L.V. Lewis's Blog, page 28
June 1, 2013
Stephen King's No Joy In E-Book Land
Reblogged from Falls Into Writing:
As I'm gearing up to self-publish with both e-book and paperback options, the news breaks today that Stephen King has made the decision to not provide an e-book option for his upcoming book Joyland. In today's digital age where authors like Neil Gaiman are pushing for change in order to keep up rather than to go extinct, it's either a bold move or a big financial mistake.
I suppose those who still love and rabidly consume his books will continue to do so, but I have to wonder if failing to provide an e-book option will come to bite him in his digital katookis!
May 29, 2013
Writing 2.3 - A Contract with the Reader
Reblogged from brainsnorts inc >.
When I took a graduate class called “Writing the Novel” a few years ago, I learned two very important things. First, if you tell a woman that she’s writing a romance novel when she thinks she’s writing literary fiction, be prepared to see a chair fly across the room. Second, there’s something called “The Contract with the Reader.” Let’s forget about throwing chairs for a while and focus on the contract, which was something I had never heard of before.
I concur on all points about "The Secret Window," but I love Johnny Depp and Stephen King so much, I gave them an actor's/writer's pass. LOL
And The Winner Is . . . (Laura Kaye’s South of Surrender Release Day Giveaway Blitz)
Laura Kaye’s release giveaway blitz of South of Surrender received a whopping 1672 comments over several participating blogs. Although my site received a mere fraction of these, I’m proud to say someone who posted their comment on this site won one of five (5) gift cards for either Amazon, B&N, or iTunes.
I hope you enjoyed reading about South of Surrender, enough perhaps to go out and snag your own copy. Here’s also hoping this blitz whetted your appetite for a paranormal series that explores the mythology of the Anemoi (hunky weather gods at that!). So without further ado, I’d like to announce the winner from this site and then the winners over all the sites:
~ L. V. Lewis Site Winner ~
SELENA MC!!!
~ From The Other Sites ~
MIKI
Alix
Vanessa N
Allison W
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click The Image Below to purchase on Amazon:
May 27, 2013
Laura Kaye’s “South of Surrender” Release Day Blitz!
South of Surrender Release Day Blitz Giveaway
I am thrilled to welcome Chrysander Notos and Laney Summerlyn to the world today! Chrys and Laney are the hero and heroine of South of Surrender, the third book in my Greek-mythology inspired Hearts of the Anemoi series. The Anemoi were wind gods the Greeks associated with controlling the wind, the weather, and the seasons, and as the summer god, Chrys is the hottest of them all! Chrys just might also be the most tortured of them all. And the thing I love about tortured heroes? Their redemption is so, so sweet! Need more proof? Check out this excerpt with Chrys and Laney in a hot tub (hmm…where could this scene go next? *muhaha!*) as well as the giveaway that follows!
“Stop it, Laney. Just stop.” Chrys hated the gruffness of his words, but couldn’t control it.
Her jaw dropped open. “What?”
“Stop…” He tugged his fingers through his wet hair. Tempting me to give in. Tormenting me with things I can never have but want so desperately I can’t breathe. Desire and regret lodged a knot in his throat.
A range of emotions played over her face. Hurt. Rejection. Anger.
Determination.
Laney pushed into the center of the pool. He sat up straight in his seat, his back coming hard against the tub’s side. “What do you want me to stop doing, Chrysander? Huh?” She waded closer and stopped right in front of him. “Do you want me to stop caring? Do you want me to stop worrying about you when, for the third time since we’ve met, your brother has tried to kill you? And nearly succeeded? Do you want me to stop thinking about making love with you? About how good you felt inside me?”
“Stop,” he said again, bracing his hands against the walls to restrain the urges her words were letting loose, heartfelt urges that warred with every bit of his common sense.
She pushed closer, her legs skimming the insides of his spread thighs. “I can’t stop. I wouldn’t want to even if I could. I lo—”
He lunged for her and claimed her in a devouring, soul-stirring kiss. He knew what was about to come out of her mouth, because she was wearing the emotion on her face, in her eyes. He just couldn’t hear it. He wasn’t ready for it. He might never be ready for it because he wanted to hear the words so damn bad.
