doesn’t have a major role she does have a major impact on Victor and how he perceives people living the BDSM lifestyle. It was judged, therefore, only fair that Julie have her chance at happiness and The Star was born.
Julie just wants someone to love her as she needs to be loved, to whip her as she needs to be whipped. No man so far has had the bottle to dole out pain to the degree she likes it—until The Star comes into her life.
Amazon Amazon UK
Find out more about the Sexy as Hell Trilogy on the Harlem Dae website - the first book, The Novice is available at a bargain price for a limited period of time.
October 21, 2013
To Submit and Obey Box Set now at All Romance eBooks!
Now available on All Romance eBooks - To Submit and Obey Box Set which includes the critically acclaimed That Filthy Book by myself and Natalie Dae, plus novels from Sierra Cartwright, Justine Elyot, Marie Haynes and Ashe Barker!
The Retreat by Kay Jaybee
Please welcome my good pal, fellow Brit Babe and all round amazing woman Kay Jaybee to my blog today. The second book in The Perfect Submissive Trilogy is now out and oh, what a treat... take it away Kay...
The Retreat – The Adventures of Miss Jess Sanders Continue!!
Huge thanks to Lily for inviting me over today to chatter a little about The Retreat, the second book in The Perfect Submissive Trilogy!
Carrying on 6 months from where Part One (The Perfect Submissive) left off, we find that life for Miss Jess Sanders is about to get even more complicated...
Blurb
Just as Jess is beginning to relax into her new life as a submissive at The Fables Hotel, her employer Mrs Peters announces that she is loaning both Jess, and her dominatrix Miss Sarah, to one of their most demanding clients; Mr David Proctor.Whisked away by the mysterious Kane to The Retreat, hidden in a remote part of Scotland, Jess and Miss Sarah find themselves teaching another submissive to meet Proctor’s exacting rules.As Jess comes to terms with the techniques of The Retreat Mistress, and the strictly overpowering dominatrix Lady Tia, she discovers that Proctor’s motives may not be all they seem. Just who or what is Fairtasia? And why does Jess feel like she’s walked into a warped fairy tale?In order to get back to The Fables, Jess is going to have to be more than just a perfect submissive...
Introducing Alisha, Dr Ewen, and the daunting Lady Tia, The Retreat takes Jess on a submissive adventure tangled with fairytale connotations, a trip to a Scottish castle, and challenges that make Jess look back fondly at the tasks she faced during her initial training at the Fables Hotel!
One of the elements of Jess’s early initiation into the world of a professional submissive came at the hands of Mr David Proctor- a gentleman who Jess intends to stay as far away from as possible.Unfortunately for Jess, Proctor has plans of his own- and she is going to find it very difficult to escape from them...
Extract
...‘Good afternoon. Thank you all for coming. I will keep this brief.’ Mrs Peters' shrewd eyes appraised her newest recruit as she spoke, privately pleased at Jess’s ever improving self control, but wise enough not to tell her so. ‘There is no reason to look so worried Miss Sanders. Your beautiful backside is quite safe for the moment. If you could rise, and then sit upon the desk.’ Getting up fast enough to be seen as obeying instantly, but not so fast as to make herself dizzy, Jess rose to her feet, and then climbed on top the same antique desk just as Mrs Peters was impatiently indicating. Sitting crossed legged in the very centre of its blotting paper covered surface, so that she could see her boss, but none of the other staff behind her, Jess felt a sense of disappointment that the spanking she had assumed must follow, was obviously not going to take place- at least, not yet.‘I have some news which requires the co-operation of you all.’ Mrs Peters didn’t move a muscle, and yet Jess knew she was simultaneously looking at every person in the room. ‘Miss Sanders here has, as ever, assumed her summoning here is because she’s made a transgression which requires a punishment. In this instance, I am pleased to inform you, that the complete opposite is true.’Jess did her best to keep her facial expression blank as she wondered how Mrs Peters always knew what was on her mind, but her eyes betrayed her.‘I’m not sure if that’s relief or disappointment in those forever dilated eyes of yours Miss Sanders.’Not daring to turn round to see the expressions on her colleagues faces, Jess kept quiet, the dampening of her knickers after being made to wait for something that wasn’t going t happen mutely answering Mrs Peters question for her.Gathering her thick russet hair up into a high ponytail, the manageress began to walk with enviable poise around the historically accurate room, the skirt of her long velvet dress rustling as she moved, ‘I believe you have all, in one capacity or another, had the pleasure of entertaining one of our most regular guests, Mr David Proctor.’The submissive’s throat went dry. All of the visitors to the fifth floor were demanding, especially of her, but David Proctor was the only one that Jess disliked to the point of dread. This dislike wasn’t because his tastes were harsh, or that the demands he made on Jess were more painful or more humiliating than those of the others. He was simply cruel for the sake of it. Jess was as sure as she could be that Miss Sarah and Lee didn’t like him much either; but they would never have admitted it, and it wasn’t Jess’s place to ask.‘David, as is obvious from the amount of money he spends here, is a very wealthy business man. And,’ Mrs Peters paused, and for the briefest second Jess thought perhaps her boss didn’t completely approve of what she was about to announce, before her innate self control took over, ‘he has decided to embark upon a new venture. An investment.’ Foreboding spread over Jess like a tidal wave. Sat, her lower limbs beginning to numb from her cross-legged position, she could feel prickles of nervous perspiration dot the back of her neck. Nothing that involved David Proctor could be good news.A hush had fallen on the study. It had been quiet anyway. Not even Miss Sarah would have the nerve to stop Laura Peters in mid-announcement. However, the calibre of the communal listening had gone from being merely wary to tangibly tense. Jess could almost taste the apprehension as it bounced off the study walls. She wished it didn’t turn her on quite so much.Mrs Peters swept back to Jess, her right palm absentmindedly stroking her sub’s chest through her top as she continued her announcement, ‘This investment involves the purchase of a business premises where, like here on the Fifth Floor, fantasies can be enjoyed without fear of judgement, or the need for personal justification. In short David is looking to recreate exactly what we do here.As her piercing eyes levelled on the run of her hands across Jess’s thin blouse, Mrs Peters added, ‘an idea which obviously appeals to you Miss Sanders, if the peeked state of you nipples is anything to go by.’Jess’s checks flushed. Her bra was only a cheap cotton material, and her generous chest, the feature which beyond her natural deference, had first attracted her to Mrs Peters attention, was pushing against the fabric it and her shirt with no regard for the consequences to the rest of Jess’s body.‘Take you top off girl.’Even after six months working for her, Jess couldn’t prevent her hands from shaking as she did as she was told, her imagination already skipping ahead to what might happen next.Satisfied with the sight of Jess’s semi-nakedness, Mrs Peters added, ‘I think you’d better put your hands on her head girl. It will make it less tempting for you to let your fingers stray without permission.’Feeling only a glimmer of humiliation, rather than the full-on shame that would have engulfed her in the early days of her training, Jess obeyed. Cursing her overactive imagination, which had jumped ahead to the part in the proceeding when Mrs Peters ordered one of the men to fuck her, she wished that she’d been instructed to take her panties off as well. They were so wet that they were sticking to her crotch, making it increasingly difficult not to squirm as she sat in her yoga-type pose.Having adjusted Jess into an agreeably visual position, Laura now paid little heed to her submissive as she went on, ‘You will appreciate I hope, that we should be extremely flattered here at Fables. Not only is our work considered worthy of imitation, but David has asked for our express assistance in the improvement of his new establishment.’The temperature of the study was so warm it had been bordering on stuffy, but suddenly goose-pimples of cold began to spot Jess’s naked arms. Whatever her boss was about to say, Jess was sure she didn’t want to hear it. Concentrating on keeping her arms still, her fingernails dug into her scalp. Not for the first time, Jess was grateful for all the exercise sessions Miss Sarah had forced her to endure. Put through her paces, naked, often with a love-ball or butt plug in place, every single one had seemed like pure torture at first. In more recent times, these fitness sessions had taken on a more personal dimension, as she and Miss Sarah frequently ended them in a bout of mutual pleasure which Miss Sarah claimed provided them both with an excellent way of releasing the tensions of the day, but which Jess found herself looking forward to far more than she would dare to admit- even it herself. These exercises had however, taught Jess a great amount of self discipline, and how to be motionless for long periods of time. Don’t think about Miss Sarah. Jess tried desperately not to picture the woman who sat in the chair behind her with a perfect view of her bare back. Jess had no doubt that her composure would be as unmoved as ever, but she couldn’t help wondering how aroused the mistress was under her layers of corsetry.Jess forced her concentration back to what Mrs Peters was saying, ‘The location of this new resort is, so far, a secret, but in order to ensure the calibre of his staff is as, and I am proud to quote Mr Proctor here, “as excellent, obedient, and inventive as those of the Fables Fifth Floor.” He has requested that we loan him two members of staff to help train his fledging team.’If the atmosphere had been tense before, it was positively bristling with static now. No one moved. Jess wasn’t sure anyone was even breathing. One silent thought seemed to occupy the entire room. ‘Please don’t let one of them be me.’...
