Limecello’s review of Sex Drive by Susan Lyons
Contemporary erotic romance released by Aphrodisia 1 Dec 09

I like that Susan Lyon’s stories are unique. Ms. Lyons is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. First of all, she wrote the Awesome Foursome books. Next, that she writes warm, smart, sexy stories, that have substance. Sex Drive never got too heavy or dull, but it wasn’t a brainless piece of fluff. I liked that. Yes, it was a purely entertaining read, but thought provoking if I wanted it to be. I’m really glad I read this book.

I have to admit, that I put off reading this book for a while. I was super excited about it, because, well, hello. New book by Susan Lyons! Then I read everything from the beginning (as I generally do) – and for some unknown reason I convinced myself it was going to be a rehash of Susan Mallery’s Marcelli sisters books. (The first three. Which I enjoyed a lot… But.) Anyway, I was mistaken. Thank goodness – so, anyway. If the book starts out a bit slowly for you… read on. You’ll be happy you did.

Professor Theresa Fallon is your average woman. Aside from being a genius, she’s been burnt by love, has average looks, an rather average family… she’s pretty normal. However, Theresa is also incredibly loyal, willing to drop everything to go help out her baby sister. She also allows herself to let go a little while on “vacation” – and in her short time with Damien, grows a lot. After she loosens up, and allows herself to become more than an academic, Theresa is a lot of fun, and would be a great friend.

Damien Black is a fantastic hero. I can’t think of many books I’ve read where the hero is an author. He’s pretty happy go lucky, but Theresa helps me see how he could essentially change the world. (Or at least some of it.) And more importantly, Damien steps up to the challenge. You have to respect that. He’s also got a very interesting ethnic and cultural background. I really liked that. He’s also comfortable with himself. Damien likes to play a little too hard, and gets himself in a sticky situation, but owns up to it.

There are certain themes and issues she seems to address in most of her stories that make my social justice loving heart happy. Even happier is the fact that Ms. Lyons is subtle about it. She doesn’t beat the reader over the head, preach, or become pedantic. Ms. Lyons wraps it up nicely in the characters, and makes it part of the story.

Yes, there was a time or two it would have gone over the edge – but Theresa is a professor. She’s also super geeky and way involved in academia. It’d be natural for her to spout off and begin lecturing, rather than discuss a topic conversationally. I also thought it was fun to get a “behind the scenes” peek of Damien’s book signing. Having never been to one, or really thought about it from an author’s perspective, it was nice to get it from Damien’s. Also, that scene gave Damien added depth, and allowed Theresa to see him in a different way.

My problem is that I fear Ms. Lyons has set me up for disappointment. What do I mean by that? Well, I might now expect all stories to have rational discussions, where the characters act reasonably and resolve issues rather than throwing tantrums and causing havoc. (Yes, some gentle sarcasm there.)

Sex Drive takes place over the course of a weekend, essentially. But the characters change a lot. Theresa becomes Tezzie with Damien, and it fits. They fall in love hard, and fast, and it’s believable that Theresa is almost an entirely different person with Damien, and that he thinks she’s absolutely stunning and the most beautiful person. I loved reading their relationship develop – so quickly, but also naturally. There are of course uncertainties and some fraught moments, but they work through them.

I cannot wait for the next book(s) in this series, and definitely won’t be making any more assumptions.

Grade: B+

Summary:

When Dr. Theresa Fallon meets a long, lean stranger in business class, she’s suddenly ready for anything. There’s something about Damien Black that makes her want to surrender immediately…Which is why she accepts Damien’s spontaneous offer of a sizzling getaway. All in the name of research, of course. And once the pretty professor slips between the sheets with this hard-bodied man of mystery, she discovers the meaning of the term erotic pleasure…

Read an excerpt here.

We’re glad you could make it back to another day of Duck Chat! Welcome!

We’re going to have a fun and interesting day today – Sasha White is here!

Sasha has one extensive backlist, and if you haven’t read a Sasha White book yet, you’re missing out. Even if you haven’t read her latest, Most Wanted, do check out her web site and I know you’ll find something there that you’ll want to read! Sasha is going to talk about Most Wanted and a number of her other books today.

Her site is also full of such interesting facts about her, i.e., one of her hobbies is bookbinding, she has a black belt in karate, she’s worked as a bodyguard, has ridden an elephant in Nepal and an Ostrich in South Africa, and a whole host of other fascinating tidbits. Sasha is a native of Canada, single, has a cat named Mystery, and still loves to live out of her backpack if time allows.

She will be popping in and out today to visit with us, so be sure to leave Sasha a meaningful question or comment, and we’ll put you in the running for two copies of Primal Male and two copies of My Prerogative. Now let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: Sasha, you’ve led such an interesting life! The thing that piqued my interest the most from your website – well, aside from your books! – is the fact you were and still are on occasion a bartender. You have to have gotten some great ideas for some of your stories while tending bar. Any examples you can give us so far? Anything you’re tossing around for the future you can share with us?

SASHA WHITE: Hey Sandy, thanks for the invite! I have to say that right now I haven’t gotten anything planned that I’m willing to share. You’ll just have to sign up for my newsletter for news updates.

DC: If you could retire any question and never, ever have it asked again, what would it be? Feel free to answer it.

SW: Where do your ideas come from? I hate that question. LOL If I knew where they came from I’d never feel uninspired or less than creative. But, to answer I’m going to steal from one of my posts at Genreality on this very subject.

“The honest answer is I Don’t Know – usually. Sometimes a song will inspire me or a person I meet or even another book. Yeah, I know, authors aren’t really supposed to admit that reading other books can inspire them, not in the way I’m about too. Carrie touched on it briefly yesterday when she said she’s watched the second Pirates of the Carribean, and thought, “I can do it better.” Well, I read a lot, and when I’m done, sometimes I think, “I can do it better.” That’s not to say everyone agrees with me, or even that I can do it better. But that story I just read sparked something inside me, and that’s one of the ways I can get inspired.”

DC: I’ve heard writers often say their stories take them in surprising directions, or dialogue flows from some unknown place. Is it the same with you? Do your characters surprise you sometimes?

SW: Almost always. Mostly because I’m not much of a plotter, so I only have a vague idea of the things that will happen in the story. However, even when I think I know what’s going to happen, stories and characters often take a left turn on me – and I love it. To me, that’s part of the magic of storytelling.

DC: Let’s talk about Most Wanted, which was released in June, and is an anthology of three of your stories. First, why an anthology of this type for these three stories, and, second would you tell us a little about each one?

SW: The three novellas in Most Wanted are all sequels to previous releases from Aphrodisia. Stories that had characters that readers kept asking for, and I wanted to revisit. The whole idea for it came about because I kept getting reader emails, and readers do have powers.

Lexy and Devon from The Crib in the Pure Sex anthology are together again in Hidden Cravings. Detective Jackson Barrows watched his partner fall for a thief in Sex as a Weapon in The Cop anthology, and in Unrestricted Access, he does some falling of his own. No Angel continues my paranormal Hunter series with Gabriel Mann, the work hard-play harder younger brother of Caleb Mann from Sexy Devil, and demon hunter Anna Blair.

Excerpt from all three novellas in Most Wanted:

HIDDEN CRAVINGS EXCERPT

Devon’s gaze practically burned a hole in her back as they left the club. And it felt good. Lexy was sorry that his cousin was missing, and she was going to do everything she could to find out what happened to Theresa, but she wasn’t sorry Devon was back in her life, and would soon be back in her bed.

Anticipation of a long sleepless night wrestling between the sheets with Devon had her insides trembling in eagerness as she drove back to her apartment. Once inside, she closed the door to the apartment and leaned back against it, just taking in the sight of him in her front room.

Cell phone in hand he stood in the middle of the room, staring at the floor as he dialed. Tension built in the lines of his body as he dialed the phone and waited. He closed his phone and raised his head, his turbulant gaze meeting hers.

“Still no messages?” she asked.

His lips pressed together and he shook his head once. He took a deep breath and deflated in front of her eyes, dropping onto the sofa with a big sigh. “I have to call my family.”

Lexy’s chest tightened and her heart went out to him. He was beating himself up over Theresa’s disappearance. She could almost see the blows land. I was too late. Why didn’t I ask what what wrong? What am I missing?

Pushing off from the door she walked over to the sofa and climbed onto his lap. Straddling him with her knees next to his hips, she rested her hands on his shoulders. Their eyes met and she smiled.
“It’s nice to see you again,” she said softly.

He didn’t answer, just looked at her, hunger slowly taking over his expression. God, it was good to feel him beneath her again. Devon had always been like magic to her. Sexually inexperienced she wasn’t, but the man touched her in a way no one else ever had, and she wanted that again. She wanted his touch, his taste. She wanted to feel him buried deep inside her body, she needed that connection again. But more than that he was hurting, and she wanted to take that pain away. She might not be able to do that completely, but she was sure as hell going to take his mind of it for a while.

She shifted closer, so close that a deep breath would make her breasts brush against his body, and cupped the back of his neck. Pulling him down for a kiss she whispered, “It’s more than nice to be touching you again.”

Their lips met and opened. It was as if the last year had never happened, as if they’d never been apart. There was no adjustment period. Devon’s tongue speared between her lips and took control, dueling with her, stroking her to a fever pitch within seconds. She clutched at him, her fingers gripping his silky hair as she tried to get closer still.

Large male hands covered hers, stilling them as he pulled back with a groan and buried his face in her neck. He nuzzled her neck for a minute, and a shiver ripped down her spine as she fought for some semblance of control over her body. Devon kissed her behind the ear, and then stood up and set her on her feet, letting her go completely.

“I’ll take the sofa.”

She gaped at him. “Excuse me?”

“I’ll sleep on the sofa, tonight.”

Chaos reigned within as her brain tried to make sense of what she was hearing. “What? Why?”

“You don’t ‘do’ relationships, and I want more than sex from you, Alexis.”

She noted his flushed cheeks, his rising and falling chest as he struggled to breathe, and there was no denying the hard-on pressed aggressively against the button fly of his jeans. What the hell? “Are you telling me you haven’t slept with anyone since me?”

“That’s not what I said.”

Of course not, she thought. Confusion turned to anger and she snapped,“So it’s just me you won’t fuck?”

He started toward her, hands out, then stopped short. “It’s just you that I want more from. Don’t you get it? You’re special. Do I want to fuck you six ways from Sunday? You bet your sassy ass I do. But even more important than that is the fact that I like you, Alexis. And I think we can have something really good together.”

She planted her hands on her hips. “Sure, we can have a damn good time.”

Devon’s mouth turned down at the corners and he shook his head. Something tightened in Lexy’s chest and she stared at him blankly. He was serious, he was going to sleep on the couch, and leave her alone in her bed!

She left him there, in the middle of her living room with a sheet, a pillow, and no more words. It was all she could do not stomp her feet and throw a temper tantrum that would do her Italian heritage proud.

Damn the man, it always had been all or nothing with him. She stripped off her clothes and threw herself on her bed. She tossed and turned, until finally, she lay there staring at the ceiling.

Kane’s comment on her outfit had reminded her that she’d actually been on a date earlier that night. A boring date, but what did she expect? Dating was new to her, and it showed. She wasn’t used to sitting across from a guy and playing twenty questions unless she was trying to get specific information out of him for a case. That’s not to say she was inexperienced with men, just with dating.

She’d never dated Devon. She’d met him and within hours they were rolling around naked and sweaty. Sure they’d talked some. Not as much in person as they had after she’d come back to Vancouver and they’d only had the phone as a way to connect. But they’d talked a bit. She certainly felt like she knew him, and he knew her. Which is why his saying no was so fucked up. He knew what she was like. He knew she wasn’t exactly your typical girl who wanted dinner dates with flowers and goodnight kisses.

Dating had never been a priority for her before, she’d had other things to deal with. First it had been hunting down her parents killers, by the time that was done, she was focused on her solitary life of helping those who needed it. When she wanted sex, she went out and found a man who could give her what she wanted, and that was that.

Only recently she’d started to wonder about what she’d been missing out on with her single minded lifestyle. What would it be like to have friends, fun, and a man around for more than just sex?
It was all Devon’s fault. She’d been just fine living her life her way until she’d met him. Even that brief stint with him in Edmonton had been okay, but he hadn’t left it at that. Oh, no. He’d called, and they’d talked. He’d given her hints at what it would be like to share more than her body with someone. He’d created this freaking yearning to have more in her life.

But he’d been so far away, and yet in other ways, too close. So she’d started dating. God, what a mess that was. It was so not worth the effort. Which was maybe a good thing because if her date earlier that night had been going well, it wouldn’t have been very nice of her to dump a guy the minute she saw Devon on her doorstep.

And there was no doubt in her mind she would’ve done exactly that. Not just because the man only had to look at her to get her to get her heart pounding, but also because he’d been there for her when she’d needed back-up. There was knowledge of each other between them, a trust that went beyond that of a lover.

She flipped over again and punched her pillow before burying her face in it. But they were lovers. And he still wanted her, it had been clear in his eyes. She wanted to connect with him again because she knew he was hurting. She wanted to comfort him in the only way she knew how and he’d thrown it back in her face!

“Screw this,” she muttered and jumped up from the bed. She was already talking as she strode into the living room and flipped the lights on. “I don’t do relationships because I’ve never had one. I don’t know how have a relationship!”

Devon sat up on the couch, completely awake. “Tony? Jimmy D? Those are relationships. And what about Michaels tonight? You have some sort of relationship with him.”

She tried not to notice the fact that he had no shirt on. Devon was by no means a boy, he was man’s man all the way through and it showed in his body. Lean hard muscles, a light pelt of hair that enhanced those muscles and made her fingertips burn to touch. Giving herself a mental head-slap she focused on what he’d said.

“They’re my uncles! And Kane is married, it’s not what you think.”

He stared, his eyes burning in a way that suddenly reminded her that she was completely naked. She slept in the nude, and she hadn’t even thought about it before storming into the living room.
Finally, Devon stood to face her, his voice rising to match hers. “They’re still relationships, Alexis. You share yourself, your life with them. Sleeping with a person doesn’t make it a relationship, sharing does!” He scrubbed and hand through his hair. “Hell, we were well on our way until you decided to clam up and shut down.”

“Family is different and you know it.” Anger fueled her arousal as she moved forward until she stood directly in front of him, chest–to-chest. Her heart was pounding and hot blood was racing through her veins. “Relationships aren’t my thing, Devon. Especially a long distance one.”

“You saying you don’t “do” relationships is just an excuse. You cut me out of your life because I was getting too close. You were starting to care, and that scared the shit out of you.”

He waved an angry hand around her apartment. “Just look at this place.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Her apartment was hardly a penthouse, but she kept it neat and clean. What the hell was he talking about?

“You’re place is full of photos of family and people you’ve loved. I see Tony and Jimmy, you and your parents when you were a kid. I’m guessing that’s you and your first boyfriend.” He pointed to one of her and Mike. “You know how to have a relationship, Alexis. You’ve proven you understand what family is, and loyalty is a core part of you. You’re just too damn stubborn.”

Desperate to make him understand, but too angry and aroused to try and form coherent words she just grabbed him by the head and pulled him down for a kiss.

Like putting a lit flame to gasoline, they were ablaze within seconds. Strong male hands roamed over Lexy’s body, pulling her closer, stroking down her back, cupping her ass and squeezing, lifting. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and whimpered.

So good, he tasted so damn good. Felt so damn good, so right. They fit together perfectly, hearts pounding in time as Devon moved, turning and setting her on the sofa, sliding to his knees on the floor. He dragged his lips away from hers, nibbling, sucking and biting his way across her jaw to the sensitive spot behind her ear.

“Ahh,” she cried, arching her back and tilting her head to give him better access. “God, Devon. I’ve missed you.”

