Amber Lin's Blog, page 3

Shiny New Cover for Giving It Up, and a Hot Lower Price

I have good news!! My dark contemporary romance, Giving It Up, is now available with a new look AND a sexy low price.

Here’s the blurb:

Allie prowls the club for a man who will use her hard and then ditch her. Hey, it’s not rape if she wants it. Instead she finds Colin, who looks tough but treats her tenderly, despite her protests.

He tempts her, but kindness and a few mindblowing orgasms aren’t enough to put her back together again. Two years ago her best friend betrayed her in the worst possible way; she’d be stupid to trust a man again. Especially one like Colin, whose criminal past threatens them both.

When her rapist returns, Allie must fight for the man she loves–and her life–hoping her newfound power will be enough to save them all.

Check out the new cover on Amazon or B&N.

If you haven’t read it yet, now’s the time! And if you have read it, I really appreciate you spreading the word about the book now that’s super affordable. Thank you!!

Cowboy Heat is out now!

I’m excited to share that Cowboy Heat, the western romance anthology from Cleis Press, is out now! My story is At the Mercy of the Cowboy, which has a down-on-her-luck heroine. The cowboy hero is gruff and private and kind of mean, in all the best ways.

They may ride off into the sunset, but cowboys never go out of style. These manly men embody the fiercely independent, earthy alpha male and hero who isn’t afraid to show the gentle, nurturing side of his complex nature when faced with a woman in need. Even when he’s coated with dust from riding behind a herd of cattle or up to his knees in mud freeing a calf from a wallow, this stud still generates a lot of Cowboy Heat.

Delilah Devlin’s Cowboy Lust was a sensation, hitting the top ten of romance books and generating a river of praise. Award-winning Devlin is back on the ranch with stories of rugged romantics, rough riders, and rope wranglers sure to satisfy any reader who craves the idea of that gruff, romantic hero, a man of few words but many moves. Cowboy Heat sits tall in the saddle, winning hearts and spurring readers to new heights of happiness.

Read it now

Amazon or Barnes & Noble

We were also lucky enough to get a great early review from Ms Romantic Reads, who says about the overall collection:

Hot day-um! Out of all the Romance for Women anthologies I’ve read, Cowboy Heat takes the prize. All fourteen stories were scorching hot, and anything you’ve probably heard about cowboys come true in this sizzling collection…If you love sexy cowboys who treat their women right, are true gentlemen, and well endowed then you’d be crazy to pass this up. Get it, I promise you will not regret it. Mine is going on my nightstand.”

And about my story in particular:

“You can’t go wrong with an Amber Lin story. Ever. What should be a simple story of two characters bearing some painful burden, it somehow feels heavy with her special brand of poetic prose. Beautifully written and so hot.”

I also have a giveaway going on to celebrate the release, so enter to win here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read Cowboy Heat now

Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Valentine’s Day Gift Hop!

Welcome to the Valentine’s Day gift hop! I’m so excited to take a break with you guys to talk romance. (Okay, I’m always excited to talk romance.) But especially now when I’m knee-deep in edits for my April release, a new adult romance titled How to Say Goodbye. And since I haven’t shared the cover here before, it’s a bit of a reveal for regular blog readers…

 

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Ta da! And here’s the description of the book…

Amy has a secret: no one has ever held her hand. She doesn’t even know how to hug. Everybody thinks she’s brilliant, but that’s because school was all she had. Then she meets Dane, a golden-haired surfer whose easy charm and hot touch teach her what she longs to know.

Dane lives for the salty breeze and a sweet wave, because that’s all he has. He’s lived on the streets since he was fourteen. A drifter. Homeless. But Amy changes everything. Smart and accomplished, she’s everything he’s not. He wants to be the sort of man who deserves her.

Except that means facing down his past—and that past might very well swallow them both.

Sound interesting? Those drifter heroes are hard to come by, if you know what I mean. Here’s How to Say Goodbye on Goodreads. And you have several chances to win an early copy.

There are fantastic grand prizes for the entire hop. Every comment along the hop will enter you to win a) a Kindle Paperwhite or b) a digital gift basket of new adult romances, including my upcoming release, How to Say Goodbye, my friend Robin York’s recent release, Deeper, as well as Theresa Weir’s Geek with the Cat Tattoo which has an adorable beta hero. And love letters! God, I adore books with love letters.