****
Thanks again Lily!!! I hope that has tickled your kink buds!!If you would like to buy The Retreat, it is available from-Amazon.com Amazon UK
Kay Jaybee wrote the novels The Retreat – Part 2 of The Perfect Submissive Trilogy, (Xcite, 2013), Making Him Wait, (Sweetmeats Press, 2012), The Voyeur (Xcite, 2012), The Perfect Submissive (Xcite 2012), as well as the novellas, Not Her Type: Erotic Adventures With A Delivery Man (2nd ed. 1001 NightsPress, 2013), Digging Deep (Xcite, 2013), A Sticky Situation, (Xcite, 2012), and The Circus, (Sweetmeats Press). She has also written the anthologies The Collector (Austin & Macauley, 2012 & 2008), The Best of Kay Jaybee (Xcite, 2012), Tied to the Kitchen Sink, Equipment, (All Romance, 2012), Yes Ma’am (Xcite e-books, 2011), Quick Kink One and Quick Kink Two (Xcite e-books, 2010). Kay has had over 70 short stories published by Cleis Press, Black Lace, Mammoth, Xcite, Penguin, Seal, and Sweetmeats Press.
Details of Kay’s work, past, present and future can be found on her website.You can follow Kay on Twitter- @kay_jaybee, Facebook Goodreads Brit BabesKay also writes contemporary romance as Jenny Kane
The Retreat – The Adventures of Miss Jess Sanders Continue!!
Huge thanks to Lily for inviting me over today to chatter a little about The Retreat, the second book in The Perfect Submissive Trilogy!
Carrying on 6 months from where Part One (The Perfect Submissive) left off, we find that life for Miss Jess Sanders is about to get even more complicated...
Blurb
Just as Jess is beginning to relax into her new life as a submissive at The Fables Hotel, her employer Mrs Peters announces that she is loaning both Jess, and her dominatrix Miss Sarah, to one of their most demanding clients; Mr David Proctor.Whisked away by the mysterious Kane to The Retreat, hidden in a remote part of Scotland, Jess and Miss Sarah find themselves teaching another submissive to meet Proctor’s exacting rules.As Jess comes to terms with the techniques of The Retreat Mistress, and the strictly overpowering dominatrix Lady Tia, she discovers that Proctor’s motives may not be all they seem. Just who or what is Fairtasia? And why does Jess feel like she’s walked into a warped fairy tale?In order to get back to The Fables, Jess is going to have to be more than just a perfect submissive...
Introducing Alisha, Dr Ewen, and the daunting Lady Tia, The Retreat takes Jess on a submissive adventure tangled with fairytale connotations, a trip to a Scottish castle, and challenges that make Jess look back fondly at the tasks she faced during her initial training at the Fables Hotel!
One of the elements of Jess’s early initiation into the world of a professional submissive came at the hands of Mr David Proctor- a gentleman who Jess intends to stay as far away from as possible.Unfortunately for Jess, Proctor has plans of his own- and she is going to find it very difficult to escape from them...
Extract
...‘Good afternoon. Thank you all for coming. I will keep this brief.’ Mrs Peters' shrewd eyes appraised her newest recruit as she spoke, privately pleased at Jess’s ever improving self control, but wise enough not to tell her so. ‘There is no reason to look so worried Miss Sanders. Your beautiful backside is quite safe for the moment. If you could rise, and then sit upon the desk.’ Getting up fast enough to be seen as obeying instantly, but not so fast as to make herself dizzy, Jess rose to her feet, and then climbed on top the same antique desk just as Mrs Peters was impatiently indicating. Sitting crossed legged in the very centre of its blotting paper covered surface, so that she could see her boss, but none of the other staff behind her, Jess felt a sense of disappointment that the spanking she had assumed must follow, was obviously not going to take place- at least, not yet.‘I have some news which requires the co-operation of you all.’ Mrs Peters didn’t move a muscle, and yet Jess knew she was simultaneously looking at every person in the room. ‘Miss Sanders here has, as ever, assumed her summoning here is because she’s made a transgression which requires a punishment. In this instance, I am pleased to inform you, that the complete opposite is true.’Jess did her best to keep her facial expression blank as she wondered how Mrs Peters always knew what was on her mind, but her eyes betrayed her.‘I’m not sure if that’s relief or disappointment in those forever dilated eyes of yours Miss Sanders.’Not daring to turn round to see the expressions on her colleagues faces, Jess kept quiet, the dampening of her knickers after being made to wait for something that wasn’t going t happen mutely answering Mrs Peters question for her.Gathering her thick russet hair up into a high ponytail, the manageress began to walk with enviable poise around the historically accurate room, the skirt of her long velvet dress rustling as she moved, ‘I believe you have all, in one capacity or another, had the pleasure of entertaining one of our most regular guests, Mr David Proctor.’The submissive’s throat went dry. All of the visitors to the fifth floor were demanding, especially of her, but David Proctor was the only one that Jess disliked to the point of dread. This dislike wasn’t because his tastes were harsh, or that the demands he made on Jess were more painful or more humiliating than those of the others. He was simply cruel for the sake of it. Jess was as sure as she could be that Miss Sarah and Lee didn’t like him much either; but they would never have admitted it, and it wasn’t Jess’s place to ask.‘David, as is obvious from the amount of money he spends here, is a very wealthy business man. And,’ Mrs Peters paused, and for the briefest second Jess thought perhaps her boss didn’t completely approve of what she was about to announce, before her innate self control took over, ‘he has decided to embark upon a new venture. An investment.’ Foreboding spread over Jess like a tidal wave. Sat, her lower limbs beginning to numb from her cross-legged position, she could feel prickles of nervous perspiration dot the back of her neck. Nothing that involved David Proctor could be good news.A hush had fallen on the study. It had been quiet anyway. Not even Miss Sarah would have the nerve to stop Laura Peters in mid-announcement. However, the calibre of the communal listening had gone from being merely wary to tangibly tense. Jess could almost taste the apprehension as it bounced off the study walls. She wished it didn’t turn her on quite so much.Mrs Peters swept back to Jess, her right palm absentmindedly stroking her sub’s chest through her top as she continued her announcement, ‘This investment involves the purchase of a business premises where, like here on the Fifth Floor, fantasies can be enjoyed without fear of judgement, or the need for personal justification. In short David is looking to recreate exactly what we do here.As her piercing eyes levelled on the run of her hands across Jess’s thin blouse, Mrs Peters added, ‘an idea which obviously appeals to you Miss Sanders, if the peeked state of you nipples is anything to go by.’Jess’s checks flushed. Her bra was only a cheap cotton material, and her generous chest, the feature which beyond her natural deference, had first attracted her to Mrs Peters attention, was pushing against the fabric it and her shirt with no regard for the consequences to the rest of Jess’s body.‘Take you top off girl.’Even after six months working for her, Jess couldn’t prevent her hands from shaking as she did as she was told, her imagination already skipping ahead to what might happen next.Satisfied with the sight of Jess’s semi-nakedness, Mrs Peters added, ‘I think you’d better put your hands on her head girl. It will make it less tempting for you to let your fingers stray without permission.’Feeling only a glimmer of humiliation, rather than the full-on shame that would have engulfed her in the early days of her training, Jess obeyed. Cursing her overactive imagination, which had jumped ahead to the part in the proceeding when Mrs Peters ordered one of the men to fuck her, she wished that she’d been instructed to take her panties off as well. They were so wet that they were sticking to her crotch, making it increasingly difficult not to squirm as she sat in her yoga-type pose.Having adjusted Jess into an agreeably visual position, Laura now paid little heed to her submissive as she went on, ‘You will appreciate I hope, that we should be extremely flattered here at Fables. Not only is our work considered worthy of imitation, but David has asked for our express assistance in the improvement of his new establishment.’The temperature of the study was so warm it had been bordering on stuffy, but suddenly goose-pimples of cold began to spot Jess’s naked arms. Whatever her boss was about to say, Jess was sure she didn’t want to hear it. Concentrating on keeping her arms still, her fingernails dug into her scalp. Not for the first time, Jess was grateful for all the exercise sessions Miss Sarah had forced her to endure. Put through her paces, naked, often with a love-ball or butt plug in place, every single one had seemed like pure torture at first. In more recent times, these fitness sessions had taken on a more personal dimension, as she and Miss Sarah frequently ended them in a bout of mutual pleasure which Miss Sarah claimed provided them both with an excellent way of releasing the tensions of the day, but which Jess found herself looking forward to far more than she would dare to admit- even it herself. These exercises had however, taught Jess a great amount of self discipline, and how to be motionless for long periods of time. Don’t think about Miss Sarah. Jess tried desperately not to picture the woman who sat in the chair behind her with a perfect view of her bare back. Jess had no doubt that her composure would be as unmoved as ever, but she couldn’t help wondering how aroused the mistress was under her layers of corsetry.Jess forced her concentration back to what Mrs Peters was saying, ‘The location of this new resort is, so far, a secret, but in order to ensure the calibre of his staff is as, and I am proud to quote Mr Proctor here, “as excellent, obedient, and inventive as those of the Fables Fifth Floor.” He has requested that we loan him two members of staff to help train his fledging team.’If the atmosphere had been tense before, it was positively bristling with static now. No one moved. Jess wasn’t sure anyone was even breathing. One silent thought seemed to occupy the entire room. ‘Please don’t let one of them be me.’...
