Melissa Snark's Blog: The Snarkology, page 111

Goddess Fish Cover Reveal: Christine Wenrick's Someone Else’s Skye

SOMEONE ELSE'S SKYE Men of Brahm Hill, Book 1
Coming October 1, 2013
Kane, Brethren Guardian and one of the few Natural Shape-Shifters left in existence, survived the bloody battle of Brahm Hill but lost two of his closest friends. For all of his good-natured sarcasm and eye-popping good looks, Kane finds himself unable to completely forget about that night, so he seeks comfort in the one thing he is truly good at . . . sex!
This shape-shifting bad boy believes in having a good time—a very good time, usually involving some mingled heavy breathing with a sexy Dhampir in a tiny closet somewhere. But when he’s sent into the freezing tundra of the Northwest Territories to investigate a troublesome supernatural being on the loose, he ends up crossing paths with a woman who almost instantly drives him insane with want . . . because she doesn’t seem to be falling for the shifter’s charms.It’s completely inexplicable.
Skye Matthews has a job to do, and she needs to be focused on that, not spending all her time rebuffing the advances of this way-too-cocky and handsome stranger. Yet, there is something irresistible about this self-involved playboy that Skye can’t seem to stay away from. And when the unidentified Kane is sent to investigate takes an unnatural interest in her, protecting her becomes the Guardian’s top priority.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Christine is a graduate of Washington State University where she received a BA in Interior Design. And true to form of using mostly her ‘right brain’, she splits her time between her commercial design career and her imaginary world of writing. She lives in the scenic Pacific Northwest where she enjoys hiking, camping and photographing many of the wonderful places that served as inspiration for her Charmed Trilogy. Her biggest reward in life is any given day when one of her books connects with a reader because she herself is such a lover of reading. Some of her favorite authors include Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, and Kimberly Derting.
To keep up on all the latest information about Christine and her books, visit her website or you can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Goddess Fish Presents: Warrior's Revenge by Coreene Callahan

WARRIOR'S REVENGEEpisode 1: Released on June 25, 2013. 31 pages Available on Amazon
YOUTUBE BOOK TRAILER
After the death of her parents, Lady Aurora de Marquise is left with no illusions. Stripped of her birthright and betrayed by her uncle, escape is her only option. With her life on the line, she narrowly avoids another murder attempt—only to run headlong into Lord Brigham de Mornay, a man most consider a monster.
With her uncle’s henchmen nipping at her heels, Aurora knows better than to trust a stranger—especially one as compelling as Brigham. Well-honed instincts urge her to flee before his abundant charm takes a nasty turn into aggression—and she ends up neck deep in trouble.
Wary, but undeniably drawn to him, Aurora pits her will against his, challenging his authority every chance she gets. But when her uncle manages to track her, the game of fox and hound takes a perilous turn and she is left with the ultimate choice—surrender to the man who now holds her heart or risk it all trying to escape again.
Gritty and fast-paced, Warrior’s Revenge brings to life the magnificence of the medieval age while exploring the meaning of honor, duty, and nature of true love.
When Aurora de Marquise escapes her vicious uncle and fells one of the most powerful barons in all of England, she knows she’s bitten off more than she can chew. Only one question remains…who will reach her first—the warrior hell-bent on revenge or the uncle determined to see her dead?
This book is a Kindle Serial. Kindle Serials are stories published in episodes, with future episodes delivered at no additional cost. This serial currently contains three episodes out of an estimated 10 total episodes, and new episodes will be delivered every week.
Episode List
An additional episode will be delivered every week until the book is complete. New episodes will be added to the same book on your Kindle, keeping your place and retaining your notes and highlights. You'll be notified via email when a new episode has been delivered.
For more information please visit Coreene Callahan's Website , Facebook , Twitter or Goodreads pages.

Book Monster Presents: Montana Mustangs by Danica Winters

SERIES SPOTLIGHT
The Nymph's LabyrinthBook 1 of The Nymph SeriesPublication Date: December 31, 2012
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Purchase Link: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

Book Description: *(Featured in USA Today)*  A world shrouded in mystery and intrigue, the Sisterhood of Epione must not be exposed.  A Shape-shifting nymph, Ariadne, is tasked with keeping the truth of her group’s existence and their ancient mysteries far out of reach of an American archeologist and his troublemaking son.  When forgotten and forbidden passions are awakened, Ariadne is forced to make a choice—fall in line and continue to be overrun and pushed down by the sisterhood, or follow her heart and put everyone’s lives in danger.Can Ariadne have the man she loves or will the pressure and secrets of the past keep her from her heart’s desire?
Montana MustangsThe Nymph Series Book 2Danica WintersPublisher: Crimson RomancePublication Date: May 6, 2013Purchase Link: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

Book Description:A Nymph.  A woman with the ability to seduce at will, shift to protect, but cursed with the fate to have the man she falls in love with die a tragic death.  As one of the ill-fated nymphs, Aura Montgarten has spent her lifetime drifting from one place to another hiding from love.  Until she meets Dane.     When a body washes up on the shore of a rural Montana lake, police officer Dane Burke is faced with the task of finding the killer—even if it means he will be forced to put his life and heart at risk by working with a drifter.  As the truth of Aura’s Mustang-shifting Nymph ways are revealed, Dane learns exactly the amount of danger he and Aura are in, but can’t force himself to leave a case unsolved when the truth is right outside of his grasp. 
When the killer decides he needs to take another victim—Dane—Aura must choose between their forbidden love and her immortal life…  Can there be life without love, or is death her only choice? 

