Diane Saxon's Blog, page 14

MIDNIGHT CALLER

Currently a free promotion is running on my hot historical romance Midnight Caller. The first novella in the Moonlight Romance series is free on Amazon and iTunes.
I love star-crossed lovers.  Romeo and Juliet is probably the most famous example. Although I much prefer when the lovers find a way to make their forbidden romance work! I always like to root for the underdog, and as individualist I get excited when characters dare to break society’s rules.I write historical romance… and while star-crossed lovers can exist in every genre they are more prevalent in historical romance. A common off-shoot of this trope is loving above one’s station. Whether it is the maid falling in love with the millionaire, the jester falling in love with the princess or the commoner falling in love with the socialite they can all make me sigh with pleasure.Since this is my favorite trope I think it is only natural that I have tried my hand at it.Midnight Caller uses this trope, but it is actually based on a true incident I read a history book. :)
Blurb:
When Emma Bennett’s husband dies in a carriage accident in 1865, she is released from her loveless, controlling marriage. Now she has a chance to find happiness and raise a family. But before she begins courting again she wants to experience her freedom. At the advice of the leading socialite in town, she takes a black lover to fulfill her sexual needs. His raw, masculine power awakens feelings she didn’t know existed. After the first touch she craves more.
Frederick works as a roustabout by day and moonlights as a prostitute. He knows better than to fall in love with his white client, but Emma enchants him the first time he calls on her. To keep them both safe, he works hard to put up barriers. Unfortunately, he can’t protect Emma from the slimy Mr. Hawthorne, who wants her as his bride. Frederick vows to keep her safe even if his forbidden love costs him his life.
Excerpt:

“You know, Mr. Hawthorne is interested in you.”
Emma gave a slight nod. Everyone in town knew Mr. Hawthorne was interested in her. Hank had forbidden the telegraph operator to come around her again, but now Hank was gone, would he pursue her?
“Mr. Hawthorne is a respectable man,” Mrs. Dimshire said.
A throbbing pain began above Emma’s left eye. Surely, the old lady wouldn’t try to set them up. Out of all the eligible bachelors in town…with his thinning auburn hair and long, homely face, he was as attractive as a gnarled tree. She couldn’t imagine sleeping next to him. Her lungs compressed, making each breath a chore.
“He isn’t my type,” Emma squeaked out. He was worse than Hank. He would be more than demanding and controlling. He would be jealous and overbearing, maybe even violent.
She picked up her cup again, hoping the tea would be soothing. It wasn’t. Her hands shook and she set the cup down before she spilled it on the white lace tablecloth.
Mrs. Dimshire’s wrinkled hand grabbed her wrist tenderly. Emma’s heart punched her ribs. The touch was probably meant to be comforting, but she felt trapped.
“Do you know how I get through each day without Connor?”
Emma shook her head.
“Whenever I feel the need to have a man next to me, I satisfy that need.”
Emma’s eyes bulged. Had the leading socialite in Louisville just said she shared her bed with a variety of men? But there would have been gossip, surely. No one had said a word.
Mrs. Dimshire’s eyes were sincere and she spoke as matter-of-factly as if she had just ordered a cut of beef from the butcher.
“I know you are not ready to remarry.” The older woman’s fingers slipped away from her skin. “But I thought you might like some male company once in a while.”
A thrill rushed from Emma’s head to her toes. Being with a man, no-strings attached. All the power and freedom she wanted. She could control the affair.
“Ah, I see the glow in your eyes,” Mrs. Dimshire said. “Yes, it is exciting and invigorating for a woman to take charge. I can tell you where to go. No one will ever find out.” Mrs. Dimshire paused and leaned back in her brown-and-burgundy striped chair. “And I trust you will keep my secret.”

“Yes, ma’am. Of course.” Going against Mrs. Dimshire would be social suicide.

Paranormal Activities - Week Seven - A very nice chutney

She smiled, satisfied with the pungent aroma of Christmas. Cinnamon and apples, wild plums and sultanas. She loaded the apples into the pan, glanced up as her husband shook the wet from his fur before shifting into his human form. Stark naked, his warm eyes twinkled at her from across the kitchen. “Good run?”“Hmmm, Zeke raced me. I won.”“Of course you did.”He stepped closer, sending a river of longing through her veins. “Smells like Christmas.” The deep resonance of his Irish voice tempted her to abandon her project.“I won’t be long. Once I put this little bag in the pan, it just needs to simmer for around three hours.”“Three hours.” His eyebrows raised, gave a little twitch. “I’ll be in the shower.She leaned over the counter to admire his swift swagger and his very fine ass.








