Thanks to Beth Kery for joining us recently with a very intriguing guest blog. Love and romance rising out of tragedy is some of the best reading we can ask for, as Beth proves with her Home to Harbor Town series.

And now for our winners! Each winner will receive their choice of two books from the Harbor Town series: The Hometown Hero Returns, Liam’s Perfect Woman, or Claiming Colleen.

So congrats to:

Kim (#4)

and

CrystalGB (#1)

WTG, ladies! Send your book choices and snail mail addy to lighthousetagger (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll pass it on to Beth to get your books on their way to you!

I first read Beth Kery when I discovered one of her erotic romances, Exorcising Sean’s Ghost, a few years ago. She was a new author for me, and that book hooked me. I’ve been reading her ever since. Beth writes a variety of romance, from the heated, sizzling erotic to those lovely, heartwarming stories that make you smile. Her latest series, Home to Harbor Town, is full of heart and warmth while steeped in misfortune and catastrophe.

Claiming Colleen is the third book of a five-book series, and, while the tragedy that has hit these families is still the underlying base of the story, the tone is a bit more lighthearted than the previous books, but the emotion and the romance, those very important heartwarming elements that have been there from the beginning, are still front and center.

Eric and Colleen are both passionate and bull-headed. And perfect for each other, though they don’t acknowledge that any time soon. But that’s where a lot of the fun comes from in this book. Watching them waltz around each other with hurt and anger turns into a lovely dance of fire and admiration as they and their love grow through the course of the story. You don’t want to miss this book. You don’t want to miss this series. Trust me.

Summary:

In high school, small-town princess Colleen Kavanaugh had had it all, and Eric Reyes was the outsider with his nose pressed against the glass. Then a sudden change in circumstance led to a reversal of fortune. Now Eric was a wealthy, successful, arrogant surgeon who rubbed the onetime golden girl the wrong way.

When an ironic twist of fate forced Eric and Colleen back together, the single mom found herself drawn to the irresistible doctor despite their dark history. Sure, she’d felt something for Eric when they were teenagers, but those memories were long forgotten—or so she thought. It wasn’t long before he wooed her into his arms…and his bed. But could their newfound passion lead to the happily-ever-after of their dreams?

It’s time to meet Eric and Colleen. So here’s a little teaser to give you a taste of what’s in store for you when you pick up this book.

“It’s just a reality check,” Eric reminded her, his voice low and compelling.

She glanced up into his eyes and wished she hadn’t. She couldn’t seem to look away.

“You know…to remind our siblings that passion can cloud the brain.”

“Oh, yes. Because we all should be as rational and clearheaded as
you,” Colleen replied under her breath.

“What’s that?” he asked, dipping his head toward her as though to
hear her better.

“Nothing,” she muttered, because much to her shock his face was now only inches away from hers, and those eyes she’d formerly designated as
the bedroom variety were latched on to her mouth.

“Mind if I ask you a question?” She watched his firm, shapely lips moving as if in a trance.

“Okay,” she murmured.

“Sixteen months ago I kissed you, and a few months later, you slugged me in the jaw in the parking lot at Jake’s Place.”

Her mouth fell open, but she didn’t utter a word. She didn’t know what shocked her more: the fact that Eric had brought up that kiss on Sunset Beach again or his reference to her impassioned, impulsive slug to his jaw last summer…or possibly the fact that said sexy jaw was now hovering mere inches away from her upturned face.

“I…I’ve never apologized for that. I’m really sorry,” she whispered. Just thinking about it mortified her. It’d been a hot, sultry night, and Eric had got into a confrontation with her brothers, Liam and Marc. Old emotions regarding the crash had boiled to the surface. Colleen had made a fool of herself by stopping the fight by jumping in front of her brothers and punching Eric herself.

Not one of her finer moments.

Eric and she were the only two people on the entire planet who knew that impulsive act, in large part, related to what had occurred on Sunset Beach months before. That physical action was an admission, in a sense, that Eric had gotten to her, and he must know that. Colleen hadn’t realized until that moment how much a secret tied you to another person. She struggled to think up an excuse for her volatile behavior that summer night.

“We Kavanaughs are rather…protective of one another. You know how
family can be,” she said apologetically.

“I do,” he said in a hushed tone. “But I didn’t bring it up because I was looking for an apology.”

“No?”

He shook his head slowly. She couldn’t pull her gaze off the firm, shapely lips centered above the indentation of that cleft on his chin.

“I brought it up because I wanted to ask you something…something I’ve
wondered about.”

She stood frozen t o the spot, even though she knew she should back
away. His dark head dipped slightly. His breath, warm and fragrant, brushed against her nose and lips. The subtle scent of his spicy aftershave filtered into her nose. She inhaled, greedy for it.

“Do you regret that kiss?” he asked.

For a stretched few seconds, neither spoke. The silence was absolute. Colleen wondered if they both held their breath.

“I keep trying to regret it but—”

She never finished her sentence, because he leaned down and closed the distance between them, seizing her mouth with his. One second she’d been Eric-less, and the next she was submerged in him, overwhelmed by the feeling of his demanding lips and singular taste. She stumbled in her boots. In fact, she later wondered with rising horror if she hadn’t
swooned. He caught her, holding her firmly in his arms. But what woman wouldn’t be caught off balance—and thrilled by her dizziness—while being consumed by Eric Reyes?

As I write this blog for The Good, The Bad and the Unread, I’m looking forward to the release of Claiming Colleen, the third book in the Home to Harbor Town series, while at the same time, doing edits for One in a Billion—Deidre’s story and book four in the series—and writing the fifth book—Ryan’s story. It’s one of those strange experiences that an author has, that by the time a book is ready to make its debut, the writer’s mind is months or years later in the character’s journey. But it’s a wonderful perspective, too, sort of like sharing familiar photographs with a friend or family member who hasn’t yet seen them and experiencing them fresh through another’s eyes.

Claiming Colleen is Eric Reyes’ and Colleen Kavanaugh’s love story—one I’ve been looking forward to telling since book one. The heat, conflict, and attraction between the two has been simmering just below the surface for two books, so it was so much fun for me to finally give these two special characters the full spotlight and their own unique romance.

One of the fun things about Eric and Colleen’s story is that the two have knowledge of things going on behind the scenes that other characters in the books (and thus, the reader) haven’t had thus far. Perhaps there’s a reason Colleen acted so uncharacteristically and slugged Eric in book one, and maybe there’s a thread of common history beyond their family tragedy that makes Eric always remember her with warmth and a touch of regret, despite their apparent coolness toward one another? These are the little elements that get to be brought to the surface as these two take the stage for their own passionate romance. One of the things that’s nice about this is that old readers can peek into formerly obscured events going on in the background of former books, while new readers can experience it new, fresh, and complete.

I noticed that as I wrote Claiming Colleen that the tone of the story was different than the two former books—a little lighter, less somber, and a bit more tongue in cheek. Eric’s and Colleen’s dialogue flowed in a quick, familiar rhythm, highlighting these two individuals’ inherent confidence, intelligence…and, of course, stubborn streaks that go miles deep. Their chemistry provided a nice alteration in the flow of the series. Yes, this couple has also been touched by past tragedy and their lives today show undeniable marks of it. But they are also both intensely vibrant and present individuals, and thus their romance has an active, vigorous feel to it.

I suppose some people might think it was strange that I came up with a romance series that was at least partially inspired by news articles of the Taconic Parkway crash. For whatever reason, I was deeply moved by this heart-rending story about senseless death, multiple families’ losses, and the inevitable grinding pain of the survivors. Romance novels are, at their essence, books about love, though; the power of love to transform, grow, and eventually heal our flawed human selves. What’s more, Harlequin Special Edition is an imprint that focuses on families. I thought it was a perfect home for this story about three very different families, their journey to forgiveness and acceptance, and, finally, happiness within the arms of the one they love.

For the giveaway today: Thank you to The Good, The Bad and the Unread for hosting me here today! I’ll give two randomly chosen commenters their choice of two books from the Home to Harbor Town series, The Hometown Hero Returns, Liam’s Perfect Woman, or Claiming Colleen.

~Beth

Dinca’s review of Claiming Colleen (Home to Harbor Town, Book 3) by Beth Kery
Contemporary Romance published by Silhouette Special Edition 21 Feb 12

Beth Kery has kept all the characters in this series strong as always and very active in the storyline in Book 3 of Home to Harbor Town. For a family that is so torn apart, they really stick together. This story is as well written as the other two, and I am looking forward to Book 4.

Sometimes when you read a series, after the second or third book, the backstory starts to get a little redundant. Beth Kery is a master at filling in backstory. I have not found it repetitive or boring at all. She adds all those little details more as a ‘remember when’ something happened. One example is when Colleen slugged Eric in a previous book. In this story we find out why she felt the need to do so.

Colleen will always do the best thing for her children, even if the best thing happens to be the worst possible situation for her personally. The premiere orthopedic surgeon available in Harbor Town is the one and only person she wants nothing to do with – Eric Reyes. With old, haunting memories of past tragedies hanging over them, is it possible to trust him and work together for her son’s sake? Since he will be joining the family when his sister marries Colleen’s brother, some effort at a congenial future must be reached.

There are lots of reasons Eric wants to get close to the beautiful Colleen, who was so out of his reach way back in high school.  Colleen’s resentment of him ran deep even then. After all, he was the poor boy who made, good all due to the money awarded to his mother’s estate from Colleen’s father’s death.  When Eric is called on to consult on Colleen’s son’s foot injury, he seizes the opportunity to form a relationship with her. It gets even easier and more complicated when he and Colleen are asked to plan his sister’s and Colleen’s brother’s, wedding.