****
Thanks again Lily!!! I hope that has tickled your kink buds!!If you would like to buy The Retreat, it is available from-Amazon.com Amazon UK
Kay Jaybee wrote the novels The Retreat – Part 2 of The Perfect Submissive Trilogy, (Xcite, 2013), Making Him Wait, (Sweetmeats Press, 2012), The Voyeur (Xcite, 2012), The Perfect Submissive (Xcite 2012), as well as the novellas, Not Her Type: Erotic Adventures With A Delivery Man (2nd ed. 1001 NightsPress, 2013), Digging Deep (Xcite, 2013), A Sticky Situation, (Xcite, 2012), and The Circus, (Sweetmeats Press). She has also written the anthologies The Collector (Austin & Macauley, 2012 & 2008), The Best of Kay Jaybee (Xcite, 2012), Tied to the Kitchen Sink, Equipment, (All Romance, 2012), Yes Ma’am (Xcite e-books, 2011), Quick Kink One and Quick Kink Two (Xcite e-books, 2010). Kay has had over 70 short stories published by Cleis Press, Black Lace, Mammoth, Xcite, Penguin, Seal, and Sweetmeats Press.
Details of Kay’s work, past, present and future can be found on her website.You can follow Kay on Twitter- @kay_jaybee, Facebook Goodreads Brit BabesKay also writes contemporary romance as Jenny Kane
October 19, 2013
Blisse Kiss in the Dark - Joy Ride
A big, juicy welcome to Blisse Kiss After Dark. This week we're getting in the Halloween mood by having hot kisses in the dark, so here's an excerpt from my newly released Joy Ride, part of the Spice Rack series at Ellora's Cave.
When word gets out about the Spice Rack, a new adult novelty item that’s guaranteed to spice up your love life, retailers can barely keep them on the shelves. Each jar holds a suggestion on how to add some zip in the bedroom. Or the kitchen. Or wherever passion strikes. Couples everywhere clamor to get their hands on a rack and see what happens. Whether they try one jar or try them all, one thing’s for sure—with the Spice Rack around, sex will never be bland again.
You can learn more about this sinfully brilliant series on my dedicated webpage as well as find out how to make your own spice rack to warm up your nights!
Blurb
Kimberly is desperate—muffling gasps of pleasure under the covers is just not doing it for her. She loves and desires her husband, but she needs more.
Could the Spice Rack picked up at a girly, wine-infused party be the solution? Anticipation floods her body as she opens the first “task”. What the…? How is “love on the move” going to spice up her sex life? It’s impossible, or so she thinks, because when a sudden sinful idea pops into her head she has to act, much to Nate’s delight.
Until they’re spotted, pulled over, hauled out and cuffed, and not in fluffy pink. They’re in for it, but the glint in Nate’s eye tells Kimberly he’s finally got her exactly where he wants her. It might feel like hell, but before she knows it she’s catapulted to a heavenly place she’s been longing to revisit. As long as they can get away with it.
He stopped in the shadows by the car door and wrapped her in his arms. “This damn Spice Rack and the thought of what each jar might contain has got me feeling like a sex-obsessed teenager.” He kissed her hard and fast. “We should get ourselves home ASAP and open another jar.”“Just what I was thinking. And should we make it a seriously hot chili one this time?” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively and cupped his ass, hoping her father hadn’t decided to peek out the curtains.He grinned and there was a roguish glint in his eyes, one that she hadn’t seen for a while. “I don’t care what it says in the jar, because you, baby, are going to get it good.”“I am?” Oh, what a promise. Kimberly could barely control a delicious tremble of anticipation between her legs.“Yep, with the bedroom lights on and no holding back your screams of pleasure. I’m going to remind you how we used to… Fuck.”Kimberly slid her hands from his taut butt and fisted his sweater in his lower back. She couldn’t remember when she’d last heard Nate curse. But it didn’t offend her. Far from it. In fact it turned her on. Fuck. She loved that word. It should be in their lives more often. “Fuck,” she repeated.He licked his lips. “Yes, we used to fuck like crazy. Do you remember on our honeymoon? We didn’t come out of the hotel room for three days. It was awesome.”Kimberly nodded, remembering with wonderful clarity how they’d enjoyed each other’s bodies to the max. His stamina in the shower had been incredible and he’d eked out her first multiple orgasm. She’d woken him with a blowjob, the best start to any day ever, he’d later said. They’d also conceived Sophie, a condom having split during a particularly strenuous doggy-style session on the balcony at three in the morning. “I remember,” she whispered against his lips. “It was awesome.”“It was how we were most of the time.” He stroked his thumb over her cheek. “I still feel the same way about you, you know. I don’t show it so much. Can’t show it so much but that doesn’t mean…” His words trailed off.“Doesn’t mean what?” She tipped her head and studied the way he nibbled at his bottom lip.“That when you walk into a room I don’t imagine you naked. When you touch me, even just a hand on my arm, I don’t long for more, much more. Because I do. I miss the old us.”Damn, so did Kimberly. How could they have let themselves get into this state?“Not to say I’m not happy with how we are,” he said hurriedly. “I am. You’re the only one for me, you have to know that, not just for today, tomorrow, but forever.” He paused. “But we’re still young, in love and, if that kiss an hour ago is anything to go by, we’re still in lust.”“Too right we’re still in lust.” She squeezed a little tighter against him, felt a hard package behind the fly of his jeans. “Nate! We’re at my parents’.”He grinned and rubbed his pelvis against her, just a little, the tiniest amount. “I can’t help it. Just talking about fucking you has made me hard enough to hammer nails.”Kimberly giggled. “Well, we’d best get you home so you can start hammering.”He gave a snort of laughter. “Yeah, let’s ditch the movie.”“There was never a movie.” Kimberly batted his arm and leapt into the car. The sooner they got home the sooner the fun would start. She could hardly wait.Nate pulled away from the curb, his transition up the gears more rapid than usual. Kimberly glanced at his face. His jaw had a steely angle and his lips were pressed tight. As the amber glow of the streetlamps slid over his profile she could see his nostrils flaring as he breathed.She squirmed on the seat, heat flooding between her legs. The need to have him above her, ramming into her, giving in to desire, was too much to bear. She could imagine it so clearly, what they would be doing the very minute they got home. Naked, sweaty, tearing at each other’s clothes—their hunt for satisfaction a wild frenzy as basic instincts took over their every thought and movement. They may have to get the first one out of the way before they opened the second spice jar.Kimberly pressed her legs together and continued to stare at her husband. His fingers gripped the wheel, his biceps tensing to bricks beneath his sweater, their outline clear. She let her gaze slip lower, to his groin. The lap belt cut across his waistband, bunching his top slightly. Beneath that there was a healthy bulge.“Nate,” she said, sliding her hand onto his thigh. A truly sinful idea had just popped into her head. It would be the answer to their problem. But could she turn it into reality?He tensed but kept his eyes on the road. “Yep?”“You know that spice jar?”“Yep.”“How it said express your love on the move.”“Yep.” He glanced across at her. His eyes narrowed briefly then he turned his attention back to the near empty highway that led to the outskirts of town.“I have an idea.” Kimberly undid her belt and sidled into the middle section of the bench-style seat. “I think I know how we can fulfill the challenge before moving on to the next one.”“Baby, there’s nowhere to stop around here without having the cops pull up within a few minutes.”“I don’t want you to stop.” She slid her hand higher, up his thigh and on to the solid stretch of denim that was straining against his cock.“Ah Jesus, careful, Kim.”Kimberly ignored him and gave the impressive swelling in his groin a stroke and a squeeze.“Shit, like I said, be careful. I haven’t been this hot for it in a while. I might just come in my pants.” He shifted on the seat.“Ah, poor Nate.” She barely suppressed a giggle.“Yes, poor Nate. These damn denims—it’s getting pretty uncomfortable.” He scowled at her. “And you’re not helping.”“But I think I can.” She licked her lips.“Not for another twenty minutes you can’t, not ’til we get home.”“But this is perfect. I have a way to express my love for you on the move. Right here, right now.” Carefully Kimberly eased the buttons on Nate’s fly free, releasing some of the pressure the wedge of flesh was causing.“What the hell are you doing?” Again Nate flashed his attention her way, but just for a second. The road was long and straight but it was a fast route and known for deer wandering across the lanes. “Kim?”“I’m going to suck you off, Nate. Now, while you’re driving us home.”
