Liz Crowe's Blog, page 22
February 26, 2013
Time for the TURKS!
I'm on tour and am offering a killer prize at the end.
At the final stop at Decadent Publishing's blog you answer 5 questions (plus a bonus) and you can win:
A signed print copy of Turkish Delights
$50 from Amazon (to buy my backlist of course)
....... answer the bonus too and get Beer Wench Tee!
But you know the thing you need to know MOSTLY....is that you can get the entire TURKISH DELIGHTS SERIES free in an e-book bundle from Amazon (kindle readers or app)!!!
This amazing deal goes from 2/25-3/1/13.
FIVE FREE BOOKS IN ONE!
Yeah, I said that.
here is the link: best hurry!
http://www.amazon.com/BUNDLE-Turkish-...
Here are the tour stops:
2/25 www.backwardsmomentum.blogspot.com
2/26 www.harliesbooks.com
2/26 www.twinsietalk.blogspot.com
2/27 www.stickgirlbookreviews.blogspot.com
2/27 www.happilyeverafter-cgtetreault.blogspot.com
2/28 www.msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com
2/28 www.literatiliteraturelovers.com
3/1 www.sevensexyscribes.blogspot.com
3/1 www.cindyspencerpape.com
3/2 www.shhmomsreading.com
3/2 www.melissakeir.com
3/3 www.desireeholt.com
3/4 www.kimcharmichaelnovels.com
3/5 www.markofthestars.com
3/7 www.nicolezoltack.com
3/8 www.carrieannryan.com
3/9 www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk
3/10 www.decadentpublishing.blogspot.com
Print cover and purchase link if you prefer your books on paper:
Buy it here: AmazonB&N
At the final stop at Decadent Publishing's blog you answer 5 questions (plus a bonus) and you can win:
A signed print copy of Turkish Delights
$50 from Amazon (to buy my backlist of course)
....... answer the bonus too and get Beer Wench Tee!
But you know the thing you need to know MOSTLY....is that you can get the entire TURKISH DELIGHTS SERIES free in an e-book bundle from Amazon (kindle readers or app)!!!
This amazing deal goes from 2/25-3/1/13.
FIVE FREE BOOKS IN ONE!
Yeah, I said that.
here is the link: best hurry!
http://www.amazon.com/BUNDLE-Turkish-...
Here are the tour stops:
2/25 www.backwardsmomentum.blogspot.com
2/26 www.harliesbooks.com
2/26 www.twinsietalk.blogspot.com
2/27 www.stickgirlbookreviews.blogspot.com
2/27 www.happilyeverafter-cgtetreault.blogspot.com
2/28 www.msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com
2/28 www.literatiliteraturelovers.com
3/1 www.sevensexyscribes.blogspot.com
3/1 www.cindyspencerpape.com
3/2 www.shhmomsreading.com
3/2 www.melissakeir.com
3/3 www.desireeholt.com
3/4 www.kimcharmichaelnovels.com
3/5 www.markofthestars.com
3/7 www.nicolezoltack.com
3/8 www.carrieannryan.com
3/9 www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk
3/10 www.decadentpublishing.blogspot.com
Print cover and purchase link if you prefer your books on paper:
Buy it here: AmazonB&N
February 22, 2013
Pour Some Honey On Me.
.....And Call me Relieved!
HONEY RED, my recent Menage For Real Life book got a GREAT review from none other than Just Erotic Romance Reviews (JERR) one of the go-to review newsletter publications in Our Beloved Genre.
However....instead of 5 stars it received 4.5 and that was because, according to the reviewer, the typos and non-story mistakes were distracting enough for her to mark the book down a 1/2 star.
So in yet another example of Why I Love This Publisher Known as Tri-Destiny, they pulled it from all sites, sent it to a different editor who found errors, that were fixed and now it is available once more on all sites:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
All Romance ebooks (where it boasts a shiny Best Selling Silver Star!)
This was a bit of a hassle, I will say as we had done a lot of work blogging, touring, managing a few egos and other silliness to get the book Out There and Noticed. The decision to take it down for a few days was kind of a huge one to make. We could have left it up while we fixed it then spent 24 hours with it off line while it repopulated, corrected. But Tri Destiny (and I) are formulating a "no tolerance" policy when it comes to typos or mistakes that should be caught during the many editing stages each of my books endures. Frankly, one of the problems with our "Hurry the hell up with the next book" mentality is a rash of books that are riddled with typos and errors that will take you "out of the story" as your brain attempts to process what is happening when you hit one.
With all the zillions upon zillions of options for readers in all genres but in "romance" most especially, and with many of them going straight to "Oh My God I Pushed a Button on Amazon And Now I Am A Published Author" and skipping the really brutal but necessary editing stages (not all, mind you but I've read a few of them so I know they are out there)---My publisher's stance on typos is refreshing. Even if I may have lost a few folks who drifted off into the ether of all the pretty, shiny books there are to read in the meantime.
And just so's you know, the publisher is taking pains with every single one of the books already released (many of them best sellers) and giving them all another VERY careful once over to catch any problems.
Honey Red has received a ton of GREAT reviews. It is a menage (i.e. there is explicit sex between 3 people and it is as we say in the biz: m/m/f so the Men Are touching and then some). It is also a love story that incorporates many facets of life.
TO CELEBRATE! I will give away 1 free e-book to one randomly chosen lucky commenter (but I gotta have your email address or no-go for you!)
AND a FREE CHAPTER!
here is the blurb:
Two men suffering from visible and invisible wounds meet by chance circumstance.
Nick Traynor and Ian Donovan spend a lot of time and effort keeping it very hot, only physical, and purely superficial. But when their resolve starts to slip, a woman is tossed into their midst.
Hannah Williams wants nothing more than to do her job until something better comes along, but is forced to own up to her visceral reaction to Ian, her new boss, and later to Nick, his sometimes lover.
Lust has a funny way of turning into companionship, and eventually evolving into a deeper connection. Faced with the internal and external complications of their potential three-way relationship, they begin to heal and trust, to consider that it might work. Then life tosses them a hardball, forcing them back into their respective corners, where each must choose what is most important.
Three people determined not to commit, thrown together by fate and undeniable attraction--their nights heat up and emotions run high in spite of a claimed mutual desire to "keep it simple." In the process of honest self-discovery, can they learn that while love is never simple, it is definitely worth fighting for?
And the free chapter (NOT the "First Chapter" but down into the book a bit and a very telling moment between the three main characters.....)
(this is at the wedding reception of Nick's sister Alyssa to Ian's brother Gavin....did I mention it was "complicated?")
The band was ready, and Nick realized he would have to do the first dance with Alyssa, in lieu of their long-dead father. He sighed, gripping the dog’s lead tight and accepting the beer that Jake put in his hand. He had a brief flash of memory, so incredibly bright and painful he had to put the drink down before he dropped it. Dan’s face, dark, handsome and open appeared as clearly as if the man were right next to him and Nick’s eyes still functioned. He pictured him, the night they met, when the guy was transferred into Nick’s counter intelligence unit. They’d been in crisis mode, and Dan had sorted out a huge network snafu that threatened to take their entire surveillance program down for several hours. Nick had sworn off relationships at that point, having been burned by the last guy he’d cared about and had been fighting a very strong compulsion to jump between the legs of a fellow IT grunt—a distinctly female one that had made him doubt his sanity.
But Dan’s amazing mix of tall-dark-handsome, computer savvy, dry sense of humor hotness had him floored within hours. They’d danced around each other a while, always wary of being caught out. But when Nick went on a well-earned shore leave in Southern Turkey, he’d been thrilled but not really surprised when Dan appeared at his hotel room, six pack of beer in hand. They had not left the room for nearly two days. And Nick was able to not only disperse the odd moment he thought he could find sexual satisfaction with a woman but also to fall deeply in love with the younger man.
“Dan,” he whispered, hating the way his very soul darkened when he thought about what had happened. The reception music faded; he couldn’t feel the dog’s head under his palm—it was as if a black hole had opened up and consumed him, right in the middle of Alyssa’s big day. “Shit.” He muttered, rubbing his temple. The headache that usually trotted in on the heels of this kind of slide into depression crouched in the corner of his psyche preparing to pounce and turn him into a quivering mass of no-fun-at-all.
“Hey, you want to leave?” Jake’s voice was at once a comfort and annoying.
“No, I can’t leave.” He said, jerking away from the hand on his shoulder. “Sorry,” he muttered, picking up the beer and draining it, wishing he could just be alone—or better yet, with Ian. He lifted his face when he sensed Alyssa standing next to him.
“Hey handsome. Let’s dance.” She pulled him to his feet. He went, reluctantly, after telling Brutus to stay. “Thanks,” Alyssa leaned on his shoulder as music swirled and he could hear people muttering about “that poor man” and other bullshit. He swallowed the angry frustration that threatened. “You okay?” his sister asked him. He nodded, determined not to ruin this for her with his usual melodrama. She put her palm to his face as they moved around the dance floor and strains of “Stand by Me” floated through his brain. “I love you, Alyssa,” he said, as his throat closed up. “I’m so glad you found happiness.”
She leaned into him. He held her close, comforted by the under-the-radar like pinging of the baby’s heartbeat in his ears. He frowned as the familiar whoosh-whoosh seemed to take a little jump, get faster. Just as he was focusing on it, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He stepped back, handing Alyssa over to her new husband.
“Hang on,” Alyssa said, taking his hand to lead him to his seat. But he shook her off.
“No, go, dance, I’m fine.” He stood a moment, alone, his own heartbeat pounding so loud it drowned everything else out. For a split second he was frozen in the grip of panic. Why had he brushed her off? He’d actually thought he could find his own way off the dance floor to a seat? Something even that simple he couldn’t manage on his own. He put a trembling hand down, but the dog was not there. He lifted his arm, but Jake didn’t appear. Then, just as quickly as Alyssa left his arms, he felt her, Hannah, the girl who smelled like honey. She slipped into his embrace as if she’d been there her whole life. He sighed, put one hand on her hip and threaded fingers of his other with hers.
Nick had lost his virginity to a female in high school. It had not been unpleasant, but quick as most male deflowerings are. She’d been a couple of years older than him, a friend on the track team. They stayed friends, and she’d told him he should open his eyes and own up to the fact that he was gay or at least bi. He’d had a few female hookups during the years he spent in college. But by his junior year he’d been unable to sleep, compelled by something he could not name, he’d met and fallen for a much older man. He shivered, recalling long buried memories of his first true male sexual experience and his subsequent obsession with the handsome, erudite and very married calculus professor. When Dr. Grant Patterson had called their torrid affair officially finished because he felt Nick was getting “too attached” Nick had experienced the first of what he’d learn were near suicidal depressions. He had loved Grant with every fiber of his being, but later came to terms with what it had been—a real deflowering, an honest sexual awakening that had left him breathless and horny every waking moment but nothing more. And afterward he’d been firmly convinced that “gay” was the word for him. Not “bi” or “curious” or in any way anything other than a man who loved men.
But right now, with the lovely Hannah in his arms, every inch of his skin was on fire. He could hardly breathe for the sweet essence that seemed to emanate from her pores. He shifted, so she couldn’t feel just how turned on he was. He frowned when she molded herself back against him. “Cut it out,” he whispered in her ear, letting his lips touch her flesh just enough to allow a taste to coat his tongue. He moved his hand around to the small of her back and held her close. If she wanted to feel his erection then that was her choice.
The small sound she made deep in her throat—a sort of sigh crossed with a deeper, sexier sound, nearly made him come unglued. She turned her face so he could feel her breath on his skin as they swayed into the next song, to music Nick no longer heard. “Cut what out?” The hand she had on his shoulder moved closer to his neck. “You are really good looking.” She whispered.
“No, I’m an optical illusion. The man who loves men turned on by you. Go figure.”
“All that hotness and a sense of humor too. Nice.” Her fingertip grazed his neck.
“This is the strangest thing that’s ever happened to me,” he heard his voice break. But he kept his nose near her hair—anything to keep smelling her. He moved his hand a little lower, relishing her soft curves, the light-as-air feeling in his arms. So different from what he believed he wanted, and so absolutely right at that moment.
“Oh?” She cupped his neck, slipped her fingers in his hair.
“Yeah, using a slow dance as an excuse to grope is not part of my repertoire, under normal circumstances.”
“You’re hardly groping Nick. Believe me.”
He flinched when her lips touched his jaw. But the contact was soft, not urgent, amazing and pleasant and just about all he could take. He needed to push her away, but in some kind of contrarian move, he lowered his face and their lips met. He kept it soft, clamping down on the urge to press further. Then he broke the connection, leaning into her ear once more. “You smell so good. And you feel….” He held her close. “Perfect. I wish….” He blew out a breath.
She put her head on his shoulder as the song ended, then stepped away from him, still holding onto his hand. “What do you wish?” She asked as they made their way off the dance floor. He put his arm around her shoulders. The contrast between her and all the men he’d had was startling. She felt slight, like a bird, crushable. But a sudden thought flashed over his brain—a vision, if that were possible—of him, and her, of them. The mental picture of her slim bare legs on either side of his hips, her lips on his, his flesh indistinguishable from hers made his cock throb and his head pound in time with it.
He sat quickly, put her hand to his lips and kissed it, then released her. But she must have knelt down on the side opposite the dog that had quickly bumped his nose against Nick’s thigh. Her hand was on his other leg, her lips way too close to his ear yet again. “Tell me what you wish Nick.”
He turned his face, reached up and touched her face, loving the soft flesh under his palm. “I wish I could see you.”
“You are seeing me,” she said, covering his hand with hers and bringing it to her lips. He allowed his fingertips to graze her cheekbones, her nose, the long line of her neck. Then with a quick kiss to his cheek she was gone, trailing that intoxicating honey scent with her. Nick shook as he turned to the table, trying to square a long buried need and attempting to understand why he even felt it for the woman that Ian had brought to his sister’s wedding—one he knew from direct experience Ian was satisfying in his own way. Nick didn’t know what was worse—being jealous of Ian’s relationship with her or of Ian’s easy comfort with his own bi-sexuality. He groaned and put his head down ignoring Jake once again when the man put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
An hour later, Ian was exhausted. Still tingling from the ‘quickie’ as Nick had called it with Hannah, his brain was entering shut down mode after the long emotional slog of the day’s events. Jamie was draped over his shoulder, down to his dress pants and T-shirt, snoring away a sugar crash. Nursing another beer, he handed the kid over to Tracy and stood, stretching out the kink in his lower back.
He’d watched that whole Hannah and Nick dance floor show and was still trying to process how he felt about it. Acknowledging that above all the alpha-male possessive clamor that first rattled around in his brain, the sight of the man’s hand sliding down from her hip, and the way she curved into his long, lean frame had turned him on so much he had to duck into the men’s room and breathe deeply for a few minutes. They were beautiful together moving in time to the music, lips teasing around. Their bodies fit together like pieces of an erotic puzzle he was dying to get his hands on. He gnawed on the inside of his cheek, forcing the memory out of his brain lest he tent his tux pants all over again. He wanted them to do more, willed them to kiss and when they had he’d nearly leapt out of his skin.