Even I wanted to slug Eric when he blows his confession at the end. It’s a perfect example of honesty just may not get you anywhere. But you have to hand it to him, he is all about living in the present and for the future, definitely not in the past. I just thoroughly enjoyed his character.

Beth Kery writes tales of “It’s a wonderful life,” only if you want it to be. Her characters have choices to make and not all of them are the right ones, and sometimes those wrong decisions set off a chain reaction that affect the lives of so many people.

Grade: A

Summary:

From Forbidden Crush…To Forever Love?

In high school, small-town princess Colleen Kavanaugh had

had it all, and Eric Reyes was the outsider with his nose pressed against the glass. Then a sudden change in circumstance led to a reversal of fortune. Now Eric was a wealthy, successful, arrogant surgeon who rubbed the onetime golden girl the wrong way.

When an ironic twist of fate forced Eric and Colleen back together, the single mom found herself drawn to the irresistible doctor despite their dark history. Sure, she’d felt something for Eric when they were teenagers, but those memories were long forgotten—or so she thought. It wasn’t long before he wooed her into his arms…and his bed. But could their newfound passion lead to the happily-ever-after of their dreams?

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Dinca’s review of Liam’s Perfect Woman (Home to Harbor Town, Book 2) by Beth Kery
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin 19 Jul 11

Beth Kery has done it again. I am really enjoying this series. Liam’s Perfect Woman is the second installment in the Home To Harbor Town series. Once again her characters are jumping off the pages. I could almost see the beautiful ballerina dancing on the white sand beach and the hungry eyes of Liam wanting to know who this dancing beauty could be.

Ms. Kery’s unforgettable characters are back in this second book in the Harbor Town series. Usually when I read a series I feel a need to skip over the back filler in the story, but it doesn’t happen in this book. The way the story unfolds in a different point of view than the first book really makes it a standalone title. But I will not miss the next story to come in this series. The strong, compelling characters created by Ms. Kery unfold in a drama that runs deep and grabs you on so many levels.

I really enjoyed watching Natalie Reyes grow into the woman she should have been years before if not for the tragic accident caused by Liam’s father. Her need for closure on that part of her life is so tangible I could feel it and understand her desire to know the underlying facts and feelings of the man who changed her life and appearance forever.

Natalie pulls at the heartstrings when she is dancing in solitude on the deserted beach at night. Ms. Kery’s description is so vivid I could feel the lonely shore that surrounds her and is embedded in her soul. She was only eleven years old when her life was tragically changed forever by the car crash that killed her mother. Scared and having undergone years of facial reconstruction, now sixteen years later she has the opportunity to hire her own private investigator. She wants to learn more about the state of mind of the
driver. Not just that he was drunk and driving, but why a prominent, successful attorney would become drunk and drive. So she hires the only person she feels can provide those answers: the son of the man who killed her mother and left Natalie scared.

Liam Kavanaugh promised his family he would leave the Chicago Police Department, so he returns to Harbor Town to take the job as the new County Police Chief. He purchases a beach-front cottage outside of town and starts renovating before he has to report in at his new job. Strolling down the path leading to the beach, he spies a moonlight fantasy dancing on the sand. Liam watches until her dance ends and then calls out to her, only to have her run away.

Being a detective, Liam is suspicious of why Natalie wants to hire him as her investigator into the crash his father caused. Just when he agrees to take the job, he realizes she is the mystic dancer from the beach and nothing could keep him from having a reason to see her again.

Natalie blossoms in Liam’s arms into the women she could and should be. And between the two of them working together, they do find the reason a stable home and family man would lose it and drink and drive. So the bad guy may not be a lousy, thoughtless bad guy and the good guy may not be the good, upstanding, faithful, loyal  person everyone thinks they are. And the guy who has lost a lifetime of love and family will break your heart all over again, so you will just have to read her next book in the series.

Writing this review actually brought tears to my eyes, which was why it took me so long to get the review out. I would rate this right up there with a let’s sit down and have a good cry chick flick. (Just let out big sigh.) Warning…you may need popcorn or chocolate to read this book!

Grade: A+

Summary: It happened one summer…

The moment Liam Kavanaugh first glimpsed the exotic beauty dancing across a moonlit beach, he was smitten. But he was in for the surprise of his life when she turned out to be Natalie Reyes! The big-city cop had returned to Harbor Town to be the chief of police. Instead, he was battling an intense attraction to the woman who was forcing him to confront his past…

The lone survivor of the crash that had destroyed their families, Natalie needed Liam’s help to finally move past the tragedy that shattered her life. Yet the innocent beauty wasn’t prepared for the passion that flared between them. And now her very future was in the hands of a man who just might be able to heal  her heart with his loving touch…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Dinca’s review of The Hometown Hero Returns (Home to Harbor Town, Book 1) by Beth Kery
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Special Edition 2 Mar 11

This is the first book from Beth Kery I have read. I love this story and plan on reading the rest of the series.  Ms. Kery has a way of making unforgettable characters jump off the pages and into your heart. There’s never a slow or boring moment I felt the need to get past. When she adds past filler information, it’s so important I had to make sure to remember every word because I knew it would be needed to get the most enjoyment from the story.

A friend wanted me to review this book. So when it arrived, I dropped everything and started reading it. It’s the first book in a long time I have read straight through without putting it down. The story is so intense about every aspect from the tragedy that tore these people apart as teenagers to the compelling sexual tension that reawakens when they come together again.

I don’t think I have read a book that has so many strong characters, and Ms. Kery really makes this work. There are no wishy-washy personalities to tolerate and each supporting character has a prominent stance and shows responsibility for their actions.

Marianna Itani, who’s always been known as Mari, jumped straight into my heart in the prologue. Since I am used to strong, decisive men in my life, Marc takes a little longer to get there, but he lands with a bang when he’s not willing to give up on what he wants more than any opposition his family can dish out.

The one thing Mari needs most is closure from the tragic deaths of her parents fifteen years ago. The devastation left so many holes in her life. She was yanked away from her hometown to live across the country with her aunt. Her brother goes into the military. The most devastating of all was the man responsible for killing her parents is the father of the love of her life. Seeing Marc again, she realizes she has an opportunity for some of the closure she so desperately needs.

Marc Kavanaugh is tired of living with the sins of his father. Losing his dad and having his family torn apart from the fallout of the accident has been a lot to deal with. Mari disappearing from his life and not being able to do anything about it left a monumental ache that has persisted in his heart all these years. Sure, he married and tried to get on with his life, but even his wife realized she was a replacement for what he really wanted, so she divorced him eighteen months back.

When Marc realizes Mari is appearing with the symphony in Chicago, he attends just to get a glimpse of her. Now he realizes he never wants to let her go again, so he follows her until he’s able to approach her. After their fifteen-year separation, their bittersweet reunion leaves its mark. Mari was pregnant. No surprise here in the storyline. The surprise is that Beth Kery did not leave it as the main obstacle in the story. Mari wants to open a treatment center in Harbor Town, and that’s only the beginning of feelings and emotions of everyone involved being stirred up after lying dormant for so long.

It has been a long time since I have read such a compelling love story mixed with the right amount of tragic grief separating would-be lovers. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys love and romance. I am looking forward to the next installment of  her Home To Harbor Town series.

Grade: A

Summary: YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN!

At eighteen, Marianna Itani thought she’d found the man of her dreams in Marc Kavanaugh, the quintessential boy-next-door. That perfect romance flew to pieces when an unspeakable tragedy tore them apart. Yet when Marc appeared in her life fifteen years later, the sparks that flew were as explosive as the day they first met.

Now their reignited passion was changing their lives in more ways than one: Mari was pregnant! She was set on putting the pain of the past behind her—not reopening scars that had never truly healed. And their baby might bring these star-crossed lovers back together—forever!

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Researching my books is perhaps one of the most fun and rewarding aspects of writing. I’m an information hound, I admit it. I think that even if you don’t include all the specific facts, small details create a layered palette to the overall tone of the novel. I liken it to all those amazing details the set and prop experts put together on a film. You might not focus in on that painting in the background or that statue sitting in the corner, but the details end up creating an overall atmosphere and mood that is difficult to put into words but, nevertheless, crucial.

Explosive, my Berkley erotic romantic suspense which comes out on December 7, involved a lot of research on my part. At the forefront of Explosive is an intense, emotional, and erotic love affair, but in the background, a criminal syndicate and the threat of violence looms, dark and encroaching.

Living in Chicago, I feel as if I breathe the air of corruption, power, and under-the-table dealings (a circumstance I’m disgusted with as a citizen, but as a writer, I can make use of it.) This backdrop is crucial not only for the plot of Explosive, but for the hero’s complex and tormented character development.

To create this story, I researched modern day mob news stories, like the so-called “Family Secrets” trial into mob corruption and the fascinating history of the Chicago Outfit. I was interested to see that a current news story involving coin-operated gambling machines, the mob…and explosions to allegedly cover evidence made the news, the details having some weird parallels to Explosive, which was already written at the time.

I was fortunate enough to meet a wonderful lady at a reader event whose husband works in Explosive Ordnance Disposal, the elite unit of the Navy responsible for either disposing of or safely disarming bombs or other types of ordnance, including chemical, biological, and nuclear. With her permission, I decided to make my hero, Thomas, a retired ORD officer. It was the perfect past occupation for a man who was so volatile internally and whose world was exploding around him. The reader even recruited her husband to my cause, and he was kind enough to read excerpts and provide realistic feedback. Considering he’s currently in service in Afghanistan, I consider myself to be very, very lucky to get this expert advice.