About Danica Winters Danica Winters is a bestselling author who is known for writing award-winning books that grip readers with their ability to drive emotion through suspense and often a touch of magic.  When she’s not working she can be found in the wilds of Montana working on her patience while she tries to understand the allure of various crafts (quilting, pottery and painting are not her thing).  She always believe the cup is neither half full nor half empty, but it better be filled with wine.
Website | Blog | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook |
Other Titles by Danica Winters: Love Under the Christmas Tree A Christmas Miracle The Vampire’s Hope Curse of the Wolf An Angel’s Justice
Coming Soon from Danica Winters (2013):Winter Swans, The Nymph Series #3 (Crimson Romance)


TOUR GIVEAWAY DETAILS: Danica is giving away a the following prizes when her tour ends:
GRAND PRIZE:$25.00 Amazon gift card
RUNNERS UP:TWO runners-up will get a copy of An Angel's Justice.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goddess Fish Presents: Rajasthani Moon by Lisabet Sarai

Rajasthani Moonby Lisabet Sarai
Available on Amazon 
BLURB:
Neither kink nor curse can stop a woman with a mission.
Cecily Harrowsmith, secret agent extraordinaire, is a woman on a mission. When the remote Indian kingdom of Rajasthan refused to remit its taxes to the Empire, Her Majesty imposed an embargo. Deprived of the energy-rich mineral viridium, essential for modern technology and development, Rajasthan was expected to quickly give in and resume its payments. Yet after three years, the rebellious principality still has not knuckled under. Cecily undertakes the difficult journey to the rugged, arid land of the Rajputs to determine just how it has managed to survive, and if possible to convince the country to return to the Empire's embrace. Instead, she's taken captive by a brigand who turns out to be the ruler's half-brother Pratan and delivered into the hands of the sexy but sadistic Rajah Amir, who expertly mingles torture and delight in his interrogation of the voluptuous interloper.
Cursed before birth by Amir's jealous mother, Pratan changes to a ravening wolf whenever the moon is full. Cecily uncovers the counter-spell that can reverse the effects of the former queen's hex and tries to trade that information for her freedom. Drawn to the fierce wolf-man and sympathising with his suffering, she volunteers to serve as the sacrifice required by the ritual – offering her body to the beast. In return, the Rajah reveal Rajasthan's amazing secret source of energy. In the face of almost impossible odds, Cecily has accomplished the task entrusted to her by the Empire. But can she really bear to leave the virile half-brothers and their colourful land behind and return to constraints of her life in England? A slim leather-bound volume embossed in gold caught her eye. Piezoelectric Nanomachinery: Some Experiments with Alumina-Quartz Aggregates by Amir Pratihar, read the spine. ‘A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters Degree in Engineering, Cambridge University, May 13, 1878’ added the front cover. At first, Cecily was not completely certain the Amir who authored the monograph was the Rajah. However, a quick perusal of the diagrams within convinced her that this was indeed an early effort by the perverse ruler.
The elegantly-drafted illustrations showed rings of tubular metal, generically similar to last night’s restraints. Cross-sectional views revealed chains of crystals and a mesh of tiny, interlocking gears. Although mechanical devices were not her specialty, Cecily had studied enough science to grasp the basic principle. A small electric current applied to the quartz would deform the crystals, which would then transfer their kinetic energy to the gear train, magnifying the final effect. Clever, and as Cecily could testify from personal experience, remarkably effective.
What, though, would serve as the source of electricity? The thesis assumed the existence of a compact, viridium-powered cell, but that would have made the cuffs far heavier than they were in reality. In any case, Rajasthan had no viridium deposits—at least according to Her Majesty’s geological experts—and had not received any shipments of the energy-rich mineral since the establishment of the embargo. Clearly the kingdom had developed an alternative energy source. Discovering its nature should be her focus here, given the limited time she had available.
Returning the Rajah’s thesis to original spot, she scanned the shelves, looking for titles related to electricity or energy in general. She located several fat volumes in English and German—quite likely Amir’s textbooks from his time at Cambridge—but nothing written in Hindi or Rajasthani. Frustrated but determined, she lugged the texts back to her table.
She surveyed the table of contents from one of the English books. It was organised based on different categories of energy source—coal, petroleum, biomass, hydropower, wind power, solar power, and minerals. Although, as a scholarly work, the book attempted objectivity, it was clear that the authors believed the newly discovered wonder of viridium and perhaps other mineral energy sources held the most promise for future technological and social development.
Where did Rajasthan get its energy? Certainly the country was too dry to derive all its power needs from dams and turbines. With its vast, empty desert regions, wind was a possible power source, but Cecily thus far had seen no windmills during her journeys through the kingdom. Using the sun’s energy was a distant dream, practical only on a very small scale at present. Perhaps the Rajasthanis mined some other, previously unknown mineral superior to viridium. If so, this general textbook wasn’t going to help her.
Available on Amazon 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~AUTHOR BIO:

I became addicted to words at an early age. I began reading when I was four. I wrote my first story at five years old and my first poem at seven. Since then, I've written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and of course, lots of erotica and erotic romance – nearly fifty books and counting!
In addition to writing, I also edit erotica and erotic romance. My editing credits include the ground breaking anthology Sacred Exchange, which explores the spiritual aspects of BDSM relationships, the massive collection Cream: The Best of the Erotica Readers and Writers Association, the charity anthology Coming Together: In Vein, a collection of vampire tales that benefits Doctors Without Borders, and six volumes of the Coming Together: Presents series of single author charitable erotica books. You'll also find me writing the newsletter and occasional articles for the Erotica Readers and Writers Association (www.erotica-readers.com) and monthly reviews for Erotica Revealed (www.eroticarevealed.com).
I've always loved traveling; my husband seduced me in a Burmese restaurant by telling me tales of his foreign adventures. Since then I have visited every continent except Australia, although I still have a long travel wish list. Currently I live with him and our two exceptional felines in Southeast Asia, where I pursue an alternative career that is completely unrelated to my creative writing.
For more information about me and my writing, visit my website (http://www.lisabetsarai.com) or my blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com).

Lisabet's Fantasy Factory (website)  http://www.lisabetsarai.com
Beyond Romance (blog): http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com
Lisabet's List (Yahoo group): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lisabets_list
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/lisabetsarai
Goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/83387.Lisabet_Sarai

MISS BARE

"MISS BEAR! WHY ARE YOU NAKED?"
Mr. Snark's voice roars through windows open due to summertime heat, easily reaching neighboring houses because it is California where structures are built ten feet apart. 
Neighbors outside in their yards turn to stare.
Returning home from a short trip to the grocery store, Mrs. Snark ducks her head, turns beet red, and offers an apologetic smile. "Mr. Snark's insane twin brother is visiting from Crazytown," she says and then slinks inside.
Mr. Snark stands on the landing below the stairs, clutching a tiny pair of pants and shirt. Above him, Miss Bear streaks nude across the second story balcony. She shouts: "Wet!"
At three years of age, Miss Bear has stubbornly resisted all attempts to potty train. Mr. and Mrs. Snark have whiled away countless hours sitting on the edge of the bathtub while Miss Bear perches on the commode. The child unwinds miles of toilet paper. She has books and toys, and she has been promised puppies and ponies, but so far not even a piddle.
"Both of the boys were pee-trained before three," Mrs. Snark says with a long (accusing) look at Mr. Snark. "She must get this from your side of the family."
Mr. Snark's mother confirms: "Mr. Snark was a potty-challenged child."
So Miss Bear continues to wear training pants and runs the risk of preschool expulsion. Meanwhile, this same child who refuses to potty-train, becomes extremely distressed the second her pants get damp. Even a drop of water on her shirt or a blotch of liquid on her pants results in a complete strip-down.
Miss Bear plays in her wading pool and then undresses. "Miss Bear is naked in the backyard!" Mr. Snark bellows, ringing the five alarm bell. No doubt, the man thinks his wee daughter is just a few years from pole dancing at the rate she's going.
"Eh," says Mrs. Snark who spends all day, every day, with the child and has grown jaded.  "It sorta gives a new meaning to 'Miss Bare', doesn't it?"

Goddess Fish Presents: Suspense by Joan Hall Hovey

 
 SUSPENSE BY JOAN HALL HOVEY~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Nowhere To Hide
Eppie Winner ~ Best Thriller    -  1992    SHE DARED TO CHALLENGE A MERCILESS KILLER
Raised in an atmosphere of violence and unpredictability, Ellen and Gail Morgan have banded together, survivors of a booze-fertilized battleground, forming a fierce united front against an often cold and uncaring world. When their parents are killed in a car crash, Ellen becomes the mother figure for Gail.
When fifteen years later Gail is brutally raped and murdered in her shabby New York basement apartment, practically on the eve of her big breakthrough as a singer, Ellen is inconsolable. Rage at her younger sister's murder has nearly consumed her. So when her work as a psychologist wins her an appearance on the evening news, Ellen seizes the moment. Staring straight into the camera, she challenges the killer to come out of hiding: "Why don't you come after me? I'll be waiting for you."  Phone calls flood the station, but all leads go nowhere. The police investigation seems doomed to failure. Then it happens: a note, written in red ink, slipped under the windshield wipers of her car, 'YOU'RE IT.' Ellen has stirred the monster in his lair … and the hunter has become the hunted!
Defective
Therapist Melanie Snow is driving to her office when her Honda is struck by a dark-colored van and sent spinning into a ditch, where it catches fire. The driver never stops. A passerby pulls Melanie from the car just seconds before it explodes. Waking from the coma nine days later, she is devastated to find she is blind.As Melanie struggles to cope with her new reality, life as a blind woman, her fragile state of mind is further threatened by a madman who is stalking and strangling disabled women. The first two victims were mentally challenged and Detective Matt O’Leary, who carries a torch for Melanie, (even though Melanie is engaged to someone else) tells himself she is not the killer’s targeted prey. But then a woman who lost a leg to cancer is murdered, and another physically disabled woman is stalked. Even with a whole town in terror, Melanie refuses to live her life in fear and reopens her practice in the basement of her home. She has a living to earn. And Detective Matt O’Leary must find a way to keep Melanie safe until the monster is caught. But how? Her door is now open to the public and the killer can just walk through anytime he chooses. And he does. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~Excerpt from DEFECTIVE:
It was mid-afternoon, overcast, and The East End Mall in Kingsdale was crowded with shoppers. The Eraser, as he liked to think of himself, sat at one of the molded plastic tables by himself, nursing a Pepsi and eating fries from a small cardboard plate, and people watching. It was one of his favorite things to do, especially in nice weather when the girls wore shorts or tight jeans, some with their tanned midriffs bare, skimpy tops that showed off their boobs and skinny jeans that accentuated their tight little butts. Why not? He was a normal guy, he told himself.  He avoided looking at the ones with flab hanging over their waistbands.  He had girlfriend once or twice, but it didn't last. The last one said he was weird and just stopped returning his calls. Well, to hell with her.
His eye strayed momentarily to the big screen monitor advertising Nike sneakers. Then it changed to a rent-a-car commercial and on to something else, but he'd already looked away. Idly dipping a French fry in the small pool of ketchup on his plate, he popped it in his mouth and went back to girl-watching. They did little for him today. His hand moved to cover the scratch that the retard left on his cheek, though it was fading now. That Polysporin ointment was good stuff.
Music played over the sound system, competing with the jabbering of shoppers, nothing he recognized. Probably supposed to keep people shopping, buying junk they didn't need.  His gaze narrowed ever so slightly as a young girl with a silver ring in her lower lip and wearing black eyeliner got up from a table not far from him and limped heavily to the waste bin and dumped in the remainder of her meal, a half-eaten hamburger, fries. She sat the tray on top of the stack. Behind her, someone called out, "Hey, Lana," and the girl turned in his direction and took a step forward so he could see her full-length; she looked past his shoulder and waved. He felt his heartbeat rev up, his throat go dry.
She had short dark hair, and was wearing a khaki skirt and cream-colored blouse. Her dimpled smile, the gleam of white, even teeth barely registered on him. He didn't even glance behind him at the woman who had called out to her. He had no interest. As he had no genuine interest in the woman who returned the wave, really.
No. It was her foot in its big brown shoe that drew and held his attention. Not brown exactly, but like tea when you put milk in it. Taupe. Yes, that was what his mother called that color. It was all he could see when he looked at her: that big clunking shoe.  So ugly it offended him, as deformities of any kind offended him. Even horrified him. A chill had crept down his back. He had to work extra hard to keep the disgust and pity from his face. She was a mistake. A blight, a tragic spawn. She must be erased. Like when you're a kid and you draw a picture of something and it doesn't come out right. You just erase it. Or rip out the page, and start again.
He was the eraser of mistakes. The good Lord had chosen him to do this work. Not that he was blaming God. No, there was no blame to be handed out here. Some small voice told him his reasoning was flawed, that that wasn't why they had to die. But he wasn't listening. As people were born of sin, women carried the faulty limbs, twisted features and minds within them. Carriers. As his mother had been a carrier, her womb spewing forth a defective, barely human—thing. Not the defective's fault either. But since the flaw couldn't be repaired, the whole issue had to be erased. The burden lifted. The Eraser held that kind of power; he could end suffering, change lives for the better. He remembered well the very moment he had changed his own life   but no time for that now. She was heading for the exit doors. He rose casually from his chair, tossing the remainder of his own fries and drink into the trash, dropped his tray on top of hers, and followed. He was really following the 'shoe'. His eyes were riveted on the shoe. It filled his vision, his consciousness. That big, ugly shoe that rose and fell, rose and fell, her left hip dipping in sync, the shoe dragging it downward, seeming an entity in itself. When she stepped through the automatic doors into the grey, drizzly day, he was right behind her. Close enough to touch her. He buried his hands deep in his pockets to stifle the urge.
The bus pulled up with a hiss of air brakes and a belch of exhaust, and she hitched herself up onto the step. He followed, paid his fare. His bike was chained and locked in the parking lot; it would be fine. She took a side seat near the driver, and he sat himself two seats behind her and pretended to look out the window.
In the grayness of the day, his reflection in the glass was faint, but almost at once he could see his reflection begin to morph into that of another, as she had once been. A raindrop ran down the window and caught one corner of her mouth like the drool he remembered, couldn't forget, and he could not tear his eyes away. The small voice in his head spoke to him, sending the familiar chill through him, as if his heart had just received an infusion of ice water. The voice could form words now, where once it was capable only of mindless gibberish. "You know it's me in there, don't you. I'm watching you. I've come back. I'll always come back. I'll never leave you."
"No! No!"
Fearing he had cried out, he jerked his head around in sudden panic, but no one on the bus was looking at him. One man was reading a newspaper. A woman was talking and smiling at her little boy. Relief swept through him, but he was trembling just the same. A Chinese man seated across from him turned the page in his paperback, paying him no mind.
The girl had put earphones in her ears and her lips were moving to a song only she could hear. Her legs were crossed, the shoe swinging in time, mocking him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In addition to her critically acclaimed novels, Joan Hall Hovey's articles and short stories have appeared in such diverse publications as The Toronto Star, Atlantic Advocate, Seek, Home Life Magazine, Mystery Scene, The New Brunswick Reader, Fredericton Gleaner, New Freeman and Kings County Record. Her short story Dark Reunion was selected for the anthology investigating Women, Published by Simon & Pierre.
Ms. Hovey has held workshops and given talks at various schools and libraries in her area, including New Brunswick Community College, and taught a course in creative writing at the University of New Brunswick. For a number of years, she has been a tutor with Winghill School, a distance education school in Ottawa for aspiring writers.
She is a member of the Writer's Federation of New Brunswick, past regional Vice-President of Crime Writers of Canada, Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.
Visit Joan Hall Hovey on the web:  www.joanhallhovey.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~BUY LINKS:
Defective on Amazon
Nowhere to Hide on Amazon


Praise for Joan Hall Hovey’s Books
“…suspense that puts her right up there with the likes of Sandford and Patterson..." Ingrid Taylor for Small Press Review
 "...Alfred Hitchcock and Stephen King come to mind, but JOAN HALL HOVEY is in a Class by herself!…"
J.D. Michael Phelps, Author of My Fugitive, David Janssen

"…CANADIAN MISTRESS OF SUSPENSE …The author has a remarkable ability to turn up the heat on the suspense… great characterizations and dialogue…" James Anderson, author of Deadline"...a gripping style that wrings emotions from everyday settings. Oh and by the way ...is your door locked?"  Linda Hersey - Fredericton Gleaner
"...will keep readers holding their breath until the very end..."  inthelibraryreview, Melissa Parcel

"This one is a chiller - you won't be able to put it down - guaranteed!"- Rendezvous Magazine

"If you are looking for the suspense thriller of the year-look no further…you will find it in Nowhere To Hide..." Jewel Dartt Midnight Scribe Reviews  

Joan will award one randomly drawn commenter a $50 gift certificate for sunglasses at Sunglasses Shack (US/Canada only). Please be sure to follow the tour and comment to better your chances to win. The tour dates can be found here.

Book Review: Three: A Family Affair by Michelle Devon

Blurb:
When Brad has to go away for business, he asks Paul--the man he trusts most in the world, his best friend--to keep his wife, Jolie, busy, and to look after her while he's gone. But when Brad's job puts him on the road more than he is home, Paul and Jolie's easy camaraderie becomes tinged with desire and lust, at least on Paul's part.

Paul confesses his feelings for Jolie, fully expecting Brad's wrath, and he isn't disappointed when Brad doesn't take the hastily-share revelation well.  Brad, however, once the shock wears off, has other ideas for Paul and Jolie, assuming the two people he loves most in the world agree.

If he applies a little lustful logic, will Brad's idea save their marriage? Will it save Paul and Jolie's friendship? Will these feelings between them all rip this once peaceful and loving family apart? Does Jolie even feel the same?

So many questions and  potential pitfalls that put more than a decade of friendship, a year of marriage and a family relationship all on the line. The answers can all be found in THREE: A Family Affair.


Review:




Three: A Family Affair by Michelle Devon is the start of a series exploring a poly-amorous relationship between a woman and two brothers.  The novella is a contemporary romance with erotic content, but the relationship between the three main characters remains the center of the story.  Sex accentuates rather than overtakes the central themes of jealousy and insecurity, love and trust.
The cover is tasteful and restrained, suggestive of sensuality, and an excellent representation of the story's contents.  As always, Farah Evers has done a beautiful job in creating attractive imagery that accurately ties into the themes of the story.  All of the THREE books have covers with a congruent appearance, which unites the entire series on a visual level.
There are three key relationships—
Joli and Brad are a happily married couple with an active and imaginative sex life. There's a fantastic bathtub mutual masturbation scene near the start of the story, which helps set the playful tone. Of course, as with any marriage, there is real life stress, some of it associated with the demands of Brad's job.  
Brad and Paul are brothers. The interaction between the brothers is close without being incestuous, and it is easy to see that the two depend on each other. Their strong bond is tested when it is revealed that Paul is in love with Joli, Brad's wife. The fallout causes a lot of angst and some funny moments, but eventually allows for growth within their relationship.
Joli dated Paul prior to her marriage to Brad. The pair shared intimacy but for the last several years have been friends. Both are extremely loyal to Brad and wouldn't do anything to hurt him. It isn't until Paul reveals his secret feelings for Joli to his brother that the door is opened to change.
The story contains light erotica scenes but as much or more attention is paid to the dynamic between the primary characters. Where another author might have reduced the complicated situation to a simple orgy, Michelle creates a highly charged and complicated emotional interaction between Brad, Paul and Joli. She provides intellectual insight into the main characters as human beings, creating gut wrenching angst, and leaving the reader caring about what will happen to them next.
I'd definitely recommend Three: A family Affair for a reader seeking an interesting and emotionally intelligent erotica story about two men and one woman who are genuine individuals.
I downloaded Three: A Family Affair from Amazon where it is available for free.

THREE: A Family Affair is free on Amazon.
Author Bio:
Michelle Devon has been writing most of her life. Before she started writing full-time, she has worked as a contract negotiator for a major international corporation, as a criminal justice victim advocate, and in non-profit executive management. She never quite could figure out what she wanted to be when she grew up, until she started writing for a living. Now, she lives to write.
Where can we find you on the web?  Website/blog: http://michelleldevon.comFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/michydevonGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/343184.Michelle_DevonAmazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Michelle-Devon/e/B001JS8Y78

Author Spotlight: Michelle Devon

Please tell us about yourself and your writing.
I’m an author by night, editor by day, and if you ask what I do for a living, I’ll tell you I’m a professional dreamer.
I write fiction—love novellas—short stories, novellas, novels, anything fiction. I tend to write in the psychological thriller genre, because I like to consider the strange and wonderful possibilities of the human mind. There is nothing more fantastical, horrific, thrilling, etc., than the things we can conjure in our thoughts. I like to dive into the deep end of the human psyche, swim around until I see what surfaces, and then write about it.
Oh, and I write erotica, because... well, because, Who doesn’t like sex? And, well, it sells. Really. If you do it right, people read it.
What does your writing space look like?
I sit in my recliner, with my turbo-charged laptop on a rolling laptop tray, smack in the middle of the living room chaos. I love it. Most of the time, my dog is at my feet and my bird is beside me. When things get chaotic, I have my headphones on to tune the rest of the world out. When I’m sick, I roll the laptop into the bedroom. I’ve become quite good at typo-ing sideways.
How long have you been writing?
All my life. When I was three years old, my parents owned fast-food restaurants, and I would take their order pads and draw stories on them, then staple them together to make books—self-publishing before it was popular! I was first published in junior high school in Stone Soup, then in the school newspaper—an article about bubble gum under students’ desks, a pandemic! I was first professionally published in 2006, and I haven’t looked back since.
How do you come up with your book titles?
A lot of the time, I don’t. Once in a while, I’ll have a fantastic title, but absolutely no plot for it. I’ll keep it in my head for days, weeks, months, years—then finally, one day, it’ll come to me. Yes! Most of the time, though, I do struggle with titles. Not my strong point at all.
How do you name your characters?
Yeah—unless a main character jumps up and just tells me their name, I let my family pick character names.
Do you write with music going in the background? What are some of your favorite types/bands?
Usually, no. When I’m really in the flow, I’m oblivious to anything and anyone around me. Music distracts me, because I love music almost as much as writing, so I tend to want to sing along, watch the video of it, listen to the melody. To me, listening to music isn’t a passive activity at all. Plus, I have a tendency to type the lyrics intermixed in my writing when I have songs playing. As for type of music or bands, it’s a pretty eclectic sampling for me. I love folk music, James Taylor, Simon & Garfunkle, Jim Croce; I like classic rock and ‘80s music. Bon Jovi is one I’ve enjoyed a lot over the years and have gotten to see in concert recently—great show! Skid Row, Barry Manillow, Green Day, and of course, Eagles—I love Eagles—they are, like, the Best. Band. EVER.
Name one person, living or dead, you'd most like to meet.
God, if he exists.
What is your favorite book genre? Who are your favorite authors?
Psychological suspense without horror. I can’t do horror. I’ve enjoyed King and Koontz, absolutely love Crichton, Cody McFadyen. I enjoy Robert Fulghum when I want some nonfiction; he has a way of telling a story that just works for me.
Tell us something strange or interesting about yourself.
I have almost died three times, as in, by all statistics, I should have been dead-and yet, here I am. Even though I’m currently diagnosed with a terminal illness, I find myself almost believing that I’m invincible. I have beaten every one of the odds out there for me statistically, so my doctors are quite unsure of what to do with me, since no one like me really exists. When I said I wanted to be published in books, I didn’t mean as an oddity in a medical journal!
Quick quiz: Favorite food?Chips & salsaFavorite color?Deep, dark purple or blackFavorite animal?Dogs. No, birds. No, dogs. No, wait…Biggest pet peeve? Bad grammar and bad tone.Dream car:1958 Corvette Stingray, hard-top convertible, powder blue and white. Oh, yes.
Oh, yes

Blurb:
When Brad has to go away for business, he asks Paul--the man he trusts most in the world, his best friend--to keep his wife, Jolie, busy, and to look after her while he's gone. But when Brad's job puts him on the road more than he is home, Paul and Jolie's easy camaraderie becomes tinged with desire and lust, at least on Paul's part.

