Laura Roberts's Blog, page 5

Catalina from A to Z: Beloved Buffalo

Hello, and welcome to the Blogging A to Z Challenge! This year my theme is Catalina from A to Z, featuring posts about the Southern California island of Catalina. With a focus on the island’s romantic side, I’ll be sharing info about where to go, what to see and do, plus a few sneak peeks from my novel in progress, Wife For A Weekend, which is set on the island!

You might not expect to find buffalo on an island in Los Angeles County, but Catalina is home to approximately 150 bison!

Where did they come from?

According to island lore, the producers of the 1925 film The Vanishing American originally brought the buffalo to Catalina for filming. The movie is a silent Western, based on Zane Grey’s book of the same name.

For those interested in getting up close and personal with the island’s buffalo, there are biofuel Hummer tours of the island’s interior where you’ll learn more about the island’s natural history, ride along the island’s 19th century stagecoach route, and experience fantastic views of the coastline.

Buffalo Milk cocktail

Known as the island’s signature cocktail, here’s the official recipe from the Catalina Island Company with everything you’ll need to mix up a Buffalo Milk at home while you’re island dreaming.

Ingredients:Half shot of Creme de CocoaHalf shot of KahluaHalf shot of Creme de BananaOne shot of vodkaHalf & HalfInstructions:

Blend everything together with ice. Then top with whipped cream, nutmeg, and a slice of banana and enjoy!

Eager to learn more about Catalina?

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Catalina from A to Z: Alluring Avalon

Hello, and welcome to the Blogging A to Z Challenge! This year my theme is Catalina from A to Z, featuring posts about the Southern California island of Catalina. With a focus on the island’s romantic side, I’ll be sharing info about where to go, what to see and do, plus a few sneak peeks from my novel in progress, Wife For A Weekend, which is set on the island!

Avalon is Catalina Island’s main city and the place where most visitors focus their stay. Named after King Arthur’s legendary quest for the mysterious Avalon (particularly as described in Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem, “Idylls of the King”), the town’s moniker was chosen by Etta Whittney in 1887. Avalon was later incorporated as a city in 1913.

Some quick facts about Avalon and Catalina Island:

Catalina Island is located 22 miles off the coast of California, and Avalon is situated on the eastern side of the island.The city is about 2.8 square miles, out of the total 76 square miles that make up the island.Approximately 4,000 residents live in Avalon year-round, while over 1 million people visit the island each year.The main two ways of reaching Catalina are by boat (ferry or private yacht) or helicopter.The city operates Avalon Transit, a bus system with 16 stops, which enables locals and visitors to explore the island without renting a golf cart (the island’s most common mode of transportation).Avalon’s current mayor is Ann Marshall, whose tenure runs through 2022.You may have heard of Catalina Island if you’ve ever seen the 2008 movie Step Brothers, which featured the “Catalina Wine Mixer” – which is now a real annual event due to the comedy’s popularity!

Finally, here is a wonderful view of the city of Avalon via boat:

Image by Amy Vosters via UnsplashEager to learn more about Catalina?

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REVIEW: Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron

When it comes to bread, Reena Manji knows exactly what she’s doing. She treats her sourdough starters like (somewhat unruly) children. But when it comes to Reena’s actual family—and their constant meddling in her life—well, that recipe always ends in disaster.

Now Reena’s parents have found her yet another potential Good Muslim Husband. This one has the body of Captain America, a delicious British accent, and lives right across the hall. He’s the perfect, mouthwatering temptation… and completely ruined by the unwelcome side dish of parental interference.

Reena refuses to marry anyone who works for her father. She won’t be attracted to Nadim’s sweet charm or gorgeous lopsided smile. That is, until the baking opportunity of a lifetime presents itself: a couples’ cooking competition with the prize of her dreams. Reena will do anything to win—even asking Nadim to pretend they’re engaged. But when it comes to love, baking your bread doesn’t always mean you get to eat it too.

Buy @ AmazonMy thoughts

This book immediately caught my attention, with both its Fake Relationship angle (my favorite!) and its Canadian setting (Toronto). With a vibrant cast of characters all living in the same apartment building, I can totally see this as book one in a series where each of Reena’s family and friends populating the complex get their own books, but let’s start with Reena, our heroine.