The recipe

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/ty...

Lila’s Wolfblog tourThe one with Richard Hammond and the ...

Lila’s Wolf blog tour



The one with Richard Hammond and the exotic food


You know what it's like when you go on a foreign holiday, and the food is unfamiliar, and you aren't sure what to eat. Everything looks strange, especially if you're not used to adventurous food. I loved one of the Top Gear specials, where the guys were riding a variety of motorbikes across Vietnam. Richard Hammond had a deep mistrust of the local food, and ended up eating breakfast cereal. All the time. I couldn't help feeling sorry for him.



In my new time travel series, that would be a constant problem for my travellers. They can't exactly take their own food with them, when they go hundreds of years back in time. They're supposed to be fitting in with the locals, and embedding themselves fully in the period, and that means eating the local cuisine.
How do you cope with exotic food? Do you dive in and try anything, or dig through the menu for something safe? Tell me in the comments, and you'll go into a draw to win the blog tour giveaway.
In Lila's Wolf (Out of Time #1), it's the opposite problem for Jared. He'll eat pretty much anything, if he can get it.


Excerpt
A quick glance at Hilde. She gorged on a bowl of rabbit stew, a trickle of gravy dribbling down her chin. It smelled good, and his stomach growled, reminding him it was a long time since breakfast, not that he’d been given much. The slaves were fed a thin gruel and rough bread in the morning, and then whatever leftovers were available for supper. As a diet, it sucked. He tried to supplement it by stealing the odd cup of milk or piece of fruit, but that was risky at best.
Hilde spoke to him, and he dragged his attention back, catching the last words. More bread. He nodded and stepped into the main floor space, heading for the back wall to the table laden with food. He kept his eyes downcast, hands loose by his sides, maintaining the protocols that had been beaten into him.
My name is Jared, and I will be free again.
The temptation to rip off an extra chunk of bread was immense. He entertained a brief vision of cramming it in his mouth unseen, filling his empty belly without Hilde knowing, and then he sighed and dismissed it as a pleasant fantasy. He had a lot of those and most were about Lila.




~ Lila’s Wolf (Out of Time #1) is available 4 September 2014, from Hartwood Publishing
Genre: Dark time-travel romantic suspense

Tagline
The only way to save him, might be to leave him behind




Blurb
When Lila Cammell is abandoned by her time-jump partner, leaving her alone in Britain in the Dark Ages, revenge is the only thing on her mind. She’d trusted Jared Grohl with her life and her heart, and bringing him to justice will be sweet.
Finding him captured and enslaved by the Saxons changes all her assumptions. Now it’s a fight for survival, but the only way to save him, might be to leave him behind.


Video trailer
http://youtu.be/mUkzETR_T7E


Giveaway
I’m giving away a $10 Amazon gift card and a swag bundle to one lucky commenter. Just leave a comment at whichever site you visit, and you’ll go into the draw. The more sites you visit, the more chances you get to win J


Links

Amazon| AllRomance| Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | Hartwood Publishing


www.SofiaGrey.com
Catch me blogging with Allyson Lindt at www.GeminiGirls.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sofia.Grey.R... http://www.pinterest.com/sofiagrey1/T... @SofiaGreyAuthor

Blog Tour – find me here:

Date Host Blog post
8-Sept http://TirlasTalk.blogspot.ca/
Google & conspiracy theories 9-Sept Tara Quan Vampire bonding & eye colours
10-Sept Parker Kincade
Picture books & virtual streets 11-Sept Pippa Jay
TARDIS & the grassy knoll 11-Sept Book Boyfriend Junkies Solar powered fridges & the right dress
12-Sept Rosanna Leo
Battlefield & giant library 12-Sept Diane Saxon Richard Hammond & exotic food
13-Sept Cover Reveals

14-Sept Bookly Booknatics
Ghardians & timelines 14-Sept Love, Lust & Laptops Fluffy plans & dark ideas
15-Sept  A Coffee Addict’s Book Reviews Time travel & love stories
16-Sept Barb Taub – Writing & Coffee
Paradox & runaways 17-Sept Epic Narrative Book Reviews Beautiful society & Ghardians
17-Sept Those Crazy Book Chicks Loophole & ideas file
18-Sept Barbara Elsborg Rosemary Sutcliff & history classes
19-Sept Loralie Hall         Tetris & good bathrooms
20-Sept JL Simpson
Giant library & dodgy Utopia