UNRESTRICTED ACCESS EXCERPT

The heat from the August mid-day sun was nothing compared to the heat that washed over Jillian Furst when she pulled into the driveway and put her shiny red SUV in park.
She’d glimpsed her neighbor’s mostly naked body as she’d pulled in, and that had been enough to tweak her need. Shit, who was she kidding? All she had to do was think of him and her body tightened with a yearning she couldn’t deny. It had been that way for the last ten months, ever since she’d moved into the cute bungalow style house on Parker Road.
She shut off the ignition and, of it’s own volition, her head turned. Like a woman dyeing of thirst, she drank in the sight of Jackson Barrows mowing his lawn.
A couple of inches over six feet tall, he was all lean sinewy muscle and fluid grace. Wearing nothing but long boarding shorts, sunglasses, and flip-flops, the sun gleamed off his sweat-slicked skin. If that wasn’t enough to make her mouth water, the tattoos that covered a good portion of his body did the trick. They hinted at a dangerous edge, a craving for adrenaline, and maybe even the need for a little bit of pain. He was her ultimate fantasy.
If only he weren’t such a complete macho alpha dog.
If only the cocky grin he flashed her as she climbed out of her Jeep Liberty didn’t make the butterflies in her stomach take flight.
The man was totally hot, and he knew it. It wasn’t just his looks – though the dark chocolate hair, bright green eyes, and athletic body definitely did their part – it was his confidence. He was strong and sure of himself in every way … and the challenge of him was almost too much to resist. But resist she did.
She’d made it clear when she first met him that she’d found him attractive, and he’d been nice, but distant. Friendly, but not flirtatious. So she’d respected the invisible wall he’d put up and stopped sending out the ‘I’m interested’ signal and they’d become friendly neighbors who exchanged casual conversation about workdays and the weather over a drink on someone’s deck every now and then. She was friends with his partner’s wife, and they occasionally crossed paths socially. Never once had he been without a date on those occasions.
That didn’t stop her from fantasizing about him when she was alone in bed with her favorite vibrator though.
After giving him a casual wave she opened the back door of her Jeep Liberty and reached for the three brown paper bags full of groceries. Once they were balanced in her arms she used her hip to shut the door. She took two steps toward her door, one of the bags shifted and an orange jumped for freedom. Then a second one hit the pavement running…well…rolling as it were.
“Shit!” She shifted the bags again, and chased the little suckers only to stop sharply when two large male hands swooped down and grabbed them.
“Thanks.” She hadn’t heard the mower shut off, but Jack was definitely standing in front of her in all his sweaty glory.
“No problem,” he said with a lopsided grin. “Happy to be of service to a damsel in distress.”
Clearing her throat, she ignored the drop of sweat that was trickling down the center of his naked chest and focused on the playful tone of his voice. Then replied in kind, “I was hardly in distress.” And of course, that’s when her cell phone went off.
They stood there looking at each other for a moment, and then Jack spoke, his voice full of suppressed laughter. “Your ass is ringing.”
“Gee, thanks,” she said with a laugh. “You going to help me out here or what?”
“Of course.” He reached a hand out, but instead taking a bag from her, he turned her a little bit and reached into the back pocket of her denim skirt himself. His hand wiggled and pressed against her ass. Her pulse fluttered, and she bit her lip against the moan that rose in her throat.
What the hell was going on?
Jack had always been friendly, even flirty, but this behavior was taking things to a different level.
Finally, he pulled her phone out and flipped it open before holding it to her ear.
“Hello,” she said, blushing at the breathlessness of the one word. Her pulse was racing and suddenly, breathing was hard because every time she inhaled the scent of his clean male sweat, her head got a little lighter, her body a little tighter.
“Hi Jillian, it’s Vanessa. And I need a favor.”
The pleading note in her friends voice would’ve been a clear warning, if Jill had been paying attention. But she was too aware of the grinning man in front of her, and she answered automatically. “Of course, Vanessa, whatever you need.”
“I need you to do a show for me at the club.”
That snapped her brain back into gear. “No way.”
“You said whatever I need, and I really need you to do this.”
“Uh uh. I’m sorry, Vanessa, You know that’s not my thing.”
Her friend rushed on, as if Jill hadn’t uttered a word. “O’s giving a private party for some of her friends- friends that have never come to the club, and for whatever reason she wants to have someone on stage who can be trusted to read each volunteer and not take things too far. Mistress Miranda was supposed to do it, but she had an accident when she was hiking yesterday and is now laid up with a broken leg for six weeks. The party is in three weeks Jill! Please? I wouldn’t ask you if there was anyone else with even half as much talent as you, but we both know you’re the best.”
The pleading in Nessa’s voice was clear and Jill squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. She knew she wouldn’t say no to her friend, not when she begged. But there was no reason why she couldn’t make her work for it a bit more.
“If I’m the best why did you have Miranda scheduled in the first place?”
“Because I do know how you feel about public shows. I wouldn’t even ask you now if it wasn’t really important. Pleeeeaase?”
Jillian sighed and opened her eyes, surprised that for a moment there she’d forgotten about Jackson standing in front of her.
She really didn’t want to do a show. But she’d been so busy with her web design business that she hadn’t been out to play in over a month. It would feed her spirit if not her soul to visit The O Club and spank a few virgins.
“Fine, I’ll do it,” she said. “But you owe me.” She told Vanessa she’d call her later to set the details, and said good-bye.
Jackson’s full lips twitched as he closed the phone. “What exactly are you the best at?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” She smiled and put a little sass in her tone. “If you want to know what exactly, you’ll have to find out for yourself.”
His smile didn’t change, but something subtle flickered across his face and she wished his mirrored sunglasses didn’t hide so much from her. Something had just shifted between them, she felt it, and tried to get it back.
“As you’ve seen, one of my skills is not carrying a bunch of groceries without dropping some,” she said lightly.
He took the hint and moved quickly. Dropping the rescued oranges and her cell phone in one of the bags, he plucked them all out of her arms. “Your wish is my command.”
Her pussy clenched and she had to close her eyes and take a breath for a moment. Those words, from that man… God, the images that started flashing through her mind had her creaming in her panties.
“Thank you,” she said. He stood, waiting patiently, until she jerked herself back to the present and headed up the walk to her front door.
“No problem. You’ve got a lot of food here for one person.” His smile was crooked and cocky, and his voice still playful, but it didn’t ring true.
Deep-seated instinct had Jill biting back the invitation for him to come in once she had her door unlocked and open. Instead, she just smiled and shrugged. “I’m not much of a cook, so I tend to buy big once a month, cook a bunch of stuff, and freeze it for later.”
His brow puckered and Jill got the impression he wanted to say something, but that invisible wall was back, leaving her slightly bereft. Talk about mixed signals.
Jackson set the bags he was carrying down just inside the front door and bowed his head to her before backing away.
“My work is done here,” he said, a ghost of his earlier flirtatious smirk playing at his lips. “The runaway oranges are caught, the phone is answered, and the damsel is no longer in distress. Have a good afternoon, Jill.”
“Thanks again, Jackson,” she called out to his retreating form.
He waved his hand, and kept on walking.
Jill shut the door and leaned against it. What the hell had just happened? She’d flirted with him before, and it had gotten her nowhere. Yet, for a few minutes there, he’d been flirting with her, heavily too. The cocky smile, the playful manhandling – God, his hand in her back pocket had just about make her knees give out. The vibe he’d been putting out had definitely been a “let’s be more than friends” one.
It seemed that maybe, just maybe, her pulling back these past couple of months tweaked some sort challenge reaction in him. One he’d been unable to resist. But then he had resisted. Sure, his parting comment had been playful, and even flirtatious, but his invisible wall had been firmly back in place making her wonder just what kind of game he was playing.
Jillian’s interest spiked higher than it had ever been, and a plan began to form. She loved to play games, especially those of the erotic sort.

NO ANGEL EXCERPT

Ten minutes later she stomped into some dingy pub on the corner of Bernard and Wilson. With big screen televisions over the bar, team jersey’s of all sorts hanging from the walls and two pool tables in the middle of the room instead of a dance floor, she got the hint. It was a sports pub.
The waitress who wondered over to the booth Anna had slid into and stood at the edge of the table. She wore a tight white V-neck T-shirt that showed off impressive cleavage and too much make-up. The bright red nametag on just above her right breast said Sally. Sally cocked her hip out and smiled wanly. “What can I getcha?”
All she needed to do was snap her gum and she’d be a total cliché. “Pint of draft and three shots of Tequila. Gold if you have it.”
Sally’s eyes widened and she looked at the empty bench space on either side of Anna. “Expecting company?”
Anna smiled, baring her teeth. “Nope, it’s all for me.”
Sally walked away, shaking her head and Anna bit back a sigh. It didn’t matter that she showed her teeth, shit, she could curse and growl and threaten, and people just looked at her and shook their heads, or worse …laughed.
It was her Mom’s fault. The silky blond hair and fair skin came from her. Mom said the full mouth, and foul language came from her Dad, but since he’d died before Anna was born, she didn’t see how. Whatever. She was what she was, and she’d long since given up on caring what people thought about her.
Sally came back with her drinks and Anna paid cash, making sure to tip the girl. She’d waited table before, and knew it wasn’t an easy job. She slammed the two shots of tequila immediately, one right after the other. The burn down her throat and into her stomach was not so welcome, but the warmth that spread through her veins and mellowed the throbbing pain in her head was.
Anna sat there, staring at the empty shot glasses and wondered if the supernatural bounty hunters would ever leave her alone. She felt like crap. Her jaw hurt, there was a good sized knot on the back of her head, and thanks to that sappy movie and lovely demon attack, she was feeling lonelier than ever.
It didn’t seem to matter what she did or where she went, they always found her. She’d only been in Pearson for two days!
Sipping her beer she scanned the pub. The crowd was sparse, and the clientele seemed to be made up mostly of the blue-collar type. The mean wore jeans, T-shirts, and steel toed boots, the few women wore denim shorts or skirts, tank tops that ranged in color but helped showcase cleavage, even the ones with little to showcase. No one stood out as particularly dangerous, and even though most glanced her way at some point in those first few minutes, no one approached her table.
Anna watched two men move up to the pool tables and get ready to start a game. In all honesty, it wasn’t until the blond one kept glancing her way, that she really took note of him.
He was good looking, in a cocky, king-of-the-world sort of way. His well-worn jeans hugged him in all the right places, his T-shirt was mostly clean, and his smile was seductive.
Anna watched him bend over the table to line up his next shot and a little tingle went through her. He had a very nice ass. Round, and firm. She could picture her hands on it, her nails digging in and urging him on as they flexed and filled with every thrust of his hips.
Ohh, she thought. That would feel so good right now.
He sank three more balls and then he was lining up the black eight ball. With a smooth sure stroke, he put that one in the corner pocket. He straightened up, looked over his shoulder at her, and winked.
The tingle in her belly spread lower and she smiled. He was just what she needed. Too wrapped up in himself to want more than one night, he would be the perfect distraction from her dismal thoughts.
She took a sip from her beer, and put a little sparkle behind her smile the next time he glanced her way. His swagger increased as he moved around the table and Anna chuckled silently. Oh yeah, he was definitely what she needed to get her mind off her life.
When the second game was over, he set his cue stick down and made his way to her booth. He moved with a smooth liquid grace that had her blood heating and her mind stripping him naked.
“Hi there,” he said. “Can I get you another drink?”
She glanced down and realized not only had she finished her beer, but the third shot glass was empty too. She didn’t even remember drinking it, and her headache was pretty much gone.
“No, thanks,” she replied. She better not drink anymore. Safety first, and alcohol slowed her reflexes and dimmed her control over her powers. “But you should join me anyway.”
“I’m Gabe,” he said as he slid into the booth. “How are you doing tonight?”
“Better every minute,” she replied honestly.
His eyes widened and she noticed they were a nice deep blue. Very pretty eyes for a man. When he chuckled his white teeth flashed and she thought they were pretty too.
Funny, she’d never thought of teeth as attractive before. Maybe it wasn’t his teeth, it was the lips that surrounded them. They were nice. Yes, very nice and full. Very kissable.
Without another thought she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

DC: Do you ever argue with your characters while you’re writing? Who usually wins?

SW: Only once, a long time ago. I learned to trust them, so I don’t argue anymore.

DC: You put hot sauce on your popcorn??

SW: YES! Don’t knock it until you try it. Louisiana Hot sauce is my favorite, but Frank’s Red Hot is good too.

DC: What is sure to distract you from sitting down and working/writing?

SW: Life, movies, tv, phone calls, the desire to sleep in. Everything. Anything.
Being a writer is all about choices. What do you want to do more? Sometimes writing wins, sometimes it loses.

DC: Primal Male sounds quite intriguing with a male empath and a female shape shifter. Please tell our readers about them and their book.

SW: Primal Male is connected to Sexy Devil and the novella No Angel from Most Wanted. Drake Wheeler is an ex-military sniper who likes to keep people at a distance because he’s an empath. Only when he meets shapeshifter Melissa Montrose he can’t keep his distance. There’s a touch of suspense, a bad guy, and some romance and hot sex.

DC: You are a daredevil, parachuting, jumping from a bridge and cliffs into rivers, white water rafting, among other things. Is there some extreme sport you haven’t done yet and would like try?

SW: Scuba Diving. Maybe. If I was younger I’d like to get into skateboarding or something like that, but, well, that’s too much for me now. I did not get more graceful with age. LOL

DC: Another interesting tidbit from your web site is all your traveling you’ve done. You basically lived out of your backpack for a while. Where’s the one or two places that’s etched in your memory because of something unusual that happened or just because?

SW: All of them. I know it sounds cliche, but like everything else, it’s cliche for a reason. I’ve had wonderful and unique experiences in each place, and all hold special places in my heart. I could tell you stories about each place that would make you smile and tug at your heart strings.

DC: What one place would you like to go back to over and over again?

SW: That’s a very tough questions. Like I said, I had wonderful times in all of them, but I’m not really someone who believes in ‘going back.” I tend to think that if I go back to some place/time that was unique and special, that it will lose its shine. So, I tend to always try to move forward, go new places, that sort of thing.

DC: What has been your favorite book cover from all of your releases and why?

SW: Hmm, I’d have to say My Prerogative. I just love the white cover, the read and black, the look on the woman’s face. The cover personifies the title and story perfectly.

DC: How about your least favorite cover? Why?

SW: Yikes, I guess I’d have to go with the cover for one of my old eBooks, Losing It. The book isn’t available anymore, so chances of you finding it are small. The cover had a bare chested man with a plate of sushi, and the story featured a scene with a naked woman on a table with sushi on her a la Nyataimori. So, the cover didn’t really represent the story, in my opinion.

DC: Trouble, what a terrific story this sounds like. Would you give us some insight into this book and its characters?

SW: To put it simply, Trouble is all about being true to yourself and finding happiness. In fact, if I had to pick a theme that ran through all of my stories I’d think that might be it. Trouble is Samair and Val’s story about how they find each other. I wish I could offer you something in-depth but to be honest, you just have to read the story. I like to think each reader will gain something from it that they’ll connect with on a personal level because we all fight to remain true to ourselves at times, and we all want to find that person that is our other half.

DC: How do you feel your male or female characters have evolved over your career? Do you think you write them differently now than you did when you started?

SW: Females, no. Males, yes. When I first started writing I had a very hard time writing from the male perspective. Most of my short stories and my first novel were all from the female only, in first person. It took time for me to find a male character I felt I knew well enough to write. When the time came for me to really get into a male’s head, I actually thought back to some of my many conversations with male customers-ones I’d overheard and taken part in. I find that the ones I have with customers tend to be more honest than the ones I have with men in my real life because the customers don’t care if they’re telling me what I want to hear or not, they just tell me what they really think and feel. And it’s helped. LOL

DC: Is there a genre you haven’t tackled but would like to try?

SW: Nope. *grin* I’ve sampled all of the ones I’ve an interest in, even if I haven’t yet gone as deep as I’d like.

DC: What advice would you give to your younger self?

SW: Stay in shape. Never think that you won’t get “that fat.”  LOL

DC: What would be your “voice’s” tagline?

SW: Oh lord, I have no idea. “Tell it like it is.”? or something along those lines, I think. Maybe one of my readers can answer that. LOL

DC: We’ve talked about your last two releases, and you have so many more books on the shelves. What’s the one book you’d really like readers to take to heart and embrace?

SW: Any of them. All of them. You realize that’s like asking a mother which kids she loves best, right? LOL

I like to think each one is different and that the characters will connect with readers. All of the characters have connected with me on one level or another, when I was writing them. Bound was my first novel and will always hold a special place in my heart. Lush was an experiment in voice and style for me that I think worked out very well. Sexy Devil was fun and wicked fun to write. Wicked was something I put my heart into, and I think it shows. My Prerogative is about a bartender and it almost felt like I was writing a journal at times.

I hope at least one, and hopefully all, will be embraced by readers.

DC: If you had never become an author, what do you think you would be doing right now?

SW: Well, since I only started writing about eight years ago, I can say that I did a lot of the things I would’ve done if I hadn’t become a writer. As for what I’ve have done the last eight years if not write…hmm. not really sure. I tend to jump careers and hobbies often, so I’m sure whatever it is, I’ll still get to it sometime. *grin*

DC: What’s on the horizon for Sasha White?

SW: Your guess is as good as mine. Right now I’m in the relax-and-see-what-happens mode.

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?    – milk
- smooth or chunky peanut butter?  – chunky
- heels or flats?   – flats
- coffee or tea?   – neither.
- summer or winter?   – summer
- mountains or beach?   – both
- mustard or mayonnaise?     – mustard
- flowers or candy?   – flowers
- pockets or purse?    – pockets
- Pepsi or Coke?   – either
- ebook or print?   – Either

And because we’re not tired of them yet:

1. What is your favorite word?    – Sleep
2. What is your least favorite word?     – Up
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?       – Music. Hot men
4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?    – Negativity
5. What sound or noise do you love?     – Cat purring
6. What sound or noise do you hate?      – Next door neighbor’s stereo
7. What is your favorite curse word?     – Fuck
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?     – None
9. What profession would you not like to do?    – Garbage man
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?  – “Good job!”