Reena is living in an apartment building that her father owns, which is a bit of a compromise with her strict Tanzanian-born Muslim parents, who would otherwise prefer she live at home until they can marry her off. Reena, naturally, doesn’t want anything to do with an arranged marriage; she’s a modern Canadian woman, after all, and she needs her privacy from each of the four other family members that are constantly trying to insert themselves in her life (okay, her brother isn’t really meddling, but that’s probably only because he and his wife are currently expecting their first baby, BUT I DIGRESS).

Reena loves baking bread and cooking, and used to run a well-known food blog – until her sister, Saira, managed to completely screw things up for her by posting a rant in the comments section. Instead of going ballistic on her sister, though, Reena sucks it up and pretends it never happened, which not only means she tanks her own career opportunities (her dream is to write a cookbook), but she also harbors resentment against her sis, who isn’t even remotely aware that she’s created this mess or that Reena hates her for it.

Dammit, Reena!

On the plus side, Reena recognizes she has a problem, and when her sister attempts to mend the relationship she can see is clearly off-track (even if she’s not totally sure why), she manages to confide in Saira. I loved this whole subplot, even if Saira is kind of a self-absorbed jerk, because she really is trying, and I saw a lot of myself and my own sister in this frustrating relationship.

But let’s get to the real meat of this book: NADIM.

I loved Reena and Nadim’s chemistry, as well as the million-and-one reasons why she absolutely, positively, 110% will NOT be marrying this man – despite the fact that her parents are trying their best to set them up for an arranged marriage, and she (not so) secretly falls in love with him.

Nadim is a TASTY SNACK, by all of Reena’s thirsty descriptions of his “brown Captain America” good looks, and he is also a bit of a freak for feet. He’s also sleeping in Reena’s childhood bed since he’s new in town (and to Canada at large, for that matter), and Reena’s family has lent him a bunch of furniture, which causes some very funny hemming and hawing over whether it would be appropriate to sleep with him in said bed.

Not only that, but the man loves bread. Fresh-baked, homemade, sourdough bread. He is already in love with Reena before he meets her, because of the smells emanating from her apartment. For all the single ladies who spent their quarantines perfecting their bread game, I can highly recommend this book for Nadim – the man of your dreams, who will compliment every attempt whether your bread rises or falls flat!

In short, this contemporary romance is super cute, super sexy, and has lots of hot bread-baking (and other types of cooking!) scenes that’ll make you want to bust out your culinary skills for your significant other just to see if you can make them moan over a meal. Two thumbs up, five gold stars, and one “ungagement” ring!

A to Z 2021 Theme: Revealed!

Are you ready for the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge? After a crazy year in which most of my other projects and plans went kablooey, I’m back and ready to take on this year’s challenge – which will be my 10th year participating! Let’s celebrate together with my Theme Reveal for 2021.

First of all, I’m super grateful to the A to Z Challenge folks who kept things going during the chaos of 2020. The Challenge was one of the only things that kept me going during the pandemic lockdown and the stay-at-home orders throughout the year. It gave me drive and purpose each day, as I wondered what on earth would become of us all, and it helped me create the book of short stories that I ultimately released as Sacramento Love at the end of last year.

That deserves a big, socially-distanced, digital smooch!

So, what am I writing about this year?

I’ll give you a hint: It has something to do with love… and romance… and books…

It’s Romance from A to Z !

Wait, how have I not written about this already?! I’ve written about Sacramento Love, Online Dating, Sex Toys, Sexy San Diego hotspots… but not Romance. So let’s do this!

The plan

I’ll be writing about one recently released (most within the past two years) Contemporary Romance per day as part of my “Romance from A to Z” theme. Since I’ve been reading a lot more romance novels lately, and contemporary stories with a wider variety of characters and couples are definitely my favorite, I thought I’d share some of my reading list with you. The books featured here will include characters from diverse backgrounds with ethnic and cultural differences, Black and interracial love stories, LGBTQ+ couples falling in love, and even a few YA (Young Adult) tales. I’m open to reading about all kinds of characters from all walks of life, who all deserve love, and I hope you are, too.

Most of the Contemporary Romance titles I’ve chosen are also stories with medium to high heat (and at least one that’s firmly in the Erotica category, where sex is the central focus), so I’ve placed the Adult Content warning on my blog as I will likely discuss sex scenes, to some degree, here. I’ll also place a content note for any sexual content discussed at the top of each individual post that includes them, and try to include a heat level ranking based on the publisher’s notes (if any), so you can decide whether you’d like to read through or skip ahead.

I have tried to carefully curate my A to Z list so that I will NOT be reading books with darker sexual content, featuring themes like bondage or bullies, so you can rest assured that despite the sometimes smoldering sex scenes, I should not require trigger warnings for offensive or upsetting material (although if I note any while reading, I will be sure to include those up top as well).

