Deliza Rafferty's Blog, page 3
September 8, 2013
Sexy Sunday - "l'Italia" (Erotic Poetry)
For this installment of Sexy Sunday, I decided to be self-indulgent (because it's my blog and I can!) and share a piece of my own erotic poetry with you. I hope you enjoy it! I would be so grateful for your feedback in the comments section below this post. Writing is such an isolated art form - your interaction keeps me going. And pretty please, don't forget to subscribe (→). I thank you in advance.
*THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL IS NOT RATED PG-13 AND IS INTENDED FOR MATURE ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY.*
l'Italia An erotic poem by Deliza Rafferty
awakening
seven hours later
his aroma lingers on her skin
in her hair
between her thighs
mingled nectars
evaporated
imprinted on her sheets
still
she tastes him on her tongue
her lips
her fingertips
rolling over
an ache within her core
remembering him
with every move
feeling his ghost
his mark
pulsing
for the memory of it
hooked upon him
impaled to her womb
helpless
the fullness
completed
owned
langorous, melancholy smile
still
she hears his voice
lilting, musical
his breath against her ear
spine tingle
lo senti, bella?
do you feel it?
...yes...god, yes...
ti piace, bella? è buono?
do you like it? is it good?
...sweet jesus, yes...
dimmi...mi pregare...
tell me...beg me...
...pleeeeeeaaaase...
oh god...prenderlo... take it...
remember me...
her eyes open
skin flushed
nipples straining
bud hums
walls contract
but the emptiness there...
the nothingness...
catch in her throat
Forever Gone.
Forever Remembered.
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed my poem, maybe you'll enjoy the short story/novella series I'm currently writing, The Savannah Rossi Chronicles, as well. There are four volumes available so far (volume five coming soon). I hope you'll check them out. ♥
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September 5, 2013
Blog Tour/Giveaway - 'How Many Chances' by Beverley Hollowed
Today I'm thrilled be part of my friend Beverley Hollowed's blog tour for her new novel, How Many Chances, Part Two of the Chances Series (the sequel to No Second Chances ). I tried like mad to finish the book in time for a review, but sometimes the Universe has other plans for my schedule! The good news is that you can read my review of No Second Chances to give you an idea and this much I can already tell you even though I haven't finished: Beverley's trademark, heart-wrenching angst is veritably oooooozing out of this one! I swear to God this poor couple will NEVER find happiness! If that's your bag as a reader, then you need to be a Bev Babe like yesterday (I just totally made that name up - you're welcome, Bev!). So check out the teasers below, enter the giveaway and then download your copy. Or both, if you haven't read the first (you will be completely lost if you haven't, fyi).
Thank you for stopping by and please be so kind as to subscribe to my blog so you know when I have new posts up and news about my own writing (over there →). ENJOY!
Synopsis
Having fallen head over heels in love with the handsome and very charming Cole Thomas, Ally Brody had her heart broken and her world torn apart.
She feels lost, but is determined to move on and start her life a fresh.
However, Cole still fills her every thought and she is finding it harder and harder to stick to her rule of no second chances.
Cole is left a broken shell. He can’t think of anything but Ally and showing her just what she truly means to him.
Can Cole prove to Ally that she is meant to be with him?
Can Ally ever learn to trust Cole again?
Can they start over and find happiness or will life keep throwing hurdles in their way…How Many Chances does true love get?
Teasers
When he reached Ally’s door he stood for a moment and took a deep calming breath before he softly knocked on the door. He listened for movement inside but there wasn’t a sound. He knocked once more but still there was no reply.
“Ally, please,” he begged pressing his head against the door. “Please open the door and talk to me. I love you.”
He listened for a sound but there was still none. Panic started to bubble up inside him. Why wasn’t she answering the door? What if Jason had come back? The sudden thought filled him with so much terror and he began banging on the door in panic.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
As she sat there, immersed in the hot water, she closed her eyes and once again her thoughts were consumed by Cole. She longed to see him. She longed to have him hold her in his arms and tell her this was all just a mistake. But she knew that was never going to happen. She could barely breathe, she needed him. But she knew she had to let him go. He lied to her and he broke her heart.
As the song that was playing on her iPod ended, the sounds of Kiki Dee’s ‘Amorouse’ filled the bathroom. The words of the song hit her like a steam roller. “Should have told him, I’d do anything if I could hold him, for just another day.”
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
“Why is it stupid?” Cole asked looking her straight in the eyes, taking a step towards her. “You love me, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do,” she agreed.
“And you know I love you?” He continued as he walked towards her slowly.
“Yes,” she swallowed nervously as he stopped directly in front of her. He was so close she could feel his breath wash across her face. She knew she needed to stay strong but she also knew he knew exactly how to get under her skin. He reached up and traced his fingertips down her face and her stomach contracted.
“I want you Ally,” he said breathlessly, his lips barely and inch from hers. “I want to have you with me when I go to sleep at night and I want you next to me when I wake up. I need you. Please. Tell me you want me too.”
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
“I know you have something on your mind, gorgeous girl,” he said finally. “And I know you will talk when you are ready. But I am begging you, please don’t shut me out. Let me help you.”
His words cut through her. He thought she was shutting him out because he had done something wrong. But truth was, she was about to destroy his world and she was afraid he would hate her for it.
“Promise me,” he continued looking down at her lying in his arms. “Tomorrow we will talk.”
“I promise,” she said in a quiet voice. And she knew she would have no choice. Tomorrow, whether she was ready or not, she was going to have to tell him everything.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
“I love you,” he breathed against her mouth. Suddenly he moved above her and pinned her to the bed, his mouth claiming hers. She could feel the need in his kiss. She knew he was hurting and he was trying to deal with it the only way he knew how.
She wanted to talk but she knew he wasn’t ready. So she returned his kiss. She wanted him to know they were still okay.
“I need you,” he said hungrily against her mouth. “Please.”
“I’m yours” she whispered breathlessly back to him.
She kissed him harder, pouring every bit of hurt and pain that she had felt that day into showing him what he meant to her.
He broke his lips from hers and stared down into her face and all Ally could see was love staring back at her.
He reached down and, taking hold of the end of her dress he slowly slid it up her body and pulled it over her head. Never taking his eyes from hers, he pulled back the straps from her bra, each one falling down on to her arms. Then he reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra, slipping it down her arms and dropping it to the floor.
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Meet The Author
I am Beverley, though my friends call me Bev. I am 38 years old and I live in Dublin with my Husband and two sons. I love to read and I love music.
I have been writing as long as I can remember.
I released my first book in December 2012 called Forever and Always.
My second book, No Second Chances (the first book from The Chances Series) was released April 29th.
My third book A Stolen Heart was released July 12th.
Some random facts about me.... I am a middle child, I have a fear of mirrors, spiders and birds and I make custom jewelry.
I adore music and it is a big part of my writing.
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September 3, 2013
Release Day Event - 'Clover' by Braxton Cole
In conjunction with Book Enthusiast Promotions, I'm very happy to be a part of the release day event for Braxton Cole's new adult romance novel, Clover. I reviewed one of Braxton's novellas before and really enjoyed her work. Can't wait to dig in to a full length novel this time! Check out the excerpt below and grab your copy from the buy links!