Laney moaned into the kiss. Cradling her face, he drew her in closer, plundered her mouth thoroughly and deeply with his tongue. He poured every bit of suppressed longing into the kiss until she was swaying, jostled by the flowing, bubbling water. She stumbled and threw her arms out for balance. But what she didn’t do was try to touch him.
As if he didn’t already care more than he should, at that moment he felt what only could be called love for Laney Summerlyn.
GIVEAWAY!
Win 1 of 5 $50 gift cards to winners’ choice of Amazon/B&N/iTunes!
HOW TO ENTER?
Did you have a favorite line from the excerpt? Comment with your email address to enter to win! Open to international! Giveaway runs for one day and ends at midnight PST on May 28!
Visit more participating Blitz Day sites for more excerpts and more ways to win! And look out for the South of Surrender Blog Tour to start next week with more excerpts and giveaways! Check out the awesome early reviews coming in for the book, too!
Thanks for reading!
Laura
About South of Surrender:
She’s the only one who can see through his golden boy façade to the broken god within…
Chrysander Notos, Supreme God of the South Wind and Summer, is on a mission: save Eurus from his death sentence and prove his troubled brother can be redeemed. But Eurus fights back, triggering vicious storms that threaten the mortal realm and dangerously drain Chrys.
Laney Summerlyn refuses to give up her grandfather’s horse farm, despite her deteriorating vision. More than ever, she needs the organized routine of her life at Summerlyn Stables, until a ferocious storm brings an impossible—and beautiful—creature crashing down from the heavens.
Injured while fighting Eurus, Chrys finds himself at the mercy of a mortal woman whose compassion and acceptance he can’t resist. As they surrender to the passion flaring between them, immortal enemies close in, forcing Chrys to choose between his brother and the only woman who’s ever loved the real him.
Buy at Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks
Add to your Goodreads Shelf!
About Laura Kaye:
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
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LV Lewis’s Review of South of Surrender
This series is the most original I’ve read in a while in terms of mythology. And the titles themselves: North of Need, West of Want, South of Surrender, are hands-down the most clever titles I’ve ever seen for a series! Kudos Laura Kaye for bringing readers of paranormal romance this wonderful experience.
While this installment of the series and each of them can be read as stand-alones, if you want to make the connections between the characters, all the Gods of the Anemoi, you’ll want to read them in order. South of Surrender begins a few months after the end of West of Want. Chrysander Notos, god of the South Wind and youngest of the four Anemoi brothers, prepares to battle his elder brother Eurus, god of the East Wind.
Painted as somewhat of a playboy in the previous books, Chrys gets banged up pretty bad when he tries to handle his brother alone creating a turbulent summer season, and this leaves him weak even though at this time he should be much more powerful. He is found in a bruised and battered state by Laney Summerlyn in the form of a Pegasus, which is his spirit animal form. Laney Summerlyn, nearly blind as a result of a degenerative eye disease, discovers an injured, winged horse has crash landed through the roof of her barn during a thunderstorm. Overnight the horse transforms into a tall, blond, incredibly gorgeous half-naked man. Laney’s sight limitations don’t allow her to see this right away, so she’s able to concentrate more on who he is as a person over his appearance as their relationship grows.
Chrys’s proximity to Laney places her in danger due to his feud with Eurus, although fate eventually reveals their meeting was no accident. The way they are drawn to one another, and the way they mesh so well, leads one to believe they are soul mates–made for each other. Although his guilt and intimacy issues cause him to pull away, Laney proves to be irresistible to him. She has become a virtual loner due to her disability, but doesn’t find it difficult to share her heart with this strange man she shares an obvious kinship with.
The Hearts of the Anemoi series has become increasingly action-packed as these three installments have unfolded. Laura Kaye has a skill for crafting protagonists who connect well emotionally. This is no different with Chrys and Laney, whose alternating narratives draws the reader into their world almost effortlessly. She also has a knack for writing very sexy love scenes between her love interests, and this one is no exception.