In regard to my hero’s emotional and psychological state, I consider myself to be an expert. I hold a doctorate in the behavioral sciences and have worked on traumatic brain injury units, ICUs, and emergency rooms. I’ve always wanted to do a story involving memory loss—a realistic story, that is. However, even though I consider myself knowledgeable on this topic, I still went back and studied the details of localized amnesias and PTSD. In the end, I’m satisfied with Thomas’s clinical presentation. I think it’s a realistic portrayal, if a rare one.

I hope that when Explosive releases on December 7 you’ll enjoy the hot, explosive romance first and foremost, but know that some considerable research and thought went into those background details.

Enjoy!

Sandy M’s review of Explosive by Beth Kery
Contemporary Erotic Romance published by Berkley Trade 7 Dec 10

Sure wish I’d taken the time to check out the cover of this book before I started reading my e-copy. It’s perfect for the story. Thomas has suffered a family tragedy and turns to Sophie for comfort as he tries to break through an amnesiac haze to get on with his life. The man can’t keep his hands and mouth off of her. This is one hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot — throw in about another 50 or so hots — read. If you’re looking for a sexy, sensual, and downright sinful erotic romance, this book is what you need. Take my word for it. I still have plenty of residual physical effects after reading the plentiful sex scenes through these pages.

What I like first about this story is the mystery of it all. The mystery of why Thomas shows up on Sophie’s dock one night, disheveled and out of sorts. They don’t know each other well, having glimpses of each other when Thomas and his brother are in Sophie’s office the times Rick sees a therapist. They’re attracted to one another but have never acted on that attraction. So finding him at her lakeside vacation home is something of a shock for Sophie. The sexual tension is fierce and blasts off the page.  Sophie offers him sanctuary for the night, stepping back from what could be between them. But when Thomas seeks her out later, they combust. A huge conflagration. Explosive.

Sophie is aware of the FBI investigation of the claims that Thomas’ adoptive father is the head of an organized crime unit in Chicago. Thomas’ brother and nephew have just died in a freak boating accident. And when the FBI shows up the next day to question Thomas, more stress is heaped on the man and his family. But when Thomas comes to her office after the agents leave and they make love again, Sophie realizes Thomas is suffering a sort of post-traumatic syndrome where he doesn’t remember a specific block of time in the last day. She wants to help him, so she invites him back to the lake to rest and recuperate.

And this is where Ms. Kery really turns up the heat. A few days is all that is covered for the majority of the book, and the sex these two share during this time makes the reader combust. Thomas thinks he’s changed, not realizing the trauma he’s suffering. The times he’s rough when loving Sophie makes him feel the need to apologize for being a beast with her. A girl should be so lucky to have such a beast, let me tell you. And Sophie knows that. She’s just as voracious for Thomas as he is for her, and she’s more than willing to give herself to him in any way he wants.

In between the loving making, Sophie does try to pull information out of Thomas to get to the crux of his issues, but he’s having none of it. Thomas begins to doubt Sophie and her kindness when things don’t add up for him anymore. But I like that despite all of that, he can’t stay away from her. He thinks it’s because of this change in himself when it’s truly just because he’s found the right woman but doesn’t realize it because of all the chaos in his life.

There aren’t many clues, that I caught anyway, to let us know what’s going to happen at the end. Thomas loyally defends his father against all accusations, Sophie raises questions that should give Thomas pause. It’s not until Thomas’ memory returns in a flash of fear for Sophie that we, and Thomas, get the truth. And evil doesn’t have anything on the villain in this book.

A smoldering, sexy hero with a strong, willing heroine, both trying to get at some mysterious truth, make this erotic story come alive. You won’t want to miss this erotic romance. It’s……explosive!

Grade: B

Summary:

His touch would consume her—if it didn’t kill her first…

Dr. Sophie Gable wasn’t expecting her peaceful getaway to be shattered by the arrival of a half-dazed, dead-sexy guest. Thomas Nicasio has obviously been traumatized, and Sophie thinks she knows by what. There’s something about Thomas’s father that he can’t—or won’t—remember. Something that could get them both killed. Still she can’t resist Thomas’s electrifying seduction—or her instincts to help him…

An ex-Navy explosives specialist, Thomas has never felt this type of volatile need for a woman. Even while he’s grieving the deaths of his brother and nephew, something in Sophie makes Thomas want to overtake her, and each time he does, her willing submission makes him want her all the more. But danger is lurking close by, and if he can’t face the demons of his past, he and Sophie could be the next victims in a pattern of meaningless violence…

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Through Her Eyes by Beth Kery
Contemporary Paranormal Romance ebook released by Ellora’s Cave 29 Apr 09

This is Ms. Kery’s first published book and she’s reworked it a bit to have it republished by Ellora’s Cave. If she has any unpublished works sitting in the back of a closet or desk drawer or under her bed like a lot of authors do, she should get them out and rework them. If that’s all it takes to make a story better than before, she can get them published in no time at all.

The complexity of dreams and life in this book are terrific. Claire can see the future in her dreams and lately she’s seen a man sitting in the library of the home she just inherited from her late aunt. She’s able to interact with him, amazed that he can see her and knows who she is, and she ends up having the best sex of her life with his man who is so hungry for her, but it’s his sadness and guilt she feels emanating from him that haunt her, especially since she’s never met him.

Imagine her surprise, her incredulity when the next day she answers a knock on the front door and there stands that same man, alive, not a product of her dreams, and oh-so-handsome and sexy. He lives down the street and knew her aunt, but he knows more about Claire herself from his visits with her Aunt Isabelle and from the picture of her in a bikini that Isabelle proudly displayed on the piano in her music room. That picture had been the impetus for a lot of loss of control over the years for Des.

Des is an undercover FBI agent, but he has to hide that fact from Claire for the time being in order to keep her safe from the killer he’s pursuing. Taking her to his bed is the fastest way of doing that, since he’s been ordered off this particular case. But he has too much invested to just walk away, especially when his prime suspect is Claire’s own cousin.

The way Claire’s dreams are woven into the story, along with the reality of the past and the future for her to interpret and figure out is intriguing and it keeps you turning the pages. Of course, so does the sizzling sex between Des and Claire. Des is dominant in bed and demands Claire’s submission, which she freely gives, and the resulting scenes are some of Ms. Kery’s best.

The details from Claire’s dreams are interesting clues that the reader needs to figure out the connection between the events of the past and how they cause the events of the present and the future. You have to pay attention! Which is sometimes hard to do after reading one of those sex-with-Des scenes. The man is hot, hot, hot. I digress. But, damn, he’s one fine man and one fine lover.

For a first published book, even reworked, Through Her Eyes is one of Ms. Kery’s best, which is a long list, but it deserves to be right near the top.

Grade: A-

Summary:
.
Claire despises her ability to see into the future, but when her dreams include a heated encounter with a gorgeous, dominant, mysterious lover — and a spine-chilling foretelling of danger to her own life — she knows she has to make a choice between the safety of denial and the seductive passion that that seems to go hand-in-hand with her own death. Having had a taste of the wild hunger that flares between them, it’s not much of a choice at all.
.
He’s not psychic, but Des knows things Claire’s power can’t reveal. He knows about a psychopathic madman who’s set his sights on her, and the fact that her brainy, rational exterior hides a deeply sensual, uninhibited woman. Des also knows something else — that he will claim Claire as his.
.
If he can keep her alive, that is.
.
Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Daring Time by Beth Kery
Time Travel Romance released by Berkley Trade 5 May 09

I should know better than to doubt Ms. Kery and her books. Early on in Daring Time there is slight reference to the hero being into BDSM. I gave a half-hearted groan, thinking that doesn’t bode well for me during the reading of this book. While I do read books here and there which contain elements of this lifestyle, the stories usually don’t work for me, mainly because sex scenes are liberally sprinkled with those elements just for the heck of it. Ms. Kery, however, gives the reader a good story that encompasses such habits which is only a small part of the characters’ lives and clearly enhances the enjoyment of those lives.

I was afraid this sexual concept would ruin the rest of the story for me, but Ms. Kery has spun a complex tale of time travel and reincarnation, along with the terrific and rich history of Chicago, seen from two different points in time. Said hero, Ryan Daire, is a Chicago detective and he and his partner are close to arresting the slimeball they’ve been after for human trafficking. In the midst of this he inherits a mansion in the exclusive Prairie Avenue District, a place where he discovers a time portal in the antique armoire in his bedroom. Ryan crosses paths again and again with the beautiful Hope Stillwater who lived in the house a hundred years before, and now he’s determined to have her.

Hope is a woman raised with the social mores of her time, but she’s also a very independent woman who works with her father to bring about the downfall of a slave trader preying on young, innocent women who come to Chicago looking for work. Though she is stunned when Ryan begins to appear in her room, she’s more curious than anything else, especially when the handsome man flames the fire of passion in her with just a touch. That passion bursts to erotic proportions when Ryan makes love to her in one of the most unusual ways I’ve ever read. They both continually crave one another thereafter, and it is Ryan who makes the decision to step into 1906 Chicago to save Hope from the deathly fate he learned about in his research of her past.

So much happens in this book, and the action is nearly nonstop and complex as it leads you toward a fantastic resolution. The love scenes are quite tastefully done, one in particular when Ryan must make love to Hope while being watched by a hoard of bad guys. This is the first scene where Ryan’s dominance takes over, but it is also a scene full of tenderness, caring, and education for Hope. It’s also the scene where I let my preconceptions go. These scenes work in Ms. Kery’s capable hands. The contrast of Hope’s independence in everyday life, even to the point of defying Ryan during dangerous moments, and her submission in the bedroom is intriguing, and I’m glad Hope is given her own scenes in which to sometimes do the seducing. The time traveling aspects of the book are also quite intriguing. I enjoyed the back-and-forth traveling between times, something most books don’t do.

Though the D/s theme is still not my favorite, Ms. Kery gives a balance in her books so it doesn’t overwhelm and become too much to deal with.  I’ve definitely learned my lesson to never doubt her again.