Please don't forget to subscribe to the blog (over here →) so you know what I have coming up and as always, I LIVE for your comments (down there ↓). They let me know that all my efforts aren't in vain, plus the more activity a blog gets, the more visible in searches it becomes. All of us bloggers appreciate your interaction so much!
Enjoy!
Clover Watson wants more from life than what she can find on her daddy's farm in southern Oregon. Young, smart, and driven, she has a plan and she refuses to be distracted from her goals. After four years at the University of Washington in Seattle, she heads home for the summer with her diploma and an acceptance letter to graduate school at University of Portland. She's sure she’s got things all figured out.
Except for Jake Feldman. He was one of her childhood friends, and she hasn't seen him since she left for college four years ago. This summer he's back in town and all grown up -- sweet, handsome, and completely smitten with Clover.
At first, she thinks a harmless summer fling is the perfect reward for her hard work at school. But as the summer continues and their romance grows, Jake challenges everything she thought she knew about herself and her plans. When the end of summer comes, Clover is forced to evaluate what she really wants, but can she find a way to write Jake into her life?
Braxton Cole lives in the Pacific Northwest where she spends most of her time holed up in her office writing stories. When she's not writing, she can be found riding her bike, hiking the fabulous local trails, chasing her kids, or wishing that her thumb was a little more green. She has a bad habit of killing what she tries to grow, but hasn't given up hopes of one day being a successful urban farmer. Braxton writes erotic romance because romance is the stuff that makes life great, and sex is fun. The two belong together, both in life and in fiction.
“You came back.” She sounded as uncertain, yet hopeful, about things as he felt.
“Of course.” He kissed her cheek like she’d kissed his earlier and wished he had the nerve to move his mouth just a little to the side. That was all it would take to touch his lips to hers. Instead, he pulled back and shifted into drive. She settled into the middle seat right next to him with the length of her thigh pressed up against his. He much preferred to have her sit there than all the way over on the passenger side. He tried to sound casual, but he could feel his face flush with heat as he said, “I threw together some food in case we get hungry.”
“That’s sweet, thank you.” She stretched up and kissed his cheek. For one stuttering, suffocating, perfect moment, her lips touched his skin. His eyes drifted shut and held perfectly still. So far, their exchanges had been relatively chaste, but he felt something shift inside him with that kiss. His crush was moving far too quickly into something solid and his chest swelled with fear and hope. She lingered there for several seconds, close enough for him to feel the whisper of her breath against his skin. When she finally pulled away, he stayed in that position, stunned immobile by her closeness. She squeezed his leg, kissed his cheek again, quickly this time, then pulled away completely. “So, where are we going?”
He jerked into motion, embarrassed by his reaction. But what else could he expect? When a girl like Clover got close enough for him to smell the subtle fragrance of her shampoo and the lingering chlorine on her skin from the pool, well, something like that would always affect him. And this time it wasn’t just a girl like Clover; it was Clover herself. The crush he’d been cultivating for as long as he could remember had grown exponentially since he’d picked her up earlier that day.
He cleared his throat as he pulled out of the parking lot. “I have no idea. Where do you want to go?”
“Head south, toward the river.”
“You got it.” Instead of holding her hand this time, Jake settled his arm around Clover’s shoulder. As he pulled onto the highway, she rested her hand on his leg. Unlike before, she didn’t play with his inseam. Rather, she let her hand lie in one place, low by his knee, with her fingers curled around the inside. It was for the best, he knew. The distraction of her hand sliding high up on his thigh while driving was simply too much to ignore. He’d nearly wrapped his truck around a pole while trying to corner on the way into town earlier. He didn’t need a repeat event. Still, he missed the feel of her hand exploring. If he could figure out a way to say it without sounding like an asshole, he’d tell her that she was welcome to touch him whenever and however she wanted. The fear that she might actually take him up on it was enough to keep him silent. For now, though, he was happy simply to drive down the road with her sitting next to him.
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Please don't forget to subscribe to the blog (over here →) so you know what I have coming up and as always, I LIVE for your comments (down there ↓). They let me know that all my efforts aren't in vain, plus the more activity a blog gets, the more visible in searches it becomes. All of us bloggers appreciate your interaction so much!
Enjoy!
Clover Watson wants more from life than what she can find on her daddy's farm in southern Oregon. Young, smart, and driven, she has a plan and she refuses to be distracted from her goals. After four years at the University of Washington in Seattle, she heads home for the summer with her diploma and an acceptance letter to graduate school at University of Portland. She's sure she’s got things all figured out.
Except for Jake Feldman. He was one of her childhood friends, and she hasn't seen him since she left for college four years ago. This summer he's back in town and all grown up -- sweet, handsome, and completely smitten with Clover.
At first, she thinks a harmless summer fling is the perfect reward for her hard work at school. But as the summer continues and their romance grows, Jake challenges everything she thought she knew about herself and her plans. When the end of summer comes, Clover is forced to evaluate what she really wants, but can she find a way to write Jake into her life?
Braxton Cole lives in the Pacific Northwest where she spends most of her time holed up in her office writing stories. When she's not writing, she can be found riding her bike, hiking the fabulous local trails, chasing her kids, or wishing that her thumb was a little more green. She has a bad habit of killing what she tries to grow, but hasn't given up hopes of one day being a successful urban farmer. Braxton writes erotic romance because romance is the stuff that makes life great, and sex is fun. The two belong together, both in life and in fiction.
“You came back.” She sounded as uncertain, yet hopeful, about things as he felt.
“Of course.” He kissed her cheek like she’d kissed his earlier and wished he had the nerve to move his mouth just a little to the side. That was all it would take to touch his lips to hers. Instead, he pulled back and shifted into drive. She settled into the middle seat right next to him with the length of her thigh pressed up against his. He much preferred to have her sit there than all the way over on the passenger side. He tried to sound casual, but he could feel his face flush with heat as he said, “I threw together some food in case we get hungry.”
“That’s sweet, thank you.” She stretched up and kissed his cheek. For one stuttering, suffocating, perfect moment, her lips touched his skin. His eyes drifted shut and held perfectly still. So far, their exchanges had been relatively chaste, but he felt something shift inside him with that kiss. His crush was moving far too quickly into something solid and his chest swelled with fear and hope. She lingered there for several seconds, close enough for him to feel the whisper of her breath against his skin. When she finally pulled away, he stayed in that position, stunned immobile by her closeness. She squeezed his leg, kissed his cheek again, quickly this time, then pulled away completely. “So, where are we going?”
He jerked into motion, embarrassed by his reaction. But what else could he expect? When a girl like Clover got close enough for him to smell the subtle fragrance of her shampoo and the lingering chlorine on her skin from the pool, well, something like that would always affect him. And this time it wasn’t just a girl like Clover; it was Clover herself. The crush he’d been cultivating for as long as he could remember had grown exponentially since he’d picked her up earlier that day.
He cleared his throat as he pulled out of the parking lot. “I have no idea. Where do you want to go?”
“Head south, toward the river.”
“You got it.” Instead of holding her hand this time, Jake settled his arm around Clover’s shoulder. As he pulled onto the highway, she rested her hand on his leg. Unlike before, she didn’t play with his inseam. Rather, she let her hand lie in one place, low by his knee, with her fingers curled around the inside. It was for the best, he knew. The distraction of her hand sliding high up on his thigh while driving was simply too much to ignore. He’d nearly wrapped his truck around a pole while trying to corner on the way into town earlier. He didn’t need a repeat event. Still, he missed the feel of her hand exploring. If he could figure out a way to say it without sounding like an asshole, he’d tell her that she was welcome to touch him whenever and however she wanted. The fear that she might actually take him up on it was enough to keep him silent. For now, though, he was happy simply to drive down the road with her sitting next to him.