Laura Kaye, uses the conflict with Eurus to set up the fourth and final installment of the series The plot is fresh, well-drawn and exciting. Kaye didn’t just tell us a story, she showed us one that will make a reader feel like they have a front row seat from which to witness everything. The timing and pace of the story was kept throughout to the climax. The character arcs suspended belief just the right amount to give the reader a story that rang true (as it can be for paranormal romance). There was a terrific twist that didn’t seem contrived or overblown. However, it tugged on my emotional heartstrings in several places. Kaye ended the story in exactly the place where it should have: leaving the reader wanting to read the final installment of the series, post haste.
I don’t do this often, but I gave South of Surrender Five Stars!
~
Don’t forget to follow the instructions above to enter the giveaway. Winners will be selected from the comments on each blog participating in the South of Surrender Release Day Event.
Another Deal, Another Day ~ IR/MC Juneteenth Sale!
So, you guys showed up like crazycakes in March for the IR/MC March Madness sale. You, the reader, made it a great success.
Guess what? (If the post’s title wasn’t a spoiler…) I’m participating in another group sale with IR/MC authors.
What is it?
It’s a celebration of Juneteenth.
Why Juneteenth?
The simple fact is there was a time in America’s history where folks would get fined, punished or thrown in jail for teaching people of color to read. More specifically, teaching slaves to read. The general fear was if you taught slaves how to write they might, you know, think about their lot in life. They may not be happy about it. They just might educate themselves. And then the nightmare would begin: they might educate others.
What I do every day as a passion, for a living, was illegal in the United States. Took some time for the word to get out that slavery had been abolished and that was just one step closer to where I’m sitting now. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s cause for a celebration. It’s worthy of taking a moment.
Why a group sale?
Who doesn’t love a sale? Me, along with other IR/MC fabulous authors (Melissa Blue, Bettye Griffin, Holley Trent and Ambrielle Kirk…just to name a few) will discount some of our titles. Like, DISCOUNT. Tell your friends and have their friends tell their friends to get ready for this sale.
When?
June 13th-19th
June 5th I’ll have the full list and details of where you can find these discounts and the authors participating. I’ll post links and use excessive amounts of exclamation points. Stay tuned.
May 25, 2013
Sneak Peek Sunday ~ Fifty Shades of Jungle Fever by L. V. Lewis
A special sneak peek into a portion of the new edition of Fifty Shades of Jungle Fever . . .
Summary:
“Fifty Shades meets Keisha from the block.”
Keisha Beale and her roommate Jada Jameson have half the money they need to start their dream business. A hookup from Jada’s well-connected father gets them a meeting with the elusive venture capitalist Tristan White. The only time slot he has available is the close of business on a Friday afternoon when Jada has a nonrefundable ticket for a sorority week in Sin City.
Keisha goes to the meeting alone and almost flubs their chance at getting the much-needed start-up capital they require. During this one chance meeting venture capitalist Tristan White discovers he wants a little coffee in his cream. Thus begins his pursuit of Keisha Beale, the only woman who can quench his raging case of Jungle Fever!
© Bellemedia | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images
Excerpt:
Saturday morning after breakfast, we have the first of many fencing lessons in Tristan’s gym. Once again, he’s well-prepared. Tristan’s gone overboard in my opinion and bought me three sets of fencing whites. I dress in my knickers, plastron, chest protector, jacket, socks, trainers, and glove and then carry my mask and foil out of the dressing room with me. I meet Tristan out on the floor. He’s already dressed and practicing. He stops when I enter the room, and his eyes rake over me with the same appreciation mine are showing him.
Damn! He’s fine in that getup, especially the tight breeches! my Fairy Hoochie Mama says. Triple-G even lets loose the type of whistle that men usually use on women when they’re making catcalls. I execute an extended mental eye roll at them.
“Seeing you dressed out gives me ideas, Ms. Beale,” Tristan says, his eyes bright.
“What if I don’t like fencing? Then these cute little outfits you bought will go to waste.”
“They’re not just cute little outfits, and believe me, once you get into it you’ll love it.”
“Says the man who’s probably been doing this since he could walk.”