Thanks for joining me on my A to Z journey once more! I’ll see you on April 1st with the first installment in Romance from A to Z. Until then, feel free to join my mailing list so you don’t miss any of my posts about love, romance and Contemporary Romance reviews.

Happy Read An Ebook Week!

Smashwords is running its 12th annual Read An Ebook Week Sale this week, from March 7th through 13th, and I’ve got free and discounted books for you, so let’s get right to it.

On sale this week for 50% off (coupon code: EBW50)…

ROMANCE, EROTICA, & HAIKU FOR LOVERS:

Montreal Mischief Sacramento Love Just A Quickie Haiku for Lovers Sexy Haiku

NONFICTION:

Confessions of a 3-Day Novelist Everything I Need to Know About Love I Learned from Pop Songs No More F*ing Weirdos The V ixen Files

100% FREE this week (coupon code: EW100):

Sex and the Underground City (Naked Montreal, Part 1) A Novel Plan

Thanks for being a fan, and happy ebook reading!

REVIEW: Kink: Stories (edited by R.O. Kwon & Garth Greenwell)

Kink is a groundbreaking anthology of literary short fiction exploring love and desire, BDSM, and interests across the sexual spectrum, edited by lauded writers R.O. Kwon and Garth Greenwell, and featuring a roster of all-star contributors including Alexander Chee, Roxane Gay, Carmen Maria Machado, and more.

Kink is a dynamic anthology of literary fiction that opens an imaginative door into the world of desire. The stories within this collection portray love, desire, BDSM, and sexual kinks in all their glory with a bold new vision. The collection includes works by renowned fiction writers such as Callum Angus, Alexander Chee, Vanessa Clark, Melissa Febos, Kim Fu, Roxane Gay, Cara Hoffman, Zeyn Joukhadar, Chris Kraus, Carmen Maria Machado, Peter Mountford, Larissa Pham, and Brandon Taylor, with Garth Greenwell and R.O. Kwon as editors.

The stories within explore bondage, power-play, and submissive-dominant relationships; we are taken to private estates, therapists’ offices, underground sex clubs, and even a sex theater in early-20th century Paris. While there are whips and chains, sure, the true power of these stories lies in their beautiful, moving dispatches from across the sexual spectrum of interest and desires, as portrayed by some of today’s most exciting writers.

Buy @ AmazonMy thoughts

It’s always a bit difficult to give a review of an anthology, since each writer approaches the theme a bit differently – some executing their ideas with more skill than others, some actively breaking the spell for the reader with discordant notes. In Kink, most of the esteemed authors bring their best work, offering readers a tantalizing glimpse behind the bedroom doors of lovers who enjoy sexual roleplay and various games, where each participant is willing and able to enjoy these moments.

Of course, not all kinks are created equal, and not all of the participants are equally willing. Some of this volume’s pieces involve dubious consent, or even an authorial refusal to engage with the concept altogether, implying that a dominant partner’s desires are more important than the submissive’s. These pieces seem to be less an exploration of kink and more suggestive that the desire to inflict pain on a partner is perfectly acceptable, even if no contracts have been signed and no verbal assent has explicitly been given.

For me, these pieces don’t work. After all, kink is one thing; outright abuse is another. Thinking about another book that’s been reviled for its kinky subject matter, 50 Shades of Grey has been rightly rebuked for depicting BDSM as little more than an agreement between a man who wishes to hurt a woman and a woman who is forced by the man to comply. Is it any less toxic, then, when a trans couple engages in the same imbalanced power dynamic?

Some of the standout pieces in the volume include Melissa Febos’ opening story, “The Cure,” an exploration of a woman’s decision to take back her own power in the bedroom, inspired by her time spent as a professional dominatrix. Instead of merely playing the role when paid to do so, the heroine explores her own desires with a new lover, directing the action rather than allowing him to set the scene or end the interplay based on his own wants or needs. While the piece may not seem outwardly kinky, especially as compared to others in the collection with their catalogues of toys and fetishes, this meditation on gender roles and the centering of female desire is the perfect icebreaker for what’s to come.

The piece most guaranteed to stick in a reader’s mind for days to come is Carmen Maria Machado’s “The Lost Performance of the High Priestess of the Temple of Horror,” combining a heady mixture of religious symbolism, horror iconography, artist/muse interactions, and a dash of magical realism. While Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol feels familiar, with shades of Anne Rice’s Théâtre des Vampires lurking in the cobwebs of my mind, Machado’s story takes some unexpected twists and offers unique insights into the relationships between Maxa, Bess and the rest of the theater’s company before the final curtain call.