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August 29, 2013
Blog Tour - 'Lovers Unchained (Curse of the Dark Witch Book 1)' by Siren Allen
(Click the image to get a better look)You may recall that Miss Siren Allen has been a previous Sexy Sunday guest here on my blog. Well, today is my stop on the tour for her new paranormal erotica novel AVAILABLE NOW, Lovers Unchained - Curse of the Dark Witch Book 1 , and boy do I have a bunch of stuff (including my review, an excerpt and a giveaway) to share to get you interested! Read on and enjoy!
Please feel free to leave a comment (↓) and subscribe to the blog (→). We bloggers do this for free and your comments and subscriptions are what make it all worthwhile for us! Thank you for visiting. ♥
Synopsis
Title– Lovers UnchainedSeries– Curse of the Dark WitchAuthor– Siren AllenGenre– Erotica, ParanormalPublicationDate– August 15, 2013Publisher– Torrid Books http://www.torridbooks.com/CoverArtist – Gemini Judston - http://www.geminijudson.com/Gemini/Welcome.html
A Cursed Demon Twenty years ago Jude made a huge mistake resulting in him and four of his best friends being cursed by the Dark Witch. For twenty years he has searched for his mate-the only being able to break the curse placed upon him. Until he finds her he will not be able to release the pent up sexual energy that is driving him insane. On his journey to find his mate he is captured and held prisoner by Lana, a vicious vampiress.
A Sex Crazed Vampiress Lana is intrigued by Jude's ability to resist making love to her. She doesn't know of the curse placed upon him years ago. No matter how hard she tries to seduce him she always fails. His life means nothing to her and she is ready to end his existence, but first she must know what prevents him from succumbing to her seduction. She wonders if it's her or if Jude is like this with all women. To test her theory Lana places one of her female prisoners, Carissa, and Jude together. To her dismay, sparks ignite between the two captives.
A Witch on a Mission Carissa is searching for her friend who is rumored to have been captured by Lana and her men. She doesn’t plan on finding love but she can’t resist the attraction she feels for her fellow captive, Jude. She senses the desire raging through him and yearns to ease the tension coursing through his muscled body. However, their lust for one another angers Lana and can only lead to one thing…death for both her and Jude.
***Now that Jude has found his mate he must get them both to safety before Lana destroys them.
Will Jude lose his mate so soon after finding her or will they escape Lana's wrath and form a bond so strong nothing and no one can break it?
Excerpt *HEADS UP: CONTENT BELOW IS NOT PG-13*
Lana straddled him. She ran her hands up his chest.
Jude kept his eyes closed. “Why didn’t you teleport in?”
“I was trying to be polite.” She licked his nipple. Between her legs, she felt his cock jerk and felt his hardness through her leather suit. She wanted him badly; more importantly, she wanted him to want her. He was an obsession she couldn’t get rid of; a puzzle she couldn’t figure out.
Lana ground her sex against his, drawing a moan from both of their throats.
“I have some friends I want you to meet,” she whispered. She pulled back a little and watched for his reaction. nfortunately, all he did was yawn; he didn’t even open his eyes.
“Aren’t you a little curious as to who I want you to meet?” Once again, he ignored her. His nonchalance only made her want him more. Every time he ignored her, or pretended to not want her, it only made her work harder to please him and make him want her. Every prisoner she owned would give their last breath to have her show them the amount of attention she wasted on Jude.
Lana licked his nipple again. She refused to give up; defeat was not a feeling she was accustomed to. She placed soft kisses from his nipple up to his neck, and then nibbled along his jaw line. She tried to kiss his lips, but he turned his head causing her to kiss his cheek instead. Lana hissed in frustration.
She was tired of playing games with him. When she told her brother about all the problems this slave was giving her, he asked to borrow Jude for a month to train him, but Lana said no. She wanted to be the one to break him. She gave him plenty of chances to give in to her demands. If she couldn’t have him by choice, she would have him by force.
Without warning, Lana teleported Jude to her bedroom, where they landed on her bed; she quickly climbed off of him.
“Handcuff him to the bed,” she said to her servants waiting in the shadows. She was tired of playing nice. It was time for her to be the bitch he thought she was.
My Thoughts:
This is flat out an EROTIC paranormal read. There is plenty of sex - in fact it's practically ALL sex, but the great thing is that I never got to the, "God, ENOUGH already!" point. I didn't feel that way because it's completely integral to the story line. There has to be sex or it simply wouldn't make sense...and it's fun, steamy stuff, to boot.
This is a quick read with an interesting premise and though part of a series can also be read as a stand alone to a degree. Don't get me wrong...I am anxious for the story to continue and to find out what happens with these characters, but though there's a cliffhanger at the end, Siren still wraps up this part of the story nicely so you can still close the book and go, "Well, good...at least THAT happened," instead of chucking it across the room going, "BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS?????"
One of the reasons I am obsessed with the tv show "Supernatural" (other than my beloved Jensen Ackles...I digress) is because it takes traditional folklore archetypes and turns them completely on their heads. This is what Siren seems to be doing here. I found it interesting that the main characters Jude (a demon) and Carissa (a witch) seem to be the good guys (at least so far - who knows in Book 2!) and that certain immortals can match with a mate that is typically an enemy of each others' kind. I hope that brings some more interesting story lines down the road.
Overall I enjoyed the first installment of this series, though if I have a complaint, it would be that it actually seemed a little too short. I felt like the author could've spent a little more time delving deeper into the characters' back stories, because let's face it - immortals are fascinating. But to be fair, that may be to come as well and I hope so. Otherwise, if you like to dive into otherworldly realms full of immortal creatures both beautiful and hideous and get a heaping serving of shmexy while you're at it, then download Lovers Unchained yesterday.
Rating: Four Smooches! (out of five)
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Meet The Author
"Hi, my name is Siren Allen. I’m a writer and lover of all things erotic and romantic. I reside in southern Mississippi where I write steamy romances that are guaranteed to make you blush. When I’m not listening to the characters in my head and jotting down their adventures, I am busy working as a Clinical Laboratory Technician.
I love to travel, preferably with my husband, so he can do all of the driving. I enjoy time with my family, who are just as silly as I am. I have no children…yet, wish me luck! My hobbies are reading, writing and shopping, though I hate trying on clothing. If I wasn’t a writer or a Laboratory Professional, I would probably be a Secret Agent. But that’s the beauty of being a writer; you can create your own world and be whoever you want to be. In my imaginary world, I am Queen and my siblings are my minions."
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August 22, 2013
Cover Reveal and Giveaway - 'Bird of Prey' by Danielle-Claude Ngontang Mba
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Publication Date – November 25th 2013Title – Bird Of PreySeries – Sémya Slotin Mystery #1Author – Danielle-Claude Ngontang MbaGenre – Mystery RomancePublisher – Ever After EditionCover Artist – Danielle-Claude Ngontang Mba
Synopsis
This was supposed to be an easy case…
Sémya Slotin had spent the last three years living in London with her best friend Polliannah Koch staying away from solving cases. After Hawaii, she was taking a break from puzzles, cases and mysteries that could potentially get her killed. Instead, she had been doing her second and third favorite things, drinking and selling expensive vintage wines and having earthshattering sex with the mysterious, sexy, beautiful but ever so secretive Josh Heinz. Life in London was good….until her funds ran out. Too much wine drinking, not enough wine selling!