He looks thoughtful. “Our mother did begin to teach us when we were five.”
Every so often, I learn something new about Tristan that underscores the differences in our upbringings. This is one of those moments. When I was that age, my mama was teaching me nursery rhymes, reading, and singing. However, knowing that his mother fenced makes me feel like I can do this.
“Then, in homage to the late Mrs. White, I’ll give it a good old college try.”
“Oh you’ll give it more than that.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Physical fitness is part of your contract, and it will go a long way in helping you endure the rigors of our role-play weekends. I can tell from your muscle tone you haven’t been sedentary, and your lines suggest you could be really good at this. What sports did you enjoy in school?”
“I did track and field in high school. And even though my music major didn’t allow me to continue in college, I used DePaul’s track and gym whenever I could.”
“I’m impressed and happy to be the beneficiary of your diligence.”
“You have a weird way of giving compliments.”
“You’ll undoubtedly find many things weird about me, but I prefer the term eccentric.”
“Eccentric is more pleasing to the ear.”
Tristan brings me a shiny silver jacket that matches my mask perfectly. “Here, put this on.”
“What’d you do; rob Michael Jackson’s wardrobe?”
He tries to resist smiling but fails. “Funny. The answer is no. It’s an electric lamé or over-jacket. When our body cords are attached to it and plugged into the reel on either end of the fencing strip, it will register electronic scoring as targets on our bodies are hit.”
“So, this is kinda like what you like to do with the whips, crops, and floggers in the grotto?”
He pauses for a second. “Now you mention it. Yes.” His eyes shine with an elation that wasn’t there before, and he finishes getting us both outfitted with the equipment and in position. “The first thing you do is salute your opponent as a sign of respect.” He closes his mask. “Mask down, Ms. Beale.”
I feel like he’s ordering me around in a scene. He moves into a posture and stands still. “This is the en garde position. Front foot facing forward, and then your back foot at a ninety degree angle with your front foot, your feet are shoulder width apart and your knees are bent. Like so.”
I follow his instructions and manage to mirror his stance exactly after a few seconds.
“Good form.”
I grin. How ridiculous is it that I crave his approval so much?
He points at the line next to him on the strip. “Don’t cross that line until you’ve been signaled to engage after completing the en garde stance.”
“Okay.”
He approaches me in a sexy swagger made more pronounced by his fencing shoes, a literal rolling from his heels to the balls of his feet.
“This is a classic lunge.” He executes one. “It is how you attack your opponent.”
I mimic his movement until he deems I’ve done it right.
“You always want to block your target areas from your opponent during a lunge.” Tristan uses the foil to point to the areas he describes. “The arms, chest and head are targets, and there are three parries designed to block these targets.” He holds the foil horizontally at his shoulder. “This is the three parry to block your flank.” He moves the foil diagonally across his chest. “This is the four parry to block your chest.” Finally, the foil is horizontal at head level. “And this, is the five parry to block your head. There’s also a two and a one, but those aren’t used quite as often as the ones I’ve just shown you. As we progress and you have need of the others, we’ll learn them.”
“Now, for a bit of footwork,” he says. “I’ll show you advancing and retreating today. I’ll save some of the fancier stuff for later.”
© Jacetan | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images
He moves into en garde position. “Okay, here’s the advance. Watch my feet.” He does something that looks like a shuffling hip-hop dance move; he executes it with such lightning speed. “To slow it down for you, the advance is done in three distinct steps. Your feet should remain shoulder width apart at all times. The front foot moves first, beginning by lifting the toes. Straighten the leg at the knee, pushing the heel out in front. Land on the heel, and then bring the back foot up to en garde stance again.”
Tristan shows me again several times until I get it. Then I execute several advances until the movement feels natural to me.
“The final movement I’m going to show you today is the retreat, which is sort of a reverse of the advance. It’s a three-step process also. Back foot first to the ball of the foot. Down with the heel and then on the ball of the foot. Like so.” He retreats, advances, and then retreats until I’m able to follow him without a misstep.