Grade: B+

Summary:
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He sees her, wants her, needs her…
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Chicago Detective Ryan Daire has many secrets: a love for Shakespeare, an appreciation for the all the finer things in life, and an absolute lack of restraint in the bedroom. Now he has an even bigger secret. In every shifting shadow of the sprawling mansion he’s recently inherited he can see her—tempting, ethereal, and untouchable. Hope Stillwater inhabited that mansion in 1906. Raw desire has formed a conduit between these two passionate souls who are separated by the barrier of time.
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Now he has to have her.
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Intoxicated by each other’s presence, Ryan and Hope are closer than ever to crossing that inviting boundary between two worlds. But there is one grave danger: Ryan’s job has put him on the trail of a depraved criminal in an investigation that’s risking Hope’s eternal fate and happiness. Now he must do whatever it takes to change history, protect Hope from harm, and set his own desires free.
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Read an excerpt.

Beth, I want to thank you for such a terrific interview and the fun days you gave us here at the Pond. I appreciate the time you took to play with everyone!

And, of course, a big thanks to all of you for stopping by to add to the fun during our Duck Chat.

Sound the orchestra, please! We have winners to name!

There are three winners, all randomly selected as follows:

An ARC of Beth’s Time Travel, Daring Time — Lori Ann

A print copy of Wicked Burn, Beth’s oh-so-hot Berkley debut — Nikki H

A download of Beth’s latest release, Flirting in Traffic — Kristi J

Congratulations, everyone! I know you will enjoy your books!

Please send your snail mail or email address to Lighthousetagger@gmail.com and I will pass on your information to Beth to get your books on their way to you.

We’re talkin’ up a storm again.  Welcome back to Duck Chat.

Today Beth Kery, writer of some of the steamiest erotic romance out there, joins us to talk about her books and have some fun with us. I’ve read a number of Beth’s book over the last couple of years, I have to say I’m hooked. I have been since I read Exorcising Sean’s Ghost. That remains my favorite Beth Kery book to date, and she’s had some terrific stories released since then. If you’re not familiar with her books, do stop by her website and look around. I think you’ll find something that will call to you and you’ll just have to try it! Of course, Beth is going to give you a chance to win a couple of her books. Give us a meaningful comment and we’ll toss you into the running for an ARC of her upcoming release Daring Time, a print copy of Wicked Burn, and a download of her current release, Flirting in Traffic.

If you have any questions for Beth today, leave a comment, she’s going to stop in now and again to see what you’re all up to.  So now let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: Beth, your writing has brought about a very quick rise for you in the industry. Wicked Burn was your debut with Berkley Sensation. What’s it been like for you in your dealings with Berkley compared to the epublishing process?

BETH KERY: Hi, Sandy. It hasn’t been all that different, really, as far as the mechanics. You usually need an agent to sell to the New York market, but not always. Otherwise–you make a sale, you do edits and you release your book.

A few differences: For my first three Berkley books, I did paper edits, which was quite an experience—one master copy being shipped across the country. However, Berkley is now going to electronic edits, so there goes that difference. I had to learn different promotional and sales markets for my print book. In general (depending on who you are, of course) you reach a wider market with your print book, so you hear from more people about the book.

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

BK: Um…probably when did you decide to become a writer? My answer is always a little false, because it was sort of a jump and start, gradual thing for me, not a sudden “Ah ha!” I’m not so sure that I even considered myself a ‘writer’ in my head until a couple months ago, so yeah—kind of an innocent sounding question that’s pretty complicated for me to answer.

I seriously just realized the other day that I didn’t feel bad, slumming around when I went to the grocery store wearing sweatpants and glasses—because I’m a writer. That’s our uniform!

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?

BK: Yes, most definitely. I typically ride the hump of the pantster/plotter bell curve. So I have a loose plot in mind, but the characters definitely improvise and grow on the stage I’ve set for them.

DC: Wicked Burn is one hot, sexy read. Tell our readers about Vic and Niall, please.

BK: Thanks, Sandy. Niall and Vic are two people who sort of come together in a sexual cataclysm one night. When things like that happen, it seems like impulse or chance, but in reality, because of their pasts and personal characteristics, there were good reasons that things were so explosive for them. I like to observe human nature and behavior, and it’s always fascinating to me the events and circumstances that lead up to something that seems like it ‘just happened.’ So, while someone might look at Niall and Vic and say they were using sex to get past their wounds or personal traumas, I wonder what it is about that point in time and those two particular people that made it possible for them to begin to heal through at first a physical relationship and then a much more profound one.

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

BK: Hmmm…that’s a good question. I’d love to say I have these down and dirty drag-outs with them, but I usually don’t. That’s not to say that all my characters are always likeable, because they’re not. I’ve just come to terms with where they are at that point in the development of the story.

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

BK: My other job, first and foremost. Beyond that, a sunny day, a certain look from my husband…. a growling stomach.

DC: Some authors eventually phase out of the epublishing world once their “bigger break” comes along. Any plans of doing that yourself?

BK: I don’t have any plans for that, but I’m admittedly a very freshman writer, so what do I know? I’d like to balance both venues. I was extremely busy last year writing books for Berkley, so I’m not sure at this point in time how things will work out. However, I would eventually like to find a comfortable balance.

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

BK: Hmmm, another good question. I’ve started to experiment more with my heroines. My typical heroine is often a contained intellectual whose emotional maturity helps the hero to grow. There are some recent exceptions. Hope Stillwater, the heroine for my erotic time travel Daring Time, which comes out this May, is a spirited, feisty, impulsive suffragette who might be called progressive in any time period. And Esa, my heroine in Flirting in Traffic, is also a departure for me. She’s devoted to her work, sharp-tongued, shaky in the romance and body-image arena, and possesses a loyal, devoted heart.

My heroes are all pretty much bigger than life. One thing I’m always trying to do is find new, exciting arenas for the alpha to show his stuff. I just finished a book called Release for Berkley Heat, and the hero is a private intelligence operative—a.k.a. a spy for hire. I’m so lucky, because I have a friend who is a military intelligence operative, so I got to have a lot of fun researching it. Ryan Daire, my hero in Daring Time, is a cop who is also a boxing champion, so I had a ball researching boxing terms, famous fights, and talking to my ‘fighter’ lady friends (Belinda and Fi). I just started a book where the hero is a neurologist. I realized I’d never done a hero in the medical field, which is weird because I work in the medical field. Fantasy alpha doctors are so yummy. Don’t know where they actually are, though…

DC: Your latest ebook is Flirting in Traffic with Cerridwin Press. I really enjoyed Finn and Esa’s story. Would you tell everyone about them?

Thank you, Sandy. Finn and Esa sort of both have the older sibling syndrome and have been identified as the dependable ones–the ‘rocks’ in the family. Esa is a smart, plucky physician (yeah, I do heroine docs!) who is constantly being told by her sexy, publisher sister and best friend that’s she’s lame and boring. Finn is a dead-sexy architect who’s been burned by a perfidious fiancé and wants some no-strings-attached-rebound sex to get him back in the swing of things. Of course, he mistakenly thinks stuffy Esa is that fun sex kitten, which makes for a bumpy, but very steamy, road to true love.

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

BK: I’d really like to try young adult. Some day.

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

BK: “You have so much going for you, why don’t you savor it…celebrate it?” It must be the curse of your thirties. I look at my nieces, who are stunning, smart, well-educated, and I’m blown away by all their gifts. I had many of those gifts, but, like them, I was saddled by the insecurities of youth. Why can’t we have the wisdom of age and the future (and the body) of a twenty-one year old all at once? Sigh.

DC: Next up for you is the release of Through Her Eyes in April. Can you give us a sneak peek?

BK: Through Her Eyes is actually a re-write of the very first book I ever had published at a small e-press called Aphrodite Unlaced. It may not be my most polished book, but it has characteristics in it that I value on reflection. Daring Time, Sweet Restraint, and Release all have crime and suspense elements, so I think of Through Her Eyes as my first dip into those genres. Or into anything, really.

I was thrilled that Ellora’s Cave said they’d like to publish it. It’s an erotic contemporary with suspense and paranormal elements. Let’s see, a quick (rather sloppy) highlight of the book—an old Hyde Park mansion, a ghost, a psychiatrist heroine who is also a very reluctant psychic, a serial killer, and an extremely sexy special agent hero who is bound and determined to both save the heroine and catch the killer—for very personal reasons.

Oh…and lots of really hot sex. Can’t forget that.

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

BK: My other job that I still do. I’m very lucky to have two such rewarding careers.

DC: We’ve mentioned your time travel that’s coming out in May, Daring Time. Is this your first time travel? Did you find that paranormal element any more difficult than others you’ve written to date? Or was it maybe easier to write?

BK: I do! I’m probably more excited about Daring Time coming out in May than I ever have been for a book. It is my first time travel, and I cann’t say I’ve ever had so much fun writing a book. I’ve lived in downtown Chicago for the past seventeen years of my life, and Daring Time became kind of a personal tribute to a city that I’ve grown to love to so much. This city has really entered the fabric of my life.

Daring Time is what my editor calls a ‘paranormal light.’ So, the Subtle Lovers series, for instance, has a much heavier paranormal element than Daring Time. Daring Time combines many genres, though, as I suppose many time travels do—contemporary, paranormal, historical, and even a suspense/crime drama.

DC: Would you tell us a little about Daring Time too?

BK: It’s the story of a young vice detective who unexpectedly—and strangely—inherits a Prairie Avenue mansion from an elderly friend. He begins to see an elusive, beautiful woman in the house. His research tells him it’s a woman who was murdered in the year 1906. Desire creates a conduit between them and through it, he travels back to the early nineteen hundreds to save her. There are many parallels between the two time periods—for instance, the man the hero and his partner are trying to bring in for a white slavery operation in the year 2008 is the very same soul responsible for the heroine’s abduction in the year 1906.