When fashion designer and adoptive mother, Annika Slotin, summoned her back to Paris to hire her for what Sémya considered being the easiest case of her amateur sleuth career, all she could think of and seeing was money signs and a well-deserved Cuban holiday once it was solved.
What Sémya didn’t see was her stumbling on the fresh corpse of supermodel Johanna Cartier. She didn’t think that male model turned fashion designer Julian Marais-Caldwin, who also happened to be Sémya’s ex, would be suspected of brutally murdering her. Johanna was his girlfriend, his muse and he loved her. Sémya didn’t see the dead bodies piling up or the conspiracy theories.
Sémya was a little rusty. But then again, it was supposed to be an easy case and she was going to solve it. One vintage wine at a time… Sémya Slotin was officially back in business!
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Excerpt:(from the ARC version - subject to change with final edits) Chapter 14
Camera left…camera right…camera left…camera right… Sémya had been staring at her board for the past three hours. Maybe she should take a break and go work at the store today. Or maybe she should give up all together and book their Cuban holiday. London was so cold right now they should just go soak up some sun.
She shifted her attention to her phone. She was still waiting on Gary Finch’s aliases from Sergey. She had been reading Emma’s emails over and over again. Nothing about another flat popped out. What she found instead was the number of the moving company she was going to use for her move but–
“Wait a minute!” She finished her glass of 2005 Wolf Blass Black Label Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon. “Where is that file?”
Emma had a file called expenses on her laptop. Maybe just maybe, some of these expenses were taxi fares to this mysterious place. Johanna couldn’t always be two steps ahead of them. The woman had been dead for more than two weeks! She should also check Oyster card records for tube stations or buses. Expenses…she would need to speak to Eileen and Julian. But first let’s see what she could find on her own.
Emma’s passwords were always the same or just a variation. The name Peterwas always coming up. Then again Sémya had access to her email account she could always reset it if she couldn’t find it.
“p-e-t-e-r-t-f-l-1,” she mumbled and typed. The access had been granted. Yeah!Emma lived in the small flat near Hammersmith station. She printed out her journey history of the last three months. Hammersmith to Oxford Circus kept showing up which made sense. It was her regular journey to work. East Putney Station was also showing every three weeks and not on the weekend which could mean that it was an errand she was running for Johanna. Sémya highlighted it. The last trip was…the day she died. “What’s in Putney Emma?”
She checked if there were any other suspicious travels. A bus route came up a few times. She was either going to Chiswick or to Chalk Farm.
“So…which one is it?” Josh whispered in her ear and made her shriek. “Sorry, I thought you heard me,” he said sliding on the sofa next to her, only wearing a towel. He picked up the bottle of wine off the floor. “Already?”
“It’s two o’clock in the afternoon…in Paris,” she told him. She had one glass with her sandwich. “Is that the kind of shit I have to expect now that you’re my boyfriend?”
“Nagging you about your drinking? That’s not new,” he shrugged. He smoothed his damped hair back. He smelled like aftershave and peppermint. Josh seductively nibbled her shoulder, “Good afternoon,” he groaned and took her in his arms.
“We promised Polli, no more hanky panky on her sofa.” She gently pushed him away. “Go put some pants on!”
He reluctantly got up and entered her bedroom, “Where is she anyway?” He came back out with a tank top and flannel pants on.
“With the mysterious John, she didn’t come home last night so I’m guessing he is back,” Sémya told him. As soon as this case was resolved she would have a serious conversation with Polliannah about John Smith. She might even create a small board…
“So what do we have here?” Josh said with a coffee in his hand. He looked at her board and whistled. “And I thought your board in Honolulu was crazy!”
“Oh…did you now?” she giggled. “There are two murders on that board.” She got up and added the information from Emma journey’s history.
“Do I have a board?” he asked her.
“No!” she shouted back without turning around. I made a board for everyone…so yes Josh Heinz you do have a board…
“You didn’t answer my question,” he said tilting his head toward the board. “Which is it?”
“I’m not sure.” She pointed at the map. “Emma lived in Hammersmith, it’s a four lines station but still the only time she took the bus was for the same trip.”
“I haven’t taken the bus in London in years but the way I see it I would only use it if it would take me as much time or less time than the tube,” he said and yawned.
“Good point… for commoners like me, we use the bus for twenty minutes or less trip.” She circled the twenty minutes travel zone around Emma’s flat. “Okay…” she mumbled walking back. “So…I’m thinking that she was going east.”
“Do you have her bank statements?” he asked.
“Yes, and before you say anything…it may not be very legal–”
“There’s a charge on the seventeenth for Bramwell Eatery, isn’t that in Notting Hill?” he asked her.
“Yes...let me check the journey history.” She jumped up, “Yes, she used that route on that day!” She sat back next to him and grabbed her laptop. “I need to check the expense file…I copied her hard drive,” she explained.
“Yeah…that’s not illegal at all,” he joked.
“She wasn’t dead then…at least we didn’t know she was!” She opened the March spreadsheet. “Can you check the March statement for the same expense?”
He wrestled through all her papers. “Got it! And I even had the Oyster journey.”
“The twenty-second?” she asked, looking at the expense for Dinners.
“Yeah, it could just be Emma’s favourite restaurant,” he said.
“No baby, it’s not.” She got up and went back to her board. “Charges are too high for it to be hers, it’s for Johanna.” She put her hand on the Emma side of the board, “Emma was a hard core vegetarian. She would have never gone to this place for herself.” She pointed at the map, “The bus records indicate less than thirty minutes between both trips…they don’t deliver,” she said with a wicked smile on.
“She called her assistant to pick up and deliver her food order.” He looked disgusted.
“Bigger picture, baby…her second flat is in Notting Hill and walking distance from Bramwell Eatery,” she shrieked. Where was a chilled glass of wine to celebrate when you needed one? “I need to do the same thing with East Putney?” she said and joyfully straddled Josh.
“Did you just call me baby?” he asked, caressing her flat stomach. He kissed her neck and brought her face closer. “Now I deserve a reward…”
“I tell you what, if you help me crack that case, I’ll take you to Cuba with Polli,” she mumbled. He was weakening her defences and she needed to stay focused. “Better yet, you’ll take us. You seem to have strange deep pockets,” she giggled.
He got up still holding her by her thighs. “Deal!”
“Heinz, put me down. I have calls to make,” she moaned. They were heading to her bedroom. “I’m very busy…big case.”
“I have a big case for you right here,” he grunted and laid her on the bed.
“Seriously? I have to tell Ally about Notting Hill. She could contact the restaurant and maybe trace the number used to place the order…It could be Gary Finch’s,” she said trying to justify herself.
Josh was just nodding back; he was very busy removing her knickers. “Do what you’ve got to do and I’ll do the same,” he whispered so close against her ear it made her whole body shivered and moaned. “Baby…”
“You devil man, you,” Sémya moaned back.
Sémya Slotin Mystery Soundtrack Vol.1
Meet The Author
"I was born in Quebec City, Canada from Gabonese parents but grew up in Paris and Libreville the Gabonese capital until the age of 18. Are you yawning yet? I am...