Ultimately, though each story focuses on its own definition of kink, each author draws the reader into a certain kind of loneliness and longing for communion with another soul. The individual characters’ sexual proclivities are not so much the point as their desire to connect with a partner, for a moment or a lifetime, and that is what gives this collection its real power. For those who may never set foot inside a dungeon or pleasure palace the depiction of these experiences is exciting, but the real thrill comes from seeing how each character takes what they most desire or allows themself to subvert those desires and submit to the will of another.

For writers of erotica, the idea of taking sex seriously is nothing new, but for those who have never dipped a bookish toe into the swirling waters of carnal desire, this collection should certainly pique their interest. For those thirsty for more, I highly recommend reading any of Rachel Kramer Bussel’s annual anthologies from the Best Women’s Erotica of the Year series (volumes 1-6 currently available), as well as anything by Sylvia Day, both of whom could be considered the grandes dames of the genre.

REVIEW: 365 Days by Blanka Lipińska (trans. Filip Sporczyk)

The sexy and deeply romantic internationally bestselling novel that inspired the blockbuster movie.

Laura Biel and her boyfriend are on a dream vacation in beautiful Sicily. On the second day of their trip, her twenty-ninth birthday, she is kidnapped. Her kidnapper is none other than the head of a powerful Sicilian crime family, the incredibly handsome, young Don Massimo Torricelli, who is determined to possess her at all costs. Massimo has his reasons. During an earlier attempt on his life, a vision appeared before his eyes: a beautiful woman, identical to Laura. After surviving the attack, he vows that he will find the woman in his vision and make her his own. No matter what.

For 365 days, Massimo will keep Laura captive in his palatial estate and attempt to win her heart. If she doesn’t fall in love with him during this time, he will let her go. But if she tries to escape at any point, he will track her down and kill her entire family.

Soon Laura develops a fascination with her handsome and powerful captor. But as a precarious, risky relationship forms between them, forces outside their control threaten to tear them apart…

Buy @ AmazonMy thoughts

I’ve never read any mafia romances before this, but having seen and reviewed the movie on Netflix, I was intrigued to see how the book might differ. (And, if I’m honest, I’m a bit of an egomaniac and like to read anything that features a character with my own name in it. As Paris Hilton might put it: “That’s hot.”) The movie follows the book’s plot quite faithfully, although readers get a bit more insight into Laura’s thought process as she goes along with Massimo’s crazy plan, since the story is told from her POV. There isn’t much to be found in the text that can’t be gleaned from watching the film, however, since most of the observations are fairly surface, and Laura and Massimo’s verbal interactions are frequently shouted or whispered, just like in the movie. These two run hot and cold, and seem to only have two modes of communication: sex or slapping (and sometimes both together).

So, given the erotic nature of this book, your first question is probably: Are the sex scenes hot? The answer, unsurprisingly, is yes. They definitely veer towards the darker end of the scale, with BDSM elements and dubcon (dubious consent) heavily stirred in. Massimo promises Laura that he’ll never do anything without her explicit consent, yet perpetually pushes the line with her – and, to be fair, she does the same with him. It’s ultimately a game between them, pushing each other closer and closer to the edge, whether that’s towards orgasm or violence, and although this isn’t necessarily my cup of tea, I can see why fans enjoy this interplay between them, since Lipińska offers it in bulk quantities.

If I’m being honest, reading this book reminded me of the time I read Cormac McCarthy’s The Road for a job application. So many scenes were so similar that eventually they all started to blur together. Soon I was asking myself: “Will they fuck? Will they fight? Will they be eaten by cannibals? Will Armie Hammer star in the second movie? Where is this even GOING?!”

Thankfully, the book does not require you to slog through 365 actual days in this bizarre relationship. I mean, honestly, who could stand it? They fuck, they fight, they fuck while fighting… rinse and repeat. For an entire year?! Thanks, but no. No erotica writer is skilled enough to keep me riveted to each individual sex scene, played out one day at a time, almost 400 times in a row. It’s a matter of quantity vs. quality. No one would ever ask for a book with 365 sex scenes in it. It’s absurd on its face.