DC: Thank you for being with us today, Sasha!

Limecello’s Duckies Do Series reviews of The Awesome Foursome Series by Susan Lyons
Erotic romance published by Aphrodisia Feb 06 – Apr 08

Ever finish a book, where after you bask in the afterglow of the ending, you want to jump up and make everyone you know read it? If you haven’t, or are looking for more, have I got four (yes four) suggestions for you! The books Susan Lyons writes are sexy, smart, and have real humanity. I read each of the Awesome Foursome books in 1-2 sittings, staying up til 4 AM to finish them. (And I did the exact same thing the second, and third+ time around.)

The Awesome Foursome is a group of women who meet through yoga. They bitch about class in the locker room, and decide they’d all rather be eating and hanging out than exercising. Suzanne Brennan is a veterinary student, Jenny Yuen is a journalist, Ann Montgomery is a harried lawyer, and Rina Goldberg is a professional musician. All the men Suz, Jen, Ann, and Rina end up with are equally as diverse and fun. I’m so glad we’re doing the “Duckies Do Series” reviews, because this is the perfect format for the Awesome Foursome.

Champagne Rules (Book 1)
Released 1 Feb 06

Suzanne Brennen, the girl next door, and Jaxon Navarre, over worked litigator, have a host of issues to deal with. Suzanne lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Jaxon lives in San Francisco, California. More importantly, they haven’t had any sort of interaction during the past four years, and before that, only one afternoon while they were (separately) vacationing in Crete.

Suzanne and Jax reconnect over the Internet – and end up having lots of steamy cybersex. They agree to meet, resulting in Jaxon going to Vancouver for a visit. The chemistry is instantaneous, but both play it safe. After all, what do they really know about each other? Suzanne and Jax come up with rules – their arrangement is purely physical. No emotional ties, no demands, none of the heavy stuff. They’re just like champagne – if you drink it every day, it gets flat. Thus, the Champagne Rules are born.

The distance forces Suzanne and Jaxon to be creative with their love life, although they don’t have any compatibility issues in the bedroom – or out of it. More visits and conversations lead to another important factor – life goals. The relationship forces introspection on both Suzanne and Jaxon, and in the end, a revision of their rules.

What really impressed me specifically was the fact that Jaxon is Black, and an eminently believable character. Normally, stereotypes come out of the woodwork – where it seems the author wanted to address racism, but didn’t really know how to go about dealing with it, making the issue fall flat. Not so here. Racism is serious, and Ms. Lyons treats it very respectfully, but it never bogs down the book. She weaves different concerns and controversies together artfully, where each one works to support the plot, not distract from it.

Grade: A+

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW

When Suzanne Brennan met Jaxon Navarre, she ad yet to experience the ultimate in pleasure.. but his tender initiation made her wildest dreams come true. Their brief, passionate affair had nothing at all to do with … forever. Four years later, the same rules apply. Keep it light. Keep it simple. And keep it sexy. Very, very sexy. In Jax’s bed, Suzanne finds that desire goes deeper than she ever imagined and erotic pleasure has a whole new meaning. But when it comes right down to it, she’s ready to break every rule in the book for him…

Read an excerpt here.

Hot in Here (Book 2)
Released 1 Aug 06

Jenny Yuen is a very interesting character for a myriad of reasons. First of all, she’s about 5’, 100 lbs, with long gorgeous black hair – but her personality is about twice her size, and as outrageous as her parents would like her to be demure. Jenny lives at home, because of her family, and has to deal with their demands that she marry a nice Chinese boy, and follow their rules. Jenny finds their involvement chafing, but stays out of love and respect for family. (I got the impression that Jenny is Cantonese, but I could be wrong.)

Scott is a firefighter, and in a way he has the same issues as Jenny. He loves what he does and it’s his dream job. Unfortunately his family doesn’t approve of his career choice. They’re German immigrants and farmers, and they want Scott to carry on the family business. I loved that Scott was serious about Jenny first, and that he was the one that took the first steps into making sure they had a real relationship.

The way Scott and Jenny experience pressure from their loved ones is something that brings them together, although they deal with it in very different ways. Because Jenny knows Scott is not someone her family would approve of, she thinks a relationship would be doomed from the start. However, Jenny can’t deny the off the charts chemistry, and is unwilling to give up their sexy trysts. Taking her cues from Suzanne and Jaxon, Jenny creates a set of rules for herself and Scott. Fantasy rules. Each time they get together, they’ll take turns acting out a fantasy one of them has. Thus, they’re both satisfied, but won’t expect anything beyond mutual, physical satisfaction.

It was nice to see how both characters grew throughout the book, and the crazy sexcapades they get into were also quite enjoyable. Not to mention how they met. And everything in between, with the subtle “public service announcements” and banter between the characters. You have to read this book.
Grade: A

RESCUE ME

Journalist Jenny Yuen lands a very steamy assignment: cover a firefighter calendar competition. Her personal favorite? Mr. February. Also known as Scott Jackman. Also known as hot…

Read all about it: the sexy rookie is the man of Jenny’s dreams – her wildest dreams. She’s up for a wickedly sensual game if they play by their very own set of rules: No taboos. No holding back. No commitment. But the desire they feel is impossible to control… and even harder to resist…

Read an excerpt here.

Touch Me (Book 3)
Released 1 Sep 07

Ann Montgomery and Adonis Stefanikis are as different as black and white. Ann is a career driver lawyer, and feels as plain and straight laced as her name. Adonis, by all accounts easily lives up to his namesake, the male beloved by both Aphrodite and Persephone. Adonis also isn’t concerned with what a “modern man” might cherish. He’s a healer, and a gifted masseur, and is happy to travel the world, following the warm weather. Adonis isn’t concerned with material wealth, and has few possessions, refusing to put down roots.
All of this seems tame, but the story is spiced up with all that tantric sex Adonis practices with Ann. Aside from all the fun there, this angle is legitimate, and works in the story. Adonis’s application of tantric sex fits into his personality perfectly – not only him being laid back and taking things slow, but how and where he learned it. And it’s a major factor in helping Ann slow down. There’s also a minor love triangle of sorts, and I love a little competition in romance.

As usual, the couple has a set of rules – they take turns being in charge. Ann is very goal oriented, and for Adonis, it’s the journey that matters. Applying that rule to their encounters results in a good thing, either way.

Grade: A

SKIN TO SKIN

Rub me down. Love me up. Ann Montgomery can’t get enough of Adonis, her new massage therapist. He’s hot, he’s hard, and his big, warm hands are melting away every one of her inhibitions. Naked on his table, needing all he can give, Ann surrenders to his sensual touch in intimate sessions that have her begging for more…

Slowly, skillfully, Adonis unleashes a wild side of her – and a fierce desire that will never be satisfied in just one night…

Read an excerpt here.

She’s on Top (Book 4)
Released 1 Apr 08

I literally danced around my house when I saw that this book had arrived, and with good cause. Rina Goldberg a gifted musician, a beautiful person inside and out, but has a number of body image issues. Giancarlo Mancini is a music video director, but he met Rina at a music camp in Banff when they were both only seventeen. They reconnect after Rina’s boyfriend (not Giancarlo) proposes to her, which ends up being a very good thing.

I loved following the developments of Rina and Giancarlo’s relationship. The way they learn about each other, and how facets of their personalities are revealed. It was nice to see them dealing with issues, with Rina and Giancarlo truly discussing their reservations. Most novels simply skip past that, or end before such an occurrence.

As usual, there were the Foursome lunches, dinners, and emergency meetings. It was nice to get the updates and cameo appearances by the previous three heroines. I re-read this book most recently, and was squeeing to myself near the end.

Grade: A+

Music is Rina Goldberg’s passion and she can never forget the sensual rhapsody she experienced in the arms of Giancarlo, her first lover. Ten years later, Giancarlo is sexier and more romantic than ever. His masterful fingers still know how to create the most intimate melody and pleasure and he understands every nuance of a woman’s sensuality. And Rina is the only woman he wants. Their passionate encore takes her to a glorious, unforgettable climax… and there’s more where that came from. Much more…

Read an excerpt here.

I loved every one of these books. There’s something that every reader can relate to in each story, and see parts of themselves in Suzanne, Jenny, Ann, and Rina. I think it’s fantastic how Ms. Lyons manages to effortlessly weave important, serious topics together with such sexy dialogue and heat. She doesn’t beat you over the head with her themes, but they do get you thinking. The friendship, the setting, concerns and emotions just leaped off the page and gripped me. I felt that I really got to know the characters and their personalities. The writing is impressive I’m refraining myself from all the gushiness that wants to well up, because this are just a fabulous books. Terrific.

My only complaint about the series is I wish it were longer. I finished each book thinking “I want more” after turning the last page (especially after She’s on Top, when all the characters meet). There’s so much to each story a simple review doesn’t do it justice, there’s a depth and complexity to Ms. Lyon’s writing that few authors achieve with such effortless and engaging prose.

Overall Grade: A+

With her deliciously tempting Awesome Foursome Series, Susan Lyons introduced four friends who broke every single one… and found out just how much fun it is to be bad. And the fun never ends…

Liviania’s review of What She Craves by Lacy Danes
Erotic historical romance single-author anthology released by Aphrodisia 1 Mar 07

I remember this cover from a “bad covers competition.” I can see why it was nominated – too much contrast, terrible hair, the weird red wash, the nipple showing, the odd pose. (Just look at his lower hand!) The cover doesn’t do much to depict the contents, as I would never look at it and think, “I bet this is set in the nineteenth century.” Of course, at the same time it describes them pretty well. Bad.

Lust’s Vow

Hannah and her dead husband had a terrible sex life (while he was alive). She followed ye olde advice of “lie back and think of England” and it turned out he wanted something more active. Not that she worked on this with him. He just had mistresses instead. But now, armed with knowledge from erotic texts, she’s prepared to learn how to please a man. She starts by observing a ménage a trois in secret. How she knew just where to go is a mystery.

Then, Kenneth Walker, whom she gave a handjob to before she got married, discovers her masturbating to the sight. He hasn’t seen her in years and didn’t know she’d been widowed, but all these years he’s been secretly obsessed with the girl who jerked him off despite the large amount of kinky sex he’s had in the intervening years.

The plot is terrible, the sex fairly silly (Hannah leaks fluid like a broken car part and doesn’t mind someone just sticking a finger in her anus despite her inexperience), and the premise icky. This isn’t “What She Craves.” The person who talks about craving is Kenneth. Hannah’s greatest desire is to please a man. Not to please someone and be pleased in return. Just to please a man. Ugh.

Grade: F

Checkmate

This is the best story of the bunch. Dominatrix Cora actually prefers to be a submissive, but was hurt badly by a lover. She’s kept herself on the other side to prevent it from happening again. But now she’s finally giving in. Rupert Roland wished to hire her in the past, and is surprised to find her at a party thrown by his society. There’s not much plot, as is fitting for erotica, but what plot exists is coherent. There’s a brief lesbian scene, which might bother some readers. The bit that bothered me was Cora using a large marble dildo. Hard, cold stone? Not sexy.

Grade: C+

Night of the Taking

Jessica just arrived in town, in time for the Festival of Catus, where catmen and women (called Felis singularly, Catus plural for some reason) round up virgins for a ritual, since they can’t reproduce without virgin humans. It turns out Jessica is destined to be the queen. Abysis, the future king, can only get an erection and orgasm with her. Despite this, the Catus ritual (as illogical as the one in Lust’s Vow) gives the other males a chance to take her instead. That’s really poor planning. In fact, most of the other males try to take Jessica.

Coon wanted to provoke him. As would Haven the next male before him, but Haven would push him farther, he always did.

No, Coon and Haven aren’t given motivations. To add to the illogical, the last three queens apparently didn’t enjoy sex. What’s the point of a mystical soulmate who doesn’t like sex? Other couples only thought their mystical hoo-ha sucked. The paranormal elements as a whole are terribly used. The sheer purpose of the Catus being catpeople is so they can have a bizarre ritual.

Grade: F

Lacy Danes has potential, but these stories suffer from terrible plots and paper thin characters. I don’t expect erotica to be great literature but I do expect it to make some sense. Her subsequent work may show improvement, as this was her debut, but I recommend avoiding What She Craves.

Overall Grade: D-

The Summary:
In first time author Lacy Danes’ sizzling erotic stories, adventurous women are willing to do anything, risk everything, and break all the rules for a taste of sensual bliss…
A beautiful courtesan skilled at pleasing others finds a man who can satisfy her hidden desires… At the season’s most decadent orgy, a prim widow learns how to give-and receive-the ultimate pleasure… In a mysterious erotic ritual in a small English village, a young woman is chosen by a wickedly seductive green-eyed male to be his mate-and his queen…

Checkmate
Courtesan Cora Durand longs to find a man to satisfy her own hidden desires. Rupert Roland has dreamed of having beautiful, defiant Cora at his carnal mercy,and when each gets their wish, the outcome is pure ecstasy….

Lust’s Vow
Hannah Rosworth’s late husband claimed that she was too sexually inexperienced for his tastes. But Kenneth Walker, an infamous rake, can see the fire beneath her sedate exterior. And at the season’s most decadent orgy he’ll show her how to give — and receive — the ultimate pleasure…

Night of the Taking
At the Festival of Catus in a small English village, local virgins take part in a mysterious, erotic ritual. Jessica can hardly believe she’s been chosen, but the irresistible green-eyed male who claims her will use any wickedly seductive means to rove that she is his mate — and his queen…

Read an excerpt here.

Gwen’s reviews of three completely different books by Eloisa James, Noelle Mack, and Kresley Cole
Historical Romance, Contemporary Erotica, and Contemporary Paranormal Romance

I read books all the time, squeezing a couple of pages in every chance I get – eating lunch, in line at the bank, while I’m on hold – but I don’t always review every book. Below you’ll find three books that I read but, for whatever reason, I didn’t want to do a full-blown review. So read on for three short reviews of three completely different books:

~ Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James
~ Nights In Black Leather by Noelle Mack
~ Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole

Desperate Duchesses (Desperate Duchesses, Book 1) by Eloisa James (very nifty author site)
Historical romance released by Avon 29 May 07

I read this because Lime’s recent review of the third book in this series, Duchess by Night, made it sound so intriguing. And I liked this book. It took me a few chapters to get into it – I wasn’t sure who the hero or heroine were at first. Reading the first half of Desperate Duchesses is a bit like watching one of Robert Altman’s large ensemble cast movies – lots of intertwining story lines, all supporting some secrets, some heartache, some light romance, and myriad different details. By the time you get to the second half, it’s apparent who is pursuing whom, but you aren’t dumped into the relationship at the beginning, and that is actually kind of refreshing.

I enjoyed this book as a departure from the average historical. I really liked the dialog in it – intelligent and quick. I sort of liked the hero and heroine, but liked the ensemble cast more. Recommended for fans of non-traditional historical romances.

Grade: B

Summary:

A marquess’s sheltered only daughter, Lady Roberta St. Giles falls in love with a man she glimpses across a crowded ballroom: a duke, a chess player of consummate skill, a notorious rake who shows no interest in marriage — until he lays eyes on Roberta.

Yet the Earl of Gryffyn knows too well that the price required to gain a coronet is often too high. Damon Reeve, the earl, is determined to protect the exquisite Roberta from chasing after the wrong destiny.

Can Damon entice her into a high-stakes game of his own, even if his heart is likely to be lost in the venture?.

Read an excerpt and an even longer excerpt.

Nights In Black Leather by Noelle Mack (no author site found)
Contemporary erotic romance released by Aphrodisia 1 Jun 08

I had a really time with this book. I kept reading, but just didn’t like or believe in its premise. I skipped around it looking for something compelling to draw me into the romance, or even just the sex, and never did find it. I really didn’t like the hero – he was not appealing to me.

Grade: DNF

Summary:

She Said “Yes.”

London is a playground for international financier Adam Bowlin-it’s where he earned his fortune and his take-charge reputation. The man is big, bold, and wickedly handsome, and women can’t get enough of what he has to give. Adam is a master of pleasure, dominant by nature, with sexual skills beyond compare. And when Lara Stone, the firm’s beautiful and brilliant new associate, walks into his office, he sees a look in her not-so-innocent eyes that he understands completely. Behind closed doors, Adam and Lara come together to explore her darkest and most secret fantasies… one by one. Giving her what she longs for-what she needs-becomes his only desire. For the first time in his life, Adam is madly, truly, deeply in love…

Read an excerpt.