French is my first language and my next novel Bird Of Prey will be released in both languages...wish me luck!
I moved back to Canada in 1999 after high school in Libreville to study Cinematography and Digital movie production in Laval University in Quebec then The International Academy of Design and Technology in Toronto. After graduating in 2003, I decided to sell my soul to the corporate world and worked in the Benefit Outsourcing Industry for seven in Toronto before reconnecting with her first passion writing.
I finally went back to school to study creative writing at Georges Brown College in 2010 and 2011. I started to write The Coulda Woulda Shoulda Series as an assignment and finished Book One in late 2011 before moving to London.
And the rest as they say is history... Almost two years later, I'm in London and wrote three novels. One has already been released This Could Have Been Our Song! A coulda woulda shoulda ballad... (Book one) the other two will be released by March 2014."
Amazon AuthorPage Website Blog Facebook Twitter Goodreads
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Publication Date – November 25th 2013Title – Bird Of PreySeries – Sémya Slotin Mystery #1Author – Danielle-Claude Ngontang MbaGenre – Mystery RomancePublisher – Ever After EditionCover Artist – Danielle-Claude Ngontang Mba
Synopsis
This was supposed to be an easy case…
Sémya Slotin had spent the last three years living in London with her best friend Polliannah Koch staying away from solving cases. After Hawaii, she was taking a break from puzzles, cases and mysteries that could potentially get her killed. Instead, she had been doing her second and third favorite things, drinking and selling expensive vintage wines and having earthshattering sex with the mysterious, sexy, beautiful but ever so secretive Josh Heinz. Life in London was good….until her funds ran out. Too much wine drinking, not enough wine selling!
When fashion designer and adoptive mother, Annika Slotin, summoned her back to Paris to hire her for what Sémya considered being the easiest case of her amateur sleuth career, all she could think of and seeing was money signs and a well-deserved Cuban holiday once it was solved.
What Sémya didn’t see was her stumbling on the fresh corpse of supermodel Johanna Cartier. She didn’t think that male model turned fashion designer Julian Marais-Caldwin, who also happened to be Sémya’s ex, would be suspected of brutally murdering her. Johanna was his girlfriend, his muse and he loved her. Sémya didn’t see the dead bodies piling up or the conspiracy theories.
Sémya was a little rusty. But then again, it was supposed to be an easy case and she was going to solve it. One vintage wine at a time… Sémya Slotin was officially back in business!
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Excerpt:(from the ARC version - subject to change with final edits) Chapter 14
Camera left…camera right…camera left…camera right… Sémya had been staring at her board for the past three hours. Maybe she should take a break and go work at the store today. Or maybe she should give up all together and book their Cuban holiday. London was so cold right now they should just go soak up some sun.
She shifted her attention to her phone. She was still waiting on Gary Finch’s aliases from Sergey. She had been reading Emma’s emails over and over again. Nothing about another flat popped out. What she found instead was the number of the moving company she was going to use for her move but–
“Wait a minute!” She finished her glass of 2005 Wolf Blass Black Label Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon. “Where is that file?”
Emma had a file called expenses on her laptop. Maybe just maybe, some of these expenses were taxi fares to this mysterious place. Johanna couldn’t always be two steps ahead of them. The woman had been dead for more than two weeks! She should also check Oyster card records for tube stations or buses. Expenses…she would need to speak to Eileen and Julian. But first let’s see what she could find on her own.
Emma’s passwords were always the same or just a variation. The name Peterwas always coming up. Then again Sémya had access to her email account she could always reset it if she couldn’t find it.
“p-e-t-e-r-t-f-l-1,” she mumbled and typed. The access had been granted. Yeah!Emma lived in the small flat near Hammersmith station. She printed out her journey history of the last three months. Hammersmith to Oxford Circus kept showing up which made sense. It was her regular journey to work. East Putney Station was also showing every three weeks and not on the weekend which could mean that it was an errand she was running for Johanna. Sémya highlighted it. The last trip was…the day she died. “What’s in Putney Emma?”
She checked if there were any other suspicious travels. A bus route came up a few times. She was either going to Chiswick or to Chalk Farm.
“So…which one is it?” Josh whispered in her ear and made her shriek. “Sorry, I thought you heard me,” he said sliding on the sofa next to her, only wearing a towel. He picked up the bottle of wine off the floor. “Already?”
“It’s two o’clock in the afternoon…in Paris,” she told him. She had one glass with her sandwich. “Is that the kind of shit I have to expect now that you’re my boyfriend?”
“Nagging you about your drinking? That’s not new,” he shrugged. He smoothed his damped hair back. He smelled like aftershave and peppermint. Josh seductively nibbled her shoulder, “Good afternoon,” he groaned and took her in his arms.
“We promised Polli, no more hanky panky on her sofa.” She gently pushed him away. “Go put some pants on!”
He reluctantly got up and entered her bedroom, “Where is she anyway?” He came back out with a tank top and flannel pants on.
“With the mysterious John, she didn’t come home last night so I’m guessing he is back,” Sémya told him. As soon as this case was resolved she would have a serious conversation with Polliannah about John Smith. She might even create a small board…
“So what do we have here?” Josh said with a coffee in his hand. He looked at her board and whistled. “And I thought your board in Honolulu was crazy!”
“Oh…did you now?” she giggled. “There are two murders on that board.” She got up and added the information from Emma journey’s history.
“Do I have a board?” he asked her.
“No!” she shouted back without turning around. I made a board for everyone…so yes Josh Heinz you do have a board…
“You didn’t answer my question,” he said tilting his head toward the board. “Which is it?”
“I’m not sure.” She pointed at the map. “Emma lived in Hammersmith, it’s a four lines station but still the only time she took the bus was for the same trip.”
“I haven’t taken the bus in London in years but the way I see it I would only use it if it would take me as much time or less time than the tube,” he said and yawned.
“Good point… for commoners like me, we use the bus for twenty minutes or less trip.” She circled the twenty minutes travel zone around Emma’s flat. “Okay…” she mumbled walking back. “So…I’m thinking that she was going east.”
“Do you have her bank statements?” he asked.
“Yes, and before you say anything…it may not be very legal–”
“There’s a charge on the seventeenth for Bramwell Eatery, isn’t that in Notting Hill?” he asked her.
“Yes...let me check the journey history.” She jumped up, “Yes, she used that route on that day!” She sat back next to him and grabbed her laptop. “I need to check the expense file…I copied her hard drive,” she explained.
“Yeah…that’s not illegal at all,” he joked.
“She wasn’t dead then…at least we didn’t know she was!” She opened the March spreadsheet. “Can you check the March statement for the same expense?”
He wrestled through all her papers. “Got it! And I even had the Oyster journey.”
“The twenty-second?” she asked, looking at the expense for Dinners.
“Yeah, it could just be Emma’s favourite restaurant,” he said.
“No baby, it’s not.” She got up and went back to her board. “Charges are too high for it to be hers, it’s for Johanna.” She put her hand on the Emma side of the board, “Emma was a hard core vegetarian. She would have never gone to this place for herself.” She pointed at the map, “The bus records indicate less than thirty minutes between both trips…they don’t deliver,” she said with a wicked smile on.
“She called her assistant to pick up and deliver her food order.” He looked disgusted.