I had the opportunity to tour several Prairie Avenue mansions to prepare for this book. The historic district came vibrantly alive for me. I’d love to do a series of time travels associated with the Prairie Avenue district, which to me was as much as a beautiful ‘true’ fantasy as the Chicago World’s Fair and the White City.

Excerpt of Daring Time:

“This professor guy must have liked you a hell of a lot to leave you a mansion,” Ramiro muttered, a hint of envy flavoring his tone.

“I was knocked flat on my ass when Alistair told me what he planned, but there was nothing I could say to change his mind. He insisted I was doing him a favor by taking it. The value of the house is appreciating hugely because of the real estate development in this area. Alistair’s lawyers advised him to reduce his taxable estate with a gift.”

“Some gift. Better he’d left you some cash, though.”

Ryan stepped into a room and flipped on a light. He studied the large spacious bedroom suite, the plaster ceilings and intricately carved mantel. Alistair knew Ryan loved Chicago history. He must have guessed how much Ryan would appreciate the mansion.

“Cash’s got nothing on this place.”

Ramiro snorted. “They broke the mold when it comes to you, Daire. Six foot and four inches of pure pushover. At least to little kids and stray animals. Can’t say the same about you when it comes to assholes like Jim Donovan.”

“You wouldn’t want me any other way.”

“Who wants you? I’m shackled to you,” Ramiro grumbled.

They stepped into the bedroom. Ryan ran his hand admiringly over the carved mahogany mantel. Unlike the majority of the house, this room retained some furniture—stuff that looked to be the same vintage as the house, Ryan realized with a sense of amazement. The green and white floral wallpaper beneath the wainscoting had faded but still retained a fresh, feminine charm. Obviously the bedroom had once belonged to a woman.

The foot and headboard of a brass bedstead leaned against the wall between two antique mahogany tables. Ryan fingered the cool metal thoughtfully. The brass needed to be cleaned but the bed was perfectly intact. An image of himself polishing the brass and putting together the bed for his own mattress flashed vividly into his mind’s eye.

He’d be nuts to even consider moving into this place.

“Look at this. Looks like something you’d have your nose buried in.” Ramiro held up an old leather bound book that he’d found in one of the table drawers. The color of the once crimson leather had faded to a dull dark red.

“Shakespeare’s sonnets,” Ryan murmured. He owned a copy of his own, nearly as well read as this old tome. Ryan had cultivated a love of Shakespeare from his father that had been nourished by Alistair. The book parted to a well-worn gold-leafed page when he opened it. He immediately recognized the one hundred and sixteenth sonnet.

He raised the book toward his face and inhaled. His brow furrowed at the scent of gardenias mixing with the odor of leather and mildew.

“I’ll bet you can get a couple grand for this old chest, Daire. People pay out their asses for antiques. Holy shit, check it out.”

Ramiro moved aside from the opened door of the massive mahogany wardrobe so that Ryan could see the full-length mirror attached on the inner side of the door. The frame had been carved into a meticulous iris design beneath the gilt. Time had taken its toll on the mirror itself. Six or so inches all along the exterior had gone foggy with age. Only the center portion reflected true. Still, the mirror was so huge that Ryan didn’t have to stoop his tall frame to see his face in the reflection.
Only it wasn’t his face that he saw. He started in surprise.

“Jesus.”

He whipped around so fast that Ramiro jerked back in alarm.

“What?” Ramiro asked. The whites of his brown eyes showed as his gaze shifted warily around the room and then back to Ryan. “What’s wrong, man?”

Ryan turned back to the mirror, this time seeing his own bloodless face and greenish-blue eyes staring back at him.

“You didn’t see her?”

“See who?”

“That woman. She was just right here, standing in front of me. I saw her in the mirror.” He quickly inspected the empty wardrobe, scanned the bedroom and rushed to the door.
The hallway stood empty and silent, the dozens of closed doors along both walls reminding him of watchful eyes.

“There’s no one here but us, Daire,” Ramiro said from just behind him.

Ryan shook his head. He knew what he’d seen with his own two eyes: a stunning, lithesome-limbed beauty with pale, flawless skin and a long mane of soft, curling dark hair hanging loose down her shoulders and back.

The same woman he’d imagined briefly in the ballroom, he realized. But this had been different. In the ballroom it had just been like a super-vivid flash of his imagination. This had been real.

Realer than real.

Laughter had curved her lush, dark pink lips. She’d worn a sheer negligee, the bottom of which barely covered the dark nest of hair between her slender thighs. She might as well have been standing there naked for as much good as the nightgown did. The only other thing that adorned her flawless skin was a locket hanging around her neck. Ryan could still see perfectly with his mind’s eye the detail of the filigree carved into the silver and the throb of the woman’s pulse at her throat.

“No. I definitely saw her,” Ryan insisted firmly, but even as he said it, he began to question himself.

He’d seen the front of her in the mirror…as though she’d stood directly before him with her back to him.

His breath froze on an inhale.

There hadn’t been anyone standing in front of him. She’d just been in the mirror, staring out at him as if the space between the gilded frame had been a doorway not a pane of glass. He crossed the room and touched the surface of the mirror. Despite the bizarreness of what had just happened, he didn’t really believe he’d feel anything but the cool, smooth surface of the glass.

Shock jolted through him for the second time that evening when the molecules of his fingers seemed to meld with those of the mirror. He wondered if it hadn’t been his imagination when a second later he pressed his fingertips against a solid pane of glass.

“You really didn’t see anyone?” he asked Ramiro as he turned around.

Ramiro shook his head.

There was no way in hell Ryan wouldn’t have noticed the back of that woman if she stood in front of him. That flimsy excuse for a nightgown wouldn’t have completely covered her bare ass.
Uh uh—not a possibility. As a healthy, red-blooded male, Ryan knew for a fact he would have noticed that.

“Dios, Daire. I think you saw a ghost.”

Ryan shot Ramiro an annoyed look. “I didn’t see a ghost. She was perfectly solid.”

Perfectly gorgeous.

He recalled the startled expression in her velvety black eyes. “She looked as surprised to see me as I did her,” Ryan said.

“What’d she look like?”

A pair of full, shapely breasts and succulent, fat nipples pressing against transparent cloth that did nothing to hide their rosy hue flashed into Ryan’s mind’s eye. The potent eroticism of the recalled image made his cock jerk in his boxer briefs.

What’d she look like? Edible. Delicious. Like an angel on a mission of sin.

“Dark hair. Dark eyes,” he muttered. For some reason he felt hesitant about sharing even a basic description of the woman with Ramiro.

“You saw a ghost all right. This house is haunted,” Ramiro declared as he glanced around, his feet shifting nervously.

Ryan couldn’t help but grin. “I thought you were a big, bad vice detective. Since when are you scared of a little tiny female?”

Ramiro gave him an insulted look. “Ever since the ‘little tiny female’ is dead.”

“She’s not dead.”

Ramiro looked a little taken aback by Ryan’s hard tone. “Whatever, man.” Ramiro shivered and started toward the door. The image of his brawny partner shuddering reflexively struck Ryan as markedly odd, not to mention alarming for some reason.

“The only time I saw you get so pale was when you got shot,” Ramiro said. “Take my advice and sell this place quick as you can. I’ll take the likes of a slimy rat like Anton Chirnovsky any day versus a haunted house. Come on. Crenshaw will be waiting for us at Bureau Headquarters. We’re making sure Chirnovsky has his story straight and is in good voice before we strap the wires on him for Donahue’s downfall this weekend.”

Ryan closed the heavy wardrobe door with a brisk bang, perhaps hoping to shatter the fey spell wrought by the vision of the stunning woman. He didn’t believe in ghosts and he was every bit as eager to nail Jim Donahue for human trafficking as Ramiro was.

Still, he lingered in the doorway, casting his gaze around the empty bedroom warily before he shut out the light.

DC: You’ve quite a number of books published in the last couple of years. Have you found it difficult to come up with storylines, have a problem with writer’s block, or something equally scary? Or has the excitement of it all kept the creative juices flowing with no problem at all?

BK: You know, Sandy, I thank my lucky stars at this point in my life it’s the latter. I realize it likely won’t always be that way, but I’ll have to take my earlier advice and celebrate the moment while it’s here.

DC: What’s next on the horizon for Beth Kery?

BK: My next book is Through Her Eyes from Ellora’s Cave on April 29. I have several books coming out this year from Berkley: Daring Time on May 5; Sweet Restraint on July 7; Paradise Rules on October 6, followed by Release in February 2010. Beyond that, I’d be happy to have the opportunities to keep on writing, if anyone wants to give them to me.

Favorite paranormal author?
Mary Stewart

Contemp?
Sandra Brown

Historical?
Margaret Atwood (also a favorite for futuristic)

Favorite paranormal book?
Probably The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart. I’ve re-read it a million times.
If Time Travel is ‘paranormal,’ then Time and Again by Jack Finney.

Contemp?
Any old Loveswept or Bantam book by Sandra Brown, like Temperature’s Rising or A Whole New Light. I feel as if I learned romance and steam from Sandra. I like her new stuff, too, but her old stuff creates such a sense of nostalgia and longing in me. I told someone once in an interview, if you want to get most of my stuff in a nutshell, it’s Sandra Brown gone erotic. From my opinion of course, not anyone else’s–like her fans or Sandra herself.

Historical?
Oh, reverting from romance again, sorry. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood.