In addition, I’m giving away three ARC copies of How to Say Goodbye for entries on this blog post. Win it before you can buy it! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t miss out on more Valentine’s Day gifts! Every comment along the hop counts as an entry toward one of the grand prizes, and each blog is offering its own gift giveaway:

Release Day for A Very Scandalous Holiday

Hang on to your hats, because A Very Scandalous Holiday is here! There are FOUR historical holiday novellas in this anthology from Entangled Publishing. Mine is very, very sexy with sleigh-bound shenanigans and emotional with a reunion story. The three other stories are fab, including two with unique settings: a WWII Hanukkah story and one is 1920′s Chicago. Here’s the cover and full blurb:

Entangled Publishing presents… A Very Scandalous Holiday Anthology. Four very spirited vignettes of holidays past.

Erin’s Gift by Nancy Fraser

Chicago 1920

Widower, Seth Harrison, has no intention of falling in love again but will he be able to resist the sweetness of his son’s nanny, Erin O’Mara – his sister’s best friend?

An Eternity of You by Sophia Garrett

England 1833

The Duke of Sharrington left Rebecca with more than a broken heart six years ago – he left her with a son. He’s rekindled their passion with his return, but it will take a Christmas miracle to earn her heart.

Letters at Christmas by Amber Lin

England, late Regency

After three years at sea, Captain Hale Prescott has the means to marry the love of his life and his best friend’s sister. Sidony Harbeck, however, might never speak to him again. Despite their whispered adolescent promises, he never wrote her a single letter… at least none he ever sent.

Eight Tiny Flames by Crista McHugh

1944 Ardennes, WWII

Lt. Ruth Mencher has always secretly admired Capt. Joseph Klein, but it takes the lighting of a Hanukkah candle to uncover the spark of mutual attraction. Each night awakens a new facet of their relationship, but as the Battle of the Bulge begins, the approaching Nazi forces threaten to tear them apart.

It also has great pricing, only $2.99 for the whole bunch of novellas, when I know I’ve sometimes paid that much for a single novella.

You can read an excerpt of my story, Letters at Christmas, on the Entangled website here. Or start reading the full book from one of these sites:

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy it!

Chance of Rain Cover & Blurb Reveal

The cover for my upcoming contemporary romance, Chance of Rain, is here! It’s sweet and small town and mildly foreboding!

Plus, we have an official blurb…

The only things Natalie Bouchard wants to change are the weekly specials in her Gram’s diner. So when her high school sweetheart strolls back into Dearling, Texas, she allows herself to indulge in a little flirtation, but that’s as far as it goes.

Navy SEAL Sawyer Nolan has returned to sell his father’s land and get the hell out, no matter how enticing he still finds Natalie. Until a storm rolls over the Texas hills, stranding them together at the farm…and the memories of their steamy past lead to a reunion filled with hot days and long nights.

Soon Natalie’s so far under Sawyer’s skin he can’t imagine being without her. But he has a lot of history in Dearling he’d like to leave behind, and Natalie is practically married to this town. If Sawyer wants to be more than just another person who leaves Natalie, he’ll have to give his hometown—and himself—one more chance.

48,000 words

Chance of Rain comes out on November 4th, but you can pre-order it now!

On Respecting Yourself and Slut Shaming

There is a blog post making the rounds in which a grown woman and mother of teen boys publicly slut shames her son’s friends. That’s a problem and better people than me have refuted it neatly. So I wasn’t going to contribute anything, but then this image popped into my Pinterest feed and what the hell.

Here’s what the image says:

My fellow women of the world:

Put on some clothes. You want a man to give you the time of day, leave a little up to the imagination and respect yourself. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the beholder is anyone you want it to be.

I wanted to believe this image was created and shared ironically, but I don’t think that’s what’s happening. I think they’re seriously shaming the women around them and doing it proudly, and that’s a problem too. It seems people are pinning it in earnest, so rather than just snark on twitter, here’s my earnest counterargument.

My fellow women of the world:

Any guy who disrespects a woman because of the way she dresses is an asshole. Even if he’s nice to you, but mean to another girl because of how she dresses, he’s an asshole. Same goes if he disrespects a girl because of her looks, her race, her sexual orientation–or really, if he’s disrespectful and mean in general. This isn’t a guy you need to bother associating with, and he’s definitely not a guy you should date, and he’s most definitely not a guy you need to change for.

Respecting yourself is about knowing yourself and doing what works for you. We all have different comfort levels for what we wear. For example, the way the female character in the image above dressed and acted was considered slutty by people in that time period and society. And yet now, she’s being held up as an example for what’s demure and respected. Strange? Yes! But that just goes to show we all have different standards. Be true to your own. That’s how you respect yourself.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And the beholder is anyone you want it to be. So, all things considered, shouldn’t the beholder be you? You’re the one who has to live with yourself every day! You’re the one putting in all that time and money to pretty yourself up. You’re the one dealing with waxing and heels that pinch (or not putting up with them, if you don’t want to). So go ahead and look beautiful for yourself, whatever that means to you.

If you want, you can also let the beholder be your significant other or your lover or whomever you want, your choice. But don’t bother trying to mold yourself to look “beautiful” for the anonymous internet person who you’ll never meet, who wrote this gif to shame girls she doesn’t even know.

After all, what if I’m wearing plaid and she doesn’t like plaid? Respect yourself! Choose solids or stripes, if you want a man to respect you. But that is nonsensical, and so is this.

My fellow women of the world, there are people in this world who want to disrespect you. And contrary to what this image implies, they’re often not men. They’re women. And they’ll say they want to help you, but they don’t. They want to control and demean you, simply because your fashion sense doesn’t match theirs.

You can respect yourself and wear whatever you want. In fact, if you respect yourself, you should wear whatever you want. They go together, one following the other, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Tempting Fate is Live on Amazon!!

Tempting Fate is live on Amazon! There’s romantic masturbation and awkward fail sex and years of longing… It’s fun, but you don’t have to take my word for it, here’s what people are saying about it:

“Tempting Fate is a sweet romance that is filled with poignant moments of heartbreak and some really good sexy times.” —Fiction Vixen

“This is a beautifully written story, finely balanced between the romance and the erotic. Tempting Fate is a rare combination of classy prose, sweet romance and erotic love scenes. Highly recommended.” —Jil, Goodreads reviewer

“This story was lovely and so engaging, I could read it over and over. The flow of it and the prose had the elegance of a ballet performance. Somehow Rose’s elegance flowed through her into the story. The ending was so incredibly romantic and fit the characters perfectly.” —Ms Romantic Reads

“There is something about Amber Lin’s style which makes me devour every single word she writes…As always, Amber Lin does a phenomenal job with Tempting Fate and writes a captivating and gripping third book in the Lost Girls series.” —Swept Away By Romance

“Nice and steamy, even before they get their hands on one another. They are so sweet and I love them together.” —Wi Love Books

“I very much enjoy her style. There’s always a darkness within, a desperation that keeps them apart and Tempting Fate is very much in this style.” —Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews

Ready for some late night phone sex? Here you go….

Rose Murphy is ready to break free from her brother’s control. She’s ready to open her own ballet studio. And most of all, she’s ready to live without fear. So when she sees her brother’s lawyer, the man she’s lusted after for years, she gives in to her body’s desires.

A sexy show through her bedroom window whets both their appetites. On Drew’s next visit, he returns the striptease favor. Mutual masturbation gives way to a naughty late night phone call. She’s a breath away from everything she’s hoped for, but not everyone wants them to be together. When the relationship comes to light, their sensual peace may be shattered.

Read Tempting Fate now:

Cover Reveal for Tempting Fate

It’s here! The gorgeous, sexy cover designed by artist Fiona Jayde for August 6th release.

I love how it captures Rose’s physical appearance as well as some sultry attitude there. I ADORE the scruff on his face and the way he watches her. Because God, he does watch her. While she strips and masturbates for him through the window – more on that in a second.

And drum roll please….

Gah. Sexy, right?

AS IS THE STORY. There’s a lot of lusting after Drew in a suit. There’s lusting after Rose in yoga pants. And when they finally, finally peel back the layers… they watch each other masturbate. And then there’s phone sex. And bad sex. And basically every kind of sex in existence except for good, regular sex. And then there’s good, regular sex

Here’s the blurb:

Rose Murphy is ready to break free from her brother’s control. She’s ready to open her own ballet studio. And most of all, she’s ready to live without fear. So when she sees her brother’s lawyer, the man she’s lusted after for years, she gives in to her body’s desires.

A sexy show through her bedroom window whets both their appetites. On Drew’s next visit, he returns the striptease favor. Mutual masturbation gives way to a naughty late night phone call. She’s a breath away from everything she’s hoped for, but not everyone wants them to be together. When the relationship comes to light, their sensual peace may be shattered.

And a sexy excerpt while she gives him a striptease show through her window…

Excerpt
If there was a script to forbidden exhibitionism, I had never read it. I moved with pent-up desire, acted on ideas unformed. I trailed my palms up my stomach and lifted my small breasts like an offering.

I wanted his hands on me, wanted him to touch and caress and pinch me, so I did it myself, grasping my nipples between my thumb and forefinger. I squeezed slightly, and as if he were connected to me, as if he had done it, his body jerked infinitesimally.

Was he excited? I knew enough to look for a bulge at his crotch, but it was too dark to see. I wished he could tell me what he wanted me to do, but maybe that would ruin the illusion of safety. From fifteen feet away, I watched him lick his lips and heard the tacit message.

