Sandy M’s review of Switch by Megan Hart
Contemporary Erotic Romance published by Harlequin Spice 1 Jan 10

It’s been a long while since I’ve not finished a book. I usually stick with whatever I’m reading, good or bad, until done, but this time I’ve read half a dozen books since I put this one aside and I just can’t make myself pick it up again.

I’m getting ready to start Chapter 11, and I just don’t care anymore. I have no idea who the hero of this story is. Too much time is spent on issues in Paige’s life that just don’t make any difference to anything so far in the book. With most of it I was just plain bored. Shopping with Paige for a birthday gift for her stepmother, which the woman won’t like, and then going through the party itself lends nothing to the concept of this book. And there are other similar issues too. Getting to know Paige maybe? Fine, but I have to like the character first before I want to get to know her/him/them. There’s really nothing so far that makes me like Paige all that much.

Paige is in her mid 20s, lives alone, has a job she likes okay with a so-so boss. She goes out now and again for a night on the town with her best friend, who really turns out not to be that good of a friend after all. Their latest jaunt takes them to a local bar where Austin just happens to be. This is Paige’s ex.

She’s irritated that the friend told Austin where they were going, not wanting to be near him because of the way he treated her, but she ends up having sex with him anyway. He tries to tell her he’s changed, to give him another chance, but she won’t listen. Just heads home and life goes on as usual.

But the unusual that happens is bizarre notes are being inadvertently left in her mailbox, notes that make her think with the demands each one makes. And she’s starting to see and run into a new guy in her building. He doesn’t notice her for a while, that is until they finally have a few words at a neighborhood coffee house.

There’s other family issues and the like described in detail as they come along, but that’s it for eleven chapters. I figured the new guy is going to the hero after she leaves Austin behind, but still nothing of any substance has yet to happen because the man is hardly in the story at all. At this point I’m not even curious enough to keep reading to find out which man wins, nor am I curious enough to find out who the switch is and how Paige fares in being submissive.

The story just doesn’t grab a reader. It’s very slow. The characters aren’t all that interesting. The one sex scene in all those pages is good, enough to make me like Austin at that point. But that’s not enough.

Maybe I’m giving up too soon. Maybe in Chapter 11 things start to move in the book, things become more clear. I’ll never know.

Grade: DNF

Summary:

Don’t think.Don’t question.

Just do.

The anonymous note wasn’t for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in the habit of reading other people’s mail, but it was just a piece of paper with a few lines scrawled on it, clearly meant for the apartment upstairs. It looked so innocent, but decidedly–
deliciously–it was not.

Before replacing the note–and the ones that followed–in its rightful slot, I devoured its contents: suggestions, instructions, summonses, commands. Each was more daring, more intricate and more arousing than the last…and I followed them all to the letter.

Before the notes, if a man had told me what to do, I’d have told him where to go. But submission is an art, and there’s something oddly freeing about doing someone’s bidding…especially when it feels so very, very good.

But I find that the more I surrender, the more powerful I feel–so it’s time to switch up roles.

We play by my rules now.

Read an excerpt.

Limecello’s review of Rampant by Saskia Walker
Erotic romance released by Harlequin Spice 1 Apr 10

I have an admitted weakness for witchy things, that I “blame” on L.J. Smith and her Secret Circle trilogy. I’m also drawn to Saskia Walker’s writing, though in this case something in the story just didn’t quite click for me. Regardless, the premise was too good to pass up, with what seemed to be a plausible story line, and something so very unique and interesting. I mean, it’s not every day you find an erotic novel where witches in Scotland are having sexytimes and doing naughty magical things, in every sense. Throw in a mischievous, notorious ghost, and you’ve got quite the party.

The heroine Zoë Daniels starts out with such promise… but after a while she just peters out for me. I realize the entire premise of the book is pretty fantastic. I’d have a hard time believing if I were in her shoes. However, in this case I didn’t really relate to her to that degree. Zoë is a very grounded, almost cautious person, and refuses to believe in magic, even though strange things are clearly happening around her, and she’s witnessed them and cognizant to the fact. This equated to willful stubbornness and denial to me, and that annoyed me. I suppose it was meant to be realistic, but I felt Zoë protested too much, and it became something of a painful refrain. “Oh no, there can’t be any such thing as magic – I’ll just forget the past 48 hours – and decide that Grayson is just employing machinations to make me have sex with him even though I’d gladly do it anyway.” So… yes. Zoë annoyed me. She does redeem herself a bit in the end, but at that point I really just wanted everything resolved. (And in her defense she does fear Grayson is just cozying up to her for the sake of his research, and he idiotically doesn’t clarify or dissuade her of that thought.)