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?
Milk.
- smooth or chunky peanut butter?
Smooth
- heels or flats?
Heels (although my nieces roll their eyes at me as they look darling in their flats.)
- coffee or tea?
Coffee with cream only.
- summer or winter?
Summer.
- mountains or beach?
Mountains.
- mustard or mayonnaise?
Mustard—spicy.
- flowers or candy?
Flowers.
- pockets or purse?
Purse.
- Pepsi or Coke?
Diet Pepsi

- ebook or print?
Doh! Print probably, until I get used to be my lovely Kindle anyway.

And because we like these:

1. What is your favorite word?
Lustrous.
2. What is your least favorite word?
Was (Yes, I still use it too much.)
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
People who are scared, but do it anyway…even if it’s not pretty.
4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
People who act like they know everything.
5. What sound or noise do you love?
I live in the city. My white noise machine signals relaxation.
6. What sound or noise do you hate?
Pounding nails, garbage trucks….anything cacophonous.
7. What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
FBI agent.
9. What profession would you not like to do?
Teacher—not because I don’t appreciate them enormously. I just come from a family of teachers and professors and wanted to do something different.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you
arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“I’m so proud of you—you took a real chance to get here!”
DC: Beth, thank you for chatting with us today.  It’s been a pleasure!

Sandy M’s review of Flirting in Traffic by Beth Kery
Contemporary Romance published by Cerridwen Press 5 Mar 09

What a sweet, lovely story this is. I’ve been a fan of Ms. Kery’s for a while now, and while I enjoy her paranormals and erotic books, her contemps are my favorites, and Flirting just went to the top of the list for me. We get a strong hero and heroine, each vulnerable when it comes to relationships, but this couple doesn’t let a good thing get away from them. You just feel the love.

Esa is a doctor, a lot of her patients older folks, and lately her sister and best friend have been telling her she’s becoming an old stick in the mud herself, not the fun person she used to be. To Esa, her life is safe. She’s had a couple of relationships end badly and it’s just better to be safe than hurt again. She’s just not like her sister, who’s known as Kitten, is editor of Metro Sexy, a magazine for young Chicagoans, and drives a flashy sports car. But when driving said car one night by the construction zone on Chicago streets where Scheduled Traffic Flirtation is on the rise, Esa gets an eyeful of the best man candy she’s seen in a long time. Taking her for the sex kitten the car and its license plate suggests, that handsome construction worker lets Esa know he’s interested too.

Finn is only interested in a quick fling, however, due to his recent breakup with a fiance he thought he knew. She dropped him faster than he could blink when he opted out of his lucrative architecture firm he help found to keep his family business in the black after his father and uncle passed away within months of each other. Seeing the nasty side of a woman isn’t what Finn needs, so just having some fun sex is good enough for him right now. Especially with an uninhibited sex kitten.

These two do enjoy some great sex. That’s one thing that Ms. Kery does extremely well – hot, sizzling, steamy, go-for-it-all love scenes. These are some of her best in this book. I even liked the absence of anal sex in this book. Not a thing wrong with that particular part of sex, but it seems to show up in practically every book out there anymore and it’s nice to have a break from it. But don’t worry, Finn is still demanding in bed and won’t have a thing to do with vanilla sex.

I love Finn. He’s his own man, loves his family and would do anything for them, is as sexy as can be. Esa may have gotten herself into a rut, but there’s plenty of spirit in her to be brought out by the right person and when she finds Finn, she realizes too late she should have been more honest with him so she wouldn’t be close to losing the best thing that’s ever happened to her. I like how they talk things out, own up to their mistakes to make things right, and continue on to do the best they can in life.

There’s a lot of other fun in between all this that helps make this book quite an enjoyable read. If you haven’t read Ms. Kery, definitely try this book or even Exorcising Sean’s Ghost, another of her best.

Grade: A

Summary:
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She went off like a red-hot firecracker on his foyer floor, then vanished.
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Esa never intended to participate in her best friend’s unorthodox dating scheme – flirting with hunky construction workers in Chicago traffic. Her thoughts changed when she saw a long, lean slice of heaven strutting around the side of the highway. For him, she would be the carefree sex kitten her borrowed car with its suggestive license plates implied she was.
.
Though smarting from the wounds of a recent break-up, Finn can’t resist the tempting redhead driving the come-and-get-me car, flashing him contemptuous looks with those brandy-colored eyes. The lure of taming the feisty little kitten is just too great to deny…
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Reader Advisory: This book contains smoking hot, sexy scenes.
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Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Wicked Burn by Beth Kery
Contemporary Erotic Romance released by Berkley Sensation 2 Dec 08

I’m so glad Beth Kery has arrived.  Wicked Burn is her debut with Berkley Sensation.  Kudos to Berkley for discovering what a talented author Ms. Kery is and giving her the opportunity to share that talent in the print arena.

One thing this author does well, besides just penning a good story, is the erotic side of romance.  In this book you get hot and bothered pretty darned early and you stay that way throughout the read.  Both Vic and Niall have issues – and I use that term loosely – in their past that have kept from them permanent and long-term relationships.

But when they first eye each other in their apartment building, they really take notice, and when the opportunity opens up for Vic to get to know Niall better, he seizes it quickly and no questions asked.  I really enjoyed that particular scene, especially when you realize Niall isn’t going to utter one word to slow him down.  I liked that their lust and emotions opened up this way between them, sweeping them along at a frenzied pace, therefore forcing them to do the get-to-know-one-another thing after their lust is slaked.

And we get to know them at the same pace as they do.  Vic is a playwright and is just weeks away from opening his latest show, is still wary of relationships after a bad ending with his former fiance.  Niall works for the Chicago Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art, is in the middle of divorcing her husband, their relationship not surviving the death of their son three years earlier.  Each of them are surprised as they learn these tidbits and more about the other as the book goes along.  They’re able to get past most of it as it all comes up.  It’s only when Vic finds out about Niall’s marriage that things are thrown off course.

Niall’s “issues” are a little more complicated than Vic’s and during this early period she’s just not ready to talk to him about it, and she has good reason given Vic’s reaction when he does learn all, but that was her mistake, however.  Because she takes too long, Vic sees the situation as living his past again.  But I like how Niall doesn’t give up after all is said and done.  She busts her way back into Vic’s life, even knowing he probably won’t be able to stand the sight of her.

It takes Vic a while, but when he finally can’t hold his feelings at bay any longer, they come together again in an explosion of emotion and sex that’s been between them since the beginning.  The only small disappointment I had was that I wish all the explanations had come from Niall.  I felt that a deeper emotion outside of the sex was lost when that didn’t happen.

But all in all, Ms. Kery has a hit of a debut on her hands.   The characters are engaging and interesting people who you hope can get past the bad stuff to start again.  I enjoyed the dichotomy of Vic’s and Niall’s family life, one embracing and the other judgemental.  Needless to say, the secondary characters are just as interesting in their lives as Vic and Niall are in theirs.  Congratulations, Ms. Kery!

Grade: B+

Summary:

He wanted all of her…

Vic Savian knows what he wants when he sees it. And what he wants is his sexy neighbor, Niall Chandler. So when he sees her in the hallway of their building being harassed by an aggressive suitor, Vic makes his move—and finds himself greatly rewarded…

And did she ever let him have it…

Sleeping with her gorgeous neighbor—when she didn’t even know his last name—was the craziest thing Niall’s ever done. Now, she can’t seem to get enough of Vic—or the uninhibited passion he stirs in her. Suddenly, with his help, she’s opening to sensual pleasures she’s never known before. But when Niall’s past comes back to haunt her, will she and Vic let themselves venture beyond the bedroom and explore the possibility of love that’s in their hearts?

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Subtle Voyage (Subtle Lovers, Book 5) by Beth Kery
Paranormal Erotic Romance novella eBook released by Ellora’s Cave 10 Sep 08

I’m always bummed when I read a Beth Kery book that just doesn’t work for me as well as some of her previous books have. This is only the second one, but I hate the feeling. In this case, I’m wondering if it’s maybe because I’ve read only one other book in this series, Subtle Destiny, which I also reviewed. I enjoyed that book and with it being my introduction to the series, I was wowed by the characters and also the world that Ms. Kery has created. The writing in this book is still darned terrific, but it’s the storyline that fell just short of the mark for me.

Anthropologist Aileen Peck and Dr. Saya Lange, a Watcher, have been sexually attracted to one another during a week of working together.  On the Winter Solstice, they, along with four of Saya’s colleagues, are headed to the ancient astronomical observatory of Saint Madeleine, a Neolithic site they’d been excavating.

Saya, who is able to “see” Aileen has short recovery periods between orgasms, is setting it all up for them all to enjoy pleasures of flesh as they record the effects of Venus’ pass over the chamber.  For Watchers, a human woman’s orgasm gives them a rush of sustenance, a subtle energy which enables them to maintain a solid body, so Aileen’s ability for multiples is a boon for them.  And they also have the ability to do things with their minds, and that’s how Saya and his men have sex with Aileen while she sleeps.

Each man take his turn with Aileen and she’s along for the ride every single time.  Her orgasms coincide with Venus and other stars passing over their position, and she never realizes they are on a totally different plane, due to Saya’s mind control, and may not be able to return if things don’t go right.  But things do go right, they all have the sexual experience of their lives, and whether Saya’s hypothesis for this evening was confirmed, I have no idea.  That never stood out after all the sex was said and done.

That’s definitely a disappointment because that’s part of the storyline, but it got lost in that sex fest.  That’s my main issue with the entire story.  There just isn’t the meat of the story to go along with all the orgasms that I usually get in a Bety Kery book.  The sex is hot and sizzling from all angles, but there’s just not enough story.  The fact it’s a novella probably has something to do with that, more pages were just needed to really flesh it out. There’s just something missing for me.