Still, the title is 365 Days, not A Couple of Weeks of Fucking and thus I naturally found myself wondering what else happened during their year together. The sexual tug-of-war could only take up so much time, and since Laura reiterates that she believes Massimo wants her to love him, not merely desire him sexually, something else had to happen. There are a few additional plot twists and turns before the end of the book, which is different than the film’s ending (no spoilers!), since this is a trilogy and there are two more books to come. I will leave it to readers to page through and discover these bits for themselves, if they truly desire more of Massimo and Laura.

So, is this an ideal romance? Far from it. Is it a fun fantasy, particularly as we’re all still in some form of lockdown? Sure, it’s a good escape. I appreciated the short descriptions of Italian cities, interspersed between the over-the-top luxury of Massimo’s remote castle, his collection of fast cars, and various other financial holdings.

Overall, if you don’t tend to prefer mafia romances or kidnappings as the starting point of your romantic tales, this one likely won’t work for you. The whole “365 days to make you love me” conceit only works with a strong suspension of disbelief, so if you can’t get past this crazy notion, the entire book unravels. So, baby girl, what’ll it be?

100 Days of Typewriter Love

As announced on my Instagram: starting today I’ll be participating in the 100 Day Project to make art on a daily basis.

The basic idea is: pick a project that you’ll do once a day for 100 days. It can be anything, but ideally should be something you can do in 5 to 10 minutes, the results of which you can post on Instagram.

I needed to shake things up a bit, so I thought I would stick with an art form I enjoy (letters of any kind: open letters, letters to friends and family, persuasive letters to leaders, letters to myself, letters to fictional characters, etc.) on a different piece of machinery than I usually engage: the typewriter.

I’ve currently got two typewriters in my collection. One is a brownish-gray Royal Quiet DeLuxe:

The other is a seafoam green Hermes 3000:

Both have unique quirks that make writing on them a bit more challenging than typing away on a computer keyboard, so I think this will also add to the overall vibe. (I’ve also downloaded an ebook about how to DIY some common repairs on manual typewriters, so I may eventually attempt to unquirk their quirks on my own!)

I’ll be posting pictures of each day’s letter over on Instagram from today through May 10th (the last day of the challenge), so if you’re into typewriters, letters, or just want to see how I mix it up with just two typewriters and a piece of paper over the next 100 days, please follow me @LauraRobertsRomance.

I’m currently pondering whether I should send or save the letters… and if I send them to folks, by what means should I choose to whom each letter will be sent? Random lottery? First commenter? Best comment? Your thoughts, please!

From Pencil Pusher to Pen Pal: Week 2 word count check-in

Happy Monday! We’ve completed week 2 and are entering week 3 of 2021, so it’s time for a quick goal check-in.

#OneMillionWords: Weekly word counts

Here’s a breakdown of how many words I wrote this week towards my #OneMillionWords goal:

Saturday 1/9: 1,099 wordsSunday 1/10: 405 wordsMonday 1/11: 558 wordsTuesday 1/12: 970 words written + 3,359 editedWednesday 1/13: 474 words written + 2,252 editedThursday 1/14: 800 wordsFriday 1/15: 801 wordsSaturday 1/16: 633 words

That’s a grand total of 11,351 words this week, or 25,966 total this year!

Plans for next week

Since today is a holiday, I’m planning to do my Race Through California 5K walk today, and keep on editing my manuscript in progress. I may also hit up IKEA to pick up something that will help me organize the piles of books that are taking up real estate on my desk. I’ve been in “procrasti-cleaning” mode all weekend, so I will probably spent a little more time this week tidying up the place and trying to push more clutter out the door.

Badges

As mentioned in last week’s post, since I’m motivated by shiny objects and merit badges, I’ve decided to start handing out badges to myself at every 10K mark towards my first 100,000 words, so this week I have earned the second of those for hitting the 20K mark: the Pen Pal Badge of Achievement!

If you’re also motivated by badges and have written at least 20,000 words, please feel free to swipe this and award yourself the 20K badge as well.

How was your week?

Thanks for coming along with me on this goals check-in, as I find accountability to be a helpful tool. Even if that’s just posting my word counts on my own website, it keeps me motivated to press onward. If this helps you, too, please consider sharing your goals and achievements in the comments below!

Guest post: Conjuring cocktails in Covid times by P.J. DeVere

Today’s post is by P.J. DeVere, author of Pour Attitude. Her topic is: What are some of the things you miss most about the bar scene (or maybe some of the things you miss the LEAST!) during these crazy Covid times, and what were some of your favorite hangouts for cocktails in the “Before Times”?