I hope you enjoyed that steamy snippet. Don't forget to visit my website for details of all the books in the Spice Rack series and check out the Pinterest Page too.
Thanks for stopping by and why not head over to Spooky Smut in the City for more smutty fun!
Lily x
The Novice - #1 Sexy as Hell
After what can only be described as an emotional week, Amazon have agreed to republish book #1 in the Sexy as Hell Trilogy. Now, though, it is not called The Virgin, but The Novice. Natalie and I are thrilled as the rest of the trilogy doesn't make as much sense without this first book.
However, we have lost the ten 5* reviews we had on the purchase page on Amazon. So if you read The Virgin and enjoyed it a few words on The Novice would be much appreciated.
Amazon Amazon UK
October 17, 2013
OUT TODAY - JOY RIDE
I'm absolutely thrilled to be adding to the new Spice Rack series published by Ellora's Cave. It's fun, naughty and an essential ingredient to any set of saucy fantasies. This is what it's all about...
When word gets out about the Spice Rack, a new adult novelty item that’s guaranteed to spice up your love life, retailers can barely keep them on the shelves. Each jar holds a suggestion on how to add some zip in the bedroom. Or the kitchen. Or wherever passion strikes. Couples everywhere clamor to get their hands on a rack and see what happens. Whether they try one jar or try them all, one thing’s for sure—with the Spice Rack around, sex will never be bland again.
When I heard about this series from good pal Karen Stivali, author of Decadence, I just couldn't resist coming up with a story of my own. The range of plot lines is so deliciously broad with so many scenarios to play with. But those sexy handcuffs called to me, and let's just say, so did the thought of a married couple, normally law abiding members of society, being oh, so bad in the back of a police van!
Kimberly is desperate—muffling gasps of pleasure under the covers is just not doing it for her. She loves and desires her husband, but she needs more.
Could the Spice Rack picked up at a girly, wine-infused party be the solution? Anticipation floods her body as she opens the first “task”. What the…? How is “love on the move” going to spice up her sex life? It’s impossible, or so she thinks, because when a sudden sinful idea pops into her head she has to act, much to Nate’s delight.
Until they’re spotted, pulled over, hauled out and cuffed, and not in fluffy pink. They’re in for it, but the glint in Nate’s eye tells Kimberly he’s finally got her exactly where he wants her. It might feel like hell, but before she knows it she’s catapulted to a heavenly place she’s been longing to revisit. As long as they can get away with it.
Buy
Ellora's Cave
Other books in the Spice Rack series are...
Decadence by Karen Stivali
Love Plus One by Karen BoothSo, now to the important bit, what would you choose off the Spice Rack shelf to heat up your bedroom action tonight? As you can see you get to choose from sweet, savory and spicy!
Remember though, it's pot luck what's inside the jar, but one thing is for sure, if you've both agreed to carry out your task, then you have to go through with. Perhaps you'd be lucky and get a bit of 'slap and tickle'
Maybe even some risky outdoor shenanigans between courses at your local restaurant.
Having him at your command for an evening might be required. Oh, yes, what fun...
You could bring new meaning to 'take a swim together'.
'Get tied up in knots' might reveal itself and you'll both have to get imaginative.
Might be tricky to organise, but if he's got a willing friend you could add a new dimension to 'double up your love'...
Find out more about the Spice Rack at Ellora's Cave, Pinterest and on my website learn how to make your very own Spice Rack!
Have a spicy day!
Lily x
A Good Week for Reviews!
Three new reviews this week, all excellent and all cause for celebration...
The first is for High-Sticked from Mrs Condit and Friends Read Books -
ROUX’S OPINION: “High Sticked” is book # 5 in a series called Hot Ice by Lily Harlem. It works just fine as a stand-alone read which was great for me as I have not read any of the earlier books. (Yet. I will certainly be looking up books 1-4 now.) I really enjoyed this story told from the perspective of Matthew, a New York based, British born successful photographer. He is well-respected in his field and is currently working on an ad-campaign for Armani while also preparing for his first ever gallery showing featuring his personal photographs. One job pays his bills while the other fuels his artistic needs. Matthew has a few close, loyal friends who provided support especially when he was dumped a year earlier by the man he thought would be his forever. Matthew does not do casual; he is someone meant to be half of a long term couple. He has needs and desires but doesn’t settle for one-night stands. So his world becomes complicated when he finds himself attracted to a man who is well-known for his revolving door style of dating. Make that dating many beautiful women. To add to the chaos, Todd Carty, a star athlete in the NHL, is Matthew’s photography subject, the face Armani is using to pitch its latest men’s fragrance.
Matthew is shocked is shocked to learn that Todd has developed feelings for him and wants a relationship. Matthew is afraid of caring too much too fast because he doesn’t think he can stand having his heart crushed again. What if Todd changes his mind? Can’t stand up to the tremendous backlash that will undoubtedly come with coming out as a gay man? But Todd has made up his mind and follows the course despite the obstacles and problems that arise. Todd is committed to Matthew and refuses to ask him to become a dirty little secret. They stand through the firestorm of publicity and are still standing side by side when the smoke clears.
Matthew and Todd are wonderful characters and I enjoyed getting to know them and their friends. I appreciate the sweet romance and the hot sex... I am happy that Todd and Matthew found a way to be together and create a happy ending that works for them both. This is a wonderful book and I recommend it.
The second is Grand Slam from Coffee Time Romance -
Marie is looking forward to her new job working with the sexy Travis, one of the top tennis players in the world. She soon discovers it is going to be more than a challenge, as he is teaching her more about herself than she cares to analyze.
Travis is sure Marie has nothing to provide to his psychological wellbeing. Still, from the moment he meets her, there is more to his feelings of need. When he reveals his sexual needs, he discovers there is more to Marie than a doctor.
Travis believes he has no need for Marie as a doctor. He slowly realizes she does have more to show him. Who will be the victor, the doctor or the Dom? Maybe there is room for both.
Grand Slam is an invitation into the meaning of a BDSM relationship based on love, trust and respect. The characters are two incredibly strong individuals who learn that being together can make them stronger. I love the easy introduction into a light dominate, submissive relationship. Grand Slam is an amazing love story for the romantic at heart, with just enough BDSM to interest those who appreciate extra spice in their life. Ms. Harlem and Ms. Felthouse have an amazing talent of balancing the BDSM lifestyle with the romance of love.
And the third is an Amazon reader review for The Player.