But I’ll keep reading the series.  Maybe something down the road will cause a spark and things will become more clear.  Or maybe I just need to read it all from the beginning and that would help me recognize and understand all the little nuances of this world that perhaps I’m missing.   Either way, reading Ms. Kery is still a treat.

Grade: C

Summary:

Aileen wonders if she’s fallen into an X-rated version of Alice in Wonderland as she excavates a Neolithic chamber with sexy Dr. Saya Lange. She has the strangest feeling Saya can read all her secret desires like bold print…and what’s more, wants to make them come true.

Saya must wield a wickedly potent brand of sex magic because on the Venus-lit night of the Winter Solstice Aileen finds herself leading Saya and four other gorgeous men into the ancient chamber for a night of uninhibited sexual pleasure.

And maybe her imagination has gone as wild as her libido but she’s starting to suspect these males are too divine to be mere men.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Come to Me Freely by Beth Kery
Contemporary Erotic Romance eBook released by Ellora’s Cave 16 Jul 08

I think it’s Beth Kery’s contemporary books that speak to me more than any of her other I’ve read so far.  Not that her historicals and paranormals aren’t worth reading.  Far from it.  There’s just something to her contemps that pull every emotion to the forefront for me and that keeps me turning the pages to see what her characters are going to do next.  Come To Me Freely is definitely one of those, full of love and betrayal, full of romance and heartbreak.  And that is why I enjoy reading her books.

It’s been ten years since Tre and Leigh have seen each other.  Their last encounter, though it started out full of promise, ended badly.  They were attracted to one another from the moment the met, but one thing kept them apart.  Tre’s brother Jim.  A quadriplegic since the age of 16, Leigh stood by Jim throughout his trials and tribulations of being wheelchair bound until his death just a couple of years before Leigh has come home to attend Jim and Tre’s father’s funeral.

Now Leigh is back to where it all started, and she’s face to face with Tre once again. Right after his one-night stand takes her leave of him as Leigh stands at his front door, funeral casseroles in hand.  She thought their meeting would go easier after so many years, but Tre is now hard and cold toward her.  Thinking she can get through the next few days of emotional stress, however, doesn’t last long and Leigh know she wants Tre just as much as she did years ago before she married his brother.  But Tre is the one that left when something good was happening between them.  Can she forget that and the guilt she still harbors over her husband’s death?

Keeping himself under control had never been so difficult and Tre’s not sure he doesn’t want it to snap anyway.  Leigh always got to him and it’s no different now.  But getting to know her as a woman instead of a 16-year-old girl is food to his soul and agony to his body all at the same time.  When she falls ill and has to stay put for a while, Tre is the one who steps in to take care of her and suddenly he knows he wants a future with this woman.  But his guilt at the knowledge he was ready to betray his brother so many years ago still eats at him, what will she think of him once she knows his secrets.

The attraction between them can’t be denied and they decide to give a relationship a chance despite all their misgivings and despite the hurt that may end up crippling them both if they can’t get past all of the things that have come together and led them to this point in time.

So far, it’s the books of Ms. Kery’s that have such a tragic element to them that I’ve enjoyed the most.  She has an affinity for bringing all the emotion in and around that tragedy front and center and forcing her characters to work with it, yell at it, swear at it, wallow in it, do whatever it takes to succeed and triumph over it.  That’s the lynchpin for me in her writing.  I keep reading until I know how those characters are going to react to all that emotional upheaval.  That’s when you really get to know her characters.

Tre and Leigh have so much to overcome from their past and though it looks like in the beginning there’s no way they can do that.  It’s their reaction to their mutual attraction that drags them together and allows them learn of one another all over again, which leads to some wonderful love scenes between them, full of what could have been but ready to face whatever today brings.

Another huge success for Ms. Kery!

Grade: A-

Summary:

A passion that won’t be denied despite the circumstances.

Though Leigh cared deeply for Jim, it was his fiery older brother Tre who held the key to her heart. For the past ten years she’s lived with the daily pain of knowing that Tre’d turned his back on the passion that had flared hot and bright between them.

A second chance at a once in a life time love.

Tre knew from the moment that he first saw Leigh stroking his half-wild horse that her elegant, delicate appearance belied the depth and strength of her spirit. He’d dared to make Leigh his own, showing loyalty to nothing and no one beyond the laws of nature that clearly decreed that she was his. But when Leigh denied what should have been undeniable, he first knew the bitter taste of betrayal.

Now a family tragedy has forced Tre and Leigh together once again. Guilt, anger and betrayal rage between them, but so does a desire hot enough to incinerate all else in its wake

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Subtle Destiny (Subtle Lovers, Book 4) by Beth Kery
Contemporary Paranormal Romance published by Ellora’s Cave 14 May 08

Ahhhhhhhhhhh! A thoroughly satisfied feeling after reading the latest Beth Kery book. Even though this is the fourth book in the Subtle Lovers series, I didn’t feel lost not having read the previous books, the writing is, as always, engrossing, and the characters are larger than life. Exactly what I’ve come to expect from Ms. Kery.

Skylar Ammadon is guilt ridden since the death of her husband two years before. She seeks punishment for her guilt mostly to keep herself sane and alive to take care of her half-Watcher son, Nix. When the new owner of the company where her punishment is meted out arrives to service her, she’s inexplicably drawn to him. She continues to deny the one man who is truly her mate, even when she discovers his duplicity regarding her punishment. Skylar is a strong woman, her power is predicting the future and healing, and she refuses to give in to the desires she feels for her husband’s brother, even though that refusal is slowly killing her. She’s not practiced her gifts for two years, but her world is about to change and she’ll be forced to face her fears and protect those she loves with everything in her.

Living in hell for eons without his mate has made Jax Ammadon one of the strongest Watchers ever, thus his upcoming coronation as king when his older brother steps down. His decision to force Skylar to acknowledge him as her mate will either break them both or doom them forever, but he cannot go on without her any longer. Trying to locate the danger to the Ammadons Skylar has predicted keeps her near him, but he desires more from her. He needs more from her. Jax at times comes off as too domineering, but when he professes his love for Skylar, when he shows her how profound his love is, that’s when you see his desperation, his willingness to do anything to make Skylar accept him as her mate.

So much happens in this book and at times scenes are so deep in talking about the astral plane, subtle bodies, and truest forms that I think you do need to read the other books first just to be more comfortable with exactly what’s happening. I understood most of it, but I know there’s some nuances that flew right by me here and there. That never, however, took away from the romance, the desire, the need these two characters have for one another. Ms. Kery has created a paranormal world with so many levels that is very intriguing to read. As usual, her characters draw you into their lives very quickly, causing you to share every emotion that whisps through them.

I’ve had ups and downs with Ms. Kery’s books, but there’s more superior than there is mediocre and she keeps surprising me and intriguing me time and again.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Grief and guilt-ridden Skylar Ammadon sometimes wonders if she has the strength to go on living. Her life mate Duse has been murdered for over two years and she still finds each day an unbearable trial. She lives and functions in the physical world only, denying her supernatural gifts or any subtle realities, existing only to ensure her precious son’s health and happiness and living far, far away from the shattering memories of Dunleavy Castle.

But as much as she tries to forget, as much as she strives to deny, as much as she tries to punish herself, her immense desire for one man will not be purged from her mind or body.

Jax Ammadon’s suffering has made him stronger than any Watcher alive. For hundreds of years he’s burned alive for the one woman that fate has designated could never be his. He watches helplessly as Skylar’s denial of the truth of what they are to one another slowly kills her. Her grieving period must come to an end.

It’s time for the new king of the Watchers to claim what’s his.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Take a Stranger No More by Beth Kery
Historical erotic romance eBook published by Samhain 29 Apr 08

I was so excited to get this book! A new Beth Kery book! I’ve been singing her praises since I read Exorcising Sean’s Ghost, which I absolutely loved, last year. It so pains me to say this, I really didn’t enjoy Take a Stranger No More all that much.

The reason I’ve really liked Beth’s last two books I’ve read is because of the storylines, especially Sean’s Ghost. She has a tense, emotional quality to her writing that calls to me. She also gives enough of a story to go with all the erotica we read nowadays so it’s not entirely erotica, something a lot of authors out there don’t do. And that’s the biggest thing wrong with this current book for me.

The story of Max being Kit’s guardian, wanting to do what’s best for her, not wanting her to get caught up in his carnality just isn’t enough to make the erotic scenes not seem gratuitous. Even the added elements of the St. Clair servants, Max’s adoration and servitude to Kit’s parents, Kit’s friendship with Audie just didn’t help enough either. This book lacked the emotion, the intensity, the mystery, the romance of Sean’s Ghost. The same can be said of her Fire Angel. Those two books typify Beth Kery to me.

I also didn’t care for the fact that Audie and Kit were forced to have sex at Max’s whim — with his permission. They’re friends. They’ve been friends for a while. Yes, Max is Audie’s master during his service to Max and must obey him, but I just didn’t care for Max demanding and commanding Audie to do the things he did to Kit, let alone the fact that Max shouldn’t want another man’s hands or mouth on his woman, no matter how he felt about the situation. Some of the things Max commanded Audie to do just didn’t sit right. I realize that’ just Max, it’s his way to get his point across, to teach Audie, but a few of those little details were just a tad much.

I do like the characters themselves to a point. Max is the alpha hero I always like, and I do like Max a lot. I like how he tried to protect Kit even though he desired her. I like Kit. She went for what she wanted even though she was discouraged at every turn. Audie’s grief and guilt for letting Max down is a nice emotional touch. They’re all likeable characters. It’s just the storyline that doesn’t work. Maybe because it’s a shorter book? I don’t know. I’m just disappointed I can’t give this one a better grade. I’m still looking forward to the next Beth Kery, though. I always will.

Grade: C-

Read Shannon C’s review here.

     Summary:

     Once a servant…now the master.

     Kit Chevalier has a serious problem. She’s loved Max St. Clair, her sinfully handsome guardian, since she was a child of six and he a young man of nineteen. But now he stubbornly refuses to notice that she’s grown into a woman. Armed with a few shocking secrets from Max’s servant, Kit sets out to persuade him she is no longer a child.

     Long ago, Max was a servant himself, indentured like all St. Clair princelings to a noble family in order to teach them humility…and how to best pleasure their masters in bed. Once indentured to Kit’s parents, he is now pledged to protect Kit—and her virtue—until he can honorably hand her off to a suitable husband.

     And hand her off he will. Quickly, before he loses his weakening resolve to keep his own hands off her. The last thing he wants to do is expose the fragile beauty to the carnal appetites of his ancient line.

     But Max underestimates Kit’s resolve—and the passionate fires that burn within her are every bit a match for his own.

     Read an excerpt.

Shannon C.’s review of Take a Stranger No More by Beth Kery
Historical erotic romance eBook published by Samhain 29 Apr 08

My fellow duckie, Sandy M., has raved about Beth Kery, so when her latest came up for review, I used my mad ninja powers of sneakiness to request it before she could. The premise looked interesting in a this-could-only-happen-in-erotic-romance kind of way, and even though it’s short, I figured it would be a nice change. Unfortunately, I can’t review this book without spoiling a couple of things, so if you really want to read this book and don’t want to be spoiled, go read something else.

The premise is that the St. Claire men, who are rich and powerful businessmen, have this long tradition where they are indentured to other, distant branches of the family and made to act as servants and fulfill the sexual needs of their masters. Kit Chevaliers has been in love with Max St. Claire since she was a child. He’s been her guardian for the past ten years after the tragic death of her parents, and now she’s grown into a beautiful, sensual woman. A Woman who will stop at nothing to get Max. But Max doesn’t think she’s ready for the lusty pleasures that come with being a St. Claire, nor does he have any idea what sort of a man would be appropriate for her… except himself. With the help of his St. Claire servant, Kit must try to convince Max she is the woman for him.

I still think that this premise is interesting, though it’s the sort of thing that would only occur in an erotic romance. But the execution didn’t entirely work for me. For one thing, the relationship between Max and his St. Clare servant, Audie, was hard to swallow. It felt a bit exploitive to me, and since it’s said that Max is fairly heterosexual I don’t know why he absolutely *had* to use Audie in that way. Max also refers to Audie several times as “the boy”, which made me think of stuff I’ve heard regarding NAMBLA. (And no, I am not saying Kery advocates underage sex, it’s just that I didn’t like the power dynamics at all in that case.) Also, at the end of the book, it’s clear that Audie isn’t going to be a part of the HEA for Max and Kit and I hate when authors do that. Why have the menage at all if you’re just going to have the real H/H turn to the other guy and figuratively go, “Hey, it’s been rockin’, but we have to go be together now.”

As for Max and Kit, they were OK. Kit’s a bit feisty, sexually curious and kind of a voyeur. Max is a brooding alpha male. I liked them well enough, even though I’ve read these character types before.

This book isn’t really as bad as I’m making it out to be. The writing is tight, and for once I didn’t feel like I needed more space and time to know the characters. I think that fans of the author, or of this particular type of story, might like it more than I did, but this is a series I won’t be continuing because the fantasies here weren’t any of mine, particularly.

Grade: C-

     Summary:

     Once a servant…now the master.

     The Adventures of the St. Claire Servants: Book 1

     Kit Chevalier has a serious problem. She’s loved Max St. Clair, her sinfully handsome guardian, since she was a child of six and he a young man of nineteen. But now he stubbornly refuses to notice that she’s grown into a woman. Armed with a few shocking secrets from Max’s servant, Kit sets out to persuade him she is no longer a child.

     Long ago, Max was a servant himself, indentured like all St. Clair princelings to a noble family in order to teach them humility…and how to best pleasure their masters in bed. Once indentured to Kit’s parents, he is now pledged to protect Kit-and her virtue-until he can honorably hand her off to a suitable husband.

     And hand her off he will. Quickly, before he loses his weakening resolve to keep his own hands off her. The last thing he wants to do is expose the fragile beauty to the carnal appetites of his ancient line.

     But Max underestimates Kit’s resolve-and the passionate fire that burns within her-which is every bit a match for his own.

     Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, ménage à trois, m/m sex scenes.

     You can read an excerpt here.

Sandy M’s review of Fire Angel by Beth Kery
Historical paranormal erotic romance released by Ellora’s Cave 12 Mar 08

Beth Kery has definitely become a favorite of mine. She has a knack for plunging you headlong into in her characters’ lives so that you experience the evil, the lust, the happiness, the sadness, the erotic, and love right along with them.

It’s her heroes who take over the stories for me. They are larger than life, and they live life with an unparalleled zest and intensity that would overwhelm lesser women than her heroines. Vincent is a doctor, a man of science, and his recent activities have included debunking spiritualist mediums, thus providing evidence to their patrons of their fradulent ways.

One such spiritualist, Serafina Grovenor, stops him his tracks however. Not necessarily because of her otherworldly powers: her beauty reaches out to him. He is suspicious of her, thinking she was somehow involved with her father when Vincent’s wife and young daughter disappeared after associating with Richard Grovenor. But his attraction is so fierce that when he rescues her and a young girl, Emily, whom he believes to be his missing Melissa, from Grovenor’s lecherous hands, his suspicions die away little by little.

Sera has had a very difficult life after being removed from an orphanage by Grovenor. He discovered her fiery ability and has exploited that for years, but he also exploited Sera’s body for his male apprentices to enjoy as Grovenor enjoyed those same male bodies. Sera endured it only to keep Emily from having to experience such degradation and humiliation. It is an interesting and well-developed storyline that engrosses you from the beginning, another of Ms. Kery’s talents. You get a story along with your eroticism in her books.

And the eroticism is always well done. What I liked about the relationship between Vincent and Sera is though they both love with an equal intensity, Vincent, of course, is experienced but his lust for Serafina catches him off guard. He can’t keep his mind or his hands off of her, and when they come together he takes her wholly and completely but gives her just as much in return.

Sera, on the other hand, is innocent, but she also burns to have Vincent love her once she gets a taste of him and she yearns to learn at his hands every way he can show how to ignite flames between them. Every love scene in this book is intense and you can feel it clear to your soul. They’re wonderful scenes. Even when Vincent, near the end of the book, lets his suspicions creep back into the relationship and he takes her in anger is a moving scene.

As usual the secondary characters are many and varied. Richard Grovenor, the villain, is one sick puppy. But he’s damned good at it. Vincent’s former mistress, Eliza, is quite interesting and her character never went where I thought she would; and his best friend, Austin, is also one I enjoyed. Emily/Melissa is a very strong character for her age and one of the highlights of the book.

The only thing I wish there had been more of is Sera’s “gift.” We had only a few demonstrations of her control of fire and I kept waiting for more. Unfortunately that never appeared. Other than that, I once again thoroughly enjoyed a Beth Kery book. I look forward to the next one.

Grade: A-

Summary:

     London, 1897. A world that embraces both the logic of science and the ghostly explorations of spiritualism, a time period where one need only scratch at the surface of staunch morality to find outlets for the most carnal of appetites.

     Vincent Devonald is known for exposing occult charlatans. He has plenty of reasons to distrust the famous medium Serafina Grovenor, the most important being that her charismatic magician father was behind the disappearance of Vincent’s daughter ten years before. He doesn’t believe for a second that Serafina can communicate with spirits and he’s determined to expose her ability to create fire for the theatrical sham that it is. But he can’t deny the powerful effect that the mysterious woman has on him as she draws him in to her circle of intrigue.

     Serafina lives in a world of manipulation and fear. She’ll do anything to keep her younger sister safe…including putting her complete trust in the one man who has the ability to tame her potentially lethal fiery nature and show her the true meaning of passion.

     Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Exorcising Sean’s Ghost by Beth Kery
Contemporary Erotic Romance released as an ebook on 14 Nov 07 by Ellora’s Cave

Read the summary and excerpt

Belle had only a few months of bliss with Sean before his death. Because they had to see each other in secret, she wasn’t even able to grieve as normal, a chance to go to his funeral or even to his grave site to say goodbye. A year later she’s dating a lawyer from a local law firm, but she’s tired of fighting him off at every turn.

When she happens upon a handsome, mysterious man while walking her dog, she has such a visceral, sexual reaction to him, something that hasn’t happened since Sean, and it frightens her as well as arouses her. How can she want a man with the same ferocity she’d wanted Sean?

Never thinking she would see him again, Belle is astonished when she learns that man is Jack Caldwell and is the new lawyer where her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend is employed. It seems Jack has the same riotous attraction to Belle as she does to him, and he bursts his way into her life with a sexual intensity that leaves her breathless and wanting more. But being this intimate with Jack plays havoc with her mind, she knows his body and hands already. Can he be Sean? Jack is incensed that Belle would think of another man when she’s in bed with him and he’ll teach her to think of only him making love to her, only him in her life.

At last, good erotica that gives you a story along with it. Beth Kery does an excellent job of balancing the erotic with romance and plotting. No sign of gratuitous sex anywhere and she also gives us light but very interesting BDSM. Her characters have plenty of depth and are well written. I really enjoyed Belle and Jack. Jack is a straight talker, an upfront kind of guy and Belle learns so much at his hands. The concept of the story is one we’ve read before — to a point. We’re given twists and turns that keep it all fresh, however, and it keeps us reading. Kudos, Beth! Well done!

Grade: A-