First, let me say I love this question. All of my romance books in the Starkford Series are based at a bar (called Study), and most of my characters have a signature cocktail. I’m not sure if it’s life imitating art or vice versa, but I tend to drink the type of liquor my characters favor when I’m writing them.

There’s something magical that can happen at some bars on some nights. It’s like pulling a slot machine lever time after time and nothing interesting happens and then—bam! It can be the best night of your life. Maybe that magic is fueled by alcohol and lower inhibitions or maybe it really is just magic. Whether you’re throwing your hands up and dancing with reckless abandon on the dance floor or curling up next to someone you want to get to know better in a dark, corner booth, the bar scene can offer up what not much else can.

In my twenties, I danced on countertops and would often be found on stage with whatever band was playing. I loved my wild times, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Now, I’m happy with a good cocktail and an interesting conversation; although, I still like to shake my booty if the right set of circumstances presents itself.

I have to admit, there’s something inviting about a good pub. That’s what I miss the most. My husband and I took a trip to London a couple of years ago, and I think we did more pub hopping than anything else. Study from the Starkford Series was loosely modeled after many English pubs. It has dark, gleaming wood and red walls, and I have spent a lot of time wishing it were an actual place I could visit. I can see it so clearly in my head, it’s like I’ve been going there my whole life. In fact, I can envision many of the places, real and fiction, I’ve read about in books as if I’ve actually been
there. I believe readers have fared far better during this pandemic than everyone else because we can go wherever we want to go, in our heads.

Pour Attitude

Madeline Everly wants to climb her muscular bartender like a mountain, but he seems opposed to the idea. After she starts working alongside him behind the bar, will he finally give into her?

When Madeline’s misogynistic boss, overbearing mother, and grudge holding sister become too much to bear, it’s time to let off a little steam. Mads has a wild streak, and she doesn’t apologize for it. She likes men, and she has her sights set on one in particular—Exel Kinley. If she can check him off her to-do list, maybe he won’t take up so much room in her head. As nothing in her life has ever been permanent, Mads has no problems going through men like she goes through gin and tonics at happy hour. Can she have the adventure she wants and the pleasure she craves, all from the same man?

An Excerpt

“Got a new boyfriend to add to your collection?” Exel asks as he pours a drink for one of his customers. That’s the first voluntary thing he’s said to me tonight.

“That quota’s not going to fill itself. Why do you ask? Are you jealous?” I ask with a hand on my hip.

“At not being another notch in your bedpost? Nah.”

I don’t dignify that with a response. Instead, I turn and take more customers orders as they flood in. One of the women across the bar is specific as to what brand of vodka she wants in her Cosmo, so I scan our array of bottles on the wall behind me until I find it.

They don’t call it top shelf liquor for nothing, and it looks like I’m about to scale a wall. I get a good foothold on one of the lower shelves so I can swing a knee onto the slender countertop to climb up. I grab the bottle of Grey Goose which is now at eye level, and I’m contemplating my descent when strong hands grab my hips.

“Whoa!” I yell as Exel pulls me backwards off the counter and into his arms. I clutch the bottle of vodka to my chest as I fall into him, worrying about breaking the bottle and myself, but I don’t have to worry. He is in control of my fall as he brings his arms all the way around my waist to catch me. He puts my feet on the ground but holds me to him a moment or two longer than necessary.

“I would leave a pretty deep notch,” he whispers before releasing me from his hold and walking away like nothing ever happened.

Buy @ AmazonAbout the Author

P.J. DeVere is the author of The Starkford Series. She was born and raised in Mississippi, where she is still a practicing attorney. A life-long lover of books, P.J. finds it hard to tear herself away from a steamy romance novel. She’s had multiple careers in her life, but writing is by far her favorite. Before earning her law degree from Ole Miss, she was a fifth-grade teacher. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Mississippi State.

She is a wonderful wife, a terrible housekeeper, and a devoted mother. Her sons are all grown with lives of their own, and she is making use of this newfound time and freedom to get to know the imaginary friends in her head. She is giving readers a distinctly different view of life in the South as not everyone down here spits tobacco through a missing tooth hole or says “I declare” while lazily fanning herself under a magnolia tree. P.J. has found joy in creating a series of novels that reflects the Mississippi she knows and loves, and she hopes her readers will find the lure of returning to Starkford as irresistible as she does.

To learn more about P.J. please visit her online at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or her website, PJDeVere.com.

Giveaway

P.J. DeVere will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. To enter, use the Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway