Pride and Domination

Greetings!  Fresh off a busy release day for Blue Cruise I have an AMAZING review to share:
this from Queer Magazine Online....


[image error] Commented by Serena Yates    November 15, 2011
Last updated: November 15, 2011
#1 Reviewer  -   View all my reviewsBLUE CRUISE (A 1 NIGHT STAND STORY) BY LIZ CROWEThis story is about letting go of the past, finding new love and starting afresh. It is an interesting mix between getting to know that past rather intimately in the first half then telling the story of how Caleb finds a new beginning. At first I thought it was strange to spend so much time (comparatively speaking) on the story with Tarkan. But the interesting thing was that it enabled me to identify all the more closely with Caleb. I have been through his relationship with Tarkan, as it were, and my ability to 'suffer his loss with him', so to speak, was much higher.


If you like short stories with a lot of emotion, some very hot sex scenes and an uplifting message, you will probably like this one. Especially as it comes with quite some depth for a story this short, some great Mediterranean scenery and characters I liked and felt for.It's funny she mentions it but I did delve deep into Tarkan's story on a 2nd editing round.  I felt that there just wasn't enough "there" for the reader to be able identify with relative to Caleb's heartbreak and subsequent recovery.  Validation! And no small measure of excitement.


OH and here's another one just in for Blue Cruise....from http://www.bethannmason.com/blogFirst, let me start by saying, read Turkish Delights first!   Some books in a series can be read as stand-alone books.  This one can't really, though Liz tried!  Second, a tissue warning.  The book will break your heart well before you're a quarter of the way into it.   Third, this is the hardest Wednesday review I've written to date, because I sincerely do not want to spoil any of the book for the readers, but I want to be able to share it with you!  Finally, pay attention!  I had to really dig in and pay attention to the first half of the book and I'm glad I did!  It was well worth it later on.Here's the hard part – the spoiler alert! – Liz opens Blue Cruise with a one-two TKO punch.  It leaves you looking around the room saying, "wait! what the hell just happened?!"   (Did you miss the part where I said "pay attention?")   She knocks her main character, Caleb, right down to the mats and wills you to believe that he's never getting back up.  Of course, he has a meddling best friend that's really more like a sister, who has to finally intervene and kick his butt into pulling his life back together and even forces him to wade back into the relationship waters again.   Ultimately, Liz brings Caleb back full circle, as any good writer would with lots of bumps and knocks along the way.Liz has a very unique writing style.  I think she's out to invent her very own niche in the writing world.  Never could I compare her to any of my other favorite authors in any way.  She never starts a book the way you expect.  There's no formula there – its raw creativity and talent, and I love it. [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error]