“Bigger picture, baby…her second flat is in Notting Hill and walking distance from Bramwell Eatery,” she shrieked. Where was a chilled glass of wine to celebrate when you needed one? “I need to do the same thing with East Putney?” she said and joyfully straddled Josh.
“Did you just call me baby?” he asked, caressing her flat stomach. He kissed her neck and brought her face closer. “Now I deserve a reward…”
“I tell you what, if you help me crack that case, I’ll take you to Cuba with Polli,” she mumbled. He was weakening her defences and she needed to stay focused. “Better yet, you’ll take us. You seem to have strange deep pockets,” she giggled.
He got up still holding her by her thighs. “Deal!”
“Heinz, put me down. I have calls to make,” she moaned. They were heading to her bedroom. “I’m very busy…big case.”
“I have a big case for you right here,” he grunted and laid her on the bed.
“Seriously? I have to tell Ally about Notting Hill. She could contact the restaurant and maybe trace the number used to place the order…It could be Gary Finch’s,” she said trying to justify herself.
Josh was just nodding back; he was very busy removing her knickers. “Do what you’ve got to do and I’ll do the same,” he whispered so close against her ear it made her whole body shivered and moaned. “Baby…”
“You devil man, you,” Sémya moaned back.
Sémya Slotin Mystery Soundtrack Vol.1
Meet The Author
"I was born in Quebec City, Canada from Gabonese parents but grew up in Paris and Libreville the Gabonese capital until the age of 18. Are you yawning yet? I am...
French is my first language and my next novel Bird Of Prey will be released in both languages...wish me luck!
I moved back to Canada in 1999 after high school in Libreville to study Cinematography and Digital movie production in Laval University in Quebec then The International Academy of Design and Technology in Toronto. After graduating in 2003, I decided to sell my soul to the corporate world and worked in the Benefit Outsourcing Industry for seven in Toronto before reconnecting with her first passion writing.
I finally went back to school to study creative writing at Georges Brown College in 2010 and 2011. I started to write The Coulda Woulda Shoulda Series as an assignment and finished Book One in late 2011 before moving to London.
And the rest as they say is history... Almost two years later, I'm in London and wrote three novels. One has already been released This Could Have Been Our Song! A coulda woulda shoulda ballad... (Book one) the other two will be released by March 2014."
Amazon AuthorPage Website Blog Facebook Twitter Goodreads
GIVEAWAY! (Aug 5th – Sept 5th)
Prizes: 2 - $5 Amazon Giftcard5 – Arc eBook (mobi) of Bird of Prey (Ready Late September)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
August 15, 2013
Blog Tour - 'It All Started With A Lima Bean' by Kimi Flores
Delighted to be a part of Kimi Flores' tour for her new romance It All Started With A Lima Bean. Check out my review below and don't forget to enter the giveaway! The book is available now and purchase links are included below. Please feel free to leave comments for Kimi or myself (authors and bloggers love to know that the time we put into this matters to you!) and don't forget to subscribe to my blog so you know when other features and reviews are posted as well. (pssst, over here →
)
Synopsis:
A past that haunts can be laid to rest through the act of forgiveness, even if the person you forgive is yourself. It must be gifted freely.
Abby Sullivan cherishes the life she is creating for herself in her hometown of Santa Barbara, California. She adores her best friend and supportive family. Her job as a kindergarten teacher offers her life hope and purpose. She is very talented at many things, especially hiding the pain of her past. That is until her world collides with Caleb Hunter’s, giving them both a lesson in forgiveness and love.
A life changing love is cruelly snatched by sickness and death. A person must be willing to give love, the greatest gift of all, to receive love.
A successful writer, Caleb is living life day-to-day. Giving refuge to his sad and lonely heart since his wife's sudden death from cervical cancer, his primary focus becomes honoring her memory by rearing their five-year-old daughter, Madison. Yet, when Madison Hunter walks into Miss Abby’s kindergarten class, everything changes for all three of them.
With a little nudge from a loving mother-in-law who has everyone’s best interest at heart, anything is possible, especially when forgiveness and love gift even more blessings than ever imaginable.
Cast:
My Thoughts:
If sweet and wholesome love stories are your thing, then RUSH to download this book right now, cuz THIS is your book!
Straight up: there's no "deed" done in this story. Knowing this going in, I still got a little frustrated with that fact. BUT!!! I mean this in a good way, attributing it to the author properly conveying our characters' frustration in abstaining. Kimi understands that less is more. Unlike other romances I've read that don't contain "the act," this novel doesn't cover up the want to, and right on to that, because let's face it, folks. That's real life. Even the most determined of couples that decide to wait till they marry to be together are experiencing the misery of not doing so. Right? Right. Unless there's something terribly wrong, but we're going to assume that's not the case here, because it is, after all, a romance novel. And so I thought Kimi did a great job here of being realistic and not making her characters come off as pious and super-human in their ability to maintain their chastity. And since neither our hero nor heroine are virgins, that was quite a tight-rope to walk...and walk it successfully she did.
(That doesn't mean I don't wish they did it...cuz Caleb's friggin' hot! lol
)While I will say that even the angsty parts of this story were relatively benign in my opinion (maybe I've just experienced too much over-the-top drama in my own life...hmmmm...paging Dr. Phil...
), I very much enjoyed snickering at Kimi's descriptions of the "Power Moms" whose children attend our heroine Abby's kindergarten class. As I live in Los Angeles, I've discovered that there is just no one quite like a rich, bored California mom in her expensive track suit who thinks her kids' shit don't stink, spends her time gossiping with the other Power Moms, allows her children to bully others, makes life miserable for the teachers and flirts shamelessly with the other dads regardless of either party's marital status. There's a reason why the "Rich Housewives" franchise is so successful - because the truth is what's funny. Or rather, how some people gloss over their truth is funny. Kimi nailed it.Another highlight to me was the secondary characters peppered throughout the story. One of my favorite things when reading a romance is to try and figure out whose story may be next, or which characters' have enough revealed to let the reader know that there's already a book out there with their story that I just have to find. Abby's best friend Leah - a sassy Latina who is a good girl but maybe doesn't always dress like it, tries desperately to loosen up her best friend (who cluelessly happens to possess a porn star's physique) even a little bit so she can snag too-good-to-be-true Caleb. Then there's Caleb's womanizing douchebag of a cousin Stefen, who sees nothing wrong with being a womanizing douchebag, but his redeeming quality is how much he adores his little niece (Caleb's daughter), so you know he's "fixable" at least. I look forward to the next book in this series, which will tell Leah and Stefen's story. Oh how the sparks will fly! I'm guessing Cousin Bri can't be trailing far behind...
Oh...the engagement scene is pretty brilliant, I have to say. Creative and impossible to top for any man. I keep telling my guy friends that if they want to know what women really want, they need to read romance novels...
Overall I found this first novel by Kimi to be an enjoyable, well-written read with several chuckle-able (it's totally a word) moments throughout and plenty of sweet moments that don't cross the line into Sap City. Kimi knows how to reign it in and make her point while still being endearing and heartfelt. And NO CLIFFHANGER!!! YAY!!!