The band shifted gears, took on a funky beat with “Boogie Shoes.” Hannah walked by, tugged his arm, and they ended up on the dance floor for the next few songs. He laughed, watching her shimmy and shake, and at one point he held her close, bit her earlobe and felt her shiver. “Nice work with Nick, quite a show.”
She turned her head, grabbed his neck and kissed him with an embarrassing ferocity. He was in tune enough to her signals by now and could practically feel her nipples hardening against his chest,
could smell her lusty energy all around him. “Maybe,” she said, after loosening her lip lock on him. “You like to watch?”
“I don’t think you’ll be terribly surprised to hear this but yes, I do.” He reached back and cupped her ass, drawing her closer.
“Hmm…well, in the meantime, I think we should probably call it a night.” She danced away from him, shaking her hips and looking over her shoulder. He stood, hands in his pockets and watched her move away until something else caught his eye. He did a quarter turn, and saw Nick sitting with that cover model slash assistant slash fuck buddy Jake. Their faces were close. Jake was talking. Nick smiled, and the sight of it made Ian’s heart clench in his chest. When Nick took Jake’s hand and put it to his lips he had to look away. What in the name of all that was holy was he even thinking?
Entertaining some kind of perverse fantasy about putting the two people he cared about, who possessed him in body and spirit, together—so he could watch them fuck? Jesus. You are a sick bastard, Donovan. The back of his neck got prickly so he turned around on reflex and looked at Nick again. The other man had his sunglasses off. The bright, clear green of his sightless eyes knocked Ian’s breath out of his lungs. He would swear that Nick could see him, really truly see. Jake put a hand on Nick’s shoulder then, and he stood, settling his Ray Bans back in place, his dog at his side. They made their way over to where Alyssa sat on Gavin’s lap.
Ian smiled. His brother so deserved this after all those years of insanity at the hands of his ex-wife. But his smile faded as he watched Alyssa’s brother approach them, Jake’s huge possessive hand on his shoulder. Alyssa jumped up and gave Nick a hug. Gavin shook his hand, then Jake’s. Then the men walked out, and Ian was left with his fantasies, one in particular of landing a left hook to Jake’s jaw.
“Hey,” he yelped when someone wrapped arms around his waist from behind. He drew the sexy red head around to his side. “You temptress. Look what you’ve done to me with your dance floor seductions.” He held her close, trying to quell the now near crystal clear vision of Nick, between Hannah’s legs, moving up her body and sliding into her while he stood behind them and…. “Jesus,” he said, when she put her hand right on his cock. “Slutty. I like it. Let’s get the hell out of here."
Here is a bit of what JERR had to say: "The sex scenes between Nick and Ian are passionate, yet tender, and when Hannah joins them, the chemistry between them is almost overpowering in its intensity. When Nick finally gave in to Ian and Hannah's seduction I literally groaned in pleasure."
And click here to see a ton of other reviews, with their own take on how Honey Red affect them!
Finally, for all you purists out there: The Best Way to Add Honey to Beer!
cheers and bottoms up!
Liz
HONEY RED, my recent Menage For Real Life book got a GREAT review from none other than Just Erotic Romance Reviews (JERR) one of the go-to review newsletter publications in Our Beloved Genre.
However....instead of 5 stars it received 4.5 and that was because, according to the reviewer, the typos and non-story mistakes were distracting enough for her to mark the book down a 1/2 star.
So in yet another example of Why I Love This Publisher Known as Tri-Destiny, they pulled it from all sites, sent it to a different editor who found errors, that were fixed and now it is available once more on all sites:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
All Romance ebooks (where it boasts a shiny Best Selling Silver Star!)
This was a bit of a hassle, I will say as we had done a lot of work blogging, touring, managing a few egos and other silliness to get the book Out There and Noticed. The decision to take it down for a few days was kind of a huge one to make. We could have left it up while we fixed it then spent 24 hours with it off line while it repopulated, corrected. But Tri Destiny (and I) are formulating a "no tolerance" policy when it comes to typos or mistakes that should be caught during the many editing stages each of my books endures. Frankly, one of the problems with our "Hurry the hell up with the next book" mentality is a rash of books that are riddled with typos and errors that will take you "out of the story" as your brain attempts to process what is happening when you hit one.
With all the zillions upon zillions of options for readers in all genres but in "romance" most especially, and with many of them going straight to "Oh My God I Pushed a Button on Amazon And Now I Am A Published Author" and skipping the really brutal but necessary editing stages (not all, mind you but I've read a few of them so I know they are out there)---My publisher's stance on typos is refreshing. Even if I may have lost a few folks who drifted off into the ether of all the pretty, shiny books there are to read in the meantime.
And just so's you know, the publisher is taking pains with every single one of the books already released (many of them best sellers) and giving them all another VERY careful once over to catch any problems.
Honey Red has received a ton of GREAT reviews. It is a menage (i.e. there is explicit sex between 3 people and it is as we say in the biz: m/m/f so the Men Are touching and then some). It is also a love story that incorporates many facets of life.
TO CELEBRATE! I will give away 1 free e-book to one randomly chosen lucky commenter (but I gotta have your email address or no-go for you!)
AND a FREE CHAPTER!
here is the blurb:
Two men suffering from visible and invisible wounds meet by chance circumstance.
Nick Traynor and Ian Donovan spend a lot of time and effort keeping it very hot, only physical, and purely superficial. But when their resolve starts to slip, a woman is tossed into their midst.
Hannah Williams wants nothing more than to do her job until something better comes along, but is forced to own up to her visceral reaction to Ian, her new boss, and later to Nick, his sometimes lover.
Lust has a funny way of turning into companionship, and eventually evolving into a deeper connection. Faced with the internal and external complications of their potential three-way relationship, they begin to heal and trust, to consider that it might work. Then life tosses them a hardball, forcing them back into their respective corners, where each must choose what is most important.
Three people determined not to commit, thrown together by fate and undeniable attraction--their nights heat up and emotions run high in spite of a claimed mutual desire to "keep it simple." In the process of honest self-discovery, can they learn that while love is never simple, it is definitely worth fighting for?
And the free chapter (NOT the "First Chapter" but down into the book a bit and a very telling moment between the three main characters.....)
(this is at the wedding reception of Nick's sister Alyssa to Ian's brother Gavin....did I mention it was "complicated?")
The band was ready, and Nick realized he would have to do the first dance with Alyssa, in lieu of their long-dead father. He sighed, gripping the dog’s lead tight and accepting the beer that Jake put in his hand. He had a brief flash of memory, so incredibly bright and painful he had to put the drink down before he dropped it. Dan’s face, dark, handsome and open appeared as clearly as if the man were right next to him and Nick’s eyes still functioned. He pictured him, the night they met, when the guy was transferred into Nick’s counter intelligence unit. They’d been in crisis mode, and Dan had sorted out a huge network snafu that threatened to take their entire surveillance program down for several hours. Nick had sworn off relationships at that point, having been burned by the last guy he’d cared about and had been fighting a very strong compulsion to jump between the legs of a fellow IT grunt—a distinctly female one that had made him doubt his sanity.
But Dan’s amazing mix of tall-dark-handsome, computer savvy, dry sense of humor hotness had him floored within hours. They’d danced around each other a while, always wary of being caught out. But when Nick went on a well-earned shore leave in Southern Turkey, he’d been thrilled but not really surprised when Dan appeared at his hotel room, six pack of beer in hand. They had not left the room for nearly two days. And Nick was able to not only disperse the odd moment he thought he could find sexual satisfaction with a woman but also to fall deeply in love with the younger man.
“Dan,” he whispered, hating the way his very soul darkened when he thought about what had happened. The reception music faded; he couldn’t feel the dog’s head under his palm—it was as if a black hole had opened up and consumed him, right in the middle of Alyssa’s big day. “Shit.” He muttered, rubbing his temple. The headache that usually trotted in on the heels of this kind of slide into depression crouched in the corner of his psyche preparing to pounce and turn him into a quivering mass of no-fun-at-all.
“Hey, you want to leave?” Jake’s voice was at once a comfort and annoying.
“No, I can’t leave.” He said, jerking away from the hand on his shoulder. “Sorry,” he muttered, picking up the beer and draining it, wishing he could just be alone—or better yet, with Ian. He lifted his face when he sensed Alyssa standing next to him.
“Hey handsome. Let’s dance.” She pulled him to his feet. He went, reluctantly, after telling Brutus to stay. “Thanks,” Alyssa leaned on his shoulder as music swirled and he could hear people muttering about “that poor man” and other bullshit. He swallowed the angry frustration that threatened. “You okay?” his sister asked him. He nodded, determined not to ruin this for her with his usual melodrama. She put her palm to his face as they moved around the dance floor and strains of “Stand by Me” floated through his brain. “I love you, Alyssa,” he said, as his throat closed up. “I’m so glad you found happiness.”
She leaned into him. He held her close, comforted by the under-the-radar like pinging of the baby’s heartbeat in his ears. He frowned as the familiar whoosh-whoosh seemed to take a little jump, get faster. Just as he was focusing on it, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He stepped back, handing Alyssa over to her new husband.
“Hang on,” Alyssa said, taking his hand to lead him to his seat. But he shook her off.
“No, go, dance, I’m fine.” He stood a moment, alone, his own heartbeat pounding so loud it drowned everything else out. For a split second he was frozen in the grip of panic. Why had he brushed her off? He’d actually thought he could find his own way off the dance floor to a seat? Something even that simple he couldn’t manage on his own. He put a trembling hand down, but the dog was not there. He lifted his arm, but Jake didn’t appear. Then, just as quickly as Alyssa left his arms, he felt her, Hannah, the girl who smelled like honey. She slipped into his embrace as if she’d been there her whole life. He sighed, put one hand on her hip and threaded fingers of his other with hers.
Nick had lost his virginity to a female in high school. It had not been unpleasant, but quick as most male deflowerings are. She’d been a couple of years older than him, a friend on the track team. They stayed friends, and she’d told him he should open his eyes and own up to the fact that he was gay or at least bi. He’d had a few female hookups during the years he spent in college. But by his junior year he’d been unable to sleep, compelled by something he could not name, he’d met and fallen for a much older man. He shivered, recalling long buried memories of his first true male sexual experience and his subsequent obsession with the handsome, erudite and very married calculus professor. When Dr. Grant Patterson had called their torrid affair officially finished because he felt Nick was getting “too attached” Nick had experienced the first of what he’d learn were near suicidal depressions. He had loved Grant with every fiber of his being, but later came to terms with what it had been—a real deflowering, an honest sexual awakening that had left him breathless and horny every waking moment but nothing more. And afterward he’d been firmly convinced that “gay” was the word for him. Not “bi” or “curious” or in any way anything other than a man who loved men.
But right now, with the lovely Hannah in his arms, every inch of his skin was on fire. He could hardly breathe for the sweet essence that seemed to emanate from her pores. He shifted, so she couldn’t feel just how turned on he was. He frowned when she molded herself back against him. “Cut it out,” he whispered in her ear, letting his lips touch her flesh just enough to allow a taste to coat his tongue. He moved his hand around to the small of her back and held her close. If she wanted to feel his erection then that was her choice.
The small sound she made deep in her throat—a sort of sigh crossed with a deeper, sexier sound, nearly made him come unglued. She turned her face so he could feel her breath on his skin as they swayed into the next song, to music Nick no longer heard. “Cut what out?” The hand she had on his shoulder moved closer to his neck. “You are really good looking.” She whispered.
“No, I’m an optical illusion. The man who loves men turned on by you. Go figure.”
“All that hotness and a sense of humor too. Nice.” Her fingertip grazed his neck.
“This is the strangest thing that’s ever happened to me,” he heard his voice break. But he kept his nose near her hair—anything to keep smelling her. He moved his hand a little lower, relishing her soft curves, the light-as-air feeling in his arms. So different from what he believed he wanted, and so absolutely right at that moment.
“Oh?” She cupped his neck, slipped her fingers in his hair.
“Yeah, using a slow dance as an excuse to grope is not part of my repertoire, under normal circumstances.”
“You’re hardly groping Nick. Believe me.”
He flinched when her lips touched his jaw. But the contact was soft, not urgent, amazing and pleasant and just about all he could take. He needed to push her away, but in some kind of contrarian move, he lowered his face and their lips met. He kept it soft, clamping down on the urge to press further. Then he broke the connection, leaning into her ear once more. “You smell so good. And you feel….” He held her close. “Perfect. I wish….” He blew out a breath.
She put her head on his shoulder as the song ended, then stepped away from him, still holding onto his hand. “What do you wish?” She asked as they made their way off the dance floor. He put his arm around her shoulders. The contrast between her and all the men he’d had was startling. She felt slight, like a bird, crushable. But a sudden thought flashed over his brain—a vision, if that were possible—of him, and her, of them. The mental picture of her slim bare legs on either side of his hips, her lips on his, his flesh indistinguishable from hers made his cock throb and his head pound in time with it.
He sat quickly, put her hand to his lips and kissed it, then released her. But she must have knelt down on the side opposite the dog that had quickly bumped his nose against Nick’s thigh. Her hand was on his other leg, her lips way too close to his ear yet again. “Tell me what you wish Nick.”
He turned his face, reached up and touched her face, loving the soft flesh under his palm. “I wish I could see you.”
“You are seeing me,” she said, covering his hand with hers and bringing it to her lips. He allowed his fingertips to graze her cheekbones, her nose, the long line of her neck. Then with a quick kiss to his cheek she was gone, trailing that intoxicating honey scent with her. Nick shook as he turned to the table, trying to square a long buried need and attempting to understand why he even felt it for the woman that Ian had brought to his sister’s wedding—one he knew from direct experience Ian was satisfying in his own way. Nick didn’t know what was worse—being jealous of Ian’s relationship with her or of Ian’s easy comfort with his own bi-sexuality. He groaned and put his head down ignoring Jake once again when the man put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
An hour later, Ian was exhausted. Still tingling from the ‘quickie’ as Nick had called it with Hannah, his brain was entering shut down mode after the long emotional slog of the day’s events. Jamie was draped over his shoulder, down to his dress pants and T-shirt, snoring away a sugar crash. Nursing another beer, he handed the kid over to Tracy and stood, stretching out the kink in his lower back.
He’d watched that whole Hannah and Nick dance floor show and was still trying to process how he felt about it. Acknowledging that above all the alpha-male possessive clamor that first rattled around in his brain, the sight of the man’s hand sliding down from her hip, and the way she curved into his long, lean frame had turned him on so much he had to duck into the men’s room and breathe deeply for a few minutes. They were beautiful together moving in time to the music, lips teasing around. Their bodies fit together like pieces of an erotic puzzle he was dying to get his hands on. He gnawed on the inside of his cheek, forcing the memory out of his brain lest he tent his tux pants all over again. He wanted them to do more, willed them to kiss and when they had he’d nearly leapt out of his skin.
The band shifted gears, took on a funky beat with “Boogie Shoes.” Hannah walked by, tugged his arm, and they ended up on the dance floor for the next few songs. He laughed, watching her shimmy and shake, and at one point he held her close, bit her earlobe and felt her shiver. “Nice work with Nick, quite a show.”
She turned her head, grabbed his neck and kissed him with an embarrassing ferocity. He was in tune enough to her signals by now and could practically feel her nipples hardening against his chest,
could smell her lusty energy all around him. “Maybe,” she said, after loosening her lip lock on him. “You like to watch?”
“I don’t think you’ll be terribly surprised to hear this but yes, I do.” He reached back and cupped her ass, drawing her closer.
“Hmm…well, in the meantime, I think we should probably call it a night.” She danced away from him, shaking her hips and looking over her shoulder. He stood, hands in his pockets and watched her move away until something else caught his eye. He did a quarter turn, and saw Nick sitting with that cover model slash assistant slash fuck buddy Jake. Their faces were close. Jake was talking. Nick smiled, and the sight of it made Ian’s heart clench in his chest. When Nick took Jake’s hand and put it to his lips he had to look away. What in the name of all that was holy was he even thinking?
Entertaining some kind of perverse fantasy about putting the two people he cared about, who possessed him in body and spirit, together—so he could watch them fuck? Jesus. You are a sick bastard, Donovan. The back of his neck got prickly so he turned around on reflex and looked at Nick again. The other man had his sunglasses off. The bright, clear green of his sightless eyes knocked Ian’s breath out of his lungs. He would swear that Nick could see him, really truly see. Jake put a hand on Nick’s shoulder then, and he stood, settling his Ray Bans back in place, his dog at his side. They made their way over to where Alyssa sat on Gavin’s lap.
Ian smiled. His brother so deserved this after all those years of insanity at the hands of his ex-wife. But his smile faded as he watched Alyssa’s brother approach them, Jake’s huge possessive hand on his shoulder. Alyssa jumped up and gave Nick a hug. Gavin shook his hand, then Jake’s. Then the men walked out, and Ian was left with his fantasies, one in particular of landing a left hook to Jake’s jaw.
“Hey,” he yelped when someone wrapped arms around his waist from behind. He drew the sexy red head around to his side. “You temptress. Look what you’ve done to me with your dance floor seductions.” He held her close, trying to quell the now near crystal clear vision of Nick, between Hannah’s legs, moving up her body and sliding into her while he stood behind them and…. “Jesus,” he said, when she put her hand right on his cock. “Slutty. I like it. Let’s get the hell out of here."
Here is a bit of what JERR had to say: "The sex scenes between Nick and Ian are passionate, yet tender, and when Hannah joins them, the chemistry between them is almost overpowering in its intensity. When Nick finally gave in to Ian and Hannah's seduction I literally groaned in pleasure."
And click here to see a ton of other reviews, with their own take on how Honey Red affect them!
Finally, for all you purists out there: The Best Way to Add Honey to Beer!
cheers and bottoms up!
Liz
February 20, 2013
Across the Beer Bar with Heather Long
Welcome to my Beer Bar Heather. What can I pour you to start?
Hmm, a black and tan would be fantastic!sorry dear, my brewery is "lagers only" and you are referring to an ale mixture. Here, try one of my Wolverine Dark Lagers instead.
Your latest book A Marine and a Gentlemen is burning up sales. Many congrats. Tell us about it.
Thanks Liz. A Marine and a Gentleman really came about as a natural extension of about four different ideas I had for my Marine series. Our armed forces are comprised of a diverse population and the existence of DADT (don’t ask, don’t tell) didn’t mean homosexuals didn’t serve, it just meant they stayed quiet about it. So Brenden’s story felt natural to me, what happens when a life has the opportunity to be who he is again without fear of being discharged? Once I asked that question, Brenden and Liam came to life for me.
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It's part of a series I see. Why Marines? (caveat: my brother is a vet and was my "technical advisor" for one I wrote--see next question)
Last year when Rebecca Royce encouraged me to write a 1Night Stand, I knew I wanted to start with a military man and while I’ve always had tremendous respect for every branch—the Marines just appealed to me on multiple levels. It helps that I’ve known several over the years and their dedication, honor, and gritty “get the job done” attitude inspire me.
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I wrote a menage that had a disabled Marine vet as a bisexual character and worried a smidge about pissing people off. What made you go in a man love direction with the last one?
This may sound disingenuous, but I worried less about pissing someone off than getting it wrong. At the end of the day, people are people and not everyone is going to like what I write or agree with a story direction—but I feel strongly that if I can connect with the characters and respect them, then readers will, too. This is my first male-male—I’ve never written one before and I think I was more nervous about delivering on that promise than on whether these guys would be accepted particularly because Brenden is a Marine. Fortunately, my cast of characters at Mike’s Place are a fiercely loyal and devoted group who base their opinions on a man’s actions and not his sexuality.
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oops empty glass...what's next for you?
I’m a cheap date—let’s go for something lighter this time. Corona with lime please! I love the icy bottles. SMACKS YOUR FOREHEAD (I do have a website you know...I ONLY SELL THE BEER MY BREWERS MAKE...sheesh...here, Wolverine Premium Lager in a nice cold bottle and if you say "Corona" in here again I will not be responsible for what my bartender may do to you.)What the first book you got published? Was it a traumatic experience?
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The first book I published was this little fantasy story called Remembering Ashby. It’s no longer available, but I remember being giddy for a week after it came out. I learned a lot from editing, I learned a lot from the actual process and I think every book is different, but I learn something from the process every single time. I really do have one of the best jobs in the world, I get to do what I love—tell stories.
I see you enjoy Patricia Briggs books. I read a couple of them. Do have shifter stories in your back list or upcoming WIP plans?
I adore Patricia Briggs, she is my favorite author. And yes I have shifters in my books, there’s Cody Morning Star in my Fevered Hearts series. He was introduced in Marshal of Hel Dorado and his book is Brave are the Lonely. Spoiler Alert there is a shifter story coming in my Chance Monroe series. The first in that released this last January and it’s called Earth Witches Aren’t Easy.
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I really enjoyed Whisky, Tango, Foxtrot. Where did the idea for that story come from?
That was born from a conversation I had with my crit partner. We discussed the idea of someone who felt like a fraud getting help at Mike’s Place and when the Challenge series came along, I found the perfect setting for it. How does a Marine react to a situation where his physical limitations are actually what helps him help someone else? Two damaged people who bridge the empty space between them—each of their disabilities actually being what help them do that. Mike’s Place is a really rich environment for discovering great characters and their stories.
Anything else you would like to add
I get a lot of notes from readers asking me if Mike’s Place is real and I wish it were. But Fisher House is a very real organization that helps house the families of vets receiving medical treatment at military hospitals around the country. To support this, I’m donating a portion of my proceeds from No Regrets, No Surrender to Fisher House.
And...for a nightcap?
Hmm, I have to write soon, might be time for coffee… Lucky for you we just did a collaboration brew with a local coffee roaster...Barista....enjoy. If you want real coffee you'll have to toddle on out to a coffee shop.
cheers
Heather's Links:Always a Marine Print link: http://www.heatherlong.net/bookshelf/always-a-marine/printOnce Her Man, Always Her Man: http://www.heatherlong.net/bookshelf/always-a-marine/once-her-man-always-her-manRetreat Hell! She Just Got Here: http://www.heatherlong.net/bookshelf/always-a-marine/retreat-hell-she-just-got-hereTell It to the Marine: http://www.heatherlong.net/bookshelf/always-a-marine/tell-it-to-the-marineProud to Serve Her: http://www.heatherlong.net/bookshelf/always-a-marine/proud-to-serve-herHer Marine: http://www.heatherlong.net/bookshelf/always-a-marine/her-marineNo Regrets, No Surrender: http://www.heatherlong.net/bookshelf/always-a-marine/no-regrets-no-surrenderThe Marine Cowboy: http://www.heatherlong.net/bookshelf/always-a-marine/the-marine-cowboyThe Two and the Proud: http://www.heatherlong.net/bookshelf/always-a-marine/the-two-and-the-proudA Marine and a Gentleman: http://www.heatherlong.net/bookshelf/always-a-marine/a-marine-and-a-gentlemanWhiskey Tango Foxtrot: http://www.heatherlong.net/bookshelf/always-a-marine/whiskey-tango-foxtrotCombat Barbie: http://www.heatherlong.net/bookshelf/always-a-marine/combat-barbie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AlwaysaMarineSeriesFacebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/HeatherLongAuthorTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/hvlongWebsite: http://www.heatherlong.net
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/iKxQ5
February 14, 2013
All Together Now: HOT TURKS!
Stop the Presses! Or...maybe, erm...start 'em up!
It's here! The print version of the Turkish Delights series!
This series, spanning decades from the 60's to present day, and major cities from Istanbul to Las Vegas, has it all! Cougar action--hot, emotional man love--sexy, psychological BDSM--shameless young love romance--intrigue--suspense--and an utterly fabulous HEA (yes, I am capable of those, thanks).
I'll be touring around promoting and giving away copies and gift cards and the usual bribery in about a week BUT in the meantime, enjoy this info but most importantly, order your print copy today. With all 5 books in one it is a long, juicy, novel!
A young American woman comes face to face with her destiny in Istanbul in the 1960's and an epic dynasty is born.
When Vivian Kinkaid turns around in her college classroom and makes eye contact with a man who was once her forbidden childhood friend, her life is changed forever.
A sweeping saga of family, love, loss and recovery—The Turkish Delight series begins with a special sort of magic. Then Madame Eve works her miracles for the Deniz family, but even she can’t overcome the harsh realities that force this Turkish/American family all to deal with tragedy when one of their own is ripped from their close-knit circle.
“The Turks” opens with best-selling classic romance for the ages. Then ends with a thrilling novella that brings all the players back together. Set in Istanbul, Las Vegas, and Southern California, The Turkish Delights series has it all—heat, heart, intrigue and a deep, family connection that transcends all barriers.
The Diplomat's DaughterTurkish DelightsBlue CruiseTulip PrincessFlower Passage
Individual Blurbs for the books:The Diplomat’s Daughter:When Vivian Kincaid's eyes meet those of a hunky local at the Turkish university her father forces her to attend, it only takes her a split second to recognize her childhood friend. Levent Deniz was the servant boy who taught her to run the streets of Istanbul years before, giving outlet to her wild streak even as a child.
Now face-to-face once again as adults, the only thing standing between them and happiness is her father. The newly appointed Consul General for the United States has other plans for his only daughter. Ones that do not include a former servant, now successful entrepreneur and businessman. He will do everything in his power to keep them apart.
The Diplomat's Daughter is set in 1960s Istanbul and tells the story of pre-destiny, passion and the rebellious power of true love.
Turkish Delights (1NightStand)The fifteen year age difference between Elle Kensington, expatriate American executive and Emre Demir, son of Istanbul's most successful businessmen, has not kept them from becoming fast friends as they toured Istanbul together. But the time has come for him to return to the U.S. to finish his master's degree, and she has just been named CEO of the pharmaceutical company that brought her to Turkey in the first place. Elle adores her adopted country, and is alarmed to find herself falling in love with the young man who's been her impromptu guide for the last few months.
She knows they can never be. She will return home to California within a month, leaving behind all she loves about the ancient city. In a rare fit of spontaneity, Elle has contracted with Madame Eve's 1Night Stand dating service, hoping to find a way to forget the dark, handsome young man who has captured her heart. Little does she know what awaits her in the ancient recesses of the Ottoman palace turned luxury hotel under the hands of her one-night stand masseur.
Blue Cruise (1NightStand, m/m)Caleb and Tarkan were an odd couple—men from two different cultures—so in love, they were determined to overcome any obstacles. But fate had different plans for Tarkan. Shattered and unable to function a full two years after tragedy strikes, Caleb faces the hollow shell that is his life.
Adem Broussard is happy enough, as owner and chef of his restaurant on the Turkish southern coast. But a tall, American Adonis he saw once, years ago on a Turkish Blue Cruise haunts his most erotic dreams, and he hopes contracting Madame Eve's 1NightStand service for an unconventional date will help him forget.
When Caleb caves in to his friend Elle's insistence that he return to Turkey and exorcise some of the demons that haunt him, he reluctantly climbs on board a private yacht for a special 1Night Stand Blue Cruise. There he comes face to face with the man who remembers him well…and helps him heal.
Tulip Princess (1NightStand, BDSM)Lale Deniz was always prone to wildness. But when her family is ripped apart at the seams, she becomes more reckless than ever. Desperate to stop her self-destructive slide, her parents step in and send her to America to live with her brother, Emre. Just the chance, she thinks, to escape the tragedy suffusing her Istanbul home.
Andreas Michos, Greek former NFL star, the recently divorced athletic director at UNLV, floats through life seeking fulfillment. He has reason to doubt his own abilities as a natural Dom and has given up finding his perfect mate. Until he agrees to a 1Night Stand.
Set against a backdrop of ancient cultural clashes and Mediterranean family dynamics, Lale and Andreas meet in Las Vegas at the Castillo resort for their date. But it seems Madame Eve and destiny will both fail this time, unless Lale and Andreas are willing to relinquish enough control to discover what happiness can be found inside the soul of the other. Will stubbornness keep them from connecting, or can they let go long enough to heal?
Flower Passage (final novella, m/m/m)What would you do if the lover, brother, son, and friend you thought you'd lost forever was returned to you?
Brutally battered, emotionally and physically for the past two years, Tarkan Deniz has escaped his captors. When the Deniz family discovers the shocking truth they rally and do everything in their power to bring him back safely. But all have been affected by the tragedy of his loss and must come to terms with the new reality, each in their own way.
When Happily Ever After seems like a nightmare...one man can bring healing to all, but will he ever be the same man again?
Flower Passage is a story of love lost and regained, even if it takes a slightly different form than before.
Excerpt from Tulip Princess (the BDSM novella):
“Get off me, you creep.” She looked around. Figures she’d find the darkest possible hallway and allow herself to get cornered in it. He tried to kiss her again. She pushed against his chest. He was surprisingly strong for such a scrawny dude. “Seriously, I mean it. I’m gonna....”
“The only thing you’re gonna do is suck my—” A sudden rush of air escaped his mouth. Lale gaped in surprise as an impossibly large hand wrapped itself around her stalker’s neck, nearly lifting him into the air.
“I think you need to leave.” The huge, gorgeous man who’d been staring at her earlier kept a grip on the guy's neck. With a stare of terror at the giant manhandling him, the skinny creep bolted. The other man turned to Lale. She sucked air, frozen with fear, and no small amount of lust at the specimen in front of her. His eyes shone. Something gave out around the area of her knees, and she made a concentrated effort not to fall to the floor in front of him.
“And you need to not act like that. It only attracts assholes.” He had a curious accented lilt to his deep voice...familiar, but not, at the same time.
Her skin prickled at his tone. “Well thanks, but you can spare me the advice. I'll act any way I want.”
He took one step into her space, grabbed her wrists, and pinned them over her head against the wall. She squirmed, but his gaze held her still. The marble felt good, cool to her overheated skin. Lale prepared for his lips as he leaned toward her. Couldn’t wait to get a taste. But he bypassed them and whispered in her ear.
“If you were mine, you'd never act like that again.” She shivered and had to clench her thighs together against the heat that gathered between them. Trying to marshal defiance to his comment, she stared up at him. His very presence provoked the oddest sensation—almost a melting feeling—inside. But no one talked to her that way, no matter how huge, or hot, or utterly kissable.
“Well, good thing for us I'm not yours. I belong to nobody.” Her heart pounded in her ears. He was…incredible. And Greek. She suddenly placed the gentle swell of his accent in her ear. Now this could get interesting. Lale pictured her grandmother’s horror if she told them she’d married a huge Greek.
Married? Jesus, that’s a bit of a leap, isn’t it?
She shut her eyes against the sensations of his teeth on her earlobe, of his hands trapping her wrists against the wall. What a colossal bossy asshole. But damn if she didn't want to hear more. He chuckled and pressed into her body. The sensation of his massive erection against her stomach made her gasp. But then he simply released her, taking a step back. Her wrists were cold, abandoned. She wanted his hands back where they were. But she drew her face into a frown and crossed her arms. When he flicked at the piercing on her lower lip, she tried not to flinch.
“How many more of these are you hiding?”
“None of your fucking business, Greek.” She spat on the floor.
His grin turned wolfish, as he gripped her upper arm, yanking her back to his side. “I'm glad you figured that out.” His full tempting lips hovered out of her reach. Lale tried not to whimper or beg. But the inclination hovered there nonetheless. “Just so we know where we all stand, Turk.”
She tried to regain her composure. His grip got tighter. The eroticism of the moment immobilized her. She groaned when he crushed his lips to hers, possessed her with histongue, his hand never letting go of her arm. His warm mouth invited, and she sensed the man knew just how to use it. It took all she had not to climb up his large frame and wrapherself around him. The odd, disturbing need for him, his words, his help, his presence, swept through her. But this would not do. She needed no one. Lale made herself breakaway. Staring into his swarthy face, she growled, “Let. Go. Of. My. Arm.”
“Gladly. I don't like girls who don't do what they're told. They waste my time. Especially Turkish ones. They’re the worst.” He turned on his heel and stalked away.
Lale watched the fine vision of his dark-denimed ass and licked her lips. What a prick. She shook her head to clear it and made her way back out onto the dance floor. But herbrain overflowed with images of a large, sexy, bossy Greek in black.
Soon! Available as E-book bundle for Kindle Prime Members...I'll post that link all around as soon as it is available! (All covers by the amazing Mina Carter)
Happy Valentine's Day or, if you're me, Happy F%$#ing Thursday Spare Me All the Sh*T you Got From Your Significant Other....
Liz
It's here! The print version of the Turkish Delights series!
This series, spanning decades from the 60's to present day, and major cities from Istanbul to Las Vegas, has it all! Cougar action--hot, emotional man love--sexy, psychological BDSM--shameless young love romance--intrigue--suspense--and an utterly fabulous HEA (yes, I am capable of those, thanks).
I'll be touring around promoting and giving away copies and gift cards and the usual bribery in about a week BUT in the meantime, enjoy this info but most importantly, order your print copy today. With all 5 books in one it is a long, juicy, novel!
A young American woman comes face to face with her destiny in Istanbul in the 1960's and an epic dynasty is born.
When Vivian Kinkaid turns around in her college classroom and makes eye contact with a man who was once her forbidden childhood friend, her life is changed forever.
A sweeping saga of family, love, loss and recovery—The Turkish Delight series begins with a special sort of magic. Then Madame Eve works her miracles for the Deniz family, but even she can’t overcome the harsh realities that force this Turkish/American family all to deal with tragedy when one of their own is ripped from their close-knit circle.
“The Turks” opens with best-selling classic romance for the ages. Then ends with a thrilling novella that brings all the players back together. Set in Istanbul, Las Vegas, and Southern California, The Turkish Delights series has it all—heat, heart, intrigue and a deep, family connection that transcends all barriers.
The Diplomat's DaughterTurkish DelightsBlue CruiseTulip PrincessFlower Passage
Individual Blurbs for the books:The Diplomat’s Daughter:When Vivian Kincaid's eyes meet those of a hunky local at the Turkish university her father forces her to attend, it only takes her a split second to recognize her childhood friend. Levent Deniz was the servant boy who taught her to run the streets of Istanbul years before, giving outlet to her wild streak even as a child.
Now face-to-face once again as adults, the only thing standing between them and happiness is her father. The newly appointed Consul General for the United States has other plans for his only daughter. Ones that do not include a former servant, now successful entrepreneur and businessman. He will do everything in his power to keep them apart.
The Diplomat's Daughter is set in 1960s Istanbul and tells the story of pre-destiny, passion and the rebellious power of true love.
Turkish Delights (1NightStand)The fifteen year age difference between Elle Kensington, expatriate American executive and Emre Demir, son of Istanbul's most successful businessmen, has not kept them from becoming fast friends as they toured Istanbul together. But the time has come for him to return to the U.S. to finish his master's degree, and she has just been named CEO of the pharmaceutical company that brought her to Turkey in the first place. Elle adores her adopted country, and is alarmed to find herself falling in love with the young man who's been her impromptu guide for the last few months.
She knows they can never be. She will return home to California within a month, leaving behind all she loves about the ancient city. In a rare fit of spontaneity, Elle has contracted with Madame Eve's 1Night Stand dating service, hoping to find a way to forget the dark, handsome young man who has captured her heart. Little does she know what awaits her in the ancient recesses of the Ottoman palace turned luxury hotel under the hands of her one-night stand masseur.
Blue Cruise (1NightStand, m/m)Caleb and Tarkan were an odd couple—men from two different cultures—so in love, they were determined to overcome any obstacles. But fate had different plans for Tarkan. Shattered and unable to function a full two years after tragedy strikes, Caleb faces the hollow shell that is his life.
Adem Broussard is happy enough, as owner and chef of his restaurant on the Turkish southern coast. But a tall, American Adonis he saw once, years ago on a Turkish Blue Cruise haunts his most erotic dreams, and he hopes contracting Madame Eve's 1NightStand service for an unconventional date will help him forget.
When Caleb caves in to his friend Elle's insistence that he return to Turkey and exorcise some of the demons that haunt him, he reluctantly climbs on board a private yacht for a special 1Night Stand Blue Cruise. There he comes face to face with the man who remembers him well…and helps him heal.
Tulip Princess (1NightStand, BDSM)Lale Deniz was always prone to wildness. But when her family is ripped apart at the seams, she becomes more reckless than ever. Desperate to stop her self-destructive slide, her parents step in and send her to America to live with her brother, Emre. Just the chance, she thinks, to escape the tragedy suffusing her Istanbul home.
Andreas Michos, Greek former NFL star, the recently divorced athletic director at UNLV, floats through life seeking fulfillment. He has reason to doubt his own abilities as a natural Dom and has given up finding his perfect mate. Until he agrees to a 1Night Stand.
Set against a backdrop of ancient cultural clashes and Mediterranean family dynamics, Lale and Andreas meet in Las Vegas at the Castillo resort for their date. But it seems Madame Eve and destiny will both fail this time, unless Lale and Andreas are willing to relinquish enough control to discover what happiness can be found inside the soul of the other. Will stubbornness keep them from connecting, or can they let go long enough to heal?
Flower Passage (final novella, m/m/m)What would you do if the lover, brother, son, and friend you thought you'd lost forever was returned to you?
Brutally battered, emotionally and physically for the past two years, Tarkan Deniz has escaped his captors. When the Deniz family discovers the shocking truth they rally and do everything in their power to bring him back safely. But all have been affected by the tragedy of his loss and must come to terms with the new reality, each in their own way.
When Happily Ever After seems like a nightmare...one man can bring healing to all, but will he ever be the same man again?
Flower Passage is a story of love lost and regained, even if it takes a slightly different form than before.
Excerpt from Tulip Princess (the BDSM novella):
“Get off me, you creep.” She looked around. Figures she’d find the darkest possible hallway and allow herself to get cornered in it. He tried to kiss her again. She pushed against his chest. He was surprisingly strong for such a scrawny dude. “Seriously, I mean it. I’m gonna....”
“The only thing you’re gonna do is suck my—” A sudden rush of air escaped his mouth. Lale gaped in surprise as an impossibly large hand wrapped itself around her stalker’s neck, nearly lifting him into the air.
“I think you need to leave.” The huge, gorgeous man who’d been staring at her earlier kept a grip on the guy's neck. With a stare of terror at the giant manhandling him, the skinny creep bolted. The other man turned to Lale. She sucked air, frozen with fear, and no small amount of lust at the specimen in front of her. His eyes shone. Something gave out around the area of her knees, and she made a concentrated effort not to fall to the floor in front of him.
“And you need to not act like that. It only attracts assholes.” He had a curious accented lilt to his deep voice...familiar, but not, at the same time.
Her skin prickled at his tone. “Well thanks, but you can spare me the advice. I'll act any way I want.”
He took one step into her space, grabbed her wrists, and pinned them over her head against the wall. She squirmed, but his gaze held her still. The marble felt good, cool to her overheated skin. Lale prepared for his lips as he leaned toward her. Couldn’t wait to get a taste. But he bypassed them and whispered in her ear.
“If you were mine, you'd never act like that again.” She shivered and had to clench her thighs together against the heat that gathered between them. Trying to marshal defiance to his comment, she stared up at him. His very presence provoked the oddest sensation—almost a melting feeling—inside. But no one talked to her that way, no matter how huge, or hot, or utterly kissable.
“Well, good thing for us I'm not yours. I belong to nobody.” Her heart pounded in her ears. He was…incredible. And Greek. She suddenly placed the gentle swell of his accent in her ear. Now this could get interesting. Lale pictured her grandmother’s horror if she told them she’d married a huge Greek.
Married? Jesus, that’s a bit of a leap, isn’t it?
She shut her eyes against the sensations of his teeth on her earlobe, of his hands trapping her wrists against the wall. What a colossal bossy asshole. But damn if she didn't want to hear more. He chuckled and pressed into her body. The sensation of his massive erection against her stomach made her gasp. But then he simply released her, taking a step back. Her wrists were cold, abandoned. She wanted his hands back where they were. But she drew her face into a frown and crossed her arms. When he flicked at the piercing on her lower lip, she tried not to flinch.
“How many more of these are you hiding?”
“None of your fucking business, Greek.” She spat on the floor.
His grin turned wolfish, as he gripped her upper arm, yanking her back to his side. “I'm glad you figured that out.” His full tempting lips hovered out of her reach. Lale tried not to whimper or beg. But the inclination hovered there nonetheless. “Just so we know where we all stand, Turk.”
She tried to regain her composure. His grip got tighter. The eroticism of the moment immobilized her. She groaned when he crushed his lips to hers, possessed her with histongue, his hand never letting go of her arm. His warm mouth invited, and she sensed the man knew just how to use it. It took all she had not to climb up his large frame and wrapherself around him. The odd, disturbing need for him, his words, his help, his presence, swept through her. But this would not do. She needed no one. Lale made herself breakaway. Staring into his swarthy face, she growled, “Let. Go. Of. My. Arm.”
“Gladly. I don't like girls who don't do what they're told. They waste my time. Especially Turkish ones. They’re the worst.” He turned on his heel and stalked away.
Lale watched the fine vision of his dark-denimed ass and licked her lips. What a prick. She shook her head to clear it and made her way back out onto the dance floor. But herbrain overflowed with images of a large, sexy, bossy Greek in black.
Soon! Available as E-book bundle for Kindle Prime Members...I'll post that link all around as soon as it is available! (All covers by the amazing Mina Carter)
Happy Valentine's Day or, if you're me, Happy F%$#ing Thursday Spare Me All the Sh*T you Got From Your Significant Other....
Liz
February 6, 2013
Got Soccer?
I do...
It is a well documented and likely government-tracked fact that I am soccer obsessed. I love the game and the men who play it, period.
I like it so much I have written the first 2 books of a trilogy set in that world. The Black Jack Gentlemen will be a spin off of my popular and very-nearly-best-selling Stewart Realty series. If you get to book 6 of that series you will see the cross over beginning...
In the meantime and firstly, a glance at a few of my personal favs in the game (pardon me while I RAWR and yeah Gerard Pique has a baby now .. with SHAKIRA that sleazy cow he was one of my favs!)
And now, without further ado, a full chapter excerpt from the currently unedited and un-blurbed 2nd novel in the series: FREE AGENT (Warning: soccer stuff and some kissing involved):
“It’s your hips that are your problem.”Alicia looked up, startled at the sound of his now-familiar sing-song accent. She’d been kicking a line of balls into the net, one after the other, for about fifteen minutes, since she’d been early in her haste to get the hell out of her house and away from her sister’s violent disapproval. She stood, breathing heavy, arms crossed and stared at him. Metin wore a simple pair of dark blue soccer shorts, plain heather gray shirt and his cleats. He stood, loose-limbed, at ease in his element. His teeth glowed against his dark skin, those eyes that she had melted into a few nights ago glowed with something she couldn’t identify—happiness? Sarcasm? Lust? Who knew? She sighed and bent down to tie her lace tighter so he couldn’t see her instant blush as her eyes grazed the front of his shorts, remembering.She rose, determined to resist the “fuck me now” aura the guy was throwing her way. He probably didn’t even realize he did that. Not anymore. “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s wrong with my hips?”“Come at me.”Alicia blushed again. “Um, huh?”“Attack, make like you want to score. You know? Like you do in games?”“Oh, yeah.” She dropped the ball she’d had tucked under her arm, looked over his shoulder at her target and started moving the ball forward. He let her, trotting backwards a few steps, then made for the ball. She feinted, maintaining possession before dribbling a few more feet. He came out of nowhere just as she was about to make her final scoring move, stripping her of the ball and sending her crashing to the turf. “Ow! Fuck.” She muttered, getting to her feet, a familiar, angry competitiveness stripping all the horniness right out of her head. “I still don’t get what…”“Do it again.” He kicked the ball towards her, harder than necessary. But she stopped it, and placed her cleat on top, contemplating a different strategy. Moving to the side, she danced past him, using all the speed she could muster, which was a lot when she put her mind to it and sped straight for the goal. Then, there he was again, taking the damn thing away from her as if she were a teenaged rookie. She tried to shield it, turning and feeling every inch of his six foot three inch perfect physique against her back. Gulping, and making herself focus, she landed a hard elbow to his midsection and escaped his trap. Travelling down the field alone she turned on all her motors, no longer hearing anything, way into her zone where she was most comfortable. And then, the damn man was in front of her again, batting the ball between her legs and taking off in the other direction, hand to his side where she’d nailed him. “God damn it Metin. What is your point? You’re a pro. I’m an unemployed college graduate. You a man. I’m not. You make money at this and I never will no matter what. What the fuck are you trying to prove?” Her breathing rasped, her legs hurt from her workout yesterday. She was miserable. But the sight of him, a few yards away, messing with the soccer ball while he stared at her made her want to tackle him, hold him down and kiss him so much she winced and turned away. “Once more,” The soccer ball smacked the back of her legs hard making her yelp. “That’s your fucking yellow card for the elbow. One more and you’ll sit.”“Ass,” She muttered, taking a deep breath and running straight at him. He let her, back-running and watching her feet. “Watch out little boy, I might hurt you again.” She felt strong, on top of it, ready to prove something to him and all the coaches who’d been rejecting her for the last few weeks. He made a slight step to the left, giving her a clear shot. She did a turn around fake, drawing him in, then spinning him around so he was behind her. But just as she was drawing back to kick he grabbed her hips, making her squeal with surprise and stumble. His palms were white hot, burning her through the thin fabric of her shorts.“No one will take you if you don’t stop projecting every move with these,” He declared, making her gulp as he pressed against her from behind. The scene from the hotel played in loop, the sounds of their breathing, her moans as he smacked her ass and pounded into her and she let him, unable to stop herself. “They are…perfect…but you have got to learn to stop giving the defense a clear message with them. You are too easy to read. You need some fake moves and ones that don’t involve fancy footwork so much as upper and lower body movement that will draw your man one way while you go another. Right now, all an opposing team has to do is watch a few films of your games and they read you like a damn book. Now,” he released her leaving her shivering with lust. “Watch me.”She bit her lip, kept her face blank, and did that, marveling as he put on a show of fakes to the left, drawing her off every single time before burying the ball in the back of the net. Every single god damned time. “Shit, stop, I get it.” She put her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. She came at him hard every time and six out of the ten times he’d faked her out she’d landed on the turf. Her knees stung, one of her hips felt like she’d broken it where he’d moved so fast she’d landed with all her weight and speed on it. Tears threatened but she bit them back. Bastard was not going to make her cry, not on the pitch.
Metin cursed himself as he put Alicia through her paces, showing her how she had to unlearn all her bad habits if she had any hope of getting signed to a pro team. He considered himself a true soccer geek—if he wasn’t playing himself, he was watching and he really enjoyed watching professional women on the field. Their finesse was born of slightly less strength and aggression and was more about pure skill with the ball. Alicia was one of the better ones but she was almost like a one-trick pony. She had to get a few more of those tricks under her belt or she’d be standing around moping when the signing period was up for the new women’s league. The more he played, and taught her, the more relaxed he got which helped. The walking hard-on he’d been since getting up this morning at the thought of being around her again had thrown him. Grabbing her hips was probably a bad idea. But it had been the only way he could think of to show her what he meant. Rubbing against her, whispering his words was probably..not the only way. But he didn’t care. He was dangerously close to tossing the girl over his shoulder and carrying her off, anywhere, somewhere, back to Spain, back to Turkey with him. Her sassy attitude only turned him on more. And now she stood, glowing with sweat, breathing heavy with her soaking wet shirt pressed to her amazing body. He blinked to clear the vision of her, dressed all in white, smiling up at him as he held her close and vowed to love her forever in front of his entire enormous family. She sighed, and peeled off her shirt, revealing a perfect, strong torso and soaking wet sports bra. His cock got so hard so fast he stumbled, angry at himself and nearly blind with desire to lick the sweat from her neck. She used that moment to come at him, shove him down on his ass and make her way to the goal, planting a solid ball into the upper left corner. He sat, watching her move, willing his body soft and smiled when she laughed and jumped up in the air.“See, what I mean?” He said, almost to himself.“I’ll never admit it to you but yeah.” She trotted up and stood beside him. He stared at her calves, watched as his hand reached out to feel it. “Hey,” she protested, stepping away. “Cut it out. No more of that. Remember?”“Yes, I remember,” he got to his feet slowly. “But I propose we change the parameters, just a bit.” She frowned but when he took her hand and put it to his lips she didn’t protest. “I don’t like you Metin. You’re a pompous, know-it-all, prima donna playboy who gets paid millions of dollars to play a game I want to play and would settle for a few thousand.”“I know, guzelim, I know.” He whispered, reaching back to take the holder from her hair so he could bury his fingers in its yellow tumble. “I want to help you. Truly…but you are so…so…kissable looking. May I please kiss you?” His lips hovered over hers. He felt her body mold against his. She bit her lip, shook her head, tried to look away from him. “Tell you what,” she said, cupping the back of his neck with her hand. “I’ll let you kiss me, just once more, and you will keep teaching me this. So I can land a position on a team. Then you high tail it back to Spain and pick up where you left off with that supermodel and we can call it even.”Metin drew back, his brain awash with feelings that shocked and surprised him. “Ah my beautiful one, you are more woman than she will ever be.” He ran a hand down her face, loving the porcelain beauty of her skin. “I will kiss you. But it won’t be the last time. That much I promise.” Before she could protest he slanted his lips over hers, and lost himself in her once again. She clung to him, opening her lips to his tongue. He kept one hand fisted in her hair and the other roamed down her back, cupped her ass, then up to cradle her breast. His body was on fire, and his ears were deafened by a roar of need. He had to have her, now, had to put his mark on her before she escaped again. That sort of macho bullshit had never, ever been a part of his make up and it bothered him to even think it. But he had fucked many women, starting when he’d been sixteen, learning at the talented hands of an older woman, a teacher who had shown him skills he put to good use many times. And one thing he knew right at this minute, as he back-walked the beautiful Alicia into the dim recesses of the stadium's tunnel, this woman he would have forever or die trying. This was his destiny. This frustrating, gorgeous, all-American woman would be his.
It is a well documented and likely government-tracked fact that I am soccer obsessed. I love the game and the men who play it, period.
I like it so much I have written the first 2 books of a trilogy set in that world. The Black Jack Gentlemen will be a spin off of my popular and very-nearly-best-selling Stewart Realty series. If you get to book 6 of that series you will see the cross over beginning...
In the meantime and firstly, a glance at a few of my personal favs in the game (pardon me while I RAWR and yeah Gerard Pique has a baby now .. with SHAKIRA that sleazy cow he was one of my favs!)
And now, without further ado, a full chapter excerpt from the currently unedited and un-blurbed 2nd novel in the series: FREE AGENT (Warning: soccer stuff and some kissing involved):
“It’s your hips that are your problem.”Alicia looked up, startled at the sound of his now-familiar sing-song accent. She’d been kicking a line of balls into the net, one after the other, for about fifteen minutes, since she’d been early in her haste to get the hell out of her house and away from her sister’s violent disapproval. She stood, breathing heavy, arms crossed and stared at him. Metin wore a simple pair of dark blue soccer shorts, plain heather gray shirt and his cleats. He stood, loose-limbed, at ease in his element. His teeth glowed against his dark skin, those eyes that she had melted into a few nights ago glowed with something she couldn’t identify—happiness? Sarcasm? Lust? Who knew? She sighed and bent down to tie her lace tighter so he couldn’t see her instant blush as her eyes grazed the front of his shorts, remembering.She rose, determined to resist the “fuck me now” aura the guy was throwing her way. He probably didn’t even realize he did that. Not anymore. “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s wrong with my hips?”“Come at me.”Alicia blushed again. “Um, huh?”“Attack, make like you want to score. You know? Like you do in games?”“Oh, yeah.” She dropped the ball she’d had tucked under her arm, looked over his shoulder at her target and started moving the ball forward. He let her, trotting backwards a few steps, then made for the ball. She feinted, maintaining possession before dribbling a few more feet. He came out of nowhere just as she was about to make her final scoring move, stripping her of the ball and sending her crashing to the turf. “Ow! Fuck.” She muttered, getting to her feet, a familiar, angry competitiveness stripping all the horniness right out of her head. “I still don’t get what…”“Do it again.” He kicked the ball towards her, harder than necessary. But she stopped it, and placed her cleat on top, contemplating a different strategy. Moving to the side, she danced past him, using all the speed she could muster, which was a lot when she put her mind to it and sped straight for the goal. Then, there he was again, taking the damn thing away from her as if she were a teenaged rookie. She tried to shield it, turning and feeling every inch of his six foot three inch perfect physique against her back. Gulping, and making herself focus, she landed a hard elbow to his midsection and escaped his trap. Travelling down the field alone she turned on all her motors, no longer hearing anything, way into her zone where she was most comfortable. And then, the damn man was in front of her again, batting the ball between her legs and taking off in the other direction, hand to his side where she’d nailed him. “God damn it Metin. What is your point? You’re a pro. I’m an unemployed college graduate. You a man. I’m not. You make money at this and I never will no matter what. What the fuck are you trying to prove?” Her breathing rasped, her legs hurt from her workout yesterday. She was miserable. But the sight of him, a few yards away, messing with the soccer ball while he stared at her made her want to tackle him, hold him down and kiss him so much she winced and turned away. “Once more,” The soccer ball smacked the back of her legs hard making her yelp. “That’s your fucking yellow card for the elbow. One more and you’ll sit.”“Ass,” She muttered, taking a deep breath and running straight at him. He let her, back-running and watching her feet. “Watch out little boy, I might hurt you again.” She felt strong, on top of it, ready to prove something to him and all the coaches who’d been rejecting her for the last few weeks. He made a slight step to the left, giving her a clear shot. She did a turn around fake, drawing him in, then spinning him around so he was behind her. But just as she was drawing back to kick he grabbed her hips, making her squeal with surprise and stumble. His palms were white hot, burning her through the thin fabric of her shorts.“No one will take you if you don’t stop projecting every move with these,” He declared, making her gulp as he pressed against her from behind. The scene from the hotel played in loop, the sounds of their breathing, her moans as he smacked her ass and pounded into her and she let him, unable to stop herself. “They are…perfect…but you have got to learn to stop giving the defense a clear message with them. You are too easy to read. You need some fake moves and ones that don’t involve fancy footwork so much as upper and lower body movement that will draw your man one way while you go another. Right now, all an opposing team has to do is watch a few films of your games and they read you like a damn book. Now,” he released her leaving her shivering with lust. “Watch me.”She bit her lip, kept her face blank, and did that, marveling as he put on a show of fakes to the left, drawing her off every single time before burying the ball in the back of the net. Every single god damned time. “Shit, stop, I get it.” She put her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. She came at him hard every time and six out of the ten times he’d faked her out she’d landed on the turf. Her knees stung, one of her hips felt like she’d broken it where he’d moved so fast she’d landed with all her weight and speed on it. Tears threatened but she bit them back. Bastard was not going to make her cry, not on the pitch.
Metin cursed himself as he put Alicia through her paces, showing her how she had to unlearn all her bad habits if she had any hope of getting signed to a pro team. He considered himself a true soccer geek—if he wasn’t playing himself, he was watching and he really enjoyed watching professional women on the field. Their finesse was born of slightly less strength and aggression and was more about pure skill with the ball. Alicia was one of the better ones but she was almost like a one-trick pony. She had to get a few more of those tricks under her belt or she’d be standing around moping when the signing period was up for the new women’s league. The more he played, and taught her, the more relaxed he got which helped. The walking hard-on he’d been since getting up this morning at the thought of being around her again had thrown him. Grabbing her hips was probably a bad idea. But it had been the only way he could think of to show her what he meant. Rubbing against her, whispering his words was probably..not the only way. But he didn’t care. He was dangerously close to tossing the girl over his shoulder and carrying her off, anywhere, somewhere, back to Spain, back to Turkey with him. Her sassy attitude only turned him on more. And now she stood, glowing with sweat, breathing heavy with her soaking wet shirt pressed to her amazing body. He blinked to clear the vision of her, dressed all in white, smiling up at him as he held her close and vowed to love her forever in front of his entire enormous family. She sighed, and peeled off her shirt, revealing a perfect, strong torso and soaking wet sports bra. His cock got so hard so fast he stumbled, angry at himself and nearly blind with desire to lick the sweat from her neck. She used that moment to come at him, shove him down on his ass and make her way to the goal, planting a solid ball into the upper left corner. He sat, watching her move, willing his body soft and smiled when she laughed and jumped up in the air.“See, what I mean?” He said, almost to himself.“I’ll never admit it to you but yeah.” She trotted up and stood beside him. He stared at her calves, watched as his hand reached out to feel it. “Hey,” she protested, stepping away. “Cut it out. No more of that. Remember?”“Yes, I remember,” he got to his feet slowly. “But I propose we change the parameters, just a bit.” She frowned but when he took her hand and put it to his lips she didn’t protest. “I don’t like you Metin. You’re a pompous, know-it-all, prima donna playboy who gets paid millions of dollars to play a game I want to play and would settle for a few thousand.”“I know, guzelim, I know.” He whispered, reaching back to take the holder from her hair so he could bury his fingers in its yellow tumble. “I want to help you. Truly…but you are so…so…kissable looking. May I please kiss you?” His lips hovered over hers. He felt her body mold against his. She bit her lip, shook her head, tried to look away from him. “Tell you what,” she said, cupping the back of his neck with her hand. “I’ll let you kiss me, just once more, and you will keep teaching me this. So I can land a position on a team. Then you high tail it back to Spain and pick up where you left off with that supermodel and we can call it even.”Metin drew back, his brain awash with feelings that shocked and surprised him. “Ah my beautiful one, you are more woman than she will ever be.” He ran a hand down her face, loving the porcelain beauty of her skin. “I will kiss you. But it won’t be the last time. That much I promise.” Before she could protest he slanted his lips over hers, and lost himself in her once again. She clung to him, opening her lips to his tongue. He kept one hand fisted in her hair and the other roamed down her back, cupped her ass, then up to cradle her breast. His body was on fire, and his ears were deafened by a roar of need. He had to have her, now, had to put his mark on her before she escaped again. That sort of macho bullshit had never, ever been a part of his make up and it bothered him to even think it. But he had fucked many women, starting when he’d been sixteen, learning at the talented hands of an older woman, a teacher who had shown him skills he put to good use many times. And one thing he knew right at this minute, as he back-walked the beautiful Alicia into the dim recesses of the stadium's tunnel, this woman he would have forever or die trying. This was his destiny. This frustrating, gorgeous, all-American woman would be his.
February 5, 2013
Saffron Nights Book Blast!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Brazil…Hawaii…India….As a food writer, Maeve has just been handed the hottest opportunity of her career. She’s being sent on an international research tour for an aphrodisiac cookbook. The downside is that she has to travel with rock star photographer and womanizer Jackson Dodds. And the upside is that she has to travel with Jackson Dodds. Because once they meet, Maeve understands why he’s been named “America’s Most Eligible Bachelor”—and despite her best intentions, all she can think about is putting their arousing recipes to the test…
Sexy and talented, Jackson can have any woman he desires. But lately, the thrill is gone—until he lays eyes on Maeve, who exudes sensuality like no one else. She’s determined to keep things professional, but he knows the attraction is mutual. And as they travel the world, sampling warming saffron, juicy papaya, silky avocado, rare herbs and teas—and a mushroom whose very aroma sends women to heights of ecstasy—both discover a hunger they’ve never known, and don’t want to resist, even amid unexpected danger…~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
She acted like she didn’t even know he was there. He watched her full lips curve around the spoon as she stared intently into the bowl. What would they feel like on him? She was not paying one ounce of attention to him, so he let his eyes linger on her toes. They were simply perfect toes, topped off with a splash of bright feminine pink, and her feet looked porcelain smooth and inviting. But he held back. Christ—what if a woman like this did respond to him and then it went horribly bad, as most of his affairs had? They might be stuck together on some godforsaken mountain in India or Italy and be miserable.
So, he held his breath, while his heart raced, but kept his eyes on her feet and slurped the stew. After all, this was his career. He couldn’t risk it—even for Maeve. Especially for Maeve.
“What are you doing, Jackson?” She said and took another bite.
“Eating soup and, ah, looking at your toes. They, ah, look really good,” he said.
“Maybe you need some coffee, Jackson,” Maeve said, laughing.
“Sorry, I just never knew that you had such pretty feet,” he said and smiled.
“Well, you’re using that word a lot. Pretty. You’re barking up the wrong tree if—”
“We work together,” Jackson stammered. “You know, I should never have mentioned how pretty you feet are. Or how pretty you are, period. I’m sorry.”
What was happening to him? Usually so confident, here he was stammering around Maeve like a schoolboy.
He held the bowl up to his mouth to drink the last drop, his tongue licking his lips in utter abandonment.
He held up his fingers and wiggled. “You don’t know this about me, but I give an incredible foot massage.”
She slammed her bowl down. “Are you coming on to me?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Liz Everly is a passionate cook, writer, and traveler. Exploring food and romance in Saffron Nights, Liz ombines her lifelong love of action-packed romance with her culinary expertise. She loves to interact with readers. Please follow her on Twitter @Lizeverly1, check out her website http://www.lizeverly.worpress.com. You can also find her on Facebook and blogging at http://www.ladysmut.com.
Link to Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Saffron-Nights-...
Link to eKensington: http://ekensingtonbooks.com/
Liz will be awarding organic saffron and cedar bath gel and handmade soap to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US ONLY).
February 4, 2013
The Cynic In Me Now Wants to Buy Men's Underwear
It's a not-so-well-kept secret that I am a dyed-in-the-wool cynic. No, not "paranoid." I do not think the world is out to get me. I do however, question the world's motives in its various machinations of reaching out to me.
I think it comes from years spent in advertising, public relations and marketing. I have always been selling you something, from newspaper ads (remember those?), to houses and a fair bit in between. I was successful at this because I was aware of how much I was being marketed to. I took what I liked, used it and ignored the rest. I am a stone cold sucker for a great advertisement but on a pure aesthetic level. I am unlikely to rush out and change the brand of detergent, toothpaste, coffee or dog food I buy based on a new, clever ad. I am, however, likely to study the ad, pick it apart and decide why it reached me, why I paid attention to it above the clanging cacophony of harpy-like shrieks from other advertisements.
I have tried to apply my 20 plus years of experience selling you stuff to my writing career. Because unless (or until) you are Stephen King, JK Rowling or that person who wrote those spanky-panky books and "invented" erotica (!) last year you are totally On Your Own when it comes to developing your brand and your platform and implementing the plan around trying to, you know, write books and shit. So far it's working fairly well. I have a nice following on the social nets, my google analytics are pretty sweet and improving daily, my SEO rankings are mid-level and rising. I get to do some cross-promo and have become "that brewery owner lady who calls herself the beer wench and writes sex novels almost as good as 50 Shades."
sigh
But every year I put aside my cynicism and prepare to have my cozy, warm, consumer-wearing sox knocked off by 3 plus hours of ads that large companies have spent MILLIONS of dollars creating--just so I'll drink Coke and not Pepsi starting the day after the Super Bowl.
There were some winners....Miracle Stain...awesome:
I Fucking well HATE Budweiser but this damn thing made me cry, no lie:
I flipping LOVE this car ad...Sexy with a capital SEX:
and the perfect Alpha Male wearing wolf clothing:
and...this one? Well....I stopped watching the ad-fest and immediately downloaded it to my computer so as to replay it over and over and over and over again....In the name of all that is holy this one was targeted right at me and, um, I have NO IDEA what it's for nor do I give a rip. My advice to you? Don't get between me and this guy...
So what's your fav?
cheers
Liz
February 1, 2013
Across the Beer With Leta Blake and Keira Andrews
Welcome to my beer bar Leta, what can I pour for you to start?
Since this is fantasy and I don't have to worry about it triggering a migraine, hit me with something a little honey, something a little red.
Ok, I've got that. Try this Amber Lager....So this collaboration...what made you want to work with another writer?
Keira and I have been good friends for several years and when I mentioned to her that I was planning on writing sexy fairy tales she was inspired by my ideas. Eventually, she asked if I might want a co-writer. Because I'm always up for collaboration and learning from other writers, and because I believed that we would be a successful pairing, I eagerly agreed to her proposal.
And how did you decide on making fairy tales kinky?
While kink isn't out of the question in this series, I'm not sure that I'd call the currently released tales “kinky.” They are definitely sexy, though! Basically, the idea came from the fairy tales themselves. Historically, fairy tales have always been rife with underlying and aggressive sexuality. We wanted to bring the subtext to the light and deliver what everyone has always secretly desired when reading about Red Riding Hood or Rapunzel—the dirty details. The twist for us was that we wanted to focus on gay characters, specifically m/m pairings. The idea of not only shining a light on the sexuality of the tale, but also upsetting or completely changing gender and sexual roles within the story appealed to us. Rather like a man recording a song usually performed by a woman (or vice versa), shifting the gender/sex of the characters within the fairtales—or turning their relationships into romantic/sexual ones instead of friends or enemies—really brings out layers of the story that we hadn't seen before. It's been fascinating and fun.
(An example of a man performing a great cover of a song performed originally by a woman: http://youtu.be/16Z_1EqdAok To those familiar with the original, do you feel like a man singing it gives the song a new flavor or even a new meaning? Does it give you a different way of looking at the man or the song itself?)
Oh, empty glass! what can I pour for you next?
Let's have something dark and filling. :)
I've got that too, here, a Stout Lager....How does the collaboration actually work? I mean, do you write some then she does and you trade back and forth? Do you like that method?
Usually one of us takes the driver's seat with regards to the book. For example, with our first collaboration, Earthly Desires , I was in the driver's seat, and with Ascending Hearts , Keira took that role. We are instrumental in the development of the book and in crafting it, but with each book one of us is in charge of the main bulk of writing what we've worked out, and the other works to smooth, correct, challenge, etc. We are wanting to try something different eventually, perhaps, where one of us writes the point of view of one character and the other writes the point of view of the other lead. I think that would be a fun challenge!
Tell me about how you got started in this business? And Keira?
I've been writing for nearly fifteen years, but it was only with this fairy tale collaboration that I took the steps to publication. Keira’s first novel, Love Match , was published in 2006 and she’s written numerous books since then.
And where can we find you on the 'nets?
Places Leta can be found around the web:Email: leta.blake.author@gmail.comWebsite: letablake.wordpress.comFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/letablakeTwitter: https://twitter.com/letablakeGoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6425833.Leta_BlakeTumblr: http://letablake.tumblr.com/
Places Keira can be found around the web:Email: keira.andrews@gmail.comWebsite: keiraandrews.comGoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1366040.Keira_AndrewsTwitter: https://twitter.com/keiraandrewsFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/keira.andrews.50
When you are not writing, what are you doing?
I'm a mom, wife, and full-time employee, so when I'm not writing, I'm enjoying my daughter and husband, and trying desperately to keep my head above water at the office. Keira works full time writing in marketing/communications, and when she’s not at a computer you can usually find her in yoga class or catching up on her favorite TV shows.
Finally what are your next projects? More fairy tales or something different?
We have another fairy tale coming up based on the The Twelve Dancing Princesses. It's basically in the can, but still needs some tweaks and edits before we can submit it to our publisher. We anticipate that if all goes well it should be out in May. You can read a little about it here: http://letablake.wordpress.com/2012/12/26/the-next-big-thing-blog-hop-leta-blake/
We also have a fourth tale planned for later this year and non-fairy tale books we're working on. Keira just completed a wonderful (imho) WWII-era novel, and I'm working on the second half of a coming-of-age novel set in the South during the early 1990s.
Nightcap time! what's your poison?
Ah, hit me with some absinthe if you've got it. Wait, wait, does "beer before liquor never been sicker" apply for absinthe? Maybe just some water and call it a night. :)
Oh man and you were doing so well so far...honey, "Absinthe" is "poison." And besides, this is a beer bar so, yep, here's your water!
Ascending Hearts can be purchased at
Ellora's Cave: http://www.ellorascave.com/ascending-hearts.html
All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-ascendinghearts-1039692-144.html
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ascending-Hearts-Tempting-Tales-ebook/dp/B00AWPDO42/
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ascending-hearts-leta-blake/1114106448
January 22, 2013
I'm Doing WHAT?
I'm giving you a free book...actually the opportunity to win one book AND an PRINT COPY of my next book too....yeah, read that again. It's what I said.
To celebrate my first Love Romances Cafe award, as runner-up in the Thriller/suspense category for CHEEKY BLONDE from Decadent Publishing I am offering YOU dear follower/reader/stalker/whatever a free copy! And....a FREE CHAPTER to whet your whistle.
That's right...you may be on the fence about me and my books. You've read the good stuff and not doubt the bad about my "style" and my bending and breaking of the romance "rules" for my books. And you think to yourself, "Self," you think, "I should give this writer a shot. She's got some buzz, not as much as some but more than others. But my book spendin' money is gone for now, and until I get my tax refund I'm stuck borrowing stuff."
Fret no longer!
First: read this sexy chapter (free) from Cheeky Blonde (go ahead, it won't bite you):
The front desk staff smiled brightly at her as she stumbled into the lobby as if it were a reasonable hour and not nearly three in the morning. She gave them a little wave. They knew what to expect from this weekend full of beer people. She craved the hottest shower on the planet to erase the intoxicating memory of Sean’s hands on her skin.
She was up on the twenty-first floor, her room separated from Dylan’s by five others. She’d arranged it that way, knowing her own weakness. Determined to be a grownup about her brewer, she resolved to cut him loose officially, tomorrow, after a decent night’s sleep. But the sights and sounds of him blatantly fucking that redhead earlier, and the look of sadness on his handsome face as he put her into the cab made her realize the “cutting loose” part might not be necessary.
When the elevator stopped on her floor, she trudged down the long hallway, finding her key and fumbling it into the slot. No magic green light appeared. She stared at the thing, her mind fuzzy, as if a closer examination would reveal its secrets, and suddenly sensed Sean standing behind her. She turned, determined not to let him into her room. That damn smile of his went straight to her gut.
“So, do you want the job, or what?” He raised a dark eyebrow.
“No. But thank you for the consideration.” She looked away. “And I swear you are a stalker, if I didn’t know you as a single-minded obsessive.” She closed her eyes briefly, realizing she could have been describing herself. “Anyway, I’m done for the night, so if you’ll excuse me,” she tossed over her shoulder.
“Wait,” he said, pulling her back. “Seriously, let’s talk. I promise not to….” Without warning, he pressed a kiss to her cheek, making her painfully aware of how damp her panties were from his earlier efforts.
She couldn’t help but smile at him. “You could charm the birdies right out of the trees, couldn’t you, Garrison?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Probably, if I wanted them out bad enough.” He held out an arm. “Buy you a nightcap?”She rolled her eyes. “Jesus, man, it’s almost time for breakfast.” But she leaned back against her hotel room door, knowing full well she was about to invite him in.
“Well, lucky for you I brought a breakfast stout.” He presented her with the tall bottle. She sighed and handed him the key card. He slid it into the slot, never taking his gaze from hers.
Once the door was open, she ducked into the bathroom, leaving him to sort out his own seating arrangements. She splashed water on her face and stared at herself in the huge mirror. This had been the most amazing day, exactly as she imagined it would be, making Brick Street’s national debut as a legit craft brewery. And to cap it off, no less than Sean Garrison, the hated-feared-envied king of the mid-west craft-brewing universe sat out there, in her hotel room, expensive beer in hand. She put a clammy palm on her exposed upper breasts, taking deep breaths. Not only that, he had brought her to a raging orgasm practically under the feet of the entire bar and had then offered her a job.
Jesus.
“You pass out in there?”
She squared her shoulders and stepped back out into the room with every intention of booting him out before she did something foolish.
“This is delicious,” a deep, honey-smooth voice called from the other side of the nearly dark room. “Come and join me.”
Earlier resolve melted into a puddle of lust. What was it about this guy, anyway? She sat at the end of the bed, watching as he poured a small portion of the thick, dark brew. His fingers brushed hers when he handed her the glass, which zinged straight to the base of her spine. She sipped, relishing the bourbon-infused warmth as it slid down her throat. “Yum,” she said, letting the brew soothe her rattled psyche. She decided not to mince words. Straightforward always served her well.
“So, why the hell are you following me? You’re working it pretty damn hard.” She held out the glass for a refill.
His devilish grin sent a thrill through her body so strong she had to grip the edge of the bed to stay seated.
“I mean, other than wanting to fuck me, of course.” She hid her trembling by taking another gulp. The realization that she’d gladly let him do that pissed her off so much she rose from her spot, clutching her glass, needing movement to combat her nerves. He put a hand on her knee. She glared at it, large and rough against her skin, as if he actually used it for more than money counting. When he tipped her chin up to face him, she found herself staring into eyes that seemed almost sad. She clenched her own shut as his lips brushed hers. “I’ve been watching you,” he whispered in her ear. “I want you.” Her entire body broke out in chills. She opened her eyes, willing him to move away, and wanting him to kiss her more. “And I typically get what I want.” He settled back in the chair and picked up his glass.
“A control freak,” she said. “Big surprise.” She mirrored his movements, crossing her legs and taking a sip.
He smiled and her heart leapt. Damn the man. No wonder he was divorced. His sheer chemistry overwhelmed the room, and he knew it. He chuckled and leaned forward once more.
“I’m not such a bad guy, you know.” He sighed as if maintaining his innocence offered a hardship. “I think all you little brewery guys are great, and I wish you well. Just not as well as me.”
“Well, you’re gonna have to learn to share the market, pal.” She sipped the last bit of stout. “We are here to stay. And I might add, you have no shortage of enemies, which can’t be good. Buying tap handles with free beer and promising your distributors trips to the tropics for more placements and your obsession with cease-and-desist orders….”
“Babe, I’m merely doing my job, protecting my interests, and increasing Garrison’s bottom line.” Annoyance clouded his face. “Besides, you’d do the same damn thing if you had the money or the product to do it with.”
She stood, setting her glass down with a loud thunk. “Fuck you, Garrison. I will never do any of that shit.” He tilted his head and stared at her, which made her irritation worse. “I guess that takes my name off the job list. So you….” She put both hands on his shoulders and glared at him. “You can leave now. Interview over.”
With a speed she didn’t anticipate, he got to his feet, his body mere inches from hers yet again.
“Oh, we still have some talking to do, make no mistake.” His low voice set off tremors in her soul. “Something tells me we would make quite a team.” He ran the back of his hand down her face, made a humming sound in his throat. When his lips met hers, it somehow felt right this time.
Before she could stop herself, her brain a cacophony of warnings she no longer heeded, she let him shove his tongue between her lips. He moaned and cupped her ass. The swell of his erection made her shift, pressing harder into him. She groaned at the sensation of his teeth nipping at her neck. Her whole being burned with need and not for just anyone. For the man who had the ability buy and sell her company, or bankrupt it, should he see fit. He broke away and gripped her arms, his breathing heavy. “Jen,” he muttered around clenched teeth, deep blue eyes snapping with something resembling anger. “I swear I only followed you here to talk. I mean it. I—” He looked down.
Her brain snapped to attention, blowing away the horny fog that clouded it. “Okay.” She pulled out of his grip. “You know, it’s late, so I think I’m done talking.” She walked to the door and yanked it open. It was nearly four in the morning, and she had yet another day of pouring and talking and more pouring ahead. What the hell did he think messing with her would accomplish? She didn’t have time for this. He was toying with her, she knew it, and she was determined to put a stop to it before she made a huge mistake. She tried to steel her resolve. “Go.”
He took a last drink of his dark beer, set the glass on the table, and with slow deliberate steps ended up in front of her. His face remained reflective, but she closed her eyes as his lips grazed her cheek. Her body flushed and it took every ounce of strength she had to resist pulling him back into her room and into her bed. Another sudden camera flash lit the hallway before she slammed the door but she barely registered it. Tears welled up, poured down her face as she leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the floor.
Images of Dylan, of Sean, of her amazing and successful day slid through her consciousness. She heard her phone buzz. The innate marketing pro in her grabbed it. She stared at the screen, forcing her alcohol-fuzzy brain to compute the words on it.
Jen. What’s up with you and Garrison?
It was from Ben Cole, one of her most trusted media sources. He wrote the highly respected, internationally famous blog Beerbrain.com.
She groaned and tried to reply but her fingers kept fumbling as her brain started to give up the ghost and force her to sleep. Finally, she simply typed, Nothing. See you tomorrow. But the whole thing gave her an odd, fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her and Garrison. Dear God, what had she done?
And the BIG THANK YOU is....a discount code for CHEEKY BLONDE on Smashwords! Just hit this link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/179345
And when you check out use DISCOUNT CODE: BV33Q for 40% off!!!Yeah, I'm that kinda writer for my fans.
All 5 books in 1! In print! Coming soon from Decadent Publishing
But in order to be entered to WIN a FREE COPY of CHEEKY BLONDE or a print copy of the TURKISH DELIGHTS anthology when it releases later in 2013, answer me this:
What type of beer did Sean bring to Jen's hotel room?Yeah. That.
cheers kidsDrink craft beer! Anything else and the terrorists win.Liz
To celebrate my first Love Romances Cafe award, as runner-up in the Thriller/suspense category for CHEEKY BLONDE from Decadent Publishing I am offering YOU dear follower/reader/stalker/whatever a free copy! And....a FREE CHAPTER to whet your whistle.
That's right...you may be on the fence about me and my books. You've read the good stuff and not doubt the bad about my "style" and my bending and breaking of the romance "rules" for my books. And you think to yourself, "Self," you think, "I should give this writer a shot. She's got some buzz, not as much as some but more than others. But my book spendin' money is gone for now, and until I get my tax refund I'm stuck borrowing stuff."
Fret no longer!
First: read this sexy chapter (free) from Cheeky Blonde (go ahead, it won't bite you):
The front desk staff smiled brightly at her as she stumbled into the lobby as if it were a reasonable hour and not nearly three in the morning. She gave them a little wave. They knew what to expect from this weekend full of beer people. She craved the hottest shower on the planet to erase the intoxicating memory of Sean’s hands on her skin.
She was up on the twenty-first floor, her room separated from Dylan’s by five others. She’d arranged it that way, knowing her own weakness. Determined to be a grownup about her brewer, she resolved to cut him loose officially, tomorrow, after a decent night’s sleep. But the sights and sounds of him blatantly fucking that redhead earlier, and the look of sadness on his handsome face as he put her into the cab made her realize the “cutting loose” part might not be necessary.
When the elevator stopped on her floor, she trudged down the long hallway, finding her key and fumbling it into the slot. No magic green light appeared. She stared at the thing, her mind fuzzy, as if a closer examination would reveal its secrets, and suddenly sensed Sean standing behind her. She turned, determined not to let him into her room. That damn smile of his went straight to her gut.
“So, do you want the job, or what?” He raised a dark eyebrow.
“No. But thank you for the consideration.” She looked away. “And I swear you are a stalker, if I didn’t know you as a single-minded obsessive.” She closed her eyes briefly, realizing she could have been describing herself. “Anyway, I’m done for the night, so if you’ll excuse me,” she tossed over her shoulder.
“Wait,” he said, pulling her back. “Seriously, let’s talk. I promise not to….” Without warning, he pressed a kiss to her cheek, making her painfully aware of how damp her panties were from his earlier efforts.
She couldn’t help but smile at him. “You could charm the birdies right out of the trees, couldn’t you, Garrison?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Probably, if I wanted them out bad enough.” He held out an arm. “Buy you a nightcap?”She rolled her eyes. “Jesus, man, it’s almost time for breakfast.” But she leaned back against her hotel room door, knowing full well she was about to invite him in.
“Well, lucky for you I brought a breakfast stout.” He presented her with the tall bottle. She sighed and handed him the key card. He slid it into the slot, never taking his gaze from hers.
Once the door was open, she ducked into the bathroom, leaving him to sort out his own seating arrangements. She splashed water on her face and stared at herself in the huge mirror. This had been the most amazing day, exactly as she imagined it would be, making Brick Street’s national debut as a legit craft brewery. And to cap it off, no less than Sean Garrison, the hated-feared-envied king of the mid-west craft-brewing universe sat out there, in her hotel room, expensive beer in hand. She put a clammy palm on her exposed upper breasts, taking deep breaths. Not only that, he had brought her to a raging orgasm practically under the feet of the entire bar and had then offered her a job.
Jesus.
“You pass out in there?”
She squared her shoulders and stepped back out into the room with every intention of booting him out before she did something foolish.
“This is delicious,” a deep, honey-smooth voice called from the other side of the nearly dark room. “Come and join me.”
Earlier resolve melted into a puddle of lust. What was it about this guy, anyway? She sat at the end of the bed, watching as he poured a small portion of the thick, dark brew. His fingers brushed hers when he handed her the glass, which zinged straight to the base of her spine. She sipped, relishing the bourbon-infused warmth as it slid down her throat. “Yum,” she said, letting the brew soothe her rattled psyche. She decided not to mince words. Straightforward always served her well.
“So, why the hell are you following me? You’re working it pretty damn hard.” She held out the glass for a refill.
His devilish grin sent a thrill through her body so strong she had to grip the edge of the bed to stay seated.
“I mean, other than wanting to fuck me, of course.” She hid her trembling by taking another gulp. The realization that she’d gladly let him do that pissed her off so much she rose from her spot, clutching her glass, needing movement to combat her nerves. He put a hand on her knee. She glared at it, large and rough against her skin, as if he actually used it for more than money counting. When he tipped her chin up to face him, she found herself staring into eyes that seemed almost sad. She clenched her own shut as his lips brushed hers. “I’ve been watching you,” he whispered in her ear. “I want you.” Her entire body broke out in chills. She opened her eyes, willing him to move away, and wanting him to kiss her more. “And I typically get what I want.” He settled back in the chair and picked up his glass.
“A control freak,” she said. “Big surprise.” She mirrored his movements, crossing her legs and taking a sip.
He smiled and her heart leapt. Damn the man. No wonder he was divorced. His sheer chemistry overwhelmed the room, and he knew it. He chuckled and leaned forward once more.
“I’m not such a bad guy, you know.” He sighed as if maintaining his innocence offered a hardship. “I think all you little brewery guys are great, and I wish you well. Just not as well as me.”
“Well, you’re gonna have to learn to share the market, pal.” She sipped the last bit of stout. “We are here to stay. And I might add, you have no shortage of enemies, which can’t be good. Buying tap handles with free beer and promising your distributors trips to the tropics for more placements and your obsession with cease-and-desist orders….”
“Babe, I’m merely doing my job, protecting my interests, and increasing Garrison’s bottom line.” Annoyance clouded his face. “Besides, you’d do the same damn thing if you had the money or the product to do it with.”
She stood, setting her glass down with a loud thunk. “Fuck you, Garrison. I will never do any of that shit.” He tilted his head and stared at her, which made her irritation worse. “I guess that takes my name off the job list. So you….” She put both hands on his shoulders and glared at him. “You can leave now. Interview over.”
With a speed she didn’t anticipate, he got to his feet, his body mere inches from hers yet again.
“Oh, we still have some talking to do, make no mistake.” His low voice set off tremors in her soul. “Something tells me we would make quite a team.” He ran the back of his hand down her face, made a humming sound in his throat. When his lips met hers, it somehow felt right this time.
Before she could stop herself, her brain a cacophony of warnings she no longer heeded, she let him shove his tongue between her lips. He moaned and cupped her ass. The swell of his erection made her shift, pressing harder into him. She groaned at the sensation of his teeth nipping at her neck. Her whole being burned with need and not for just anyone. For the man who had the ability buy and sell her company, or bankrupt it, should he see fit. He broke away and gripped her arms, his breathing heavy. “Jen,” he muttered around clenched teeth, deep blue eyes snapping with something resembling anger. “I swear I only followed you here to talk. I mean it. I—” He looked down.
Her brain snapped to attention, blowing away the horny fog that clouded it. “Okay.” She pulled out of his grip. “You know, it’s late, so I think I’m done talking.” She walked to the door and yanked it open. It was nearly four in the morning, and she had yet another day of pouring and talking and more pouring ahead. What the hell did he think messing with her would accomplish? She didn’t have time for this. He was toying with her, she knew it, and she was determined to put a stop to it before she made a huge mistake. She tried to steel her resolve. “Go.”
He took a last drink of his dark beer, set the glass on the table, and with slow deliberate steps ended up in front of her. His face remained reflective, but she closed her eyes as his lips grazed her cheek. Her body flushed and it took every ounce of strength she had to resist pulling him back into her room and into her bed. Another sudden camera flash lit the hallway before she slammed the door but she barely registered it. Tears welled up, poured down her face as she leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the floor.
Images of Dylan, of Sean, of her amazing and successful day slid through her consciousness. She heard her phone buzz. The innate marketing pro in her grabbed it. She stared at the screen, forcing her alcohol-fuzzy brain to compute the words on it.
Jen. What’s up with you and Garrison?
It was from Ben Cole, one of her most trusted media sources. He wrote the highly respected, internationally famous blog Beerbrain.com.
She groaned and tried to reply but her fingers kept fumbling as her brain started to give up the ghost and force her to sleep. Finally, she simply typed, Nothing. See you tomorrow. But the whole thing gave her an odd, fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her and Garrison. Dear God, what had she done?
And the BIG THANK YOU is....a discount code for CHEEKY BLONDE on Smashwords! Just hit this link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/179345
And when you check out use DISCOUNT CODE: BV33Q for 40% off!!!Yeah, I'm that kinda writer for my fans.
All 5 books in 1! In print! Coming soon from Decadent PublishingBut in order to be entered to WIN a FREE COPY of CHEEKY BLONDE or a print copy of the TURKISH DELIGHTS anthology when it releases later in 2013, answer me this:
What type of beer did Sean bring to Jen's hotel room?Yeah. That.
cheers kidsDrink craft beer! Anything else and the terrorists win.Liz
January 18, 2013
Liz's Weekend Wrap Up (with a beer)
Happy Friday Liz fans/followers/stalkers/creepers!
It's time for a quick glance back, re-cap, evaluation of the HONEY RED tour.
Here are what a few folks had to say about this Menage for Real Life, released end of December from Tri Destiny Publishing:
Shh Mom's Reading, a new review blog gave it five stars:
Honey Red is the best ménage story I have ever read. Ms. Crowe crafted a powerful, emotional and heartwarming story of three people who struggle to accept the nature of their feelings for each other... Ms. Crowe uses both the past and hopes for the present and it makes for truly engaging read. I could not put this book down! The range of emotions when reading this book will astound you. You will laugh, you may even shed a tear but in the end it will leave you feeling happy you took the time to curl up with this story and these characters.
4My Reading Obsession said the following in a 4-star review:Ms. Crowe does a fantastic job bringing you into the lives and the minds of her characters, she is able to let you feel the confusion, anger and resentment of being injured and made blind. She takes you into the hearts of her characters and you feel the emotions they have the good, the bad and the sexy.
Reviews by Molly said Honey Red was a "5-book" worthy read: So,anyone who has been keeping up with my reviews will know that, outside of paranormal and western romances, Liz Crowe is the ultimate romance novelist in my eyes. I adore her work. The way she captures the essence of real life, the way she makes her characters become real for the reader, all of it is amazing. ...So I’ll tell you that you must grab a copy now and experience the full emotion of indecision, of deep rooted passion, of parenthood and depression.
Delphina Reads Too Much said this about the book (in a post where I give you a snarky primer on how to properly order a beer)Watching these three very broken people as they worked towards taking control of their lives and making them lives worth living was such an intense ride. This does not follow the typical romance "oh they met, immediately fall in love, something happens to threaten their love, but no worries all is fine" story arc. While those are great sometimes, it was nice to venture outside that box. If you like honest emotions even when they are uncomfortable, non-traditional relationships, and a love story that breaks all the romance novel rules, this book is probably just what you have been looking for.
Harlie's Book Blog gave it a "Recommended Read": Ms. Crowe has written a masterpiece in the genre of erotic ménage. She “gets” the genre and furthermore, writes it realistically. (*see Essence of Time for another breakout in the world of ménage*) She doesn’t sugarcoat it, fights and wins the troupe of ménage and handles her characters thoughts and feelings with care and understanding. The secondary characters only enhance their story. Everyone in the book has problems (just like the real world) and through love and patience, things will work out in the end.
Adria's Romance Reviews (formerly Looking For a Breath of Life Reviews) made me "Author of the Month" for January: Each book of hers is emotionally raw, these are characters that you could easily find in real life, or perhaps already know. Her books speak in real time. Character growth and development takes time. Answers don't come easily or over night to her characters, they're stubborn, argumentative and in desperate need of therapy. But that's what makes them so memorable. They're definitely standout characters that, love or hate them, stay in your mind long after you've put the book down.
Liz's books, while deeply rooted in reality and all that goes with it, also give readers a healthy dose of erotic fantasies sure to make them blush and say "Is it hot in here or is it just this book?"
As much as I love Liz's books I am going to say that they are not for everyone. If you're expecting an easy resolution and damn near perfect characters, then these are not the books for you. Liz herself has said her characters are flawed, but in case you need a little more, let me say that these characters have "reality flaws." They aren't always monogamous, and saying "I love you" doesn't magically solve everything for them. The hero and the heroine do not solve a lifetime of issues in one book and relationships are continuously being tested. However, that works for me because Liz can pull these characters up from the bottom of the pit and make them likable.And gave this glowing review for HONEY RED: What can be difficult in a menage romance is finding a balance between the three people in the relationship. In a "traditional" relationship, there are two people and it's almost natural the way the relationship progresses. In a menage, there's an additional person in the mix and it can be a recipe for jealousy and preferences. ...Honey Red is one of Liz Crowe's best works in my humble opinion. It is a story that will please her long time fans and hopefully find new ones. If you have not yet read a Liz Crowe book, then you should definitely start with this one.
Erzabet's Enchantments said this in her 5-star Review:Fantastic down to earth humor and wonderful sex that covers every spectrum of emotions.
Three Chicks and Their Books wrote a nice long 4-star review:Ms. Crowe has done an amazing job with this novel. She creates background stories for each character in a way that prompts the reader to feel their emotions and to root for them to find happiness. Ian is adorable with his son and relationship that Hannah and Nick have built with him is a treat to read. Nick's story tugged at my heart and Ms. Crowe has managed to capture his struggle with PTSD in such a pure and genuine way. She has also managed to create strong, imaginative secondary characters such as Alyssa and Gavin,
who play important roles in this story.
Although this story brought tears and some heartache, it also brought laughter and smiles as well. The sex was hot, but that is no surprise coming from this author. The ending was simply amazing, another fine job Ms. Crowe!
Twinsie Talk Reviews gave it 5"plus" stars:To begin with I must say 5 stars are not even enough. This is one of my favorite books by this author. I love the way she builds each relationship so that you can actually feel their love (even when they don't want to admit they are in love) and it makes you believe their relationships. Ian is such a mess and very selfish, Nick is so damaged and hurt and Hannah is so open and naive. The 3 of them have some very hot and steamy scenes as a pair or as a 3some. If you have read ANY of Liz's books you know she can write some hot scenes and this book doesn't disappoint.
Honey Red got a 5-sexy torso review from RomFan Reviews: Honey Red is a must read complete with sexy characters, heart wrenching emotions bound to make you cry at least once and lots of mind blowing sex. The challenges that these characters overcome are very real in America today from PTSD in veterans, bisexuality, and unplanned pregnancy. Liz does not disappoint with her newest story that flowed seamlessly from tap of her imagination.
Finally, Mary's Naughty Whispers, a "menage only" review blog gave it Across the Board 5-stars!It has been a while since I read a contemporary menage as intense as this one. You know, the kind of story that will be stuck in your memory and one day, not too soon because it would spoil a bit the fun, but not too long because you will keep that in the back of your mind, you will re-read the story with the same pleasure, the same wow factor....All along, Liz Crowe surprised me. When I thought I knew what was going to happen, I got it wrong… I loved it! It is a complete turn on to read a story and not knowing the plot, or just be surprised at every corner. She started her story long and steady. I got to know each character very well, with their good and bad sides, their ups and downs. The kind of character that you finally find in your real life, not perfect but endearing… the kind that you can relate, understand.I believe that every woman reading this story will fall in love with Nick. Ian? probably but you will want to slap his face (or butt) first! Hannah will be the woman that you look at the mirror every morning, who struggle to find a good job, who may have renounced to a happy sex life but woke up thinking that sex is definitely part of our happiness, our balance in life. Not the perfect model, independent, strong yet loving woman. You will love her!The story is all about those different personalities who had all a past, who are looking for love and acceptance. Their story will invite you to be part of their family.
When you offer reviewers the opportunity to enjoy your books for free (or not) you take a risk. This tour had it's share of "oh, I'd better not review it but I'll host the blurb and giveaway" moments which sting until I realized that my books just are not for everyone. But hopefully those who do enjoy will outweigh those who do not and I appreciate reviewers who are willing to take the "if you can't say anything nice ... " high road.
BUT....one of the highlights of my week came yesterday when I received THIS email from none other than Desiree Holt, arguably the Grande Dame of the contemporary erotic romance genre about FLOOR TIME, the first of the Stewart Realty series:
Stories revolving around a D/s relationship must be written with great care because these relationships, more than any other, are built on a high level of trust. Protagonists Sara and Jack bring very distinct personalities to the story, personalities that could easily clash but Liz Crowe handles them deftly. She allows you a peek into their thoughts and their emotions with such care you are drawn into the story at once. Her clever storytelling hooks you from the first page and you won't be able to put it down until you've read the last word.
Desiree Holtbest-selling author of erotic fiction
...which she followed up on a facebook comment string with....Desiree Holt Liz, it was an easy recommendation to write. The writing is excellent and the story well crafted. This weekend I'm on to the rest of the books. I urge everyone else to do the same.
woo hoo! nothing quite like a nod from someone you could only hope to consider your peer!
One thing I create is "polarization" with my style and the "rule breaking" I do with "traditional romance." So much so I've lately been describing my books as "fiction...with the hot parts left in to move the story along." And I'm sticking by that.
thanks again to all my blog tour hosts!
We will be revealing several things on the Hesperia Loves Books blog beginning Monday, Jan. 26 about MUTUAL RELEASE, the 7th Stewart Realty book that can also be read as a stand-alone/intro to the series....stay tuned!
Liz
If you are an NFL fan and love a good funny, watch this!
It's time for a quick glance back, re-cap, evaluation of the HONEY RED tour.
Here are what a few folks had to say about this Menage for Real Life, released end of December from Tri Destiny Publishing:
Shh Mom's Reading, a new review blog gave it five stars:
Honey Red is the best ménage story I have ever read. Ms. Crowe crafted a powerful, emotional and heartwarming story of three people who struggle to accept the nature of their feelings for each other... Ms. Crowe uses both the past and hopes for the present and it makes for truly engaging read. I could not put this book down! The range of emotions when reading this book will astound you. You will laugh, you may even shed a tear but in the end it will leave you feeling happy you took the time to curl up with this story and these characters.
4My Reading Obsession said the following in a 4-star review:Ms. Crowe does a fantastic job bringing you into the lives and the minds of her characters, she is able to let you feel the confusion, anger and resentment of being injured and made blind. She takes you into the hearts of her characters and you feel the emotions they have the good, the bad and the sexy.
Reviews by Molly said Honey Red was a "5-book" worthy read: So,anyone who has been keeping up with my reviews will know that, outside of paranormal and western romances, Liz Crowe is the ultimate romance novelist in my eyes. I adore her work. The way she captures the essence of real life, the way she makes her characters become real for the reader, all of it is amazing. ...So I’ll tell you that you must grab a copy now and experience the full emotion of indecision, of deep rooted passion, of parenthood and depression.
Delphina Reads Too Much said this about the book (in a post where I give you a snarky primer on how to properly order a beer)Watching these three very broken people as they worked towards taking control of their lives and making them lives worth living was such an intense ride. This does not follow the typical romance "oh they met, immediately fall in love, something happens to threaten their love, but no worries all is fine" story arc. While those are great sometimes, it was nice to venture outside that box. If you like honest emotions even when they are uncomfortable, non-traditional relationships, and a love story that breaks all the romance novel rules, this book is probably just what you have been looking for.
Harlie's Book Blog gave it a "Recommended Read": Ms. Crowe has written a masterpiece in the genre of erotic ménage. She “gets” the genre and furthermore, writes it realistically. (*see Essence of Time for another breakout in the world of ménage*) She doesn’t sugarcoat it, fights and wins the troupe of ménage and handles her characters thoughts and feelings with care and understanding. The secondary characters only enhance their story. Everyone in the book has problems (just like the real world) and through love and patience, things will work out in the end.
Adria's Romance Reviews (formerly Looking For a Breath of Life Reviews) made me "Author of the Month" for January: Each book of hers is emotionally raw, these are characters that you could easily find in real life, or perhaps already know. Her books speak in real time. Character growth and development takes time. Answers don't come easily or over night to her characters, they're stubborn, argumentative and in desperate need of therapy. But that's what makes them so memorable. They're definitely standout characters that, love or hate them, stay in your mind long after you've put the book down.
Liz's books, while deeply rooted in reality and all that goes with it, also give readers a healthy dose of erotic fantasies sure to make them blush and say "Is it hot in here or is it just this book?"
As much as I love Liz's books I am going to say that they are not for everyone. If you're expecting an easy resolution and damn near perfect characters, then these are not the books for you. Liz herself has said her characters are flawed, but in case you need a little more, let me say that these characters have "reality flaws." They aren't always monogamous, and saying "I love you" doesn't magically solve everything for them. The hero and the heroine do not solve a lifetime of issues in one book and relationships are continuously being tested. However, that works for me because Liz can pull these characters up from the bottom of the pit and make them likable.And gave this glowing review for HONEY RED: What can be difficult in a menage romance is finding a balance between the three people in the relationship. In a "traditional" relationship, there are two people and it's almost natural the way the relationship progresses. In a menage, there's an additional person in the mix and it can be a recipe for jealousy and preferences. ...Honey Red is one of Liz Crowe's best works in my humble opinion. It is a story that will please her long time fans and hopefully find new ones. If you have not yet read a Liz Crowe book, then you should definitely start with this one.
Erzabet's Enchantments said this in her 5-star Review:Fantastic down to earth humor and wonderful sex that covers every spectrum of emotions.
Three Chicks and Their Books wrote a nice long 4-star review:Ms. Crowe has done an amazing job with this novel. She creates background stories for each character in a way that prompts the reader to feel their emotions and to root for them to find happiness. Ian is adorable with his son and relationship that Hannah and Nick have built with him is a treat to read. Nick's story tugged at my heart and Ms. Crowe has managed to capture his struggle with PTSD in such a pure and genuine way. She has also managed to create strong, imaginative secondary characters such as Alyssa and Gavin,
who play important roles in this story.
Although this story brought tears and some heartache, it also brought laughter and smiles as well. The sex was hot, but that is no surprise coming from this author. The ending was simply amazing, another fine job Ms. Crowe!
Twinsie Talk Reviews gave it 5"plus" stars:To begin with I must say 5 stars are not even enough. This is one of my favorite books by this author. I love the way she builds each relationship so that you can actually feel their love (even when they don't want to admit they are in love) and it makes you believe their relationships. Ian is such a mess and very selfish, Nick is so damaged and hurt and Hannah is so open and naive. The 3 of them have some very hot and steamy scenes as a pair or as a 3some. If you have read ANY of Liz's books you know she can write some hot scenes and this book doesn't disappoint.
Honey Red got a 5-sexy torso review from RomFan Reviews: Honey Red is a must read complete with sexy characters, heart wrenching emotions bound to make you cry at least once and lots of mind blowing sex. The challenges that these characters overcome are very real in America today from PTSD in veterans, bisexuality, and unplanned pregnancy. Liz does not disappoint with her newest story that flowed seamlessly from tap of her imagination.
Finally, Mary's Naughty Whispers, a "menage only" review blog gave it Across the Board 5-stars!It has been a while since I read a contemporary menage as intense as this one. You know, the kind of story that will be stuck in your memory and one day, not too soon because it would spoil a bit the fun, but not too long because you will keep that in the back of your mind, you will re-read the story with the same pleasure, the same wow factor....All along, Liz Crowe surprised me. When I thought I knew what was going to happen, I got it wrong… I loved it! It is a complete turn on to read a story and not knowing the plot, or just be surprised at every corner. She started her story long and steady. I got to know each character very well, with their good and bad sides, their ups and downs. The kind of character that you finally find in your real life, not perfect but endearing… the kind that you can relate, understand.I believe that every woman reading this story will fall in love with Nick. Ian? probably but you will want to slap his face (or butt) first! Hannah will be the woman that you look at the mirror every morning, who struggle to find a good job, who may have renounced to a happy sex life but woke up thinking that sex is definitely part of our happiness, our balance in life. Not the perfect model, independent, strong yet loving woman. You will love her!The story is all about those different personalities who had all a past, who are looking for love and acceptance. Their story will invite you to be part of their family.
When you offer reviewers the opportunity to enjoy your books for free (or not) you take a risk. This tour had it's share of "oh, I'd better not review it but I'll host the blurb and giveaway" moments which sting until I realized that my books just are not for everyone. But hopefully those who do enjoy will outweigh those who do not and I appreciate reviewers who are willing to take the "if you can't say anything nice ... " high road.
BUT....one of the highlights of my week came yesterday when I received THIS email from none other than Desiree Holt, arguably the Grande Dame of the contemporary erotic romance genre about FLOOR TIME, the first of the Stewart Realty series:
Stories revolving around a D/s relationship must be written with great care because these relationships, more than any other, are built on a high level of trust. Protagonists Sara and Jack bring very distinct personalities to the story, personalities that could easily clash but Liz Crowe handles them deftly. She allows you a peek into their thoughts and their emotions with such care you are drawn into the story at once. Her clever storytelling hooks you from the first page and you won't be able to put it down until you've read the last word.Desiree Holtbest-selling author of erotic fiction
...which she followed up on a facebook comment string with....Desiree Holt Liz, it was an easy recommendation to write. The writing is excellent and the story well crafted. This weekend I'm on to the rest of the books. I urge everyone else to do the same.
woo hoo! nothing quite like a nod from someone you could only hope to consider your peer!
One thing I create is "polarization" with my style and the "rule breaking" I do with "traditional romance." So much so I've lately been describing my books as "fiction...with the hot parts left in to move the story along." And I'm sticking by that.
thanks again to all my blog tour hosts!
We will be revealing several things on the Hesperia Loves Books blog beginning Monday, Jan. 26 about MUTUAL RELEASE, the 7th Stewart Realty book that can also be read as a stand-alone/intro to the series....stay tuned!
Liz
If you are an NFL fan and love a good funny, watch this!