Paul confesses his feelings for Jolie, fully expecting Brad's wrath, and he isn't disappointed when Brad doesn't take the hastily-share revelation well.  Brad, however, once the shock wears off, has other ideas for Paul and Jolie, assuming the two people he loves most in the world agree.

If he applies a little lustful logic, will Brad's idea save their marriage? Will it save Paul and Jolie's friendship? Will these feelings between them all rip this once peaceful and loving family apart? Does Jolie even feel the same?

So many questions and  potential pitfalls that put more than a decade of friendship, a year of marriage and a family relationship all on the line. The answers can all be found in THREE: A Family Affair.
THREE: A Family Affair is free on Amazon.
Author Bio:
Michelle Devon has been writing most of her life. Before she started writing full-time, she has worked as a contract negotiator for a major international corporation, as a criminal justice victim advocate, and in non-profit executive management. She never quite could figure out what she wanted to be when she grew up, until she started writing for a living. Now, she lives to write.
Where can we find you on the web?  Website/blog: http://michelleldevon.comFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/michydevonGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/343184.Michelle_DevonAmazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Michelle-Devon/e/B001JS8Y78
Check back later today for my review of Three: A Family Affair.

Guest Blogger: The Infamous Michy Masturbation Blog

Sex for one. Jacking off. Jilling off. Spank the monkey. Play the skin flute. Play with yourself. Beat off. Brushing the beaver. Choke your chicken. Burping the worm. Batting practice. Shifting gears. Shine your pole. Teasing the kitty. Unwrapping the pepperoni. Jerk off. Jerk the gherkin. Walk the dog. Whack off. Wax your willy.

Masturbation.


 Well, if you want more words for it, slang, you can go to Masturbation Cafe and read a list of them. (slightly NSFW) I was surprised and rolling on the floor reading some of the slang used for masturbation and much of it I already had heard. I think, honestly, you can call masturbation anything you want to call it, as long as you use that voice and look down at your crotch and wiggle your eyebrows when you say it. Unless you’re a woman, then you have to blush and giggle after you say it.
It’s some kind of unwritten law or code or something.

“So what IS masturbation?” many of you might ask. As if you don’t know.

I grew up listening to this line in junior high that said there were two types of people in the world: Those who masturbate and those who lie.

I personally fall into the first category.

Yes, you read it here first. The writer whom everyone knows and loves or loves to hate actually has masturbated, at least once in my life. (No, I’m not available for personal ‘book signings,’ [wink-wink, waggle-waggle] if you know what I mean, so don’t ask. [see, told you all you had to do was use 'that voice' and you could call it whatever you wanted.])

Tell, me, honestly, who doesn’t or at least hasn’t masturbated, ever?


EVERYONE has at one time or another. Okay, so some of you weren’t as successful at it as others. Maybe you didn’t ‘get off’. Yes, there are almost as many words for orgasm as there are for masturbation itself, but hey, that’s a totally different blog post (hummmm, making a mental note.)

I mean, come on, if you can’t please yourself, how the heck do you expect to ever please a partner or teach them how to please you? And don’t give me that line about how, “I have a great [insert girlfriend/boyfriend, husband/wife, SO here], so I don’t need to jack off.” Okay, fine. I have an amazing man in my life and have the best sex I’ve ever known, and I do mean EVER, and yet, *BOB and I still occasionally meet for an impromptu rendezvous. We eat, we drink, we breathe, we piss, we crap, and yes, we masturbate… it’s part of the circle of life or something. Of course, if all we do is masturbate, then we don’t have to worry about completing the circle of life or anything, I’m thinking – or rather, maybe I’m trying not to think about that.

(BOB: An acronym that stands for Battery Operated Boyfriend. My apologies to anyone out there named Robert. :: shudders :: Oh, shoot. My dad’s name is Robert. I can’t believe my father made his way into a masturbation blog.)


WAYS TO MASTURBATE
To top it all off, there are as many ways to masturbate as there are terms for masturbation, and then some. You can use your hands. You can use toys, vibrators, dildos, and the like. You can rub off on things. If you’re like one of my exes, you can use fruit (something about watermelon growing on a vine, hot summer day, 14 years old… [shrug] I didn’t ask for details, but he became known as the Fruit Fucker for a couple years in junior high. How’s THAT for a nickname? That nickname might have a completely different connotation today than it did back in the 70s.)
Hey, you can even, yes, ladies and gentlemen, buy blowup sex dolls if ‘doing’ yourself just doesn’t cut it.


SEX TOYS
Speaking of ‘cutting it’ (keep reading, you’ll see): Have any of you ever gone to buy a blow up sex doll? I haven’t, honestly. But I have a friend who did. He doesn’t really like to talk about the experience much. Apparently, it’s a very traumatic memory for him, but I did do a bit of research, and do you know why you will see real photos of dildos on sites that sell sex toys, but you will only see the box of the blow up sex dolls, not the actual product?

It’s quite simple. These dolls look ridiculous. No one would buy them if they blew them up.

Here, let me show you.

This is Stephanie Swift.
She’s very pleased to meet you, can’t you tell? Yes, her vagina was so eager to meet you that it’s on the outside of her body now.

Isn’t she purty? She apparently has a hand, vagina, mouth, and anus all ready for you, big boy. Don’t you just feel all shifty and turned on looking at that lump of fake flesh?