I'm really enjoying these books and seeing the characters develop......its more than your average erotic fiction......I'm rooting for Zara and her Victor and hoping they find their way in the 3rd instalment.
Have a great day...
Lily x
The first is for High-Sticked from Mrs Condit and Friends Read Books -
ROUX’S OPINION: “High Sticked” is book # 5 in a series called Hot Ice by Lily Harlem. It works just fine as a stand-alone read which was great for me as I have not read any of the earlier books. (Yet. I will certainly be looking up books 1-4 now.) I really enjoyed this story told from the perspective of Matthew, a New York based, British born successful photographer. He is well-respected in his field and is currently working on an ad-campaign for Armani while also preparing for his first ever gallery showing featuring his personal photographs. One job pays his bills while the other fuels his artistic needs. Matthew has a few close, loyal friends who provided support especially when he was dumped a year earlier by the man he thought would be his forever. Matthew does not do casual; he is someone meant to be half of a long term couple. He has needs and desires but doesn’t settle for one-night stands. So his world becomes complicated when he finds himself attracted to a man who is well-known for his revolving door style of dating. Make that dating many beautiful women. To add to the chaos, Todd Carty, a star athlete in the NHL, is Matthew’s photography subject, the face Armani is using to pitch its latest men’s fragrance.
Matthew is shocked is shocked to learn that Todd has developed feelings for him and wants a relationship. Matthew is afraid of caring too much too fast because he doesn’t think he can stand having his heart crushed again. What if Todd changes his mind? Can’t stand up to the tremendous backlash that will undoubtedly come with coming out as a gay man? But Todd has made up his mind and follows the course despite the obstacles and problems that arise. Todd is committed to Matthew and refuses to ask him to become a dirty little secret. They stand through the firestorm of publicity and are still standing side by side when the smoke clears.
Matthew and Todd are wonderful characters and I enjoyed getting to know them and their friends. I appreciate the sweet romance and the hot sex... I am happy that Todd and Matthew found a way to be together and create a happy ending that works for them both. This is a wonderful book and I recommend it.
The second is Grand Slam from Coffee Time Romance -
Marie is looking forward to her new job working with the sexy Travis, one of the top tennis players in the world. She soon discovers it is going to be more than a challenge, as he is teaching her more about herself than she cares to analyze.
Travis is sure Marie has nothing to provide to his psychological wellbeing. Still, from the moment he meets her, there is more to his feelings of need. When he reveals his sexual needs, he discovers there is more to Marie than a doctor.
Travis believes he has no need for Marie as a doctor. He slowly realizes she does have more to show him. Who will be the victor, the doctor or the Dom? Maybe there is room for both.
Grand Slam is an invitation into the meaning of a BDSM relationship based on love, trust and respect. The characters are two incredibly strong individuals who learn that being together can make them stronger. I love the easy introduction into a light dominate, submissive relationship. Grand Slam is an amazing love story for the romantic at heart, with just enough BDSM to interest those who appreciate extra spice in their life. Ms. Harlem and Ms. Felthouse have an amazing talent of balancing the BDSM lifestyle with the romance of love.
And the third is an Amazon reader review for The Player.
I'm really enjoying these books and seeing the characters develop......its more than your average erotic fiction......I'm rooting for Zara and her Victor and hoping they find their way in the 3rd instalment.
Have a great day...
Lily x
October 16, 2013
Special Guest Katalina Leon with her new book Fairy in the Flesh
Please welcome the very lovely Katalina Leon to my blog today. I spotted the fabulous cover for Fairy in the Flesh a while ago on the 'coming soon page' at Ellora's Cave and was intrigued by the title. Recently I read more about Katalina's inspiration and research for the book and I asked her if she'd like to pay me a visit and chat about Maya and Andre. I was thrilled when she said yes and so here she is, right now, to brighten up our day with a little mystery and magic.
Blurb
Maya Rousseau’s fantasy vacation in Avignon, France, heats up when an eccentric enchantress tricks her into drinking mojo-laced absinthe. An unexpected encounter with the green fairy causes Maya’s reality to have a serious meltdown. She travels back in time and wakes up naked in the bed of her favorite bad-boy Bohemian artist, the tall, dark and mysterious André Bosco. There’s nothing wrong with that—except it’s 1903.
For André, it’s love at first sight. He begs Maya to become his cherished model, muse and lover. The chemistry and shared passion between them are overwhelming. André’s a generous-hearted dream man, but there’s a catch. Every hour they spend together bonds them tighter and time is running out. The same powers that flung Maya back to 1903 are preparing to snatch her back.
With a hundred and ten years separating these soul-bound lovers, it’s uncertain whether they can find a happy ending without the help of a little magic and La Fée Verte.
Inside Scoop: Story contains super-hot sex with an unattainable man, enchanted hallucinatory beverages, mischievous time-twisters, green fairies and a touch of voyeurism.
Take it away Katalina...
Thanks Lily, it's great to be here.
Have you ever tasted Absinthe? It’s strange, beautiful stuff and something of an acquired taste. Straight from the bottle it’s an earthy golden-green similar in hue to high quality olive oil. When mixed with water it becomes an enchanted, cloudy shade of pale opalescent jade. The mysterious green transformation is where the legend of La Fée Verte, the green fairy begins. In cafés of the 19th century a patron would be served a fluted, parfait style glass, a small pitcher of water, a filigree spade-shaped spoon that often was a work of art in itself, and a tiny dish of chunky oblong sugar cubes.
The patron would balance the spoon across the top of the glass, place the sugar cubes atop the spoon and very slowly drizzle the absinthe over the sugar cubes, saturating them. Then a small amount of water would be trickled over the sugar cubes and allowed to dissolve them. The final step after the last bits of green sugar had slipped through the spoon is to stir the mixture until it becomes opaque. At that moment it’s time to ask La Fée Verte to be kind with you and grant you a beautiful vision.
The first impression that might leap to mind while tasting modern commercial absinthe might be “Dear god that’s strong”, or it might be, “Wow this is just weird black licorice and a lot of booze.”
Taste it again and the other subtle flavors begin to come forward. Taste it again and you’ll notice there are a lot of layers to this stuff, multiple ingredients that are familiar yet very hard to name. Anise is right at the top, screaming licorice!, but there are other quietly seductive flavors as well as the possibly of a few sinister properties. Absinthe as it was made in the 19th century contained wormwood as one of the principle ingredients, which is said to induce hallucinations and eventually madness.
Madness? Wormwood? You might think that sounds a little unsetting but it didn’t stop the 19th century French from guzzling the stuff. Until World War I Absinthe was the most popular alcoholic beverage in France. French veterans returning from the Crimean War came home with a taste for exotic herbed alcoholic beverages. Absinthe’s astonishingly high alcohol content and notorious ability to intoxicate added to its popularity among the poor and serious café drinkers alike. Absinthe’s allure crossed all social boundaries in 19th century France. Intellectuals, artists and well-to-do middle class matrons all enjoyed and often overindulged in La Fée Verte’s warming and yet numbing embrace.
For professional purposes only I drank a little absinthe while editing Fairy In The Flesh. I called on La Fée Verte to bring me a beautiful vision as I asked the question, “What if your soul mate was born a century before you?” Fairy In The Flesh explores that question big time.
In this excerpt at the end of a long, luckless day of wandering through Avignon France searching for André Bosco’s art studio, Maya stubbles into a Bohemian bistro run by a strange lady who claims to be a “time-twisting” enchantress.
* * * * *
…Maya’s gaze wandered toward the far wall and fixated on a framed pencil sketch of a handsome man with a proud, compelling face. The sketch was framed beneath glass and the paper had yellowed at the corners and crumbled with age. She studied the man’s face and guessed he was in his mid-thirties. He had a thick head of wavy dark hair and a rugged face with square, noble features, chevron brows and luminous eyes that glanced sideways from the portrait and seemed to follow the viewer around the room.Maya found herself unable to look away. The man had a magnetic quality she seldom saw in contemporary faces. It was a look that could only belong to someone who possessed the self-confidence and perhaps a touch of arrogance not to care what the world thought. The generous arch of the man’s lips was so sensuous her thoughts wandered toward what it must have felt like to be kissed by him.“You like Bosco, don’t you?” Miss Ruby leaned close. “He has a interesting face, doesn’t he? He can appear both compassionate and feral in turn. I’ve heard many differing opinions about the portrait over the years.”Maya started. “Is that a portrait of André Bosco, the Fauvist painter?” she gasped. “I’m a great admirer of Bosco! I had no idea a portrait existed.” Her heart fluttered. “Did he really look like that?”“You know of Bosco?” Miss Ruby looked elated. “So few do. History has all but overlooked him, which is a shame because those familiar with his small body of work have hailed him as one of the most innovative painters of his time. Some say Bosco inspired his more famous peers and set the example for the Fauvist moment by showing the world how to paint like a wild beast. Of course, a few of his nastiest critics called him a ‘paint waster’, but it’s clear Bosco had vision.”Miss Ruby waved her hands through the air in an expansive gesture. “A few art historians have credited Bosco with being the original wild beast, in part because of his physical intensity and unruly head of hair, but also because he had a habit of tossing his paintbrushes aside and smearing the brightest colors across the canvas with his fingertips, with passion. It was said by those who watched him work that he ravished his canvases like a ferocious lover.” She giggled.“He sounds exciting.” Maya drew a sharp breath. “Years ago, I saw an original Bosco in a traveling museum show of modernist work. Bosco’s painting was the most expressive piece of art in the entire show. I kept wandering back to look at it again and again. The painting was of a white stallion but the colors were vivid—every hue of the rainbow was hidden in the lines and shadows. Before I left the museum I bought a postcard of the painting and carried it around in a battered sketchbook for years. Bosco was my greatest inspiration. I heard a rumor he had a studio somewhere in Avignon?”“He did.” Miss Ruby pointed upward. “His studio is a corner room on the third floor. The landlord of the building has preserved it.”“Bosco’s studio is here?” Maya tensed. “Can I see it?”“No.” Miss Ruby shook her head. “I don’t have permission to open the room, but the landlord will return on Sunday. You can ask him then.”“I won’t be here on Sunday.” A note of desolation crept into her voice. “This is my last full day in France. I have to start making my way back to Paris tomorrow for my flight home. I’ll miss my only chance to see Bosco’s studio.” Maya leaned across the bar, feeling absolutely desperate to get a look at Bosco actual living space. “Please reconsider—I promise not to touch a thing.”“I’m sorry.” Miss Ruby nodded toward the top of the bar, where an ornate brass skeleton key dangled from a green satin ribbon. “The landlord is the only one allowed to use that key to open the studio.”“Damn.” Maya swallowed the last of her iced coffee and set the empty glass on the counter. She now felt torn about getting up and leaving when something as interesting as André Bosco’s studio was so near. “What’s inside the studio?”“Everything.” Miss Ruby sounded glib. “The room is exactly as Bosco left it in 1903. He abandoned his paints, brushes, unfinished canvases, clothing—even a small amount of money. It’s a real mystery—no one knows what happened to him.”A chill shivered up Maya’s spine. “No one knows?”“There are romantic tales that claim Bosco fell in love with a model. She left him and he simply walked away one day never to be heard from again. What happened after that is an unknown. No doubt that is the reason he hasn’t enjoyed the same success as of some of his peers. Bosco abandoned his art, or perhaps changed his name and drifted. Even his legal name is in dispute, but no one really knows who he was or what became of him.“The only thing that’s certain is Bosco disappeared from this hotel on the eve of having his work shown at an influential art salon. Wealth and success were headed his way and he chose to chase after a woman instead. Beyond that, history never heard from him again. Even the paintings destined for the salon showing in Paris disappeared and no surviving Bosco paintings have been authenticated after 1903, so you see, his career as an early Fauvist was fleeting but intense.”Maya’s gaze fixated on the portrait. “It’s sad. He showed such promise.” She studied André Bosco’s commanding face. The depth of his eyes in contrast to his dark brows fascinated her. As she carefully examined the sweeping graphite lines of the sketch an odd thing happened—Bosco’s gaze seemed to sharpen and for the briefest moment she felt as if a living man confronted her.“That portrait is uncanny.” Maya swayed from side to side, changing her angle of view. “When I move, Bosco’s gaze shifts too.”“He’s watching you as intensely as you’re watching him.” Miss Ruby chuckled. “I think he likes you.” She turned and opened a locked cabinet built into the wall, opened the cabinet and removed an emerald green, liter-tall apothecary bottle stopped with a wax-dipped cork.The sides of the bottle were smeared with colorful paint-stained handprints. A yellowed label that had begun to separate from the glass featured a voluptuous winged fairy cloaked in a wisp of green silk. The dreamy-eyed fairy basked beneath ornate golden lettering identifying her as La Fée Verte, the fabled and sometimes fickle green fairy who lurked within absinthe’s golden-green depths, waiting to inspire or destroy those who partook of her.Miss Ruby proudly presented the bottle to Maya. “This bottle of absinthe belonged to Bosco.” She pointed to the flecks of dried paint on the label and bottle. “This was the paint palette Bosco was using when he disappeared. Look at the vibrancy of the lime greens, sorbet orange and warm pinks. The colors are gorgeous. This is just one of the many personal items he left behind. Being a high-level enchantress from New Orleans, the landlord entrusted me to take possession of the absinthe. I put my own protective mojo on it.”Maya reached out to touch Bosco’s broad handprint on the bottle with reverence. His palm print dwarfed hers and she immediately saw that he must have been a man of large build. The intimate act of tracing her fingertips against the same spot where Bosco’s had once rested made her hand tingle. Touching Bosco’s handprint seemed to forge a galvanizing link to a past she would have loved to be part of.Bosco had lived at a time when the world had just begun to awaken to its true potential. Queen Victoria had recently died, marking an official end to the Victorian era. Albert Einstein’s first important papers on thermodynamics had just been published and few outside his rarefied circle of peers knew his name. The Wright brothers were still perfecting their first fragile aircraft. The Eiffel Tower was a newly completed wonder and Europe and the rest of the world had yet to go to war.Over a century ago, at the moment Bosco had picked up the bottle with paint- stained fingers and left his handprint on the glass, most people had seen a gleaming future on the rise but few had glimpsed its looming shadow.“You’re touching that bottle as if you were stroking a lover’s thigh,” Miss Ruby said softly. “I can see by your faraway expression that you’re a bit enamored with Bosco. I understand. I’ve been smitten with the past too. It can be so enthralling.”“I wouldn’t say I was smitten.”“Is seduced a better word?” Miss Ruby reached behind the bar and retrieved a fluted parfait glass that stood on a delicate pedestal, a spade-shaped filigree spoon and a tiny silver dish filled with sugar cubes. “I can’t allow you to enter Bosco’s studio, but I can offer you a small taste of his absinthe.” Her hand poised above the cork, she said, “Would you like to try it?”Maya stared at the tempting but slightly forbidding bottle. “Isn’t absinthe dangerous?” She squirmed on the barstool. “I‘ve heard it can cause madness.”Miss Ruby’s posture stiffened. “I’m not going to let you consume that much. I’m only offering a taste so you can say you shared a drink with André Bosco. But if you’re not interested...” She started to put the bottle back into the cabinet.“Wait!” Maya lurched forward. “I’d be honored to sample Bosco’s absinthe.” Her head spun from this crazy but thrilling offer.“There’s a ritual that goes along with this.” Miss Ruby pointed toward the green fairy on the label. “If you want La Fée Verte to bring you a beautiful vision, you must offer her a gift.”“What kind of a gift?”Miss Ruby reached over the counter and, with a bold gesture, removed one of Maya’s tiny, gold hoop earrings from her lobe. Before Maya could protest the earring was plopped into the bottom of the fluted glass.“Why did you do that?” Maya gasped in surprise.“You can have it back later. La Fée Verte will bring you a lovelier vision if you offer her a personal item with your essence on it.” Miss Ruby lifted a pitcher of water and poured it into the glass until it was half full. She then balanced a lacy silver spoon across the top. “Pick up two sugar cubes,” she commanded. “Kiss each, make a wish and set them on the spoon.”Maya picked up the sugar cubes and kissed both. The kisses left a sweet grainy texture embedded in her lipstick. She licked her lips and set the stained sugar cubes on the spoon. When set side-by-side the lipstick marks on the two sugar cubes formed a perfect pink heart. She almost pointed out the coincidence to Miss Ruby but decided to keep the thought to herself.Miss Ruby uncorked the bottle of absinthe and poured a drizzle of golden-green liquid over the sugar cubes. A piquant and slightly bitter herbal scent filled the air. The cubes absorbed the soft-green color as they dissolved and washed through the tiny slots in the spoon. As the absinthe mixed with the cool water it formed delicate whorls that sank in the glass like exhausted dancers gracefully melting to the floor. A moment later the liquid turned a cloudy, opalescent shade of pale-jade.Miss Ruby glanced at Maya. “Did you make a wish?”Maya nodded. She’d wished she could meet a man as exciting as André Bosco but didn’t believe for a moment that it could actually happen.“La Fée Verte can transport you for a brief time to another reality, but remember you belong in the present and no matter the temptation to remain in her realm, you will have to return. Your fate lies in the present.” Miss Ruby dipped the spoon into the glass and stirred. The golden earring twirled at the bottom of the glass, making soft tinkling sounds before settling. She withdrew the spoon and pushed the fluted glass toward Maya. “Your magic potion is ready. Enjoy.”(Maya drinks the absinthe and gets left alone in the building. Things get strange fast. La Fée Verte appears and tempts her to steal the key…)
Katalina Leon
I’m an artist, an author, mother and wife. I write for Ellora’s Cave, Loose Id Publishing and a couple new publishers to be announced soon. I try to bring a touch of the mystical and a big sense of adventure to everything I write because I believe there’s a bold, kick-ass heroine inside all of us who wants to take a wild ride with a strong worthy hero.
Website:
Ellora’s Cave Loose Id Amazon
All Romance eBooks Night Owl Reviews Author Page
Pinterest Facebook: Twitter: @Katalina_Leon
* * * *
Thanks so much for being my guest today, Katalina, I hope you'll drop by again.
Lily x
Blurb
Maya Rousseau’s fantasy vacation in Avignon, France, heats up when an eccentric enchantress tricks her into drinking mojo-laced absinthe. An unexpected encounter with the green fairy causes Maya’s reality to have a serious meltdown. She travels back in time and wakes up naked in the bed of her favorite bad-boy Bohemian artist, the tall, dark and mysterious André Bosco. There’s nothing wrong with that—except it’s 1903.
For André, it’s love at first sight. He begs Maya to become his cherished model, muse and lover. The chemistry and shared passion between them are overwhelming. André’s a generous-hearted dream man, but there’s a catch. Every hour they spend together bonds them tighter and time is running out. The same powers that flung Maya back to 1903 are preparing to snatch her back.
With a hundred and ten years separating these soul-bound lovers, it’s uncertain whether they can find a happy ending without the help of a little magic and La Fée Verte.
Inside Scoop: Story contains super-hot sex with an unattainable man, enchanted hallucinatory beverages, mischievous time-twisters, green fairies and a touch of voyeurism.
Take it away Katalina...
Thanks Lily, it's great to be here.
Have you ever tasted Absinthe? It’s strange, beautiful stuff and something of an acquired taste. Straight from the bottle it’s an earthy golden-green similar in hue to high quality olive oil. When mixed with water it becomes an enchanted, cloudy shade of pale opalescent jade. The mysterious green transformation is where the legend of La Fée Verte, the green fairy begins. In cafés of the 19th century a patron would be served a fluted, parfait style glass, a small pitcher of water, a filigree spade-shaped spoon that often was a work of art in itself, and a tiny dish of chunky oblong sugar cubes.
The patron would balance the spoon across the top of the glass, place the sugar cubes atop the spoon and very slowly drizzle the absinthe over the sugar cubes, saturating them. Then a small amount of water would be trickled over the sugar cubes and allowed to dissolve them. The final step after the last bits of green sugar had slipped through the spoon is to stir the mixture until it becomes opaque. At that moment it’s time to ask La Fée Verte to be kind with you and grant you a beautiful vision.
The first impression that might leap to mind while tasting modern commercial absinthe might be “Dear god that’s strong”, or it might be, “Wow this is just weird black licorice and a lot of booze.”
Taste it again and the other subtle flavors begin to come forward. Taste it again and you’ll notice there are a lot of layers to this stuff, multiple ingredients that are familiar yet very hard to name. Anise is right at the top, screaming licorice!, but there are other quietly seductive flavors as well as the possibly of a few sinister properties. Absinthe as it was made in the 19th century contained wormwood as one of the principle ingredients, which is said to induce hallucinations and eventually madness.
Madness? Wormwood? You might think that sounds a little unsetting but it didn’t stop the 19th century French from guzzling the stuff. Until World War I Absinthe was the most popular alcoholic beverage in France. French veterans returning from the Crimean War came home with a taste for exotic herbed alcoholic beverages. Absinthe’s astonishingly high alcohol content and notorious ability to intoxicate added to its popularity among the poor and serious café drinkers alike. Absinthe’s allure crossed all social boundaries in 19th century France. Intellectuals, artists and well-to-do middle class matrons all enjoyed and often overindulged in La Fée Verte’s warming and yet numbing embrace.
For professional purposes only I drank a little absinthe while editing Fairy In The Flesh. I called on La Fée Verte to bring me a beautiful vision as I asked the question, “What if your soul mate was born a century before you?” Fairy In The Flesh explores that question big time.
In this excerpt at the end of a long, luckless day of wandering through Avignon France searching for André Bosco’s art studio, Maya stubbles into a Bohemian bistro run by a strange lady who claims to be a “time-twisting” enchantress.
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…Maya’s gaze wandered toward the far wall and fixated on a framed pencil sketch of a handsome man with a proud, compelling face. The sketch was framed beneath glass and the paper had yellowed at the corners and crumbled with age. She studied the man’s face and guessed he was in his mid-thirties. He had a thick head of wavy dark hair and a rugged face with square, noble features, chevron brows and luminous eyes that glanced sideways from the portrait and seemed to follow the viewer around the room.Maya found herself unable to look away. The man had a magnetic quality she seldom saw in contemporary faces. It was a look that could only belong to someone who possessed the self-confidence and perhaps a touch of arrogance not to care what the world thought. The generous arch of the man’s lips was so sensuous her thoughts wandered toward what it must have felt like to be kissed by him.“You like Bosco, don’t you?” Miss Ruby leaned close. “He has a interesting face, doesn’t he? He can appear both compassionate and feral in turn. I’ve heard many differing opinions about the portrait over the years.”Maya started. “Is that a portrait of André Bosco, the Fauvist painter?” she gasped. “I’m a great admirer of Bosco! I had no idea a portrait existed.” Her heart fluttered. “Did he really look like that?”“You know of Bosco?” Miss Ruby looked elated. “So few do. History has all but overlooked him, which is a shame because those familiar with his small body of work have hailed him as one of the most innovative painters of his time. Some say Bosco inspired his more famous peers and set the example for the Fauvist moment by showing the world how to paint like a wild beast. Of course, a few of his nastiest critics called him a ‘paint waster’, but it’s clear Bosco had vision.”Miss Ruby waved her hands through the air in an expansive gesture. “A few art historians have credited Bosco with being the original wild beast, in part because of his physical intensity and unruly head of hair, but also because he had a habit of tossing his paintbrushes aside and smearing the brightest colors across the canvas with his fingertips, with passion. It was said by those who watched him work that he ravished his canvases like a ferocious lover.” She giggled.“He sounds exciting.” Maya drew a sharp breath. “Years ago, I saw an original Bosco in a traveling museum show of modernist work. Bosco’s painting was the most expressive piece of art in the entire show. I kept wandering back to look at it again and again. The painting was of a white stallion but the colors were vivid—every hue of the rainbow was hidden in the lines and shadows. Before I left the museum I bought a postcard of the painting and carried it around in a battered sketchbook for years. Bosco was my greatest inspiration. I heard a rumor he had a studio somewhere in Avignon?”“He did.” Miss Ruby pointed upward. “His studio is a corner room on the third floor. The landlord of the building has preserved it.”“Bosco’s studio is here?” Maya tensed. “Can I see it?”“No.” Miss Ruby shook her head. “I don’t have permission to open the room, but the landlord will return on Sunday. You can ask him then.”“I won’t be here on Sunday.” A note of desolation crept into her voice. “This is my last full day in France. I have to start making my way back to Paris tomorrow for my flight home. I’ll miss my only chance to see Bosco’s studio.” Maya leaned across the bar, feeling absolutely desperate to get a look at Bosco actual living space. “Please reconsider—I promise not to touch a thing.”“I’m sorry.” Miss Ruby nodded toward the top of the bar, where an ornate brass skeleton key dangled from a green satin ribbon. “The landlord is the only one allowed to use that key to open the studio.”“Damn.” Maya swallowed the last of her iced coffee and set the empty glass on the counter. She now felt torn about getting up and leaving when something as interesting as André Bosco’s studio was so near. “What’s inside the studio?”“Everything.” Miss Ruby sounded glib. “The room is exactly as Bosco left it in 1903. He abandoned his paints, brushes, unfinished canvases, clothing—even a small amount of money. It’s a real mystery—no one knows what happened to him.”A chill shivered up Maya’s spine. “No one knows?”