Rating: Three And A Half Smooches! (out of five)
Buy It All Started With A Lima Bean Now:
Meet The Author
Kimi lives in So Ca with her high school sweetheart, prom date, and now husband of over 20 years as well as with her two boys that bring so much joy and laughter to her life. There is never a dull moment in Kimi’s day with these three guys by her side. Her family and she are happily involved in volunteer work with several local non-profit organizations. They believe that everyone needs to do their part and a portion of her sales will always go to charity.At an early age, Kimi discovered the magical world of imagination. Many stories were written as well as illustrated by her as a child. Not realizing at the time that she had dyslexia, schoolwork became extremely difficult, and her confidence as a reader and writer dwindled. Thanks to a high teacher who took the time to invest in her, Kimi found a love for literary legends such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Washington Irving and Jane Austen. This teacher helped Kimi create one of the happiest school memories she holds. Discovering in college that she had the learning disability was terribly discouraging since help was not readily available and her reading and writing confidence fell once again.Needing to find a distraction when her husband unexpectedly ended up in the hospital for a week, Kimi explored the indie reading world. Jumping in with everything she had, Kimi pushed herself to read over 150 books last year. During that process, many characters reappeared in her imagination and insisted that their stories be told. Putting all self-doubt and barriers aside, she started writing the outlines and drafts for the four books in her Intertwined Hearts Series as well as bits and pieces of the three books in her next series, Down by the Bay.Her message to you is similar to that of pop icon, will.i.am’s: ~You can focus on your problems or you can focus on your dreams ~
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August 13, 2013
Blog Tour - 'Anything Like Me' by Kimberly Knight
At last, at last...the closing chapter of Brandon and Spencer's story is here! WHO'S AT THE DOOR??? Okay, I don't know yet because I haven't gotten to it on my to-read list but I can't wait to find out! Oh all right, I totally know cuz I made Kimberly tell me, ssssshhhhh!
But the rest I await...and if you haven't read Anything Like Me yet either, well a) what are you waiting for? and b) I've got an excerpt, her playlist and a big ole giveaway below to whet your whistle. Enjoy! Available now at:
Also - Where I Need To Be and Wanted on sale till 8/18!
“I couldn’t be happier. Brandon had come into my life at the right time––as if fate intended for it all to happen. Given these last eight months and all the life threatening situations, I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s true what people say; things happened for a reason and now I just hoped that Christy, Michael and Colin were going to get what was coming to them once their trial started so they would be out of our lives forever. ~Spencer
Excerpt:
After a few minutes, I realized that I was still alone in the shower. Brandon hadn’t returned from seeing who was at the door and that made me nervous. I quickly rinsed the soap from my body and started to turn off the water when the shower door opened and Brandonslipped in. His hard chiseled body stepped close to me as we both stood under the warm stream of water––something we did almost every night.“Hey, what took you so long?” I asked, slipping my arms around his neck.“Blake’s here.” “Really?”“Yep.” Brandon’s hands glided down my back to rest on my ass as he gave it a little tug to bring me closer to him.“Did you know he was coming?”“Nope, he said he needed to get away and used the plane ticket we gave him for Christmas.”“Couldn’t he have asked? I mean, this is an important night,” I pouted as Brandon’s cock grew against my belly. I chuckled slightly. Here we were again, talking about his brother at the wrong time. “Babe, you know how Blake is. He doesn’t always use his head,” he said, tilting his head down to place a soft kiss on my neck.“I know,” I said, sighing. “Can he maybe get a hotel room for the night?” Of all the nights Blake could have come to visit us, it had to be tonight…the night when I wanted to wear nothing but my new ring and a smile. “I guess, but we haven’t seen him in, what? Five months?”“I know––you’re right. I just wanted to walk around naked for the night,” I said, biting my lower lip and giving him my most innocent smile, making his cock twitch in response.“I’ll make it up to you another night––I promise,” Brandon groaned, bending down again as he pressed his lips to mine.“But that other night won't be the night you proposed and I said ‘yes’.” “I know, Baby…” Brandonlooked down at me, searching my eyes as if he was looking for some sort of answer or something. “What if we get a hotel room in the city, you call in sick tomorrow and we order room service, eat breakfast in bed and then spend the rest of the day with Blake? He can take care of Niner tonight. It will give him time to clear his head, too, since that was the reason he jumped on a plane and flew thousands of miles unannounced.”“Well, he did come all this way. Maybe we should spend time with him?”
“No, he will understand. I’m sure he will be here longer than one night. We will hang out with him tomorrow. Plus I want to see you wearing nothing but your new ring and a smile for the rest of the night,” he said, winking at me, reading my mind.
“How many times do I have to tell you that you aren’t like all the other girls I’ve dated? You’re the one. My soulmate. My better half. Whatever you want to call it. We are getting married and we are going to be together until one of us is no longer breathing. I never felt that with any other girl before. So stop doubting anything that is in your head.” ~Brandon
Playlist:
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August 11, 2013
Sexy Sunday - Excerpt from "Helpless" by Shandra Miller
Getting back into the swing of things and a Sexy Sunday is a great place to start! This week I'm thrilled to feature a super steamy, tension-filled excerpt from Shandra Miller's new novel Helpless, the sequel to her fantastic novel Lethal Obsession (read my review here). It will be available for Kindle as of August 15th. Enjoy, you dirty little birds!
*THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS GRAPHIC SEXUAL CONTENT AND STRONG LANGUAGE AND IS INTENDED FOR MATURE ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY.*
Helpless, an erotica-suspense novel by Shandra Miller, is the sequel to Lethal Obsession. Helpless will be available for download to Kindle on Aug. 15, and available for Nook and for all formats at Smashwords shortly thereafter.
To keep up with Shandra's writing and publishing schedule, visit her website.
Excerpt:
"More."
Her cry was met with a slap across the face. Not hard, but sharp enough to sting.
"More, please Sir."
He laughed, a quiet whisper of a laugh, then the sound of the leather strap slicing through the air followed, cut off by the snap of the leather against her ass.
Angela flinched at the contact, but could do little more. Her arms stretched overhead, wrists tied by a rope attached to the ceiling. Her legs were wide, a spreader bar between her ankles, each end lashed to those ankles so that she was unable to move. Her vision was blotted out by a black cloth tied around her head.
The leather kissed her skin again and again. She moaned from the pain, from the arousal, trying desperately to close her legs tight, to bring herself to climax.
"No you don’t," he whispered before shoving a piece of ice into her cunt.
She gasped, her heart racing even harder now.
"You belong to me," he whispered, hand tracing the contours of her bare breasts as he spoke. "Your body, your sex…" he worked the ice back and forth. "Even your existence." His hand pulled away – the ice mercifully fell out, then she felt the pull of a rope tightening around her neck. He pulled until her air was nearly cut off, his other hand continuing to caress her breasts, fingers lightly rolling first one nipple, then the other.
"Ple…ase…" she rasped, fighting for breath.
"Please what?"
"Ca…can't…bre—"
Her plea was cut off by his lips, pressing hard against hers, tongue plunging deep in her mouth.
She tried breathing through her nose, but couldn't catch her breath. Angela struggled, but was unable to move. Even blindfolded pinpricks of light began bursting in her vision, she felt light-headed.
"Tanner," she screamed.
Meet The Author
Shandra Miller is a Midwest gal who left home at 16 and never looked back. She spent three years traveling the South as a carnie, another three with a circus -- yes, an honest-to-god circus. She's never owned a cell phone, doesn't have cable television, and is still trying to figure out Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. She works part-time as a waitress on the Blue Ridge Parkway and at night she watches the stars, takes walks and writes what some call erotica, others call smut, and she just calls fun.