We go through the parries, slowly again and again, all while advancing and retreating until I’m well familiar with them. “Now, these will be executed very quickly, but we’ll go slow until you get the hang of it,” Tristan assures me.
I find myself enjoying figuring out how to block his attacks. They are slow in the beginning so I’m able to think fast and position my foil so he doesn’t hit me every time. As he gathers speed, even though I parry to block, he hits my targets, particularly my chest. So much so, if I weren’t wearing the chest plate, I’m sure my breasts would be stinging right about now.
I see him smile when he gets three successive points against me, and I feel powerless against his lunges because they are executed so flawlessly. I retreat all the way off the strip.
“No fair! You have me at a complete disadvantage.”
Tristan stops, flips his hood back, folds his arms, and crosses a long leg at the ankle. He holds his foil in one hand and beckons me Mortal Kombat style with the other hand.
I push my hood back and shake my head. “You’ve got to be crazy if you think I’m lunging at you again right now.”
“You were doing well for a beginner if we discount the odd moments when you were whacking at me like you were trying to chop vegetables on a cutting board.”
“I’m a girl. We always resort to flailing when fighting, didn’t you know this?”
“I’ve seen you hit someone, remember? You don’t flail when you fight, so don’t do it while fencing. In fact, if you treat fencing the same way you do boxing, you’ll do fine. If you practice the moves enough, they’ll become second nature to you. Use the gym when you’re here and in a few months, you’ll be fencing like an amateur.” He grins at his own attempt at a joke.
I don a fake smile then show him my serious face. “Funny, White.”
“Okay, I’m going to use my left hand during this final bout. This should give you some advantage.” He moves to his place on the strip, and I do the same.
Tristan and Keisha
“En garde,” he says.
“En garde,” I respond, and we fight a near equal match, but he still gets the better of me in the end. In fact, he presses toward me, using some fancy sword play reminiscent of The Legend of Zorro. Then he makes a series of scores, all in the vicinity of my breasts and finally he relieves me of my foil and touches near the vee of my legs with his.
“I don’t recall that being a target area,” I say, my voice husky.
“It’s always a target for me,” he replies and drops his foil, pulls me into his arms, and kisses me till my knees get weak. Our tongues lunge and parry like they’re fencing and hitting all our target areas. We rack up so many points the bout is tied when we come up for air. The next to attack will score the winning touch, and it’s safe to say neither of us is concerned about who will come out on top.
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May 24, 2013
The Block ~ L.V. Lewis’s Readers Well Kept Secret
There’s a little known place where L. V. Lewis’s readers congregate. It’s a magical place where we talk about the fictional worlds of Keisha and Tristan and Jada and Nate and Mama Beale and Jorge and Fairy Hoochie Mama and Triple-G and all the characters found in this wonderful tetralogy (See, snooty wordsmiths, I do know the real word. Quadrilogy just sounds better for a parody. JS!) of books bringing women of color who dig men of other colors into this wonderful world of BDSM. (Is that a long-a$$ed sentence or what?)
Anywho, I just thought it was high time I wrote a blog post about “The Block,” which is the short name we’ve given to our Facebook hangout, which is formally named, “Keisha and Jada From The Block – Hangout with Fifty Shades of Jungle Fever Characters.” I have my friend and faithful reader Nasi Al-Mahi to thank for coining the shortened phrase. Then I drafted some rules that took on the cadence of The Rules of Fight Club, and the rest is History.
So, what do we do on The Block besides wait on L. V. Lewis’s second book, Exit Strategy, you ask? Want to know? Here it goes: We read excerpts of L. V. Lewis’s FSoJF and Exit Strategy, waaaaay before anyone else gets to read them. We have weekly events and games we participate in, like “Tie ‘Em Up Tuesday,” and “FSoJF Trivia.” We read and recommend other authors’ works. We have FanChats with L. V. Lewis and other authors. In fact, L. V. Lewis is known to stalk skulk around The Block and talk to readers on a regular basis. (She does this when she’s experiencing writer’s block or when she’s just goofing off, but don’t tell her I told you this.)