About AuthorRomance author Sofia Grey spends her days managing projects in the corporate world and her nights hanging out with wolf shifters and alpha males. She devours pretty much anything in the fiction line, but she prefers her romances to be hot, and her heroes to have hidden depths. When writing, she enjoys peeling back the layers to expose her characters’ flaws and alwaysmakes them work hard for their happy endings. Music is interwoven so tightly into my writing that I can’t untangle the two. Either I’m listening to a playlist on my iPod, have music seeping from my laptop speakers, or there’s a song playing in my head – sometimes on auto-repeat.
Check out my playlists on Pinterest
~

PASSIONATE HISTORY - LIBBY WATERFORD

Hi Libby it’s lovely to meet you and congratulations on your new release PASSIONATE HISTORY.  I’m really pleased you have brought Professor Worthy *strokes the sleeve of his jacket*  with you. Pull up a chair, grab a coffee and please excuse me while I *sigh, takes another stroke of his arm* …ask, Aidan (I can call you Aidan can’t I?) some questions.
Aidan, it’s lovely to meet you. Uh, thanks, Diane, it’s lovely to be here.
Can you tell me how you first felt when you met Bree?Bree was a breath of fresh air – young, vibrant, and enthusiastic about learning about Italian Renaissance art—my speciality.
Was she one of your students?Er, yes, she was in my class the last semester of her senior year. Then we lost touch for a while, but she found me again at her five-year reunion.
You must have young women *gulp, touches Aidan’s arm yet again* throwing themselves at you all the time. How do you deal with that on a professional basis?
Well, I don’t…I mean, I haven’t really noticed…most of my students are very professional, just as I strive to be. There’s an implicit trust between a teacher and a student and I have an ethical duty not to break that trust.
What inspired you to become a teacher?I love sharing my knowledge with thirsty minds, and I learn something new from my students every day.
What was the very first thing that attracted you to Bree?Her legs. No, her hair. No, her wit. Um. Can I just say she’s the complete package?
Describe your first kiss.Well, that’s rather private. But I will say it was utterly unexpected and utterly thrilling.
Okay, take a few breaths to calm down, and then tell me what Bree looks like.Bree is fresh as a spring lily and strong as steel. Her hair is a luscious auburn, like a bewitching fairy’s. Her legs are long and she likes to show them off by wearing tiny little sundresses. I love them. The sundresses, I mean. And her legs, too, of course.
How would she describe you?Endearingly stuffy, I suppose.
Tell us about what you are wearing today.Oh, the usual. Trousers. Blue button down shirt. Loafers. It’s quite hot and humid in Massachusetts at the moment, so I’ve left my tweed jacket at home.
What does she love about you the most?I think Bree loves that on the outside I’m a dedicated, passionate teacher and lover of the arts, but she gets to see the side of me that I don’t show to anyone else – passionate about her, and passionate about making her feel amazing.
What makes her want to throttle you?Ah, well, I’m not always sensible when it comes to mixing business and pleasure. We had quite a few kinks to work out in that department, but I think it call came out in the end.
Now I’ve got to get back to my Art History 101 lecture. Thank you for having me, Diane.




Passionate Historyby Libby Waterford
A contemporary erotic romance novella
On the eve of her college graduation, Bree Ross seduces her favorite art history professor. She doesn’t expect buttoned-up Professor Worthy to give her the best sex of her life, or anticipate that leaving him to start her post-college life would be so difficult. Their unforgettable encounter haunts her, and five years later, she finds herself back on campus for her college reunion—with a specific goal in mind. How hard could it be to convince her ex-professor to write her a letter of recommendation for graduate school?
Straight-laced Professor Aidan Worthy has adhered to his carefully-aligned morals his entire teaching career…until Bree Ross walks into his classroom. Guilt plagues him for his one transgression because that one amazing night has been seared onto his brain. When she waltzes back into his life after five years of silence, he’s not thrilled. But he can’t deny the illicit spark they once shared has not disappeared, and he worries he won’t be able to resist temptation a second time.
Over the course of the tumultuous reunion and commencement weekend at Weston University, rain, relatives, and rental cars force the two to confront their sizzling desire and burgeoning feelings. Is their passionate history enough to keep them together, or will it drive them apart?
Get Passionate History
Amazon | Decadent | Barnes & Noble | All Romance eBooks | Kobo | Smashwords | iBooks | Amazon UK
Short blurb:                                                                                                                               
On the eve of her college graduation, Bree Ross crosses a blurry line and seduces her favorite professor. Aidan Worthy has never been able to erase the guilt, or the erotic memories, from his one night with Bree. After five years, neither of them is thrilled to find their paths intersecting again, but they can’t deny the illicit spark between them lives on.
About the Author:
Libby Waterford writes steamy contemporary romances. She lives in Los Angeles with her family and works off her weekly pilgrimage to In-N-Out by swimming and climbing the city’s hidden staircases.
Contact Libby:
Website: http://libbywaterford.comEmail: libby@libbywaterford.comFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/LibbyWaterfordTwitter: https://twitter.com/LibbyWaterfordGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/libbywaterford