I put a finger to my lips and licked, slightly exaggerated so that he could see. He leaned forward slightly—yes, more. I sucked the finger into my mouth and could have sworn his hips moved slightly where they rested against the car. Trailing my wetted finger over my chest, I circled my nipple and pinched again, savoring the bite of cold air and hard pressure.

I let down my hair from my tower in the form of secret glimpses, and like Rapunzel, I needed exposure like I needed air. He joined me with his arousal, in the commands conveyed with his body. We communed in a language of our own. Climb to me. I don’t want to be alone.

An ache built in my sex under the weight of his stare and my own touch. My hips moved in answer to his, finding an instinctive rhythm.

I reached for the band of my sweatpants, then paused. Panties too? Too much. I pushed down the pants but left the matching pink bikini panties on.

There was no way I could have heard, but I could have sworn he groaned. I imagined tiny molecules of air vibrating at the sound, traveling all this way and whispering against my lips.

I tucked my fingertips beneath the soft, stretchy hem of my panties, but then he wouldn’t be able to see. Instead I slid my palm over my covered sex and slipped beneath the strip of fabric between my legs. Wet heat met my questing fingers, more slippery than I had ever felt it when alone in my bed. I teased myself along the slick outer lips before sliding upward in search of a particular place—there.

My knees threatened to buckle from the pleasure that coursed through me, from the hard training of the day. I braced myself against the window, one hand on the glass and the other on my clit. It did more than sustain me, it connected me to him, an arc from the outside in, and the result was electric.

He leaned forward, gripping the top of the open door. I watched his other hand ball into a fist before letting my eyes fall shut, imagining that hand on me, holding me just as tightly, bruising me so I would never forget.

Finish it.

I didn’t know whether the words came from him or me, but I let the currents pull me along, let the arousal swirl faster and deeper until I couldn’t find the surface, couldn’t breathe—could only buck and moan and spill all over my furiously rubbing fingers. My stuttered moan was loud in my ears, filling my room before it dropped off into a sigh.

Tada! A cover reveal, blurb reveal, and excerpt reveal all in one. Which, as I was saying on twitter last night, is very appropriate for a book that’s all about revealing themselves. Tempting Fate comes out on August 6th. You can add it to your Goodreads HERE.

Thank you!!

GIVING IT UP Now In Print!

Yay! Giving It Up is now available in print! Which means you can order it right here. The other reason I’m excited is that now I can sign print copies for fans at author signings and as giveaways.

And remember, the Lost Girls novella, Tempting Fate, will be out at the beginning of August

What I’m Reading, or a Peek Inside My Virtual Underwear Drawer

I wanted to write a post to share some of the great books I’ve been reading lately, and as one of them downloaded to my Kindle app, I realized I could share a screenshot for a cool visual. And then I realized…. oh crap! They’ll totally see all the dirty, dirty things I read. Like CUM FOR BIGFOOT, which actually was in my screen except in fiddling with the screenshot thingy I accidentally removed it. Accidentally. *cough*

So, today is release day for one of my favorite contemporary romances ever: FLIRTING WITH DISASTER. It has a stuttering hacker hero, and to be honest, hackers have been a turn-off for me because I am a computer geek myself and some media has made them plastic and fake. However, this is Ruthie Knox we’re talking about, so Sean is sexy, flawed, smart, and very real. Katie, the heroine, is fun and relatable.

The characters were a big part of why I loved this book, but for me it also hit the sweet spot between angst and sex, between introspection and action. What I’m trying to say is, you want to read this book Here it is on Amazon and B&N.

I’m in the middle of reading AGAINST THE DARK, which is Carolyn Crane’s recent release, a romantic suspense about an ex-jewel thief. The heroine is the jewel thief, yes indeed. Like Sean from FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, this hero is also super smart with a hot geek vibe. No wonder I fall for these guys *sigh* I also love how flawed and confused and awesome the heroine is! As always, with Carolyn. And most of all, I just adore her voice. It’s so fresh. I just want to live inside her brain!! Here’s AGAINST THE DARK on Amazon and B&N.

Lastly, I read THE NIGHT CIRCUS. Fabulous prose with an aching romantic storyline. A bit more literary/general fiction than straight up genre romance, but don’t let that put you off if you’re the nervous-type like me. It’s lush and full of longing. THE NIGHT CIRCUS on Amazon and B&N. UPDATE: It has just occurred to me that this hero is also quite studious!!! I do love them brainy….

So, let’s have a giveaway! Leave a comment below telling me which of these you’ve read or which one has you excited to read it, and you’ll be entered to win. The winner will get to pick which one of these three books as their prize. Happy Monday! *throws confetti*