“There are romantic tales that claim Bosco fell in love with a model. She left him and he simply walked away one day never to be heard from again. What happened after that is an unknown. No doubt that is the reason he hasn’t enjoyed the same success as of some of his peers. Bosco abandoned his art, or perhaps changed his name and drifted. Even his legal name is in dispute, but no one really knows who he was or what became of him.“The only thing that’s certain is Bosco disappeared from this hotel on the eve of having his work shown at an influential art salon. Wealth and success were headed his way and he chose to chase after a woman instead. Beyond that, history never heard from him again. Even the paintings destined for the salon showing in Paris disappeared and no surviving Bosco paintings have been authenticated after 1903, so you see, his career as an early Fauvist was fleeting but intense.”Maya’s gaze fixated on the portrait. “It’s sad. He showed such promise.” She studied André Bosco’s commanding face. The depth of his eyes in contrast to his dark brows fascinated her. As she carefully examined the sweeping graphite lines of the sketch an odd thing happened—Bosco’s gaze seemed to sharpen and for the briefest moment she felt as if a living man confronted her.“That portrait is uncanny.” Maya swayed from side to side, changing her angle of view. “When I move, Bosco’s gaze shifts too.”“He’s watching you as intensely as you’re watching him.” Miss Ruby chuckled. “I think he likes you.” She turned and opened a locked cabinet built into the wall, opened the cabinet and removed an emerald green, liter-tall apothecary bottle stopped with a wax-dipped cork.The sides of the bottle were smeared with colorful paint-stained handprints. A yellowed label that had begun to separate from the glass featured a voluptuous winged fairy cloaked in a wisp of green silk. The dreamy-eyed fairy basked beneath ornate golden lettering identifying her as La Fée Verte, the fabled and sometimes fickle green fairy who lurked within absinthe’s golden-green depths, waiting to inspire or destroy those who partook of her.Miss Ruby proudly presented the bottle to Maya. “This bottle of absinthe belonged to Bosco.” She pointed to the flecks of dried paint on the label and bottle. “This was the paint palette Bosco was using when he disappeared. Look at the vibrancy of the lime greens, sorbet orange and warm pinks. The colors are gorgeous. This is just one of the many personal items he left behind. Being a high-level enchantress from New Orleans, the landlord entrusted me to take possession of the absinthe. I put my own protective mojo on it.”Maya reached out to touch Bosco’s broad handprint on the bottle with reverence. His palm print dwarfed hers and she immediately saw that he must have been a man of large build. The intimate act of tracing her fingertips against the same spot where Bosco’s had once rested made her hand tingle. Touching Bosco’s handprint seemed to forge a galvanizing link to a past she would have loved to be part of.Bosco had lived at a time when the world had just begun to awaken to its true potential. Queen Victoria had recently died, marking an official end to the Victorian era. Albert Einstein’s first important papers on thermodynamics had just been published and few outside his rarefied circle of peers knew his name. The Wright brothers were still perfecting their first fragile aircraft. The Eiffel Tower was a newly completed wonder and Europe and the rest of the world had yet to go to war.Over a century ago, at the moment Bosco had picked up the bottle with paint- stained fingers and left his handprint on the glass, most people had seen a gleaming future on the rise but few had glimpsed its looming shadow.“You’re touching that bottle as if you were stroking a lover’s thigh,” Miss Ruby said softly. “I can see by your faraway expression that you’re a bit enamored with Bosco. I understand. I’ve been smitten with the past too. It can be so enthralling.”“I wouldn’t say I was smitten.”“Is seduced a better word?” Miss Ruby reached behind the bar and retrieved a fluted parfait glass that stood on a delicate pedestal, a spade-shaped filigree spoon and a tiny silver dish filled with sugar cubes. “I can’t allow you to enter Bosco’s studio, but I can offer you a small taste of his absinthe.” Her hand poised above the cork, she said, “Would you like to try it?”Maya stared at the tempting but slightly forbidding bottle. “Isn’t absinthe dangerous?” She squirmed on the barstool. “I‘ve heard it can cause madness.”Miss Ruby’s posture stiffened. “I’m not going to let you consume that much. I’m only offering a taste so you can say you shared a drink with André Bosco. But if you’re not interested...” She started to put the bottle back into the cabinet.“Wait!” Maya lurched forward. “I’d be honored to sample Bosco’s absinthe.” Her head spun from this crazy but thrilling offer.“There’s a ritual that goes along with this.” Miss Ruby pointed toward the green fairy on the label. “If you want La Fée Verte to bring you a beautiful vision, you must offer her a gift.”“What kind of a gift?”Miss Ruby reached over the counter and, with a bold gesture, removed one of Maya’s tiny, gold hoop earrings from her lobe. Before Maya could protest the earring was plopped into the bottom of the fluted glass.“Why did you do that?” Maya gasped in surprise.“You can have it back later. La Fée Verte will bring you a lovelier vision if you offer her a personal item with your essence on it.” Miss Ruby lifted a pitcher of water and poured it into the glass until it was half full. She then balanced a lacy silver spoon across the top. “Pick up two sugar cubes,” she commanded. “Kiss each, make a wish and set them on the spoon.”Maya picked up the sugar cubes and kissed both. The kisses left a sweet grainy texture embedded in her lipstick. She licked her lips and set the stained sugar cubes on the spoon. When set side-by-side the lipstick marks on the two sugar cubes formed a perfect pink heart. She almost pointed out the coincidence to Miss Ruby but decided to keep the thought to herself.Miss Ruby uncorked the bottle of absinthe and poured a drizzle of golden-green liquid over the sugar cubes. A piquant and slightly bitter herbal scent filled the air. The cubes absorbed the soft-green color as they dissolved and washed through the tiny slots in the spoon. As the absinthe mixed with the cool water it formed delicate whorls that sank in the glass like exhausted dancers gracefully melting to the floor. A moment later the liquid turned a cloudy, opalescent shade of pale-jade.Miss Ruby glanced at Maya. “Did you make a wish?”Maya nodded. She’d wished she could meet a man as exciting as André Bosco but didn’t believe for a moment that it could actually happen.“La Fée Verte can transport you for a brief time to another reality, but remember you belong in the present and no matter the temptation to remain in her realm, you will have to return. Your fate lies in the present.” Miss Ruby dipped the spoon into the glass and stirred. The golden earring twirled at the bottom of the glass, making soft tinkling sounds before settling. She withdrew the spoon and pushed the fluted glass toward Maya. “Your magic potion is ready. Enjoy.”(Maya drinks the absinthe and gets left alone in the building. Things get strange fast. La Fée Verte appears and tempts her to steal the key…)
Katalina Leon
I’m an artist, an author, mother and wife. I write for Ellora’s Cave, Loose Id Publishing and a couple new publishers to be announced soon. I try to bring a touch of the mystical and a big sense of adventure to everything I write because I believe there’s a bold, kick-ass heroine inside all of us who wants to take a wild ride with a strong worthy hero.
Website:
Ellora’s Cave Loose Id Amazon
All Romance eBooks Night Owl Reviews Author Page
Pinterest Facebook: Twitter: @Katalina_Leon
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Thanks so much for being my guest today, Katalina, I hope you'll drop by again.
Lily x
October 15, 2013
Amazon Dispute Over Content - The Virgin
THE VIRGIN IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE DUE TO AN ISSUE WITH AMAZON OVER CONTENT. IT IS HOPED THAT THIS SITUATION WILL BE RECTIFIED WITHIN A FEW DAYS - PLEASE COME BACK FOR MORE DETAILS AND INFORMATION ON HOW TO GET THE FIRST BOOK IN THE SEXY AS HELL SERIES.
BDSM Bargain Box Set!
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To Submit and Obey