I'm here to chat a bit about Domination.  It's hot topic, at least in romance writing circles.  Nothing sells better right now EXCEPT m/m...oh and "shifters."  I don't know that I will ever write a shifter story.  But I've recently tried my hand at both m/m and D/s within the Turkish Delights trilogy.  I've done a fair bit of reading for both.  The most succinct and to the point definitions I've found are at  www.domsub.info:
  Dominance (also called Domination) - In terms of BDSM [Bondage · Discipline · Sadism · Masochism] and D/s, this term refers to taking control of a person or situation through usage of some means (such as physical, mental, financial, etc), or to exercise this power. A person who exercises this power on a regular basis, outside of BDSM scenes, is called a Dominant; the gender specific titles being Dom or Master for a man, Domme, Mistress, or Dominatrix for a woman.       submission - In BDSM and D/s, this refers to the act of yielding to something or someone; also refers to the state of submitting. This may be through the manipulation of a Dominant or Top. Typically, someone who submits on a regular basis, outside of a BDSM scene, is referred to as a submissive. Submissives who submit to an extreme degree are called slaves.  
Intriguing.  I read on a bit and found that "trust" is a key component of a true, successful D/s relationship. When I created Lale, Emre and Tarkan's little sis from the Turkish Delights series, she had Domme written all over her... BUT....her extreme lack of trust in anything and everything around her since tragedy takes a family member makes her vulnerable.  When the right Dom shows up in her life, it seems she will switch.  But it's bound to come with some struggle.  Luckily, love will out (this IS a romance book you ninny) but not without some serious confrontation and heat!I so enjoyed writing this series.  The buzz is good so far.  I hope you get a chance to read it too! Send me your feedback in a comment and I'll contact you by email if you want to chat further.Tulip Princess:
Lale Deniz was always prone to wildness. But when her family is ripped apart at the seams, she becomes more reckless than ever. Desperate to stop her self-destructive slide, her parents step in and send her to America to live with her brother, Emre. Just the chance, she thinks, to escape the tragedy suffusing her Istanbul home. Andreas Michos, Greek former NFL star, the recently divorced athletic director at UNLV, floats through life seeking fulfillment. He has reason to doubt his own abilities as a natural Dom and has given up finding his perfect mate.  Until he agrees to a 1Night Stand. Set against a backdrop of ancient cultural clashes and Mediterranean family dynamics, Lale and Andreas meet in Las Vegas at the Castillo resort for their date. But it seems Madame Eve and destiny will both fail this time. Unless Lale and Andreas are willing to relinquish enough control to discover what happiness can be found inside the soul of the other. Will stubbornness keep them from connecting, or can they let go long enough to heal?
VERY HOT EXXXCERPT: He walked her over to the custom table that doubled as his spanking bench. The dark walnut frame gleamed, and the removable mattress and restraints at each corner and in the middle made her frown and worry that lip piercing again. He tried to stay calm and focused. "Take off your shirt and bra. Leave your skirt and shoes on. And bend over this table, holding your arms out." She stared at the table then at him with disbelief. "No fucking way." She muttered at the floor. "I told you didn't….""Bend over it now, Princess." He used his most commanding voice. "I promise you it will be worth it." It worked. He licked his lips as she huffed and puffed, but proceeded to strip out of her shirt and bra. His breath caught at the utter magnificence of her full breasts. They were tipped with dark chocolate-colored, rock hard nipples. She leaned over the table that accommodated a six-foot-six-inch Master and his cock, and held her hands out. "Now what?" Her tone remained a little too sassy for his taste. He strolled slowly over to the other side of the table and wrapped a thin leather tie around her wrists. She glared at him. He patted her head, ran a finger down her face, then made his way back to her backside. Putting a hand on the smooth skin of her ass, semi-exposed thanks to her short skirt, he sighed. Oh God, this was going to be rough. Mainly on him. He ran his hand down one long, smooth thigh, then back up. Using both hands, he caressed her hips, gripped her waist, and ground his painfully erect rod against her nearly bare bottom. She wiggled and arched her back. When he brought his palm down hard against the skin of her left ass cheek, she screeched in protest and tried to sit up. He stayed pressed against her, kept one hand on her upper back, immobilizing her enough to gauge her true reaction. When she didn't cry out or struggle, he did it again. The smack of skin on skin made him shiver in anticipation. She only whimpered that time, so he moved his other hand to her hair, twining his fingers in it and holding on tight. He spanked her again, and again, just hard enough to make noise, not enough to make it truly hurt. That wasn't the goal tonight. Each time, she grew quieter until he finally stopped. Their combined ragged breathing echoed in the room. Her incredible heart-shaped ass glowed red, finger marked and sexy as hell. He gulped, knelt behind her, and pressed his lips to the angry skin. She moaned and sniffled. "That hurt," she mumbled. He looked up to assess her reaction and smiled at the sight of her with her head turned, eyes closed, but with a calm face. He reached under the sorry excuse for a skirt and hooked a finger in her thong. "Don't ever wear these again," he growled. With a quick flick of his wrist, the flimsy fabric ripped and fell down around her ankles. He stepped back, took in the amazing sight. "Spread your legs more, I want to taste." He could barely hear his own whisper. She shifted and did as he said. When he knelt and dipped his tongue into her already dripping pussy, tasted her essence, lapped at her delicate pink lips, just like the petals of her namesake flower, he realized he had found the one. He heard her groan when he took the tiny ball that pierced her clit between his teeth and tugged slightly. God help him, he had to have her, all of her. He'd put in the effort. It would be worth it. And so far, she seemed amenable to the new experiences. "Fuck me," she mumbled, arching her hips up more. He stopped what he was doing, with reluctance and stood, watching her juices drip down one smooth thigh. His body heated up at the sight. He put a hand on his cock, which twitched and jerked in anticipation. "Please, Andreas. Please make me come. I can't…I haven't…oh, God!" She cried out when he plunged two fingers deep inside her walls, reaching up just under her pubic bone. His fingers were caught tight as her velvety pussy clamped down on him. He moaned and nipped at her ass, letting her lust permeate his every pore.
uh huh...who needs a hot shower now?Tulip Princess: releasing from Decadent Publishing Friday, November 18, 2011.www.decadentpublishing.com
make it a great Thursday....!Liz