Dark Desires After Dusk (Immortals After Dark, Book 5) by Kresley Cole
Contemporary paranormal romance released by Pocket 20 May 08

What can I say that hasn’t already been said? This was an excellent book. I loved the hero, loved the heroine. Loved the very interesting elements of the heroine’s OCD and the hero’s complete acceptance of them. Just a terrific book. Read it.

(Is it bad that I keep typing this as “Dark Desires After Duck”?)

Grade: A

Summary:

A seductive beauty he can never have, yet can’t resist… Cadeon Woede will stop at nothing to atone for the one wrong that will haunt him forever. But once he secures the key to his redemption, the halfling Holly Ashwin, Cade finds that the woman he thought he could use for his own ends and then forget haunts him as much as his past.

A tormented warrior she should fear, but can’t deny… Raised as a human, Holly never knew that some frightening legends are real until she encounters a brutal demon who inexplicably guards her like a treasure. Thrust into a sensual new world of myth and power, with him as her protector, she begins to crave the demon’s wicked touch.

Surrender to dark desires… Yet just when he earns Holly’s trust, will Cade be forced to betray the only woman who can sate his wildest needs — and claim his heart?

Read an excerpt.

Shannon C.’s review of Ceremony of Seduction (Seduction series, Book 1) by Cassie Ryan
Erotic fantasy romance released by Aphrodisia 1 Aug 07

Wow! What a pleasant surprise this book was! I’d been expecting yet another cheesy erotic romance with a lame plot that would lead to much sexoring. I hadn’t been expecting a compelling story full of warmth and emotion, with characters I quickly connected with, and told in such a captivating way. Yet, that’s exactly what I got, and I now have a new author to look out for. I really appreciated the tip from Karen Scott about this book.

Alyssa has always felt she didn’t fit in. Her parents and friends are all thin, blonde and perfect. She is curvy, dark-haired and doesn’t think she’s very smart. Her only solace comes every evening when an erotic stranger enters her dreams and brings her pleasure she can’t imagine. Only when she meets the stranger, a man called Stone, in the flesh, is her birthright as the first princess of Klatch revealed, and she’s set on a quest to heal a dying planet. Along the way, she discovers family, friendship and love, and there’s lots of scorching sex.

There’s a strong girl power theme running through this novel that I found extremely refreshing. I loved that this was Alyssa’s story, and was all about her struggles to come to a place of self-acceptance. She always has Stone’s love, she just has to become comfortable enough in her own skin that she can return it as an equal.

Stone is a great hero, too. There’s not really a strong conflict between them, but there’s enough going on that I never felt bored. I loved that he wanted her from the beginning and was patient with her without being scarily alpha and possessive. I also thought that the two of them had amazing chemistry together. None of the sex scenes felt gratuitous, and they all fed the plot.

The other characters were interesting, too. The author indulges in a bit of sequel-baiting, but I forgave her because she’s definitely got a plan for her series beyond, “And now we should tell Cousin Bob’s story and give him a HEA.” The men who will be heroes in the next books were important to the plot and not just put there to provide extra eye candy.

I also liked that this is one of the few erotic romances I’ve read where there was F/F interaction which was handled in a way that didn’t feel exploitive and belittling. The scenes between Alyssa and Sasha, her maid/companion, were full of chemistry of their own, and I never got the feeling that Sasha was just a substitute for Stone when he couldn’t be there. Sasha gets a nice romance at the end, too, which I appreciated.

The other thing I should mention is something that sold me on this book. Stone explains to Alyssa early on that she was kidnapped from her family home by another tribe of people known as the Cunts. Cunts are apparently all skinny and blonde and shallow, and they even have their own queen. When I read all of that, I laughed. That bit seems like pure total cheesy wish-fulfillment, but it also feels deliberate, and every time I saw mention of the cunts, I had to giggle.

My only real quibble with this book is that Alyssa was treated so horribly by her best friend, who turns out to be a cunt. I never really bought that Alyssa couldn’t just bitchslap her so-called friend and tell her to take a hike. She put up with a lot of abuse in the beginning that seemed a bit out of character.

But I’m so glad that I’ve finally run across such a fun, empowering erotic romance. I definitely recommend it, and am now out to look for anything else Ms. Ryan has published.

Grade: A-

Summary:
When Dreams Of Desire…
Twenty-three-year-old Alyssa Moss has lived her whole life in the shadow of her beautiful family. Voluptuous where they are lean, brunette where they are blonde, Alyssa is convinced she is an ugly duckling who will never become a swan. The only thing that sustains her is a recurring dream in which a seductive stranger named Stone worships and pleasures every inch of her. But maddeningly, Stone always disappears just as Alyssa is on the edge of dizzying ecstasy—with a puzzling promise that one day he will find her. That day has come….

Become Reality…
For years, Stone has searched for the kidnapped first princess of his people—an other-worldly clan whose life-force is sexual energy. Alyssa is that princess, stolen by a rival faction and banished to live on Earth. But now Stone has found her and will return her to her rightful home, one in which she will own the curvaceous body she was born with—and the passionate desire that throbs within it as she learns an endless variety of delicious pleasures and discovers the infinite power she feels when all her cravings are satisfied…

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

Shannon C.’s review of Damned, Delicious and Dangerous by Delilah Devlin, Lisa Renee Jones, and Megan Kerans
Paranormal erotic romance anthology released by Aphrodisia 1 Jun 08

Ahh, paranormal erotic romance. It can be the cheesiest thing ever, or it can be a place to escape into a dark, sensual world for a few hours. Two of the three authors in this anthology were ones I’ve heard praise for, so I was eager to try out their work. Sadly, my favorite piece in the anthology wasn’t one written by either of the authors I was hoping to read. 

The Demon Lord’s Cloak by Delilah Devlin

This is a Beauty and the Beast story. Reading it, I was struck with a sense of deja vu. I’ve read this story before countless times and this rendition didn’t stick out. Both the characters were likeable, but I kept getting distracted by the fact that I never really got a good sense of place from the story and kept noticing continuity slip-ups. I also find it annoyingly implausible that a man who keeps getting virgins sacrificed to him had never encountered anyone as innocent as the heroine. I mean, they can’t all have been whores in disguise. And Voletta seems more like an Italian name than a French one. But, like I said, the story itself is pleasant, and I haven’t written off Ms. Devlin yet.

Grade: C-

Summary:
Bound and naked, Voletta has every reason to fear the mysterious man holding her in his arms. Instead his brooding presence intrigues her, his hard body excites her—and his rough touch arouses her…

You can read an excerpt here

Night Sins by Lisa Renee Jones

This offering has the germs of a really good story. In fact, though it started out fairly weakly, it’s grown on me.

I was at first worried that heroine Kayla would merely be a faux strong woman–feisty and TSTL. But though she does have a couple of bad moments, I really liked how she and Ethan, the hero, worked together to solve their problems. I also liked the ending, which promised that their hurdles weren’t entirely over. And what’s more, I believed that Ethan and Kayla had long been attracted to each other.

Unfortunately, a lot of time is spent setting up this world, time I’m not really all that sure we needed to have taken. There was information about the world that never ever came into play, and could have been left out entirely without the reader having lost anything. This built to a very weak start that only picked up as Ms. Jones settled into her story.

Grade: C+

Summary:
In the battle between good and evil, Kayla Ward knows vampires are strictly off limits. But Ethan’s dark sensuality and seductive allure leave her craving hot, passionate sex…

I couldn’t find an excerpt for this story.

The Devil’s Paradise by Megan Kerans

This was my favorite story in the anthology. I really liked the characters and got a sense of who they were. Both of them are a bit cliched–Justice works as a wedding planner, and she’s raising her brother and is completely selfless. Dashiel is a devil doomed to an eternity of torment managing a hotel that works as a last fling for the damned. But they both work. I loved their banter, and their sex scenes are actually pretty hot. I wasn’t totally engaged in the story, but I definitely think it’s the best in the anthology and shouldn’t be missed.

Grade: B

Summary:
Justice Malloy is looking for the perfect place for a wedding reception. What she finds at The Last Resort Hotel is a man whose raw male power promises carnal pleasure like she’s never felt before.

I couldn’t find an excerpt for this story.

With two stories that were just OK and one story that was pretty good, I’d recommend this anthology to paranormal fans who want something light to read, or fans of the three authors. Casual readers should definitely pick up the Kearns story but could probably give the others a pass.

Overall Grade: C+

Summary:
Men of darkness, men of passion.trapped by temptation and bound by desire. No woman can refuse their erotic invitation for sexual pleasure. “The Demon Lord’s Cloak” by Delilah Devlin Bound and naked, Voletta has every reason to fear the mysterious man holding her in his arms. Instead his brooding presence intrigues her, his hard body excites her-and his rough touch arouses her. “Night Sins” by Lisa Renee Jones In the battle between good and evil, Kayla Ward knows vampires are strictly off limits. But Ethan’s dark sensuality and seductive allure leave her craving hot, passionate sex. “The Devil’s Paradise” by Megan Kerans Justice Malloy is looking for the perfect place for a wedding reception. What she finds at The Last Resort Hotel is a man whose raw male power promises carnal pleasure like she’s never felt before.

Gwen’s review of Italian Stallions by Karin Tabke and Jami Alden
Contemporary erotic romance anthology released by Aphrodisia 1 Jul 08

This two story anthology is centered around a restaurant in the San Francisco area. Both stories have several characters in common and a general theme – damsels in distress who are saved by the almighty peen, I mean, hero(es).

Tabke is one of the authors who employs the recently controversial Street Team concept. Something I find kind of funny, to be honest. I mean, how many years have I heard that authors dread having to market themselves and say that’s the worst part of the job. And yet, when a few of them actually do that by employing the oh-so-urban-hip-sounding “street team,” they’re criticized for it. You authors can’t win for losing sometimes, ya know?

Okay – back to the book.

In His Bed by Karin Tabke

I was underwhelmed by this story. I didn’t find either the hero or heroine very believable and didn’t particularly care for the evolution of the romance.

The heroine, Gianna, is a protected Italian virgin who helps her traditional Italian father run a traditional Italian restaurant. She loses her father and is left to fend for herself. During this transition, she’s confronted with a local thug/mucketymuck who wants to pop her cherry. This thug employs other thugs, naturally, who almost take said cherry for themselves (huh???). The heroine is saved by an undercover FBI agent/hero who is gunning for the thug/mucketymuck.

The seriously alpha hero proceeds to conquer heroine’s heart and body with his almighty peen and saves the day. The heroine is mad at him for like two seconds about the lies he’s told her (undercover, remember?), forgives him, and they live HEA.

And that’s the story. See? A bit underwhelming.

Grade: D+

Summary: Intense and darkly handsome, Gabriel LaMotta is working an undercover FBI investigation in San Francisco–and he’s making the mob real nervous. Tough luck. They can’t hide inside a club full of pole-dancing babes. But Gabe would like to know what a demure, soft-spoken beauty like Gia Cipriani is doing there. But first he has to rescue her. Then he’ll ask the questions. And when they get behind closed doors, a high-octane attraction turns into blazing, soul-shattering sex. Gia may look innocent, but she sure knows how to show her appreciation–and set him on fire…

Will That Be All? by Jami Alden

This story was quite a bit better, in my opinion and with apologies to Tabke. I liked the heroine, sort of liked (if I didn’t fully believe in) the hero, and enjoyed the evolution of their romance.

The heroine, Theresa, is the best friend of the previous story’s Gianna. She returns to San Francisco and the family house after a disastrous relationship – one that estranged her father from her. Theresa goes to work for Gianna as a waitress, where she meets the hero, Vince. Vince is a regular and uber-rich guy. Through some twists in the plot the heroine moves into the hero’s guest house to train his dog. Nature takes hold and some very hot and steamy sex ensues.

What I liked particularly about this story was the heartwrenching break-up scene, even if I wanted to sock the hero in the nose. The heroine had been battered by the aforementioned disastrous relationship, so her reticence to open her heart and lack of self-esteem make her response to the break-up seem very believable.

The make-up was a bit out there, but I liked it. This was a hot little story and worth the purchase of the book.

Grade: B

Summary: Vince Mattera clawed his way up from poverty to the top of the financial heap in San Francisco. The hedge fund he manages is making millions. But he still eats at the same little Italian restaurant where he always ate. The marinara is homemade, the food is real, and it doesn’t hurt that the owner just hired a spicy little brunette. But smart-mouthed Theresa Bellessi is a whole lot more than a waitress–she’s a goddess. And Vince intends to sexually worship every inch of her glorious, soon-to-be-naked body. Check, please…

This was an entertaining little anthology, even if I had to put a large post-it over the mantitty cover before I would be seen in public with it. (It was just a bit too “in your face – I’m reading an erotic novel” for a self-confessed soccer mom at the dentist’s office with said soccer kid, if you know what I mean.) The first story wasn’t my cuppa tea, but I enjoyed the second one quite a bit more.

This was a very good summer read for some steamy pool-side action. Bring along your own personal hero, though, or you’ll be asking the cabana boy for more than a towel…

Overall Grade: C+

I couldn’t find excerpts of either story. And just because I know there are others who appreciate mantitty almost as much as I do, here’s the cover in larger format – you can thank me later:

Holly‘s review of Black Silk by Sharon Page
Historical erotic romance released by Kensington Aphrodisia 1 Apr 08

This novel was a pleasant surprise for me. It’s a historical, which I didn’t know until I started reading it. I fell right into it, despite the fact that I generally avoid historical erotica novels. The plot was surprisingly deep for the way it started out (I thought it was just going to be a quick, light erotica) and the characters were well drawn and deeper than it seemed at first glance. From the first page I was hooked and couldn’t walk away.

The back blurb of this book doesn’t do much for the story, so I’m going to add my own really quick:

Maryanne Hamilton is lured to Mrs. Masters house of ill repute by a friend who says she’s in dire need of help. Only her friend never shows and Maryanne ends up locked in a room with none other than the man she’s been fantasizing about for months, Dashiel Blackmore, Lord Swansborough. And as an editor of erotic novels, she can fantasize pretty good. But Dash mistakes her for a lightskirt named Verity and she ends up compromised…all night long.

Dash uses liquor and sex to dull the pain from his bitter past. But when some of London’s most notorious courtesan’s turn up missing and Dash is framed for it, he needs Verity to verify his alibi. Only he has no idea who she really is. Until her brother-in-law – and one of Dash’s good friends – shows up on his doorstep demanding he do the honorable thing and marry her.

Dash was an extremely compelling character, filled with contradictions and insecurities. He has a reputation for being lecherous, most notably for allowing hot wax to be poured on him during sex play, though at heart he’s honorable and only wants to escape his past. Once he marries Maryanne, he becomes confused about what carnal delights he should and shouldn’t introduce his innocent wife to. He also struggles with the desire to protect her while not really trusting her. Both these internal conflicts were interesting and well played out.

Maryanne was also an interesting character. She hides from Dash the fact that she edits erotic stories, afraid he’ll be disgusted with her and turn her out if he realizes how truly depraved she is. Yet she can’t control the impulse to be as wanton as she can in the bedroom. Though the two sound contradictory, it rather worked. She was a strong character and I truly enjoyed watching her and Dash circle each other.

The mystery surrounding the women being abducted and the attempts on Dash’s life was well done. The focus of the story stayed on the main couple, so I felt the mystery was an added bonus and played well into the characters’ internal struggles. The villain wasn’t easily recognizable as such, either.

I do think parts of the plot were unnecessary (such as the erotic scavenger hunt Maryanne and Dash are drawn into shortly after they meet) and some of the scenes were over the top, especially some of the sex scenes between secondary characters. I think more than a few were thrown in just for the sake of having them.

This is the sequel to Sin, which features Maryanne’s sister, and there were a few times when the story focussed on things that had obviously taken place in the first novel and I was lost. It doesn’t happen often, so I don’t think they have to be read in order, but for those of you who care about that sort of thing you might want to.

Grade: B+

     Summary:

DANGEROUS SEDUCTION Maryanne Hamilton had expected to be shocked, but the wanton orgy she finds in Mrs. Master’s salon makes her wonder if she has walked into hell. Desperate to escape, she comes upon the master of sin himself-Lord Swansborough. Fascinated by his nakedness, she longs to touch every inch of his long, hard body. And when he bids her come near, she quickly surrenders to his wicked promises of carnal pleasure and sensual ecstasy.

  Read an excerpt (scroll down).

This just in…

Bonnie Edwards has recently accepted an offer from Kensington’s Aphrodisia for two more books which will be follow-ups to her ever popular Thigh High, in which she’d only covered underwear from the waist down. “This time it’s what’s on top that counts,” according to Bonnie.

• Breathless is the title of the first book and includes a trio of novellas linked by underwear above the waist: a corset with a time-travel twist, a Vegas showgirl’s bustier, and a body art competition with a hot carpenter’s bod being the canvas.
• The second book is as yet untitled, but you’ll know all about it as soon as we know.

Bonnie is really pleased to be writing for Aphrodisia and Harlequin Blaze. “My story style seems to blend well with both lines,” she said.

Consider yourself flashed.

This just in…

Now who to be happier for… Kate Duffy for signing such an awesome author? Beth Williamson for signing a 3 book deal with Kensington with Kate as her editor.

Or me… cuz this means more westerns… for you know… me.

hmmm yes I know!

Me . LOL Congrats Beth.

The first book is going to be The Education of Madeline coming in 3/09

the second to be The Redemption of Micah coming in 7/09

Consider yourself flashed.

Now that you’re good and soaked, steeping in the excerpts we’re raining on you this month, let me share yet ANOTHER EXCERPT.  (Let’s see how many raining metaphors I can stuff into one paragraph, shall we?)

Here’s the last one from Bonnie Edwards single author anthology, Thigh High (Aphrodisia, 1 Feb 08).

I think this one has my favorite title of any short story I’ve ever read….

Thigh High: Twinkle Twinkle Little Thong by Bonnie Edwards

DM’s voice rolled over her, whiskey smooth, pebble rough. With the deft hand of a master, he took her into the realm of the sensual. Throaty and hot, the distinctive sound rolled like rumbling skies around the master cabin. The poetry he read of love, loss and betrayal followed paths he created along her searing need, until she found her most needful flesh and with a lover’s touch, tipped herself over the edge toward release.

Fingers slid through slick tender flesh, moist and plump. Around. Around. Trickles of need whispered to her womb deep and empty.

Her whole life was empty these days. But she couldn’t think of that, not when release beckoned. Her breath slowed, deepened as her lungs reached for air. Her heart thumped, pulse beats rose as sensation took over again, thought drowned.

His voice came back seductive and deep and pulled her again into the quiet of rising expectation. She closed her eyes as his voice entered her, hot against her heart. The remembered weight of a chest pressed to hers, of thighs pushing with power between her own, flesh sliding into flesh, pulling along nerve endings so taut they screamed. His voice in her ear, strong, sexy and low, carrying her along. Taking, stroking her neck, her chest, nipples and down with slow strokes of his tongue.

With two fingers inside, she rolled her precious pearl of nerves with her other hand until she crested, weak and small.

Music rose all around, sweeping through her as the last pulses ebbed. It was enough. It had to be.

She wasn’t about bar prowls for sex and she couldn’t have a relationship. Not now, maybe not ever again.

Rolling to her side, she listened to the song he played for her, just for her, full of pain and loss. When it was over, she threw back the covers and went to wash her hands. . . .

Francesca Volpe couldn’t remember squat about numbers. Never could. So she wrote important ones down until they stuck in her memory. Sooner or later, she’d remember the combination of this safe. But sooner wasn’t now, so she yanked at the piece of paper in her shorts pocket and flattened it out on the wall in front of her while she dialed the combination.

Finally, the safe door clicked open.

Blown away by the fact that she even had to use a safe, she dug way into the back. Fiona’s thong was in here somewhere.

Cold, hard diamonds against warm, soft velvet filled her hand and she lifted the scrap of material gently. Fiona should have kept the thong in the designer’s box, but no; her sister had decided the rich didn’t give a rat’s ass about their possessions so she didn’t have to either.

The thong caught on a corner of a thick manila file. Anxious not to tear the velvet, she set it down, then pulled everything that could possibly be in the way, out of the safe.

She took out a fireproof box that contained so many important papers her head swam. It held her sister’s will, her sister’s house deed, her sister’s insurance policy. Next came file folders, then a copy of her parents’ will. Everything came out, even the ownership papers for the yacht.

A yacht for cripes sake.

Frankie Volpe was standing in the saloon of a yacht with four staterooms. Up to her armpit in a wall safe and she still couldn’t believe it. Go figure!

And since when was a living room called a saloon? They belonged in old westerns, not on million dollar floating palaces.

She leaned in tight to the wall and winked at the scruffy brown dog that had all but adopted her. “Hey boy, how you doin?”

He cocked his head and wagged his stubby tail. She’d decided he must’ve had it caught in a door when he was a puppy. It wasn’t cropped exactly, more like he just lost the tip. He was her kind of dog, lost, lonely, a little rough around the edges, but lovable.

“Ah! Got it. Finally.” She pulled out the thong and set it carefully on the coffee table in front of the leather settee. Looked more like a built in sofa to her, but she still had a lot of boating terms to learn.

She considered the thong. Diamonds, glittering and cold, littered the front V of black velvet. She shivered to think of all those sharp edges so close to the joy button. Oh, ugh.

The deep safe had been stuffed full. She took care to set all the papers and files back into the safe in reverse order, to be sure it fit.

When she turned back to talk to Scruffy, all she saw was his stubby tail and wet feet heading top side. He’d snatched the thong off the table and taken off with it!

“Hey! You little pervert! Give me back that thong!”

Please let me rain on you!  With ANOTHER EXCERPT!

Here’s part 2 from a contemporary by Bonnie Edwards, her wonderful single author anthology Thigh High (Aphrodisia, 1 Feb 08).   And no, that’s not a typo in the title.  One of the stories in the antho is named “Thigh High.”  So there. :p

We’ll put up an excerpt from the last story in the antho tomorrow.  LOVE these story names!  They bring a smile to my face every time I read them…

Thigh High: Thigh High by Bonnie Edwards

“Oh, man, he is so buff!” Kat Hardee commented, ogling her next door neighbor. Her mail forgotten in her hand, she leaned on the mail box at the entrance to the town house complex.

“I’ll say,” Celia agreed. “But such a nerd. It’s a shame.”

Celia lived on the other side of the man in question, Taye Connors and Kat had forgotten she was standing there, too.

“I didn’t mean for you to hear that,” Kat said with a burn on her cheeks. Knowing Celia she’d twist the comment into something it wasn’t.

He climbed out of his SUV and headed to the door of his town house, briefcase in hand. He bent and picked up a package left on his front step. Wrapped in cozy brown cords, he had a great butt, even from this distance and Kat found several ways a day to see it. From her back upstairs window she’d watch him put out birdseed. Through his tiny kitchen window she’d catch glimpses of him making dinner.

“He’s not a nerd,” Kat said in his defense. “I’m willing to bet under that tweed jacket is a lot of man.”

“You think?” Celia assessed him with her man-hungry eyes.

Kat shifted. A second mistake. Taye’s physique was not up for discussion, not with Celia. She was a shark when it came to getting what she wanted. Kat’s comment had alerted her to something Kat wanted to keep to herself. For herself.

Not that she had the gumption to go after the man. Chasing a man had created havoc in her life once, she didn’t need to do it again. Especially not now! She was finally in college and finally doing something for herself.

A man in her life would only mess up everything! She wrestled the image of Taye Connors’ hot sexy body back under her libido. Way under her libido. Locked in a vault under her libido. No way would the two meet again.

“How much would you bet?” Celia’s curious dangerously calm voice broke into Kat’s wrestling match. The look Celia gave her was every bit as dangerously curious as her voice.

Dread leaked into her belly. “What do you mean?” Even she heard the fear in her voice. Celia had a way of making foolish behavior sound like fun. Lots of fun.

Celia clicked her tongue impatiently. She didn’t suffer fools gladly. “What would you bet that he’s a lot of man under his clothes?”

Everything inside her tightened: stomach, libido, vault, all waiting to see what Kat would say at the idea of getting Taye out of his tweed jacket, then his shirt, his slacks. “You know I’m broke. I can’t afford to bet.”

“Hm. Wouldn’t have to be for money.” Celia pulled mail out of her box and smiled in a way that made Kat nervous. “How’s this? You get him naked and let me know how buff he is. I’ll give you the weekend.”

“Why?”

“I’m curious. The men I usually spend time with aren’t like him. I go for bad boys. I’ve never done a man like Taye.” She arched one perfectly waxed eyebrow and waited.

“Do you want him?” Celia and Taye: a good man with a bad, bad woman. He was nice, quiet. Kind. Gentle. A woman like Celia would eat him alive.

Celia shrugged one smooth shoulder. “Might be fun, if the bod’s up to snuff. But I won’t know that unless you tell me what he looks like under his clothes.”

Kat secretly admitted to some curiosity and a dose of reluctant admiration for the woman’s want it, get it attitude, but she did not want firsthand knowledge of Celia’s lifestyle. She preferred a quieter life. She preferred to wait for a man to find her. She preferred not to think of Celia with Taye.

She wanted Taye.

If he took a walk on the wild side with Celia, Kat wouldn’t stand a chance. He’d never look her way again.

Up to now, there had been some glances. Second and third glances. A couple of those glances had stretched into looks. Long steamy looks.

“I’d do it,” Celia threatened in a sly tone, “but I’m going away for the weekend.” The lascivious expression in her eyes meant she’d found a new man. But still, she looked at Taye as if she couldn’t wait to get her mouth on him. “But there’s always next weekend.”

Celia’s nipples rose under her low cut sheer cotton blouse then Kat saw her upper thighs squeeze and release. Damn it, Celia meant business.

She could let this go. It wasn’t up to Kat to keep a nice guy out of Celia’s clutches. Especially since Taye never did anything more than chat politely at the front door.

But she couldn’t allow Celia to move in on a man Kat wanted. This was way past schoolgirl stuff. Taye’s heart might be at stake. The round robin of why she should walk away and let it happen versus the disaster of Celia messing with him bounced around in her head.

She looked up the driveway one more time. He was deadheading some petunias, bent over again, firm ass looking like a fine piece of fruit.

It wasn’t her head that made her decision. It was her heart. Followed quickly by a libido that came to life with a roar.

“All right. I’ll give it a try. But Taye going from small talk in the driveway to naked in my arms seems like a long shot.”

Celia crossed her arms under her gigantic boobs and shook her head sadly. “Who said anything about naked in your arms? I didn’t say you had to fuck him, I just said you had to see him naked. You can leave the fucking to me.”

Got your umbrella ready? ‘Cause we’re about to rain on you with ANOTHER EXCERPT! Yes! Another one! After all, we’re RAINING EXCERPTS this month!

Here’s a contemporary by the inimitable Bonnie Edwards and her single author anthology, Thigh High (Aphrodisia, 1 Feb 08), reviewed by LauraJ here. Read on for some steamy fun. We’ll put up excerpts from the other two stories in the antho over the next couple of days. Bring your galoshes. Oh, and a fan – it’s getting a little warm in here after reading these…

Thigh High: Parlor Games by Bonnie Edwards

The line of cabs ahead of his moved slowly toward the mansion’s wrought iron gates. Matt Crewe tapped his knee in impatience as each car ahead of his inched along in turn as, one by one, they disappeared up a driveway covered over by pine boughs. Without warning the cab ahead of his stopped three cars back from the gates and the rear passenger door opened to allow a woman to exit.

She paid her fare at her driver’s open window. Highlighted in the headlights, she was fine featured and dressed for comfort. Her movements were briskly efficient as she handed over some bills and waved away the change. Walking shoes and blue jeans topped by a bright red fleece surprised him. He’d expected to see women dressed in silk and satin designed to tease and entice.

But then it wasn’t the women who would be on the auction block, now was it, he noted with a bitter smile. It would be men. And Matt was one of them.

He tapped his driver on the shoulder. “She’s got the right idea. It’ll be faster if I walk,” he said. The woman picked up a laptop case and an overnight bag and made for the gates on foot. If he was lucky he’d catch up to her before she reached the mansion. Whoever she was, he wanted to talk to her.

As he cleared the gates and took his first step onto the grounds of Perdition House the enormity of what he planned grabbed him by the cock.

Selling himself. A sex-filled weekend with a woman he’d never met. Would never see again. Desire rose at the thought, hot and insistent. A slight breeze kicked up, snatching at his hair, pressing his jeans against his legs.

The woman he trailed stopped about twenty feet ahead, then dropped her overnight bag to the ground at her feet. The laptop case went next, but she was more careful of it. Then she stretched her arms out in front of her and shook her hands as if to get the blood flowing again. She rubbed her arms from shoulders to wrists, even stamped her feet into the soft pine needles that cushioned the driveway.

She was foot stomping cold while he was fine. More than fine if his hardening cock was any indication. He hurried to catch up to her.

More cabs arrived, inching along beside him toward the house. If not for the headlights the driveway would be pitch black.

Ten feet to go and the breeze turned cold; drove hard right through his leather jacket and jeans, leaving him numb but strangely alive. As if every sense he had was on high alert. The woman suddenly wrapped her arms around her waist in the age-old gesture that signaled a need for warmth. God he wanted to wrap her up and hold her. The thought came from nowhere, and everywhere.

His own arms tingled from shoulders to fingertips and all he wanted was to reach her, enfold her in his arms and share whatever body heat she needed. Then he wanted to lay her out and take her. Heat her up to boiling.

The impulse to drag her into the bushes and get her jeans off came sudden and hard. Hot damn he was horny. Randy as a teenager. Must be the woman. Either that or the purpose of the weekend was getting to him.

He tugged at his collar to release some of his pent up heat, but it didn’t help. He hurried the last few steps, happy to get the weekend off to a good start.

“Hello,” he said as he reached her side.

She startled but smiled back at him. “Hello. Are you the talent?” Her tone was bold as a sailor’s on shore leave. She assessed him, while she flapped her arms around her middle.

“Apparently. One of them anyway. You’re here to bid?”

“Yes.” Her glance heated as she let her gaze travel from his face down to his hikers.

What he saw when she looked back into his eyes was approval.

A small worry drifted away. He’d done everything in his power to be included on the auction block this weekend and it looked like he passed muster.

“Matt Crewe,” he said, “very pleased to meet you.”

“Carrie MacLean,” she said with a nod and smile. “Sorry about the talent comment, it was rude. I’m not sure what came over me, but as soon as I walked through the gates. . .”

BevQB’s review of Raine: The Lords of Satyr (Book 2) by Elizabeth Amber
Fantasy historical erotic romance released by Aphrodisia 1 Mar 08

It wasn’t until a few of you honorary duckies started quacking about how grossed out turned off you were by this book that my interest was piqued. You see, in Nicholas: The Lords of Satyr (Book 1) Raine was a bit of a prig and I wasn’t sure I was going to bother reading this book. What a mistake that would have been!

While Raine may not be for the faint of heart, for someone looking for a truly different and original erotic romance, I highly recommend this book.

This fantasy historical series set in 1820’s Italy centers around three brothers, Nicholas, Raine and Lyon, who are neither human nor fey, but Satyr/shifters who guard the passage between Elseworld and the human world. The King of the Fey is dying and confesses that he fathered daughters on three human women 20 years earlier, but they have no idea they are half fey. He commands the three Satyr brothers to find his daughters and marry them to protect them from the upheaval that will occur upon his death.

In book 1, Nicholas, we learned that the brothers grow an extra peen when in Satyr form and that their mate’s nipples glow when aroused by them. So, how does Elizabeth Amber top all that? By giving the heroine of this book a little extra sumpin’ sumpin’ of her own!

WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD (although it’s revealed at the beginning of the book).

Jordan has been raised as a boy to protect the family inheritance, but has always privately felt s/he had a female identity. Why the confusion? Jordan is a hermaphrodite. S/he has breasts and all the other female “cooter mints,” but instead of a clitoris s/he’s got herself a fully functional penis. Yep, yep, you read that right… the heroine is a chick with a dick!

And, oh, the erotic permutations with three peens and the abundance of orifices this couple possesses! Good God, what will Amber come up with for Lyons story? Can she possibly top Raine and Jordan’s story?

I’ve often said that, for a book to really work for me, I expect to meet engaging characters I’ve never met before, fresh new world building, and/or an edge-of-my-seat storyline. A book has to have at least one of those traits to rise above the thousands of other books, and this book possesses the first TWO. Totally outrageous, yet Amber pulls back and UNDER plays the character of Jordan by gaining our sympathy for her right from the beginning. We’re horrified at the callous way she is treated and soon find that we want Raine to accept her for herself and for him to be the one person who doesn’t make her feel like a freak. I enjoyed watching Jordan’s delight in being treated like a female for the first time in her life.

Although, I should warn those of you with delicate sensibilities that you might have a tough time reading the beginning chapters of this book. The medical community refers to and handles Jordan as an “it”, something less than human. And it IS cringeworthy and uncomfortable to read.

Kudos to the folks at Kensington Aphrodisia for having the cojones to let Elizabeth Amber push the envelope with this highly imaginative story. And further kudos for the Fine Art covers in this series. Yep, that’s some Fine, FINE art.

BTW, It really isn’t necessary to read Nicholas in order to read this book. Amber does an admirable job of making Raine a standalone story.

Grade: A-

From the back cover:

     The last in a fabled line of otherworldly aristocracy, the Lords of Satyr are born to wealth, power, and a talent for sensual delight that mere mortals only dream of. Commanded to marry, these passionate men will travel to Rome, Venice, and Paris—and along the way will explore desires both shamelessly wicked and blissfully divine…

     AS A LOVER, HIS SKILLS ARE LEGENDARY . . .  Middle brother Raine is both sensual and stoic. Scarred by a former wife who could not accept his carnal needs, he wants no part in another marriage. But duty commands that he fulfill his promise to wed King Feydon’s second daughter, Jordan…

     IN MATTERS OF THE HEART, HE HAS MUCH TO LEARN . . .  This loyal satyr begins a search that leads him from Tuscany to romantic Venice, where his beautiful bride awaits, unaware of what passionate delights fate has planned for her. Raine is careful not to reveal his powerful satyr sexuality, for fear of driving yet another woman away. But unbeknownst to him, Jordan is no ordinary woman and was born with an insatiable appetite for love. And as Raine’s heart begins to melt for her, how long will he be able to hide his true nature when Jordan seems to want him so fiercely?

     Read an excerpt.

Other books in the Lords of Satyr series:

Lyon, coming 29 Jul 08




Read more from Bev on her personal blog Cubie’s Confections.

Make U Sweat by Amie Stuart coming in September 2008 (release date is 26 Aug 08)!!

Smokin’ hot cover, isn’t it?  Read on for the summary and an EXCERPT…

Here’s the summary:

     When the Cavanaugh sisters inherit the family moving company, they figure they’re “man” enough for the job. They’ll show those bad boys of Texas just how good these three gals are at getting exactly what they want….

     Reecie is a caretaker from the word go – she’s all business, whether it’s family or work. So she is more than ready to let easygoing Jack Sunders step in and take care of her in the most intimate way possible…

     Robbie Jo loves a good time at work and in bed – until she meets rodeo rider Cash McBride and realizes she’s ready to settle down and ride one man long and hard…

     Carla is tired of sweating for a living. But getting hot and bothered around real estate attorney Josh Winters puts her in the mood for some seriously steamy sex…

EXCERPT…

Jack stood waiting just inside the front door, freshly shaved and dressed in khakis and a crisp green shirt.

“Hope you like jazz.” He pulled me to him for a quick hug, the smell of his aftershave filling my nose, and I relaxed against him, enjoying the brief contact. His arm rested possessively as the base of my spine as he led me deeper in to the club to a tiny table close to the stage and the dance floor.

“What’ll you have?” he asked as he scooted his chair close to mine and sat.

“Scotch on the rocks, please.” I knotted my fingers in my lap and took a deep breath, letting out a flutter of nerves as I glanced around the club. Even though there was no band on stage, jazz music played softly as the couples around us chatted and laughed and nibbled on appetizers.

“I didn’t take you for a scotch and soda lady.”

I shrugged. “I’m just full of surprises.”

“I bet you are.” He gave the waitress our order and his credit card to run a tab, then turned his attention back to me. In the bar’s dim light his warm, intense gaze, the way he seemed so able to give me his undivided attention reminded me of his profession, and I cursed myself. Now was not the time to be thinking of work-his or mine. “Do you dance?”

“Not since high school,” I ruefully confessed.

“I doubt it’s changed much.” He motioned to the few couples swaying gently on the floor.

I lifted the glass the waitress had discretely slipped in front of me and said, “Let me get a few of these down first.”

His expression cooled slightly and he nodded and accepted his own drink with a nod of thanks for the waitress. “So how long have you been in the moving business?”

“Do you really want to talk about my work?”

He gave me a once over that warmed my skin. “I want to know everything about you?”

Why, immediately sprang to my lips but I didn’t say it. “Twenty years.”

“Twenty?”

“I went to work for my dad at sixteen. Do the math.” I sipped at my drink, letting the chilly liquor course through me. My foot started tapping as the familiar strains of an old TLC song came on. Jack glanced under the table, then quirked an eyebrow, a silent invitation to dance. I hadn’t had near enough to drink but I pushed myself to my feet anyway and put my hand in his, the music to heady to resist. He was a good dancer, making it easy for me to relax, and we quickly went from a slow grinding sway to something much more suggestive that left us both breathless and laughing.

We stayed for some old LL Cool J, moving back into each other’s arms while he sang about making hot sweet love to someone else’s woman. I snuggled close, burying my head in the crook of Jack’s neck, while he and the music gently seduced me. His hands slid down the dip in my back to caress my hips, nibbling away at my resolve to just have a drink and flirt a little. His business casual demeanor hid the soul of a man who knew women, knew how to seduce them, and probably love them, but there’d be no loving for Jack Saunders tonight. At least not the type that required the removal of clothes.

Smiling, I snuggled a little closer.

Laura J’s review of Thigh High by Bonnie Edwards
Erotic romance released 1 Feb 08 by Kensington Aphrodisia

This is a single-author anthology of three fabulously sensual short stories: Twinkle Twinkle Little Thong, Thigh High, and Parlor Games.

[Ed.: I love the covers of Bonnie's books - gorgeous photographs of couples entwined with shadow and light - beautiful.]

In the first story, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Thong, heroine Frankie Volpe is hiding out on a yacht when a panty-stealing pooch makes off with, and then hides, a $50,000 thong decorated with diamonds. When Frankie follows the thong thief back to his owner she meets Daniel Marting, a man whose voice has been seducing Frankie over the airwaves every night. While hunting for the missing thong, Daniel and Frankie can’t help but act on their growing feelings for each other. Daniel knows Frankie is hiding something but doesn’t want to scare her off. Will Frankie learn to trust Daniel enough to give love a chance? Read it and find out.

In the second story, Thigh High, neighbors Taye and Kat have eyes for each other. Taye opens a package that is for Kat but is accidently left on his doorstep. When he sees the contents he begins to wonder if Kat is the shy girl she seems or if she’s the sex kitten in the the thigh high stockings he finds in the package. Taye gets his chance when when Kat is dared by a friend to seduce him and Kat is not about to loose this dare.

The final story, Parlor Games, brings readers to the Perdition House*. Built by a former Madame almost 100 years ago, Perdition House is now run by the Madame’s great grand niece, Faye, with the help of some former residents. Matt Crewe is a bachelor to be auctioned off for a weekend of pleasure. Carrie MacLean is the woman he wants to place the winning bid. Both are here to research stories about the house that could help their careers, but the former ladies of the house have something bigger and better planned for the career driven Matt and Carrie…

I loved all three stories, but I gotta admit Parlor Games was my favorite. The sex is sizzling hot, but it’s the tender moments that make these stories so fantastic. Ms Edwards’ style of writing allows you to really feel the characters’ emotions. This is the first Bonnie Edwards book I have read and it won’t be my last. If her other books are as half as hot as this one, I’ll be one very happy reader. I’ve already picked up a couple of her previous books to add to my tbr pile.

Grade: A

From the back cover:

TRIPLE YOUR PLEASURE… An enticing collection of irresistibly erotic stories by Bonnie Edwards that reveals its delicious secrets inch by inch—and goes deep into the very heart of desire…

Parlor Games – Total strangers Matt Crewe and Carrie MacLean have one thing in common, and it’s brought them both to the mysterious Perdition House. When Carrie wins Matt’s services as a sex slave, the amorous adventures that follow will lay bare the secrets of the House—and the exquisite ecstasy of all who pass through its gates…

Thigh High – Kat has been harboring a crush on her hot-but-shy neighbor, Taye, for ages, so when a pal dares her to seduce him, Kat can’t say no. It’s the perfect chance for Kat to try out the sex toys she sells—and, as luck would have it, Taye’s a man who loves to play…

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Thong – Late-night D.J. Daniel Martin knows he has some eager female fans, but it isn’t every day one of them shows up on the gangplank of his boat, looking for a diamond-encrusted thong. Yet Frankie Volpe is here, breathless, and, yes, missing her very valuable underwear. The search begins…and they’re both getting hotter…

Read an excerpt (scroll down a bit).

*Parlor Games is part of a series. You can read more about the Perdition House and the ladies that still remain there in Midnight Confessions, Midnight Confessions II, and Rock Solid (Built anthology) .

Sexy Devil by Sasha White

“The Devil Inside”

Workaholic Caleb Mann used to think blind dates were a waste of time, but when his ex-girlfriend calls him boring in bed, Caleb becomes bent on changing his image fast – with the help of the incredibly sexy woman standing in front of him. He barely knows his date’s name, but her sassy mouth is almost hypnotizing, in more ways than one, and he can’t stop fantasizing about replacing the sleek motorcycle between her firm thighs and letting her ride him all night long…

“Devil’s Jewel”

Ex-soldier and psychic hunter Angelo Devlin has seen evil first-hand. He knows how perilous his assignments can be, and he doesn’t welcome outside help, which makes his run-in with Jewel Kattalis all the more infuriating. But instead of sending her away, he wants to grab her, take her, and tease every inch of her beautiful body. This woman may be more dangerous than any mission he’s ever been on before…

Gwen reviewed Sexy Devil on Monday, in case you missed it you can find it here.  Keep reading for the excerpt and contest details…

Our delightful canaduckie Sasha is going to celebrate Thanksgiving with us in spirit (since the Canadians have already celebrated Thanksgiving). And I had something really nifty here for you to do to win a copy of Sexy Devil but the dialup hates me. So third time is the charm and we are gonna be nice and easy here…. contest is after the excerpt….

Devil Inside

Chapter One

Caleb Mann strode through the heavy glass doors of Fusion Cafe and continued straight to the service counter without looking left or right. The air-conditioning inside the cafe was a welcome relief from the humid heat of mid May in Pearson, British Columbia. It also took the edge off his nerves.

Mug of strong, black coffee firmly in hand, Caleb stepped to the side of the counter, and scanned the room carefully.

The sunlight bounced off the surface of Pearson Lake, directly across the street, brightening the small cafe. Colorful paintings on the walls and mismatched furniture gave it a funky, comfortable feel that was reflected in the diverse clientele. A slick-looking businessman stood a couple of feet away, impatiently ordering a fluffy latte from the frowning counter girl. An older lady and a girl who was probably her granddaughter sat with a coloring book in front of them.

None were who he was looking for.

He disregarded the twentysomething male engrossed in a novel nearby and briefly considered the woman by the window. Well dressed, with long dark hair, she sat ramrod straight as she watched people come and go. She was pretty, but Caleb didn’t think she was the type of woman his brother would be friends with. Uncertain, he let his gaze slide away.

Then he saw her.

Removing his sunglasses, he gave the woman a slow perusal. She’d isolated herself by sitting at a small corner table, head bent over a notepad of some kind. Yet she still seemed approachable. The invisible wall that emanated from most people when they wanted to be left alone wasn’t there.

She was dressed casually in a short camouflage skirt and a tight black tank top that made it impossible to ignore her pert breasts. If for some unknown reason he hadn’t noticed her mouth-watering cleavage, he’d certainly have given the length of tanned flesh exposed by the short skirt a second glance. It had to be her.

Caleb had expected nothing less from his little brother than to set him up with a real looker. What he hadn’t expected was his own primal reaction to her-the way his blood heated and his stomach clenched when he looked at her-or the way her inky black hair, which was full of vivid red streaks and skimmed across her pale shoulders, made his fingers itch with the urge to touch … to brush it aside so he could nibble on her tender flesh.

His reaction surprised him, but for once he didn’t try to contain or control it. After all, if she was a friend of his “work hard-play harder” younger brother, chances were she was also a party girl-a bad girl.

Oh, yeah, he thought to himself. The total opposite of what he normally looked for in the fairer sex, and exactly what he needed.

Detail-oriented guy that he was, Caleb leaned against the counter and studied her for a minute. Skimpy clothes flaunted bare limbs, bright purple polish sparkled on her fingertips, and silver jewelry flashed when she shifted in the filtered sunlight. There was also a tattoo on the inside of her wrist-very … exciting. He willed her to lift her head so he could see her face clearly, only to have his breath catch in his throat when she did so.

Flawless skin smoothed over high cheekbones, tiny white teeth nibbled at a full pink lip, dark eyebrows flared over almond-shaped eyes. He couldn’t see their color from where he was, but it didn’t matter. Her classic beauty and outrageous sex appeal called to him unlike anything, or anyone, ever had.

He wanted her, instantly and unequivocally.

Shrugging his suddenly tense shoulders, Caleb pushed off from the counter. You’re not here to find your soul mate, he reminded himself, just someone to let loose with.

He was tired of everyone ragging on him for being a workaholic. Hell, if he hadn’t worked so hard for the past ten years, Gabe wouldn’t have been able to go to college. Someone had had to pay the bills after their parents died. Plus, his work was satisfying in a way his player of a brother would never understand, so the nagging hadn’t really bothered him.

Until his last girlfriend dumped him because he was too “old and settled” for her, that is. Then he’d felt a bit of a sting. He was only thirty-three, for God’s sake!

Even then her comments hadn’t really hurt him. Not until she’d turned the sting into a downright festering burn by adding that his good looks couldn’t compensate for his lack of imagination in the romance department, let alone the bedroom.

Anger, and a twist of uncertainty, burned a hole in his gut. That had been hitting below the belt, literally.

Lack of imagination? He had plenty of imagination. And the wild-child woman his little brother had set him up with was going to help him prove it.

Halting next to her table, he pasted a winning smile on his face and opened his mouth.

“Excuse me. Christina?”

When Gina Devlin realized the question was directed at her, she huffed out a grateful breath and tossed aside her charcoal pencil. Normally she didn’t welcome interruptions when she was working, but her temperamental muse had deserted her, taking any semblance of artistic talent along with him. That made it pretty damn hard to get the sketches for her new commission down.

Eager for a distraction, Gina leaned back in the spindly chair and looked over the wall of muscle standing next to her corner table with a big grin on his gorgeous face. And her skin immediately began to itch from the inside out.

He was her favorite type of distraction-big and male.

The buttoned-up shirt and pressed jeans he wore did nothing to detract from the wide shoulders and slim hips they covered. But, in her mind, they did label him a stickler for the rules, and that made him totally not her type. Only a real stick-in-the-mud irons his jeans.

Not being her type didn’t stop her eyes from continuing to skim appreciatively over his trim hips-and the impressive package between them, too. And of course she couldn’t stop there, so she mentally drooled over his muscled thighs for a long moment before raising her gaze to meet his.

A steady gaze that was vaguely familiar.

Shaking off that thought, she realized he’d called her Christina. The little devil inside her strained at the leash she’d kept him on for the last six months. Poking her with his pointy tail, he screamed, “Do it! Do it!”

Before she could think twice, her lips parted, and the words tumbled out. “I prefer Tina.” It’s closer to Gina.

Chapter Two
In a voice that was so smooth and deep it sent shivers down her spine, Mr. Gorgeous stick-in-the-mud introduced himself. “I’m Caleb-Gabe’s brother.” He held out a large hand to her.

Gina leaned forward, slipping her hand into his. Long fingers wrapped gently around hers; the heat of him soaked through her skin and inched its way up her arm. Her palm tingled sharply, and images of open mouths, sweaty bodies, and tangled sheets filled her mind.

Whoa! She pulled back in surprise.

To cover up her sudden disquiet over the vision, she waved blithely at the empty seat across from her. “Have a seat, Caleb.”

What was she thinking? Or better yet, what the hell was she doing? She had a deadline; she didn’t have time to waste on a man, no matter how good-looking he was. Of course, it was rare for her to get a psychic flash just from shaking hands with a stranger-especially if she hadn’t deliberately opened herself up and searched for one.

Rarer still for the vision to be one that made her whole body flush with arousal.

Gina eyed Caleb from under her lashes as he deposited his coffee mug gently on the table and settled his large body into the tiny iron chair. Despite his good looks and awesome body, this guy was here to meet someone else. Maybe she should’ve reined in her little devil and let him move on.

Then again, there was no such thing as a coincidence. Right?

Which she could take to mean … he was meant to meet her.

She’d been struggling with her new collection of sketches anyway. Her muse had given up and run away to have some fun. She should do the same. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d forgotten about everything but having a good time. And if the vision-of hot, sweaty bodies rolling around together-she’d had when they touched was any indication, this man could show her a really good time.

With a mental shrug, she smiled flirtatiously at her tablemate, and the hunk smiled back, blue eyes twinkling playfully.

There was a brief silence while they openly checked one another out. Gina shifted in her seat and crossed her legs, getting comfortable. His eyes followed her movements, and she fought back a wicked grin. Even dressed as she was, in casual just-off-work clothes, she knew she looked good. Then they both spoke at once.

“How do you-”

“So what do you-”

They laughed together, and the tension eased. Caleb settled back in his chair, spreading his hands wide. “Ladies first,” he said with a crooked smile.

Relishing the jump in her pulse at his smile, she leaned forward, giving him a clear view of her cleavage, and arched an eyebrow at him. “I was just going to ask what you liked to do for fun?”

Heat warmed his gaze, but Gina was pleased to see that while he glanced at the offered view, he didn’t stare down her top crudely. Instead he locked eyes with hers and showed off perfectly white teeth in a sardonic smile before answering softly. “I haven’t made much time for fun lately. In fact, just the other day I was accused of being old and stodgy.”

“You?” She chuckled softly. “You look like you might be a little uptight. But definitely not old, and, well … stodgy we can fix.”

His eyebrows jumped, a little taken aback by her bluntness maybe, but he didn’t run away. He got points for that. “That’s good to hear. I will admit I’ve let business and various responsibilities take over a large chunk of my life in the past. My construction company is doing well now, and I’ve decided it’s time for a change. Time to stop making work the focus of my life.” He stared at her with earnest blue eyes. “That’s why I agreed to this blind date. It’s time to try new things and remember how to have a good time.”

He got even more points for such an open answer. Gina understood the demands of starting and running one’s own business. Her artwork was a business for her, a part-time one, but still a business. However, she also knew that sometimes a body just had to ignore business and concentrate on the pursuit of pleasure.

A quick scan of the room and her conscience was soothed when she didn’t see a single woman alone anywhere. Caleb’s date had either missed him or pulled a no-show. It was time to kick things up a notch.

“Do you have anything specific in mind for fun, or are you open to pretty much anything?”

The flickering flames in his baby blues burned hotter at her challenge, and his smile turned wolfish. “I’m ready for anything.”

She fought the urge to crow in delight. So he wasn’t as uptight as she’d thought. He might put business before pleasure, but a sense of responsibility wasn’t really a bad thing in a man. And this man definitely had bad-boy potential. She could sense it.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins, and her inner bad girl roared to life, ready and willing to face all challenges. Suddenly very awake, Gina was fully energized for the first time in longer than she could remember.

It was time to play.

She grinned at Caleb. “I think I can help you out,” she said with cocky confidence. With one last lingering look at her sketch pad, she shoved it into her canvas tote bag and gestured toward the door. “Let’s go somewhere with a bit more action and see what happens.”

Chapter Three

She’d surprised him.

Not many people could do that.

Caleb wasn’t sure what he’d expected when they left the coffee shop, but this wasn’t it. When he watched her swing a slender leg over the seat of a sexy little crotch-rocket of a motorcycle, leaving her thighs almost completely bare, it had never entered his mind that they would end up in a gay bar.

Not that he minded. He didn’t judge people by their sexual preference. It just wasn’t somewhere he would’ve thought to take a woman he hoped to get intimate with.

A quick glance around the dark room made him reconsider. It was early, and the bar wasn’t full, but it was busy enough. Yet no one bothered them. No one even gave them a second look.

Couples, of all combinations, lounged on the various sofas surrounding the room’s perimeter. A small group of young guys were stationed in front of the bar, and a male couple was on the dance floor, swaying back and forth in each other’s arms. He thought about it, and excitement pushed past his apprehension. It was the perfect place to get to know someone. Everyone there was so intent on doing his or her own thing no one paid them any mind. He wasn’t the boss or the big brother to anyone in that bar, and that was surprisingly freeing.

Especially considering where his thoughts were taking him. With his back to the wall, he had a clear view of the room and of Tina’s antics. They’d been playing pool for almost two hours, and despite the fact that he’d been in a constant state of semi-arousal through it all, he’d learned some pretty interesting things about her.

In fact, she fascinated him.

“You mean to tell me that you work at the coffee shop, making sandwiches and lattes for people every day, when you could easily support yourself with your illustrations?” It didn’t make sense to him. He could tell by the tone of her voice when she talked about her art that she loved it, so why would she want to work in a cafe when she could make a living doing what she loved?

A lush breast brushed against his arm as she reached past him for the cube of chalk on the edge of the table, heating his blood another degree. Was she deliberately trying to drive him insane with lust?

She continued to stroll around the table, looking for her next shot as she talked. “My artwork pays nicely, but if I devoted myself to it entirely, I could easily become a hermit. Working in the cafe lets me deal with real people without getting too close to them.”

“You don’t like getting close to people?”

“I love getting close to the right people,” she said in a husky voice that made his cock swell. She bent over to take her shot, and he got an eyeful of plump womanly flesh cupped lovingly in fire-engine-red satin.

Swallowing hard, he dragged his gaze from her cleavage to her delicate face. The devilish glint in her dark eyes left no doubt in his mind that if he played his cards right, he could be one of the lucky ones. One of the ones she got real close to.

Tina was different than any other woman he’d ever gone out with. No, not different-more. More sexual, more flirtatious, and more unpredictable.

More woman.

Flirting was one of those things he’d just never gotten the hang of. It was too much of an iffy thing, a gray area that was always open to interpretation. He preferred to deal in things that were solid … black and white only.

Unsure of how to handle such blatant flirting without being a complete idiot, he ignored it. “Aspects of construction are like that, too. I deal with clients if I have to, but I prefer to leave that side of things to my brother. He’s the smooth-talking salesman of the family.”

Tina’s lips twitched up on one side, but she didn’t say anything about his lack of response to her flirting. She just let the conversation move on, and continued to kick his ass at pool.

It wasn’t surprising she was winning. Watching her bend and stretch over the green felt that somehow reminded him of his bed was much more distracting than playing with one of the guys. Yet he felt like he was getting to know her better than he ever could sitting across from her at a dinner table.

“So you enjoy working with your hands then?” she asked in reference to his last comment about preferring to work with his crew instead of just supervising. The comment itself wasn’t sexual, but to his fogged brain, everything she said and did had sexual connotations. He was having a hard time being the gentleman he’d always prided himself on being.

Thoughts of getting to know her better in any way but the physical disappeared as she stretched a bit farther to line up another shot, and her skirt rose another inch. Half an inch more and he’d know what color her panties were-if she even had any on.

——————————————————————————–
Excerpted from Sexy Devil by SASHA WHITE Copyright © 2007 by Sasha White. Excerpted by permission.

Comment on any of the Sasha White Excerpts posted today, Thursday 23, 2007 by midnight CST, and you will be entered to win one of the following:

A signed copy of Sexy Devil

A signed copy of Lush

A signed copy of Trouble

Good Luck! Now let’s just hope I can get the other excerpt to post….

Gwen’s review of Sexy Devil by Sasha White
Single author anthology, paranormal erotic romance published 27 Nov 07 by Aphrodisia

I drool every time I see this cover, and it’s a lot since I have a couple of very juicy (very well used) bookmarks with this image on it.  And I sigh, and daydream. Heck, I just all around lust.  Makes me smile in places you can and can’t see.

This is a single author anthology of three related stories. 

The first, The Devil Inside, has some minor paranormal elements and is mostly about the relationship between the hero, Caleb, and the heroine, Gina.  It’s a very sweet and hot story.  Poor Caleb is about as uptight as you can get.  Gina isn’t.  You can imagine the fun the author had with those scenes.  The erotic scenes are very hot and I kept waiting for the two to have sex in public – it would have been scorching.  I liked this story – it’s all about letting go and trusting.  Nice story.  The Devil Inside, Grade: B+

The second story, Devil’s Jewel, is centered on Gina’s older brother, Angelo Devlin (“Angel” to Gina, “Devil” to his friends) and his love interest, Jewel.  This story is mostly paranormal elements and just a smidge about the relationship.  It was a terrific story about how Devil and his partner, Drake, team up with Gina, Caleb, and Jewel to rescue Jewel’s sister from a demon.  Pretty intense fight scenes, and a couple of very hot erotic scenes, made this for an entertaining read.  Devil’s Jewel, Grade: B

The last story, Mountain Retreat, is a short one about an acquaintance of Gina’s, a policeman named Mac, and his childhood sweetheart, Nikki.  They were separated at the end of high school but they never forgot each other.  Fifteen years have gone by and the feelings are still there.  There’s a complication, though.  She’s a recently turned werewolf and she’s terrified she’ll hurt him.  Nonetheless, she needs his comfort, security, and love or she feels she won’t survive.  This was a very sweet, short story.  I loved Mac by the end.  Mountain Retreat, Grade: B

This was a terrific anthology.  I have really enjoyed White’s writing so far (Trouble was a blast).  Here’s to keeping the quality, and the steam, at full blast!  And, Sasha, if you will send me the telephone number of that cover model, I’ll be your BFF.  ;-)

Overall Grade: B+ 

     Blurb:

     The Devil Inside
     Workaholic Caleb Mann used to think blind dates were a waste of time, but when his ex-girlfriend calls him boring in bed, Caleb becomes bent on changing his image fast – with the help of the incredibly sexy woman standing in front of him. He barely knows his date’s name, but her sassy mouth is almost hypnotizing, in more ways than one, and he can’t stop fantasizing about replacing the sleek motorcycle between her firm thighs and letting her ride him all night long…

     Devil’s Jewel
     Ex-soldier and psychic hunter Angelo Devlin has seen evil first-hand. He knows how perilous his assignments can be, and he doesn’t welcome outside help, which makes his run-in with Jewel Kattalis all the more infuriating. But instead of sending her away, he wants to grab her, take her, and tease every inch of her beautiful body. This woman may be more dangerous than any mission he’s ever been on before…

     Mountain Retreat
     This story isn’t mentioned in the blurb.  It’s a shorty at the end about a new werewolf and her childhood sweetheart finding each other again.

     Read an excerpt (from Devil’s Jewel).

What’s next for this author:

 Wicked, releasing 2 Jan 08 by Berkley Heat

Jami was kind enough to share an excerpt from her book with us. I think she didn’t want me to bitch about her website needing to be updated.

I know! Like I would do such a thing? So for now at least this is a JUST duckie exclusive excerpt.

If you haven’t read it yet, check out the summary for Private Party and don’t forget to give Jami an idea for her upcoming Brava title. And you get a chance to win an unsigned copy of Private Party and one uber special person will get a signed copy of a book from Jami’s backlist.

AND NOW…. the excerpt

Private Party by Jami Alden

“Where in the world is he? I’s time to cut the cake.”

“I’m sure he’ll be here any minute,” Julie Driscoll Dennison attempted to soothe the frazzled wedding planner. “Why don’t you have one of the ushers check the bathroom, and I’ll see if he’s out in the lobby.”

Honestly, you’d think Brian would know better than to disappear in the middle of the reception.

“Everything okay?” Wendy, Julie’s maid of honor sidled up alongside her.

“I can’t find Brian. He probably needed a moment to himself.”

Wendy quirked a brow. “Right…”

Okay, so Brian wasn’t exactly the introspective type, but still, it was his wedding day. God knew Julie was all but overwhelmed by it all. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen him.”

Wendy shook her head. “Where’s his brother? I thought it was the best man’s job to keep tabs on the groom.”

“He left right after he did his toast,” Julie said. She smiled a little when she thought of Chris’ toast. So practiced, so polite. So unlike him. Chris wasn’t the kind of guy who worried about what people thought of him, especially not the stuffy overly self important crowd attending her wedding. His easygoing, casual style made him stick out in this crowd, even as he tried to fit in.

Unlike Brian, who could have been a GQ Cover model, Chris’s dark brown hair was always a little shaggy, his big, muscular body always looking a little too big for his clothes. But he had looked absolutely delectable in his tux, the white shirt a seductive contrast to his skin, burnished from the strong Caribbean sun. Chris had always been gorgeous in a rough around the edges kind of way, and he’d only improved in the five years since she’d seen him last.

She closed her eyes, trying not to imagine the acres of tanned muscularity he had hidden under that tux. She’d thought she’d gotten over her silly teenage crush on Chris a long time ago, and her wedding day to his half brother was no time her to resurrect it.

She mentally slapped herself. Today was her wedding day, for goodness sake. All of her months of hard work and planning had finally come to fruition, and now was not the time to revisit her long-dead infatuation with her fabulous groom’s black sheep of a younger brother.

She exited the ballroom and made her way down a hall, stopping to chat politely with guests along the way. As she neared a utility closed a thump sounded from behind the door. Then a giggle. Then a moan.

A decidedly masculine moan.

Stomach somewhere around her knees, Julie had an awful premonition of what she would find behind that door.

“You son of a bitch.” Her voice sounded very far away, like it came from the end of a long, echoing tunnel.

She squeezed her eyes so tight her eyelids cramped. This could not be happening. It simply couldn’t.

But there was no mistaking Brian, frozen mid-thrust as he nailed another woman against the wall, gaping over his shoulder at her in a way that would have been comical under other circumstances.

She spared the other woman a quick glance. Ah, of course, the lovely Vanessa, Brian’s newest assistant. She had suspected Vanessa’s employment had more to do with her mile high legs and over sized chest than her secretarial skills, and kicked herself for stupidly giving Brian the benefit of the doubt. But the last time she’d caught him cheating he’d sworn to God, on his grandmother’s grave, and the title of his prized Ferrari, that it would never, ever happen again. He’d promised that the next time he would have sex would be with Julie, on their wedding night. And with their wedding plans forcefully in motion, it had seemed easier to believe him than to admit she was about to make the biggest mistake of her life.

“Julie, it’s nothing. It doesn’t mean anything.” Brian fumbled with his tuxedo pants, grabbing at his cummerbund as the trousers slid back down around his ankles. Vanessa had pulled her skirt back down and made a dive to retrieve her underpants. The action sent Brian stumbling backwards over a mop and bucket, and he landed on his ass in the middle of Vanessa’s chest.

Julie had never been sucker punched, but she imagined this was what it might feel like. A sharp hit to the middle of her chest, a sensation of all the air leaving her chest, leaving her gasping like a dying trout. Pain radiated through her, accompanied by the icy burn of humiliation. Still, she grasped for control, trying not to let Brian see that she was blowing apart from the inside out, into a thousand tiny fragments. Her mind worked frantically, searching for the appropriate thing to do or say in a situation like this. But there was no sweeping this under the rug with social niceties.

Taking a mop handle and shoving it somewhere extremely painful was probably not the best response, however appealing it was at the moment. “We’re supposed to cut the cake now.”

Copyright © 2007 Jami Alden. All rights reserved.

Private Party by Jami Alden

Turn Up The Heat

Finding her brand-new husband in flagrante delicto with another woman wasn’t part of Julie Driscoll’s plan for her lavish wedding reception. Now she’s a bride without a groom—but she’s determined to have a wedding night with someone. Her cheating husband’s gorgeous brother will do just fine. Chris Dennison is everything his brother isn’t, and his hard body is the stuff the steamiest sexual fantasies are made of…

Let’s Get This Party Started

Chris isn’t about to turn her down. After five years of dreaming about her, the chance to touch Julie’s delectably luscious body is too tempting to resist. And when she follows him to the tropical resort he’s built from the ground up, she insists hot, wet, skin-to-skin pleasure is all he wants. Now he just has to convince her that he wants more…

Jami Alden is getting down and dirty and talking… titles. Whatever did you think I was going to say? tsk tsk I said Jami not Gwen wrong four letter word… err name.

I am picking 25 people to get their very own special copy of Jami Alden’s new book Private Party. Yes! You too can giggle in your home and play with your pants.

Thanks goes to Jami’s editor, Hilary Sares, for giving me so many grand copies of the book in order to bend you to my will and demand you amuse me. It is a dirty job but really somebody has to do it.

**list of winners will be posted 11/8/07**

Gwen’s Review of Hands On by Amie Stuart
Erotic romance novel released 1 Jun 07 by Aphrodisia

This novel consists of three interlocking stories about three BFF’s – Lexi, Lanie, and Carlotta. All three women have blue collar jobs (construction foreman, mechanic, and electrician, respectively) and adventurous private lives. This is a book about these friend’s femininity, their men, and personal discovery. Oh, with some very hot sex thrown in for spice. In my opinion, the cover alone is worth the purchase of this book - that is a very sexy, beautifully shot photo and a work of art on its own.

This book starts with the “mildest” of the three stories: Lexi’s, or Alex to her workers. She has been lusting after a drywall supervisor on the job, Wade. She and Wade manage to hook up, of course, after some amusing scenes including a lap dance in an upscale strip club. I’m not sure if this is a “love match” for these two, but it’s definitely a lust match. It’s a fun cute story.

The second story is a little edgier: Lanie’s, or Mel to her mechanics. Lanie owns her own auto repair garage and manages to hook up with her brother’s friend, Jeff, after a painfully amusing scene at her parents’ backyard picnic, which is a welcome home dinner for her youngest brother, Jackie, recently released from the pen. This story explores a complicated family dynamic – very Catholic family, prolific siblings (12 g’children among three brothers), and two outcasts – Lanie and Jackie. Lanie’s ostracism is self-imposed – she’s in her 30′s, owns her own successful business, not married and has no kids, and is bisexual (unbeknownst to her family) – everything her family seems to not value. Jackie’s ostracism was state-imposed – he spent 10 years in prison for robbery or burglary (not sure which). Lanie ends up helping Jackie reconnect with life, and hooking up with Jeff and she has a ball doing it, all while freeing herself from her family’s expectations.