Enjoy the following excerpt for Passionate History:

Paranormal Kitchen Activities Week 6 - Fruit Cake Recipe & A Free Book

“Hmm, something smells good.”He nuzzled his face into the curve of her neck absorbing her scent. She always smelled sweet and womanly.“It’s a boiled fruit cake.”“A boiled cake?”Her body moved with the chuckle and he tightened his arms around her to appreciate it more, he snuggled her back closer to his chest as he peered over her shoulder.“Yep, it’s easy, see.” She fluttered fine, long fingers at the cake.

It looked normal enough. The smell had his mouth watering. Then again, her smell had his mouth watering too. He was torn. Grab the babe and run for the bedroom or sample the cake? Could he have his cake and…Her sharp elbow to his ribs grabbed his attention again.“See, you dump all the ingredients into a pan, sultanas, raisins, cherries, water, butter, sugar. Boil it up for 15 minutes. Take it off the heat and when it’s cool, you simply throw in an egg, flour and spices. Pop it in a tin and bake for an hour.”She sliced the cake in two. Showed him the middle.

“Would you like some?”His attention shot back to her. Heat raged through him as his sexy new wife swiped her tongue over her top lip.“It’s very…moist.”
And right there and then, he lost his capacity to think.
The Recipe3oz (75g) Sultanas3oz (75g) Currants3oz (75g) Raisins3oz (75g) Cherries4oz (100g) Sugar4oz (100g) Butter1/4 pt (125ml) Water 1 egg8oz (200g) Self-raising flour1/2 tsp cinnamon1/2 tsp ground ginger1/4 tsp nutmeg
Place all dried fruit, sugar, butter and water in a pan and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Beat in the egg, fold in the flour and spices. Turn into a lined loaf tin and bake in the oven at 150oC (300oF) Gas mark 2 for 1 hour.
A Note from the Author
If you haven't yet heard, Loving Lydia, book 1 of my Atlantic Divide Series is FREE right now from Apple and Amazon. Grab yourself a copy, eat cake, drink coffee, read a book.
http://amzn.to/1CKxLZqhttp://amzn.to/1hGdwANhttp://bit.ly/1qHO1Ed 

The bittersweet smell of dark chocolate filled the ...

 
The bittersweet smell of dark chocolate filled the kitchen, making his mouth water almost as much as the curvy woman swiping the melted goo over sheets of acetate.“You need to let it cool a little before you put it on or it curls the sheets.”With a delicate hand she slid the sheets into the fridge to set. Her warm cinnamon eyes met his.
“You don’t need to watch.”He rested his elbow on the counter and grinned.

“Yeah, I do.”Her responding smile made his heart warm.He watched her cute butt-wiggle while she measured ingredients into the mixer, shimmying to the sound of Adele with a fire in her heart. Much like the one in his.Thick chocolate frosting was whipped up then smoothed all over the three tier cake. Tempted to dip his finger in, he raised his hand.

“Don’t think about it.”Like he wouldn’t dream of it, he rested his chin on his hand as though that had been his plan all along. She knew him so well, the gleam in her eye told him so.