The Block is looking for new blood, because we know there are other like-minded women and men out there who want to share in the fun of this exclusive club. Be prepared to see things that will shock and amaze you. And like the famous Fight Club (or is it Vegas?), the first rule is everything that’s said, done, and experienced stays on The Block! All you have to do to join is click the button at the end of this post, and one of our members will pull you in.
In a couple of weeks, L. V. Lewis will be recruiting members for her Exit Strategy Street Team, whom she will select from members of The Block, so join now if you want to jump into the trenches and make Exit Strategy a bestseller on somebody’s list (Amazon, USA Today, NYT) or even in our own minds!
So come join us on The Block by clicking the image below or any of the 9,999 live links I have inserted into this blog post and be prepared to be entertained and to entertain. L. V. Lewis just posted an excerpt yesterday.
May 21, 2013
Famous Authors' Handwritten Outlines for Great Works of Literature
Writing a novel (or a story, for that matter) is confusing work. There are just so many characters running all over the place, dropping hints and having revelations. So it's no surprise that many authors plan out their works beforehand, in chart or list or scribble form, in order to keep everything straight. After the jump, you'll find a mini collection of those planning papers, so you can take a peek into the process of some of your favorite authors, from James Salter to J.K.
I don't feel so bad when I look at these famous authors's handwritten outlines!
May 18, 2013
Allure (Spiral of Bliss, Book 2) by Nina Lane ~ Review
Title: Allure (Spiral of Bliss #2)
Author: Nina Lane
Genre: Contemporary Romance with a very sexy married couple.
Publication Date: May 13, 2013
Event organized by: Literati Literature Lovers
Purchase Links
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
My Review:
If you are able to read Arouse and Allure together, this would be my suggestion, and as you proceed with my review, do so with caution because there be spoilers in them there words below!
It’s so very nice to read a book about two grown and sexy people who are married and there’s no game playing or series of events contrived to get them together. Apparently, in Arouse the first book, Liv and Dean’s marriage is stretched almost to the breaking point by real conflict that many couples face. The first book ended in somewhat of a cliffhanger because you just know from Dean’s reaction to the previous “pregnancy scare” the news Liv shared might not be welcome.
Allure is author Nina Lane’s sophomore offering, which is constructed a bit differently than the first book with alternate points of view, sandwiched between flashbacks, much like book one. While writing books preach against the flashback, somehow, I found this worked largely do to the construct of the story. There were only a couple times that flashbacks interrupted something current which I thought could probably have waited for a more opportune time.
The relationship between these two is much stronger than they each agonize over in their heads, and like most stories where you as the reader knows more than the characters, I often found myself muttering to the characters to talk to each other about their fears, their concerns, their hurts real and perceived, for goodness’ sake!
Allure picks up where Arouse left off. Liv has shared with Dean that she is, in fact, pregnant despite the scare they experienced previously and they pulled away from each other emotionally. Liv from Dean because she misinterprets his reaction to the pregnancy scare and seeks friendship, solace–something in the friendship with her cooking instructor. Dean draws from his work as a Medieval History expert and Professor at King’s College. The pregnancy, even as a happy event, exacerbates the pressure that has already been brought to bear on their relationship.
After a steamy opening scene between the couple, Judge Robert West, Dean’s father has a heart attack, necessitating an impromptu visit to Dean’s childhood home in California. The dysfunctional lot which is Dean’s family give Liv either the cold shoulder or indifference.
As they work to heal the rift in their marriage from events that occurred in book one, they dive headlong into family and work drama unlike anything they endured in book one. Liv’s pregnancy and her new resolve to make herself into someone who is more respected than loved by her husband, she reveals to Dean a woman who isn’t as fragile as he originally believed. Dean’s attempts to temper his protectiveness and assuage his guilt, continue to cause problems, and a new problem on Dean’s job tests them both in ways they could never have imagined. There’s no dangling cliffhanger at the end, but the reader still comes away wanting to read the next book, because you realize they still have some issues they need to resolve.
As is Nina’s style, the writing is crisp, intelligent, and very sexy. As only an erotic romance can be, it is equal parts entertaining and titillating.
I give Allure four out of five stars!