She is the author of the erotica-suspense thriller Lethal Obsession, its sequel Helpless (due out Aug. 15), and the short erotica tales Private Dining, Room Service, Jennifer Lost, and Jennifer Bound. You can learn more about her at http://shandramillerwriter.blogspot.com/
August 6, 2013
Blog Tour - 'The Forgotten Ones' by Laura Howard
Very pleased to be a stop on Laura Howard's blog tour for her new novel The Forgotten Ones (Book 1 of The Danaan Trilogy). Laura was one of the first authors to befriend me on Facebook and I've been waiting for this book for MONTHS now, lol! So check it out and catch my review below. Please feel free to leave your comments for me or the author at the bottom of the post - we love to know that our efforts are worth it to you. 
Synopsis:
Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.
What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.
My Thoughts:(*mild spoilers follow - turn back now*)
Well I didn't actually read the synopsis before I started the book so I wasn't expecting anything of a paranormal nature, therefore I was a little surprised when faeries started showing up, LOL. However, it was really nice to read a book with more plot line than just the boy-meets-girl relationship. There is certainly an interesting budding romance between our young heroine Allison and Ethan, with whom she's been in love since first grade, and there is a devastating love story between Allison's schizophrenic mother and her long-lost father Liam, but the absence of sex scenes in this book was quite refreshing to me. But that may just be a personal thing because I read a lot of erotica.
It was a quick read, even for me (my crazy schedule means I read bits at a time), moved along at an even pace, the characters were nicely developed and the story as a whole held my interest from start to finish (as an aside, I was over the moon that there were no spelling, grammatical or formatting errors, too! Hallelujah!). The cast of characters is huge, so pay attention, but the author does a great job in writing them all in a way that you follow along with relative ease, including at one point when Allison asks of one of the Danaan, "Who is so-and-so again?" which happened to be exactly what I had been thinking at that very moment, so thank you for that, Laura! As an aside, I do highly suggest referring to the guide at the end of the book for pronunciation of the beautiful Gaelic names of the Danaan, though. I promise you, you will NOT be able to pronounce them in your head yourself.
Overall I very much enjoyed this book and didn't find much to really complain about at all. There were a couple twists that I never saw coming, which is always a good thing, and Allison's rejections of Ethan were appropriately wince-worthy (aw, poor, handsome boy!
). The author's descriptions of the human world vs. the faerie world were straightforward but vivid. I would have liked a little more time spent on Allison's emotional reaction to meeting her father so suddenly, as the weight of a moment like that seemed a bit brushed off, but in general this is a good story that I want to continue reading in the sequel (and OF COURSE there's a cliffhanger!).
Rating: Four Smooches! (out of five)
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Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.
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Synopsis:
Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.
What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.
My Thoughts:(*mild spoilers follow - turn back now*)
Well I didn't actually read the synopsis before I started the book so I wasn't expecting anything of a paranormal nature, therefore I was a little surprised when faeries started showing up, LOL. However, it was really nice to read a book with more plot line than just the boy-meets-girl relationship. There is certainly an interesting budding romance between our young heroine Allison and Ethan, with whom she's been in love since first grade, and there is a devastating love story between Allison's schizophrenic mother and her long-lost father Liam, but the absence of sex scenes in this book was quite refreshing to me. But that may just be a personal thing because I read a lot of erotica.
It was a quick read, even for me (my crazy schedule means I read bits at a time), moved along at an even pace, the characters were nicely developed and the story as a whole held my interest from start to finish (as an aside, I was over the moon that there were no spelling, grammatical or formatting errors, too! Hallelujah!). The cast of characters is huge, so pay attention, but the author does a great job in writing them all in a way that you follow along with relative ease, including at one point when Allison asks of one of the Danaan, "Who is so-and-so again?" which happened to be exactly what I had been thinking at that very moment, so thank you for that, Laura! As an aside, I do highly suggest referring to the guide at the end of the book for pronunciation of the beautiful Gaelic names of the Danaan, though. I promise you, you will NOT be able to pronounce them in your head yourself.
Overall I very much enjoyed this book and didn't find much to really complain about at all. There were a couple twists that I never saw coming, which is always a good thing, and Allison's rejections of Ethan were appropriately wince-worthy (aw, poor, handsome boy!
). The author's descriptions of the human world vs. the faerie world were straightforward but vivid. I would have liked a little more time spent on Allison's emotional reaction to meeting her father so suddenly, as the weight of a moment like that seemed a bit brushed off, but in general this is a good story that I want to continue reading in the sequel (and OF COURSE there's a cliffhanger!). Rating: Four Smooches! (out of five)
Buy The Forgotten Ones Now:
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Meet The Author:
Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.
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July 31, 2013
Book Tour - "The Island" by Jen Minkman
Book Info-Title-The IslandBy- Jen MinkmanPublication Date-June 1, 2013*Novella* (80 pages) Genre- YA Dystopian
Blurb-‘I walk toward the sea. The endless surface of the water extends to the horizon, whichever way I look.
Our world is small. We are on our own, and we only have ourselves to depend on. We rely on the Force deep within us, as taught to us by our forefathers.
If I were to walk westward from here, I would come across a barrier – the Wall. Behind it, there are Fools. At least, that’s what everyone says. I have never seen one.’
Leia lives on the Island, a world in which children leave their parents to take care of themselves when they are ten years old. Across this Island runs a wall that no one has ever crossed. The Fools living behind it are not amenable to reason – they believe in illusions. That’s what The Book says, the only thing left to the Eastern Islanders by their ancestors.
But when a strange man washes ashore and Leia meets a Fool face to face, her life will never be the same. Is what she and her friends believe about the Island really true?
Or is everyone in their world, in fact, a Fool?
Links-Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17825118-the-island Amazon Kindle- http://www.amazon.com/The-Island-ebook/dp/B00D3GNJWY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370283182&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Island+Jen+Minkman Amazon Paperback- http://www.amazon.com/The-Island-Jen-Minkman/dp/1483959813/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1370283182&sr=8-1 Barnes & Noble Paperback- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-island-jen-minkman/1115469783?ean=9781483959818
About the Author-
Jen Minkman (1978) was born in Holland, in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn. When she was 19, she moved between The Hague, Salzburg (Austria), Brussels (Belgium) and Cambridge (UK) to complete her studies in intercultural communication. She is currently a teacher of English, career counsellor and teenage coach at a secondary school in Voorburg, Holland. She tries to read at least 100 books a year (and write a few, too!). She is a published author in her own country, and translates her own books from Dutch into English for self-publication.In her spare time, she plays the piano, the guitar and the violin. For every novel she writes, she creates a soundtrack.
'I have always been drawn to writing. My first book was a sci-fi novel at the age of eight, which I painstakingly typed out on my dad's typewriter and illustrated myself. Nowadays, I stick to poetry, paranormal romance, chicklit and/or fantasy. In my home country, I am the first-ever published writer of paranormal romance, and I will gradually make my books also available in English (seeing I have to re-write and translate the books myself, this will take some time!).
Links-Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5808037.Jen_Minkman Website-http://www.nwelsaturay.com/jenminkman/index.html Twitter- https://twitter.com/JenMinkman Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/JenMinkmanYAParanormal?fref=ts