She slipped the sheets of chocolate out of the fridge, used a tape measure and efficiently ran a pizza cutter through the partially set chocolate. “You measure all around each cake, divide the measurement by however many panels you want.”Hmmm, bright as well as artistic. She slipped them back in the fridge.Amazed at the efficient swooshing of frosting all over the cake, he shuffled in his chair to get a little closer, delighted when she handed him the bowl to scrape out.“Should you have chocolate?”“Yeah.”“I thought it wasn’t good for dogs.”Insulted he whipped his head up and stared at her.“I’m not a dog, I’m a wolf – and currently I’m in my human form. Chocolate is good. Do not try to deprive me of it.”She turned her back, but he still heard her soft snort.The bowl full of half dipped strawberries had almost the same result on his taste buds as the chocolate, but nothing could compete with the effect the woman had on him. Quick and proficient, she removed the chocolate panels from the fridge, touching them to the sides of the frosting so they stuck.“It’s a bit like glue.”“Tasty glue.”Removing a round panel from the acetate, she slipped it on top of the chocolate fudge cake. “It needs a little more security, because the sponge is so soft it may not be able to hold the strawberries.”She piled them in so it gave the effect of an overflowing basket, then placed single strawberries on the ledges of the next two layers.A quick swipe of dark chocolate on the exposed board, then she whipped a pretty ribbon around and stuck it down.“Ta Da!”

Paranormal Kitchen Activities - Week 4 - Very Best Chocolate Fudge Cake

Deep brown eyes pleaded with her.“You know you can’t have chocolate, it’ll kill you.”The black wolf gave a brisk shake, his thick fur standing on end as he splattered droplets of water up the wall forcing her to step back out of range of the shower he’d obliged her with.“Now, that’s sheer naughtiness. You’re going to have to clean that up yourself, I’m too busy with this wedding cake. Last layer. Then I can decorate it. That’s where the real fun starts.”A pitiful whine came from the huge beast in the corner.“No. You’ll have to wait. But this is a quick one, then I promise, we’ll go play in the snow.”His long pink tongue lolled out of his mouth, his nutmeg eyes darkened.“You might want to change.”Damn, but he wasn’t going to do that. He loved to romp in the snow in his wolf form.

She quickly blended cocoa in boiling water, added the remaining ingredients and mixed them by hand, aware it made her breasts jiggle as she beat it to a thick, smooth batter. She noted the indecision in the wolf’s eyes as he watched her. Maybe they wouldn’t be going for a walk. She smothered her pleased grin.

She divided the mixture into the two prepared tins and slid them into the oven, following up with a quick glance at her watch. Thirty minutes. They only had thirty minutes.She turned on her heel, a broad smile spreading at the sight of the tall, black haired man standing naked in the corner of the room, his body slicked with water, his melting chocolate eyes full of promise.“Thirty minutes. No time for romping in the snow.”He reached for her and she met him half way.

The Recipe I can tell you that this most divine recipe comes from Mary Berry. I have a number of her baking books, but this has to be one of the easiest, most scrumptious recipes. Here’s a link to Lifestyle.co.uk and Mary Berry’s Very Best Chocolate Fudge Cake.
http://www.reveal.co.uk/lifestyle/recipes/a470642/mary-berrys-very-best-chocolate-fudge-cake-recipe.html

Paranormal Kitchen Activities - Week Three - Chocolate Madeira Cake

The sharp slap of her spatula as it came into contact with Zeke’s skin made him snatch his hand back, hugging it to his chest while he yelped like a hurt puppy.“What did you do that for?”Unimpressed, she kept the threat of the spatula raised.“You’re not allowed your fingers in her mixing bowl. Nuh uh. Hygiene.”She grinned at her husband across the counter top. It hadn’t taken so long to train him. She leaned over and handed him the whisk, cake mixture clinging to it. She rewarded him well for his obedience.
  

A quick glance at Zeke’s sulky face had her handing him one too.“It’s a wedding cake. For a friend.”“Chocolate?”“Yeah. A little bit of fun too. This is the middle layer. Chocolate madeira cake.”Zeke shuffled closer, his tongue almost hung out, like the dog he was.“Nice.”She washed the spatula, swiped it through the mix to admire the texture.“One of the simplest cakes to make. Beat the butter and sugar until its white.”She seemed to have grabbed Zeke’s attention, but her husband was intent on cleaning the whisk for her – with his tongue. It didn’t matter, this was a quick cake, she wouldn’t need the whisks again until she did the top layer. Mmm, her favourite.Her stomach gave an unruly grumble and both men grinned.“I’ll just finish this and do some lunch if you’re staying Zeke.”One look at his face didn’t require an answer. Single man, offer of lunch. No competition.He nodded at the bowl.“What do you do next?”“Add both types of flour, alternatively with eggs.”“Looks like a pretty solid mixture.”“Hmm. I like it because you can carve it.”“Did you get me those condoms?”“I did not.”“You’re no fun since you took up with my brother.”“I was no fun before, according to you.”The soft growl from Beau had her turning her head in his direction, but his brother blithely ignored the threat.“How do you put the chocolate in?"“Mix cocoa powder with a little milk then beat it in.”“Smooth.”He raised his hand, made a move to dip his finger into the bowl and she whipped up her spatula.With a grin of approval, he came to his feet and moved away to open the refrigerator door.
She poured the mixture equally into the two lined cake tins and slid them into the oven, but before she could turn around, Zeke had swiped the almost empty bowl and hot-footed it across the kitchen, if he'd been in his other form, his tail would be between his legs.