This tour is hosted by…
Book Description
“We both want this so badly. I can feel it resonating between us like the hot pull of our first attraction, tangible and intense.”
After lies and betrayal almost destroy their marriage, Dean and Olivia West reignite their blissful passion. The medieval history professor and his lovely wife are determined to fix their mistakes, and Liv’s unexpected pregnancy intensifies their desire to fall madly in love all over again.
Then a family crisis forces Dean back into a feud with his parents and siblings, dredging up guilt over a painful family secret. Dean fights to shield Liv from the hostility, but for the first time, Liv resists her white knight’s defense. Her newfound resolve clashes with Dean’s desperate need to protect her.
Liv and Dean have battled obstacles together before, but bitter family conflicts now endanger their fragile intimacy. And when Dean’s career is suddenly threatened, he and Liv must struggle with events that could damage them in ways they had never imagined.
About the Author
Nina Lane is a multi-published author of elegant, romantic and often raunchy erotica. Her recent release AROUSE is the first book in the Spiral of Bliss series, and her novel THE EROTIC DARK is a #1 Amazon erotica bestseller.
Nina used to write novels under the name Natasha Rostova and has published stories in anthologies such as “Best Women’s Erotica” and “Erotic Travel Tales.” Her work has been translated into both German and Japanese. In addition to writing, she’s an avid reader who loves popcorn and has recently joined a workout boot-camp that is kicking her rear end.
Author’s Social Media
Website
CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
Sneak Peek Sunday ~ “An Unexpected Woman” by Sandy Layne
A peek into…
An Unexpected Woman, a Contemporary Inspirational Romance by Sandi Layne
Release Date:July 11, 2013, Via TWCS
SUMMARY:
“Put a bow around the woman you want for me, so I’ll know.”
A paradise for some, Florida is a lonely place for Associate Pastor Dr. Mark Countryman. Hurt by relationships in the past, Mark wonders if there is someone out there for him. He asks God to make his will clear.
When he stumbles over local girl Shelley Roberts while out to lunch one afternoon, he feels both an attraction to her and the need to guard his heart. Her chipper and sunny demeanor add brightness to each day he spends with her, but his track record with relationships keeps him from fully opening his heart. Their burgeoning relationship is put to the test when a brewing storm off the Florida Peninsula threatens their city. Shelley prays for God’s help as she prepares for all contingencies, while Mark stands firm in his faith in God’s protection.
Excerpt from the book:
“Mark!” Anne said, her voice echoing off the white walls as she lifted the white plastic bag with his lunch. “Ready!”
He paid for it, left her a tip, and was backing up to the door, telling Anne to have a good day, when the door opened and he collided with an incoming customer. “Whoa!” he exclaimed, arms flailing enough that he was relieved that all the food was secure inside well-packed containers.
“Hey!” the incoming customer said in response, her laughter warm as she caught him with one hand on either side of his ribs. “Steady, there,” she advised, holding him until both his feet were firm on the faded tile floor. “Y’all right?”
“Yeah,” he said, feeling more than a little embarrassed to have been caught so off-center, and to have been held up by a woman. Meeting her eyes, he had to catch his breath. “Thank you.”
Her dancing brown eyes were bold below marked brown brows as she appeared to study him to assure herself he was, indeed, able to stand on his own. He had the definite feeling ,though, that she was checking him out, which was disconcerting . . . and a little flattering. As brief as the contact had been, he felt the emptiness where her hands had braced him. Blowing out a puff of air, he tried to shrug the expectant feeling away.
Hands dropping to her sides, she nodded. “You’re welcome. But hey, if you ever feel the need to step into a gravity well again,” she said with a laugh, “I’ll be more than happy to help!” Her wink was playful and he knew that she could indeed be flirtatious,given the opportunity.
It was not in his nature, though, to provide one. He could only look at her in surprise and regret that he couldn’t seem to respond in kind. He wanted to, but felt out of his depth with her. And gravity well?Was that a new slang term or something?
“Shelley! You’re early,” Anne said from behind the counter. “Busy day today?”
A strange upsurge of hope sent his eyebrows up. Shelley. Her name was Shelley…
==
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