Now, my ‘friend’ who actually used one said to pay particular attention to the plastic lines on her legs. Apparently, those things scratch and cut the tender flesh of the penis. Watch out guys. I told you, he said it was a traumatic experience. Last I heard, it resulted in the death of Ms. Swift, but the authorities still haven’t been able to find the body.

As a man in a forum talking about blow up sex dolls said in one of the posts, taken out of context here and not given proper attribution:

“
 I can’t help but laugh when I think of it though, I would just feel so fucking ridiculous climbing on top of some plastic to stick my cock in it…
 ”

 Yet men screw plastic women every day, just most of them don’t have air pressure relief valves or are bought at the local adult bookstore (I said ‘most’.). They are bought, believe me, but in a more metaphorical sense and less literal one. I know a few women who could probably benefit from a pressure relief valve. Their husbands would likely appreciate it too. (I’m gonna have to digress on that one.)

But if that’s not degrading and demoralizing enough, you don’t have to stick with the human species at all. You can have a space fantasy adventure and make love to this hot little number.


Did you know her mouth buzzes and bleeps? See guys, it’s not only earth women who won’t shut up during sex. Now the aliens want to talk about their feelings too, bleep bleep, buzz, buzz. (Although, the buzzing might feel pretty good, but I digress. Yes, even in a sex blog, I can digress with the best.)

Now, as if that isn’t enough, let me bring you back to our home planet, and offer you gentlemen another masturbatory alternative. If plastic and alien chicks don’t fit your dick (see how that rhymes? I am a poet, after all), why not slam a sheep or two, or a pig, perhaps a cow? No, you pervert, don’t go get your car keys to drive to Uncle Frank’s farm, you sick, sick boy. I’m talking about blow up dolls here. 



You think I’m joking don’t you?


  I’m not. 
So if plastic women aren’t enough, have a plastic animal or two. If you thought you felt ridiculous mounting a piece of blow up plastic, imagine sticking your most valuable player into the rear end of one of these plastic toys and then hearing, “Moooooo….”

Yes, Mooooo…. the cow has real, live Mooing action, so says the box.

Are you hard yet? All hot and bothered?

How about you women? Any of this requiring you to rush to the bedroom?

I wanna know how the heck you explain a plastic cow in your living room with a realistic detachable vagina?

Can ya milk that thing? :: shudders :: Or maybe that should be: :: udders ::


WOMEN, TOYS, FLASHLIGHTS AND BEER
There are tons and tons of toys on the market for women to masturbate with. That’s likely because they are sold as items that can be used by couples, marital aides some places call them–like a sex toy can save a marriage, ’cause we all know that sex is all marriage is ever about anyway, right? Yeah, right. Sure, though, many couples do like to introduce a little toy play into the relationship from time to time to spice things up. Healthy. Realistic. Normal.

Seriously.

Yet, for the most part, female toys are mostly somewhat penile shaped, and they either rotate or vibrate or you have to manipulate them manually. Battery operated ones, plug into the wall ones, and those that are cleverly sold in department stores as ‘personal massagers’ for your back and neck.
Yeah, right lady, we all know you really use that thing on your neck.

There are toys, dildos, playthings, mechanical devices and simulators that range anywhere from 10 bucks all the way up to the showboat of all female masturbatory devices, the Sybian, which can range anywhere from $1500 – 3500 bucks, depending on options. (www.sybian.com)

This nifty little masturbatory device is said to be the best of the best in female masturbatory experience, and it must be true, because it’s been on the Howard Stern Show. That man NEVER lies, does he?

Don’t worry guys, they’ve got a Venus for you too.

I suppose that $1500 bucks for a toy so you can get off (when you can do it with your hands for free) is not that big of a price to pay for ‘safe’ sex if you don’t have a partner and want what many women call a “better than the real thing experience”.

It’s cheaper than the emotional turmoil of repeated one night stands with jerks who only want one thing. There’s no strings attached (except the one to the remote control and the one to the plug into the wall).

I don’t know. Would I like to try one? You betcha. Would I do it on live television for the Howard Stern show? Depends on how much he paid me to do it. Howard?

Would I ever buy one? Hell no. $1500 bucks for a fake penis? No, thank you.

Then again, come to think of it, I’ve spent far more money on the real, live versions attached to a real human body and found out all too quickly that there are no refunds, and that the darn things sometimes malfunction, and to make matters worse, I’ve ‘purchased’ a few that had trouble staying inside their pants when other women were around.

Guess I’m not much up on sharing my sex toys.

My point here is, except for the ‘personal massagers’, most women’s toys are pretty clearly marked as sex toys (novelty items for educational purposes only if you live in Texas – yes, Texas doesn’t allow you to sell or buy vibrating penis-like objects for use as sex toys – novelty or educational purposes ONLY. It’s actually against the law. Seriously. More on that in one of my future masturbation blogs. Yes, my masturbation blogs can and will come more than once, guaranteed.)

But men now… oh, that’s a different story. The toys sold for men are much more discreet. I mean, a woman takes a dildo out of her purse, and you are going to know it’s a dildo, right? Although, I did hear that they have vibrating lipsticks now that are a bit more discreet. (Don’t ask me how I know this, but those things don’t vibrate much at all.)

But men, in this one instance, pertaining to sex and masturbation, are actually a bit more clever than you might think. They have a product called a fleshlight, which is a take off of the the modern miraculous device called a flashlight. Aren’t flashlights cool inventions? Yes, this object is made to resemble a flashlight, only, if you screw the lid off, inside, you find an inviting, enticing, ready and willing portable vagina.

I’ve heard they now have some that actually light up too, so that your buddies don’t reach into your tackle box and say, “Hey, Jimbo, I’m gonna change the batteries in this flashlight of yours. It don’t work no more, and I can’t find the beer in the dark.”

Yep. Isn’t he in for a surprise?

If that’s not enough, there’s Vagina-in-a-Can – which is a beer (or soda for the under-21 masturbation crowd) can (a very tall one) that has a fake vagina in it.

So I’m a bit curious. It seems that the standard ‘belief’ is that men are more open and into sex than women are, yet, women’s toys mostly look like penises and you pretty much know they are to be used for sex, and men hide their shameful masturbatory experiences behind flashlights and beer cans?
Humm….. makes one think, doesn’t it?

Maybe my alcoholic ex boyfriend who always had a can of beer in his hand wasn’t really drinking as much as I thought he was? Mike, hon, was it really a Coors Light? I’m not so sure now. Hummm…. he had a lot of flashlights too.

Part Two: Why Michy Has a Bad Back… OR… Oooops, I Dropsied That

In part two of this series, you’ll learn why you have headaches, backaches, and a myriad of other problems, and what you can do to fix them, find out what the Bible really had to say about masturbation (according to some sources), and discover exactly what traumatic masturbatory syndrome (TMS), what some so self-lovingly call a medical condition, is and how it relates to you!
Disclaimer: Michy is not a certified masturbatologist; however, she has tons of personal experience and once played one on TV.

Self-Love and Self-Stuff,
MichyPS: Now, if you’ll excuse me, BOB has been waiting patiently.PPS: If you like sex, like reading, then why not read about sex? That is, pick up my erotic titles THREE: A Family Affair and THREE: Monogamy Multiplied. Coming this month are THREE: The Thressome and THREE: Infidelity. Stay tuned!
Be sure to check back on Tuesday to learn more about Michelle Devon and for Mrs. Snark's review of Three: A Family Affair.

Original post found here

Author Spotlight: Leanne Davis

Leanne, please tell us about yourself and your writing.
I live in the Seattle area of Washington State and my husband, kids and I spend a lot of our time trying to get away from this rain infested area by chasing nicer weather to different parts of the state. We do a lot of camping, boating, swimming, horseback riding and fishing. After too many hours in a chair writing…nothing feels better then to get outside. We have acreage I take care of (along with my young kidsJ) so for me, it’s a balance of getting outside and making myself sit in my chair to write! 
I write contemporary romance.  All of my fiction could happen. I love the chemistry that romance adds to any story, and the emotions that get stirred up. I bring in a variety of subjects and dramas to my novels and enjoy writing how my characters deal with them. There is some humor, some drama, and hopefully a reader can easily relate to who my characters are in the lives I have created for them.
What does your writing space look like?
I have an office upstairs in my house, with no windows but one skylight over me. I can see the trees above me and get some sun, but nothing to distract me while I’m supposed to be writing! I keep everything meticulously organized. I can’t work unless everything is in order; otherwise I do nothing but feel the itch to clean the chaos before I can clear my mind to write.
Do you have a process for coming up with character names and book titles?
Book titles come to me while I’m planning what my novel or series is going to be. Usually it’s something that reveals itself from the text I’ve written or a place/setting the novel is in. It seems to be obvious to me once I start writing. It’s rare I change them either.
Character names are trickier for me. I try out names until something sticks…but I’m never sure why some names stick. It’s like the character simply has to be a certain name when I find it. I have even not particularly liked my character’s name before. But when I tried to change it was like changing my kids names, I couldn’t do it. The character didn’t feel right anymore.
Tell us about your current book. What is it about? What inspired it?
I am working on Book #2 in my River’s End Series, with the working title, River Ranch. The Rydell River Ranch is a thousand acre horse ranch owned and operated by four brothers. Not all of them want to stay…and others have no choice. And each has a story to tell. It is set against a fictional, rural town in Eastern Washington. 
It was inspired by a place that I spend most of my summer. It is vacation acreage that has been in my family for thirty plus years. The setting of the series is based on the land/scenery from this beloved spot of mine. The horse part came in from my love of horseback riding. My dad has ten horses and I spend as much time as I can riding them, and much of the technical information for the novels is based on this. 
Blurb:On the run from her violent ex-husband, Cassie Reeves will do anything to keep her son safe, even if it means turning to a man she betrayed a decade ago. John Tyler now hates her as much as he once loved her--but Cassie has no choice.

John's quiet life as a small town doctor in Seaclusion, Washington has no place in it for the woman he turned his back on ten years ago. But when Cassie and her son land on his doorstep, he can't turn them away. The longer she stays, though, the harder it is to remember why he stopped loving her.

With her ex-husband closing in, Cassie soon realizes that only she can end what he has started. And as John and Cassie's mutual attraction reignites, she vows to do anything to protect her son and grab the happiness that has escaped her for so long.
Excerpt:

He stepped closer. He looked down into her eyes, and then wrapped her tightly in his arms. He put a hand in her hair, letting the short strands feather through his fingers and land back on her skull. He leaned down and kissed her on the mouth.“What do we tell everyone?” she asked when they finally parted and she’d rested her cheek against his chest.He stroked her hair. “I don’t know? The truth.”“Which is what? You haven’t really said.”“That I have a new girlfriend, and only an hour after I dumped my last one. Must be some kind of record.”“Are you sure? You’d call me your girlfriend?”He looked down into face. The knot in her throat was suffocating. Could he really accept her? Forgive her? Date her? It seemed impossible to imagine. Not after everything she’d done to him, and brought into his life.But… that’s exactly what she longed for.“I’m sure,” he said quietly.
Available on Amazon
Quick quiz: Favorite food? ChocolateFavorite color? GreenFavorite animal? DogBiggest pet peeve?  Being lateName one person, living or dead, you'd most like to meet. Malala Yousafzai – the young girl who was shot point blank in the head by the Taliban for her beliefs girls should go to school. I can’t imagine having the courage she has and at such a young age. And it makes me appreciate the chances my daughter has that many across the world don’t.
Where can we find you on the web?Leanne Davis- AuthorRomance you can relate toWebsite  FB FanPage  Facebook  Twitter: @leannewrites
GoodreadsPoison available in Kindle version on Amazon