The Recipe
10oz (315g) Fine Sugar10 oz (315g) Softened Butter10oz (315g) Self Raising Flour5oz (155g Plain Flour5 eggs
One 8" tin lined (square or round)Oven temperature 160 degrees C/325 degrees F or Gas mark 3Bake time 1 hour 10 mins

Paranormal Kitchen Activities - Week 2 - Marble Cake

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Making a cake."

"For me?"

He leaned on the kitchen counter, rested his chin on his fist and gazed at the luscious babe intent on her creation. He could never get enough of her. Her full scrumptious lips twitched into a smile and made him want to nibble at them.

"Nope."

The early morning light slanted across her smooth delicate skin and made her golden eyes glow with pleasure at doing the work she loved.

"What type of cake?"

Her smile widened, she slid softened butter into the mixer and poured in fine sugar.

"A chocolate wedding cake for a friend. Three layers, each cake different. This is the bottom layer. It's a Marble cake."

"My favourite..."

The harsh thrash of the beaters drowned out his voice before he could ask if he could have some. He sighed. No chance of having any of anything until she was done.

His head throbbed and he wondered how she could possibly bear the incessant pneumatic drilling sound. It could only be the intense relief she must feel when the noise stopped.



Distracted momentarily he took pleasure in watching the small quiver of her breasts as she broke the eggs with a sharp knife and let them slide into a glass dish.


When she reached for the salt, standing on tiptoe to get it down from the shelf, he almost swallowed his tongue at the gentle jiggle of her ass. Tempted to give it a little squeeze, he reached out, but she turned, sprinkled the salt into the flour and raised an eyebrow in query.

He huffed out a frustrated breath.

"Will you be long?"

"Not really. It's a large base to the cake, I have to put this one in on it's own before I bake the others. I won't decorate until tomorrow."

With a thought forming in his head, he grinned. She smiled back as though she could read his thoughts. Basically, yeah, he only ever had one thought when he was around her.

"It takes an hour and a half to bake."

A little disappointment curled in his stomach. Only an hour and a half. The beast stirred. An hour and a half would have to do - for now.

She turned on the mixer, this time a slow lazy turn of the beaters, and spooned in flour, then poured in a little of the milk and eggs she had beaten together much to his pleasure as he watched her entire body tremble to the rhythm. Alternating, she added all the ingredients until the mixture was smooth and white.

Impatient for his hour and a half, he frowned at her.

"Can't you just dump it all in together?"

Her light laughter tempted him to grab her, but she seemed pre-occupied.

"No, I can't. If you put all the eggs in together you curdle the mixture, all the flour and it would poof everywhere."



She removed half the white mixture, set it aside in a bowl while she added cocoa powder to the remaining and let the mixer give another slow beat until the chocolate was completely mixed in.

He leaned forward to get a better view as she niftily spooned the two mixtures into a lined cake tin.



"Wow. That's big."

"11 inches."

A large blob of chocolate mixture dropped into the tin as her lips twitched with amusement and his mouth watered.


She skimmed the last of the mixture out of the bowls and had no sooner put the chocolate one down when he whisked it away and swiped his finger around the inside.  Sticking it in his mouth, he closed his eyes and almost died from sheer pleasure.

Cautious, she slipped the tin into the oven and closed the door.

"I just need to..."

"Too late. Clock's ticking"

He flung her squirming body over his shoulder and headed for the bedroom as she squealed -  he had a lot to achieve in an hour and a half.