The third story is the edgiest of all: Carlotta’s. Carlotta is also mildly bisexual, but not so much she makes it a lifestyle choice. She hooks up with a man she originally describes as the “Geek Meister” – but she soon discovers that, in her words, still waters run deep. This story becomes a rather painful tale of self-discovery and catharsis. Carlotta discovers she’s a “submissive” at heart but also that she is terrified of letting go of control of the smallest elements in her life. In fact, her need to control is more a stranglehold than a gentle grip. The conflict this creates when she discovers her submissive self makes for a very good story. I would have liked it to be about 20 more pages, but that’s a sign of a good book, in my opinion. This was the story I thought I might end in a love match.

I was impressed with this book. I didn’t skim paragraphs or skip pages, and I read it all in one sitting. It was engrossing, fun, and very sexy. I found Carlotta’s story the most compelling because it seemed the most genuine. I enjoy books where a character is forced on a journey of self-discovery, kicking and screaming. I enjoy that because, if we’re smart, it’s often the way life is - forcing us to confront issues, instead of hiding from them.

I highly recommend adding this to your poolside reading pile this summer.

Grade: B+

Here’s the book blurb:

Monday through Friday they’re known as Alex, Mel and Carl. But come Friday night Lexi, Lanie and Carlotta trade their blue collar personas in for high heels, martinis and men. They’re smart, sexy and successful, and they’re taking HANDS ON to a whole new level.

Lexi Kimball has the unenviable position of Safety Supervisor on a construction crew. The one person everyone loves to hate, she’s caught between bringing a job in on time and getting it done without any accidents. Not an easy task in the best of circumstances, but throw in a sexy foreman with an adventurous streak and a construction site plagued with problems and you’ve got a recipe for trouble.

Melanie Daniels comes from a long line of mechanics and has no illusions about working in a man’s world. To the men who work under her at Chick’s Garage, an auto shop that caters exclusively to women, she’s Mel. On the weekends she’s Lanie, a bisexual completely comfortable in her own skin…until she finds herself challenged by her brother’s best friend.

Carlotta Quintanilla isn’t your average blonde. The sexy Nicaraguan can wire anything, anytime, anywhere better than any man, and she looks hot in a tool belt. When it comes to men, not only does she know how to play the game, she wrote the rules. She meets her match in a quiet computer geek who has a thing or two to teach her about control.

Read an excerpt.

It annoys me (again from Karen Fox):

Audrey LeFehr buys contemporary romance, historical romance, romantic suspense, women’s fiction, thrillers and Aphrodisia. Aphrodisia is actually erotica, not romance. They are called erotic romance for the booksellers. They’re always looking for talent. You can query Audrey in email, then send in entire manuscript if requested.

From HelenKay’s blog:

In the never-ending Aphrodisia v. Brava debate, the editors say: Aphrodisia is about sex and Brava is about romance. Hillary Sares (the main Aphrodisia editor) says the term “erotic romance” with the imprint is a misnomer. The books are not really romance and don’t have to be. Use of the title is for marketing – Kensington wants the books in the romance section and wants to reach romance readers. That’s it. And, the only limit on the sex is that it be legal.

I have to say this annoys me greatly. Since when is misleading and lying ok marketing?

What is next, erotic sex in inspirationals? hmmmm

::see that isn’t as much fun without the lil pictures::

There was more of a lead in here but I lost it and don’t care to retype. And this is has been in draft for a while, so I am posting it damn it.

Mainly this is the start of a few posts (hopefully) reviewing some thoughts on the new romantica/erotica/erotic romance lines and of course books I want. Because it is allll about me Most of these guidelines come from Erotica Readers & Writers Association Website. I have left off emails and addresses, click the link if you are looking for them. These are just print lines, ebook will be a different post.

I have also left things out of the editors emails or publishers guidelines, they were way long and I left the stuff I had questions on and will follow in other posts or it just amused me. Market Guidelines includes epubs and print, if you want to go scope out the site.

Aphrodisia Kensington Publishing New Erotica Imprint
Debut Of Aphrodisia In January: Three by Noelle Mack, Wolf Tales by Kate Douglas, Gotta Have It by Rene Alexis, and The Hard Stuff by Karin Tabke, Bonnie Edwards, and Sunny.

guidelines

Both agented and unagented submissions are being accepted for works from 20,000 words (novellas) through 80,000 words and representing contemporary and historical fiction from a variety of sub-genres, such as paranormal and multi-cultural. Books will be lighthearted or dark, funny or suspenseful, whatever best reflects the writer’s voice and brings readers the kind of story they are looking for.

Berkley Jove HEAT
from their guidelines

Romance is fine for Heat, but it’s not necessarily the focus. Happy endings are okay too.

3) I’m looking at all genres – contemporaries, historicals and paranormals.

4) I’m okay with manage, and some homoerotic elements, but the main relationship should be hetero (think Emma Holly—she may include homosexual/lesbian elements, but her primary relationship is hetero).

CHEEK GUIDELINES OUTLINE, very detailed… left most of it because of the detail. The only Cheek I have think I have read would be Emma Holly. Oh I have Sticky Fingers by Alison Tyler somewhere set for the ubs, read another AT and was very eh. I should check it out after all just cuz.

The flavour
Pacy, feel-good, contemporary young women’s fiction with sexual content that is explicit but not anatomically, and not – scarily so. Central character should be female 18 – 35, and the story told primarily through female p.o.v. If written in third person, there should be some male p.o.v. but always with the accent on his emotions (i.e. who he is fancying and why).

What the books are about
Cheek should appeal to the indulgent side of the young female. In the way that women’s magazines are narcissistic (they allow women unashamed indulgence in luxuries and in themselves), so Cheek should be novel-length narratives about the gaining of female pleasure  through sex, but also through pampering, shopping, dressing up, travelling, having great times, enjoying all that young life has to offer.

Style
The story should enable the reader to vicariously enjoy all of the above. The accent should be on good times, and the narrative should conform to the obstacle/conflict/resolution/ formula of mainstream contemporary fiction and/or successful soap opera. The style should be transparent, so no clever-clever parodying styles where you can see the strings. The writing should not draw attention to itself. The books should be aspirational and fun but not – give the game away, so avoiding cliches will be very important. For instance, we wouldn’t want designer labels name-dropped in every sentence as if it were computer-software-generated chick lit, but we would want lifestyle glamour: lovely apartments/hotels/sexy city breaks/exotic destinations/soft adventure i.e. skinny dipping at moonlight etc.

Sex
A delightful, playful, curious sensuality should inform the characters behaviour rather than down and dirty lust for the sake of it. The women shouldn’t behave explicitly outside of the sex scenes, and the blokes should be more intriguing, charming and mysterious than what one usually finds in real life.

There can of course be down and dirty lust within the sex scenes, but it should come about as a result of high-tension seduction that builds to bursting point. This will inform the language and dialogue. The more Anglo-Saxon words and descriptions should be used sparingly outside of sex scenes and, while OK in dialogue to a certain extent (talking dirty is popular and there should be some of this in all Cheek books) it shouldn’t ever be offensive. The build-up to a sex scene, the tension, what clothes are worn (lots of details of fab clothes), the wining and dining etc. are as important as the act itself in Cheek, so there will be lots of opportunities to write sexy descriptions that are NOT focused on the minutiae of genital anatomy.

Sex scenes should be maximised for arousal potential. They should not be so brief as to be a let-down, but not pored over and over until one can’t see the wood for the trees. No overblown erotic romance purple prose of the waves and waves of throbbing sensation coursed through her helpless body variety. Snappy, punchy, saucy and cool is the way forward. In all cases, sex scenes should evolve naturally and shouldn’t seem gratuitous. There should be plenty of juicy description of the male body, of being worshipped, and fancied by hunky/desirable blokes.

Sex content
Should follow the parameters of Cosmo; i.e. variety of positions/oral/fun and games/dressing up/sex in unusual places etc. but again: language is everything. Anatomical descriptions should be absent for the most part, concentrating on the emotions rather than medical close-ups of squelching parts. Tastefully done is the key.

Characters
Should be lively/fun/full of the conflicts and emotions of young women; the kind of girls you’d like to be friends with. Obviously there can be one or two bad guys bitchy interlopers who you (and the central characters) dislike and who are a threat to our heroine’s dreams coming true.

Unsuitable subjects
These are feel-good books, so no social problems, addictions, serious illnesses, crime-ridden environments, heavy emotional problems, death, rape, abortions, alcoholism etc. Cheek novels should be the equivalent of a girls night in or out, and the ending should be optimistic.

When it comes to sexual content, the taboos should be obvious: no incest, animals, watersports or heavy SM. Bondage (of the silk scarves variety) and power games (light spanking/teasing/dressing up as fantasy characters) fine, but accent on pleasure and discovery at all times. The sex in Cheek should not be transgressive and the characters should not be involved in the fetish scene or have the awareness of seasoned swingers. No suburban sordidness; such a thing is fine for BL/Nexus but not Cheek. Should not speak to the audience in a way that assumes familiarity of sexual politics or the sexual underground.

I would recommend anyone who is thinking of writing new material for us to read Sticky Fingers by Alison Tyler: Available at Amazon.com / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

Secrets Red Sage Publishing

Sensuous, bold, spicy, untamed, hot, and sometime politically incorrect, Secrets stories concentrate on the sophisticated highly intense adult sexual relationship. These character driven stories always concentrate on the love and sexual relationship between the hero and the heroine.

We are accepting novella submissions for an anthology. Novella lengths range from 20,000-35,000 words. No multiple submissions accepted do not send us a story you’re also sending to another publisher. Authors may query interest with a one-page synopsis (clear emotional and physical conflict defined) and the first ten pages of their story (printed out, not the digital file).

For guideline details and submission information:We are accepting novella submissions for an anthology. Novella lengths range from 20,000-35,000 words. No multiple submissions accepted do not send us a story you’re also sending to another publisher. Authors may query interest with: a one-page synopsis (clear emotional and physical conflict defined) and the first ten pages of their story (printed out, not the digital file). Please include writing credentials (we welcome unpublished authors as well).

Sensuous, bold, spicy, untamed, hot, and sometime politically incorrect, Secrets stories concentrate on the sophisticated highly intense adult sexual relationship. These character driven stories always concentrate on the love and sexual relationship between the hero and the heroine.

The Hero
He may be the fearsome warrior, the rogue, the bold conqueror or the imposing captain of industry. He is always intelligent, good looking, usually rich, may be humorous, larger than life, strong willed, domineering (in a sexy way) and very much the Ultra Alpha male and sometimes unpredictable. He is the kind of man who epitomizes every woman’s fantasies and not least, a devastatingly wonderful lover.

The Heroine
She may be the Indian captive, Lady of the Manor, CEO of a corporation or a traveler to distant stars. She is above all intelligent. She has strength, femininity and independence. She may be humorous. She is a woman the reader likes and identifies with.

The Sexual Relationship
We are searching for romance authors who dare to go where today’s romance authors are forbidden to go. Highly intense love relationships involve an equally intense sexual relationship that are sometimes politically incorrect. We are looking for a high level of sexual tension throughout the story to maintain the necessary edge and arousing feel. These love scenes must be sophisticated, erotic and emotional. We want to push the envelope beyond the normal romance novel. Be kinky, be wild, go far beyond spicy, but always write romance. If you’re not sure, query. Any sexual position okay between a man and a woman.

The Plot
The more difficult and intriguing or unique the conflict, the more interesting the story. Tension and conflict can make love scenes excruciatingly effective. Always a happy ending.

The Setting
Historical, contemporary, mainstream, science fiction, mystery, adventure, fantasy and let your wonderful creative imagination be your guide.

launch in May 2006 SPICE
from their guidelines

SPICE is:

A great plot, an engrossing story with several explicitly sexual scenes that have context within the story.
A unique take on modern women, their lives, their relationships and whatever turns them on.
Sophisticated, urban, contemporary, realistic, relevant.

Graphic, using the kind of frank language typical of the genre.
Daring feel free to explore any and all sexual situations, even ones considered “taboo.”
Not a string of unconnected, gratuitous sex scenes.
Not a big traditional romance with lots of sex.
Not full of euphemisms for body parts or lovemaking.

Guidelines for Tor’s Paranormal Romance Program – I was surprised to see this here but I haven’t read a TOR yet so…

Tor Books is actively seeking well-written novel-length stories, focusing on both plot and character development. All submissions, no matter which of the following subcategories they fall into, must include paranormal elements.

These are the subcategories we are looking for under the general heading of “paranormal romance”:

(a) plausible science fiction
(b) fantasy
(c) horror / otherworldly beings (i.e., vampires, goblins, faeries, ghosts, banshees, skinwalkers, zombies, golem, etc.)
(d) near-future / speculative fiction
(e) non-standard time travel
(f) alternate history / alternate timelines

As Tor Books is an award-winning, world-renowned science fiction and fantasy publisher, please be advised that submissions in those areas will be held to our usual standards for plausibility, world-building, character development, and the various elements that comprise these genres.

We are not looking for:

(a) fluffy comedies
(b) inspirational religious works
(c) stories in which a ghost or an angel falls in love with a human (or vice versa); if you plan on using this plot, please come at it from a fresh and original angle
(d) traditional / category romance

Each novel should include at least two main plot elements: one, the romance and the conflict inherent in that; two, another significant conflict. Both storylines should be crucial to the overall novel, and the romantic elements should make up no more than half the entire story.

We are open to non-traditional romances (i.e., multi-racial, multi-ethnic, religiously diverse, non-traditional gender / sexual orientation, etc.), as well as traditional ones. We are open to very erotic works as well as less graphic ones; in any work the sex and romance should be believable and rational and well-suited to the story.

Length: between 80,000 and 130,000 words.

We are primarily looking for original novels, but will consider works which have been self-published or e-published. While we are not actively seeking backlist at this time, we will look at backlist on a case-by-case basis from authors with whom we are buying new material.

If you are already a published fiction writer, we will accept three chapters and a substantial outline. Previously unpublished authors should submit three chapters and a detailed outline, and be prepared to supply the complete manuscript upon request.

Submission Guidelines for Tor’s Paranormal Romance Program

Both agented and unagented submissions are acceptable. If you have an agent, please have your agent submit your work.

If your work is 100,000 words or less, please submit the first three chapters; if your work is longer than 100,000 words, please submit the first sixty pages to the nearest chapter break.

All submissions should be accompanied by a 2-4 page synopsis and a cover letter stating any awards you have won and all previous publications (and your sales history, if you have it), as well as the genre of your work.

Submissions send via post should be in 12-point standard serif typeface and double-spaced. You may submit via email attachment in Microsoft Word document, RTF, or text format only. If you are submitting via post you must include a self-addressed stamped envelope. In the event your work is not right for us and if you would like your manuscript pages returned, your envelope must be big enough to fit them. All rejected manuscripts not returned to their owners will be recycled.

Please submit only one work per email/envelope. If you are submitting a series, submit only the first book in the series according to the above guidelines, and include a 1-2 page synopsis for each following book as well.

We do not accept query letters, simultaneous submissions, or phone pitches. Do not call to ask if we want to see your book.

Our turnaround time is currently approximately two weeks to four months. If you do not hear from us within four months of your submission date, please feel free to send an email (include in this email your full name and the title of your submitted work). We assure you that a person well-versed in romance and other genre fiction will examine your work, however there is not always time to respond personally to every manuscript.

Wicked Words Themed Collections more to be found here. I almost picked up one of these the other day. I thought there was someone on my trade group who wanted it. It was only 2 bucks but was hardback, since I wasn’t sure someone was looking for it and need to spend money shipping stuff already packaged, I didn’t get it. Of course now I wish I had since I have never read a WW book.

Our themed erotica collections have proved to be immensely popular and we will be continuing to publish themed anthologies throughout 2006 and 2007. The themes for the continuing books are as follows

* Sex and Shopping (deadline for stories end of April 2006)

* Sex in Public (deadline for stories end of July 2006)

* Sex with Strangers (deadline for stories end of October 2006)

* Sex with Celebrities (fictional characters only) (deadline for stories end of January 2007)

Do you want to submit a short story to Wicked Words? The general guidelines, including where to send submissions, are available.

Please note we can only accept stories that are of publishable literary standard in terms of grammar, punctuation, narrative structure and presentation. We do not want to receive true confessions or stories that are about ‘some people having sex’ and little else. The buzzwords are surprises, solid characterisation and an awareness of what makes great erotica. Stories should feature something more original than the expected cliché, for example, writing about the ‘Mile-high club’ for Sex on the move. We are looking for beautifully-crafted, original work with an unusual twist.

All stories need to be between 4000 and 6000 words and laid out to house style double-spaced, printed on one side of A4 and in a point size no smaller than 12. We do not, under any circumstances, accept submissions by email. We cannot reply to all short story submissions as we receive too many to make this possible. Competition-style rules apply you will hear back from us only if your story has been successful. And please remember to read the guidelines.