The Recipe

This is for an 11" cake tin. You can halve the recipe and use a 7" tin instead. (Bake for 1hr 10 mins)

450g (1lb) Butter
450g (1lb) Caster Sugar
6 large free range eggs
700g (24oz) Self Raising Flour
1/2 tsp salt
450ml (14 fl oz) semi-skimmed milk
50g (2oz) cocoa powder

Bake at 160 Degrees C (325 degrees F) for 1 hr 30 mins to 1hr 45 mins

Split the cake in two, sandwich together with fresh cream and cover in cooled, melted chocolate.

The Tenant Blog Hop - Sotia Lazu

A warm welcome to my very good friend, Sotia Lazu who has a brand new release out. Pull up a chair Sotia and tell us about your romantic thoughts. 
Hi Diane, and thank you for having me J
In my RL dealings with people, I pretend to be a cynic. In truth, I’m a sappy romantic, who believes love can be found at the most unexpected places.


In 2008, I met a guy on a fanfiction archive site. I was there because I’d had my heart broken so many times, I felt like writing about someone getting hers mended. He’d happened upon it because he had too much free time at work.
We talked a lot. He was fun, he was cute, and he was from Romania. I told him upfront I didn’t believe in long distance relationships. Two years later, he moved to Greece and we got married. And we’re still stupidly happy about it.
My sister met a guy on a day I was too bored to drive her to the shopping centere and called her a cab instead. He was hot, he asked for her number and gave her his, and never called. She whined our ears off about him for two months, before she happened to get in his taxi again.
He said he hadn’t called, because he didn’t want her to feel pressured, and that he kept wishing she’d call him instead.
He and my sis got married six weeks ago, and you can’t wipe the silly grin off her face since.
My point, in case it’s not clear yet, is that love can be found when you least expect it. Worse, when it might actually be inconvenient.
As inconvenient as a tenant who won’t move out, when all you want is to make the apartment a home for your husband to be and yourself.
As inconvenient as the realization maybe you’re not with the one you’re meant to be with.

The Tenant by Sotia Lazu Blurb

In hopes of getting her fiancé to consummate their relationship before the wedding, Amanda convinces him they should check out the apartment her father gave her as a gift for their upcoming nuptials. Darkness and privacy are supposed to work in her favor, but there is one parameter she doesn’t know about: the apartment is not empty yet, and the current tenant has no plans of moving.
Derek has had a hell of a few months. His girlfriend turned out to be a cheater and then stole his restaurant. He's not about to also give up the place he's called home for three years—even if his hot but infuriating landlady threatens to move in by the end of the week.
When her own lease is up, Amanda is forced to make good on her threat. As if life isn't already hard enough, her tenant-turned-roommate is as sexy as he is annoying, and her fiancé is caught with a half-naked woman.
Now she and Derek need to find a way to survive their forced cohabitation. They soon discover sleeping with the enemy can be fun.
Excerpt
Hushed voices. There were people whispering inside his home, and—
Something crashed.
It might have been fury at whoever dared vandalize his home that drove his feet from bathroom to bedroom, naked as the day he was born. It could have been hope he’d finally get out some of his frustration that curled his fingers around the baseball bat lying beneath his bed and led him the rest of the distance to his living room in the pitch black.
Weighing the bat in one hand, he pressed the fingers of the other to the light switch he knew to be at his left, and took in the lit room.
A couple was making out on his floor. By his overturned table and his smashed lamp.
He scowled so hard his forehead hurt, but it was all he could do not to charge them and bash their heads in.
“What the fuck are you doing in my place?” he asked the kneeling hulk. He’d heard about people making out in parks, playgrounds, even cemeteries, but breaking into someone’s home to get some was unbelievable.
The small blonde lying on the floor sat upright, eyes blazing. “Your place? My father gave me this apartment!”
Her boyfriend simply blinked at him.
Was it Derek’s imagination, or was the blonde having a hard time looking him in the eye? He was tempted to mention his face was an entire torso—and then some—higher than what she was staring at, but his ego needed some stroking, so he let her take all of him in, while his mind caught up to what she’d just said.
“You’re Kenneth’s daughter?” he finally asked, the bat only slightly lowered. Alice’s sister. This one was shorter, and Alice dyed her hair dark brown these days, but Derek could see the resemblance.
She finally lifted her gaze to meet his, and her eyes were the same bright green as her sister’s. “You’re the guy who’s supposed to be gone?”
He could apologize and say he’d forgotten because of the rain of utter shit falling on him lately.
He could ask for a bit more time until he’d found a new place.
Or he could be an ass. Nobody else seemed to think twice about being an ass to him. “Hardly,” he said with a snort. “I’m supposed to be right where I am. You, on the other hand, are trespassing. Or is it breaking and entering?”
The young woman scrunched her nose, which was adorable in a snooty, bratty way. “No breaking. I’ve got a key.” She narrowed her eyes. “When Mason and I were first engaged, Dad said he asked you to move. That was three months ago.”
Mason. That was the silent brute’s name. “I remember no such thing, and” —he looked pointedly at the remains of his favorite lamp— “there has definitely been some breaking.”
Blondie bounced up and glared. Funny, but she was intimidating despite her small stature. Maybe that was why Mason stood back and let her handle things. “Dad bought the place for me, to begin with,” she said. “You knew when you first moved in that I was eventually going to be needing it.”
That was true. Derek had heard all about how this was one day going to be a wedding present for Kenneth’s oldest daughter—and what was her name, again?—though said daughter hadn’t even been dating back then. Kenneth said his daughter was picky and needed a man with serious backbone before she settled down.
Things had apparently changed.
Derek considered waving the bat to see if the big guy would flinch, but decided to be the bigger man—and wasn’t that ironic, when Mason had at least four inches on him? “Kenneth mentioned something, but he didn’t give me the sixty days notice he was supposed to.” Blondie opened her mouth, probably to repeat her father let him know three months ago. Now was time for the coup de grace, and Derek somehow knew he’d love watching her squirm. “As you know, the notice is supposed to be in writing or it doesn’t count,” he said.
And smirked.
And winked.
Mason grabbed Blondie’s shoulder, flexing his arm in the process. The look on his face indicated that Derek’s nudity might have offended him more than Derek’s intention to not vacate the premises for at least two more months. “Let’s go, Mandi.” Ah, that was her name. “We’ll talk to your father. He’ll know what to do.”
Her gaze said she knew what to do too, and it involved the painful insertion of the baseball bat in Derek’s most private orifice.
Derek’s smirk widened into a grin. “And now get out of here, before I have to call the police and report you for harassment on top of everything else.”
Mandi stared him down for a split second, but when Derek swung his bat in the air, her overly inflated toy boy all but dragged her out the door.
Derek propped his weapon on his shoulder, grabbed a bottle of scotch, and went to bed. He sensed his swagger had returned. Maybe that was because he’d actually felt he had balls, for the first time in days.
Odd way for his day to improve, but it had. He would give anything for another opportunity to bait Mandi Murphy. If he couldn’t torture the woman who’d hurt him, he’d torture the one who wanted to evict him. He had to be subtle about it, though. He didn’t want to make Kenneth mad at him.
About the Author
Sotia’s making do with Greek reality, while writing and mostly thinking in English.

She loves romances with a twist and urban fantasy novels, always with vivid erotic elements. Her favorite characters to write are not conventional hero-material at first glance, and she enjoys making them fight for their happiness.
Sotia shares her life and living quarters with her husband, their son, and two rescue dogs, one of which may be part-pony. Sappy movies make her bawl like a baby, and she wishes she could take in all the stray dogs in the world.
Also, she hates mornings!
Sotia’s books: Amazon | B & N | Smashwords | Apple | Kobo

Contact Sotia:Website
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Or write to her at author@sotialazu.com
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AND THAT’S NOT ALL! Until the 11th of the month, you have the chance for several more entries. Just stop by the following blogs, and leave me a comment:
August 8th Gina Henning Blog http://www.ginahenning.com/blog/ August 8th Barbara Elsborg - Barbara's Blog http://www.barbaraelsborg.com/blog-posts/ August 9th The Naughty and Nice of Romance http://tdhassett.wordpress.com August 9th Ana Blaze http://anablaze.blogspot.com/ August 9th Apathy's Hero http://blog.apathyshero.com August 10th Megan O'Russell http://meganorussell.com August 10th Blame It On The Muse http://blameitonthemuse.com/ August 10th History in the Hot Lane http://shilohsaddler.blogspot.com August 10th A Pen Named Brock http://www.tabrockbooks.com August 10th Diane Saxon Blog Spot http://www.dianesaxon.com/blogspot.html August 11th Tara Quan http://www.taraquan.com/ August 11th Writery http://writery.wordpress.com/ August 11th Vincent Morrone http://vincentmorrone.com/ August 11th Daisy Banks Blog http://daisybanks.wordpress.com/