Grayson Murdoch is a great hero, and yet a bit of a dolt. He’s incredibly powerful, with an impressive command of magic. Nevertheless that seems less than clear, and nearly contradictory at times. That, and he’s an absolute idiot when it comes to communicating with women. He knows what pitfalls exist, due to numerous similar occurrences, and yet the professor doesn’t learn from his mistakes. Nevertheless, he’s all in, going after Zoë, and protecting the world from Cain Devot. Lucky for him those tasks are parallel. Grayson is quite sexy and commanding, but seems to lose something in the space/time between his brain and mouth, as in he thinks something, but doesn’t say it. This affected how I felt about the plot (negatively) which unfortunately reflected back onto him. Maybe it was the first person point of view, and Zoë’s impressions of Grayson that made him seem so reticent, but I simply didn’t go for it.)

I had actually expected more of a twisted or tormented love triangle, but it was clear Cain was evil and bad news from the start. Zoë really only protests Grayson taking her away from Cain to be contrary. Cain seemed unbalanced, and consequently I couldn’t quite give him all the weight of the power and magic he was supposed to have. That would even have been ok, if it didn’t seem so much of the book was Zoë dragging her feet, and Grayson trying to dance around the major crisis by tricking Zoë into being useful, without her knowing how or why. I also couldn’t help but wonder why there wasn’t more suspicion about someone who had been alive for 200+ years in the same area, even with moving to different cities.

Ms. Walker is obviously talented when it comes to writing sex and heated interludes, and I quite enjoyed the juxtaposition of then versus now, with “flashbacks” to Annabel, and then Zoë currently. (That being said, while I appreciate the writing and language I didn’t love Annabel’s story. It seemed to wander and lacked a solid intent or purpose. For something so very grave, and seemingly crucial, what with Annabel essentially haunting people, the outcome fell rather flat for me.)

I loved the imagery and setting in this book. I could picture the sea side town perfectly, as well as the drive up the coast, and even the magic Grayson and Zoë (and the others) were performing. Ms. Walker writes it in a way that was so natural that I instantly fell into line, which might explain some of my frustration with Zoë holding out.

I do have to say I read this book during my slump, so that might’ve affected my enjoyment of it as well. This book offers quite a bit in one novel – and erotic novel that has both contemporary and historical aspects, and both in a very fresh package. The premise and characters are definitely memorable. I recommend this book if you enjoy Spice novels, or Ms. Walker’s writing.

Grade: D

Possession is only half the fun…

The moment she arrives at her rented vacation cottage nestled in Scotland, Zoë Daniels feels it–an arousal so powerful she’s compelled to surrender to the unusually forceful carnal desires…with nearly anyone who crosses her path. Crawford Logan, the boat builder with the wayward grin. The devilish restaurateur Cain Davot, who seems to know more about Zoë than he lets on. And even her sexy neighbor Grayson Murdoch, whose eyes delve deep into her soul as he explores every inch of her body.

Yet there’s something unsettling about the way the locals watch her, something eerie about these overwhelming encounters. Zoë knows she’s not quite in control of herself and begins to wonder if there’s any truth to the legend of Annabel McGraw, a powerful, promiscuous eighteenth-century witch who once owned the cottage, and whose spirit is rumored to affect anyone who stays there. Zoë doesn’t believe in anything that even hints at the occult, but now strange visions are turning frightening…and only one man’s touch can bring her back to earth.

Read an excerpt here.

Sandy M’s review of Deeper by Megan Hart
Paranormal Romance released by Harlequin Spice 1 Jul 09

I received this book in e-format to review, and because I like reading Megan Hart, I didn’t bother getting online to read a blurb or except about it. Therefore, I knew nothing about it when I started reading. Thus, I didn’t know there would be several surprises ahead for me. Guess I should have known, but either way, it’s always a terrific ride with one of Ms. Hart’s books.

What I liked best about this book is how it alternates chapters between the time when Bess and Nick are young adults, twenty and twenty-one years of age, and then twenty years later when Bess is going through a separation and divorce from her husband. We get most of the mystery behind Nick’s disappearance from Bess’ life in the “Then” chapters and the re-acquaintance of the characters and answers to certain questions in the “Now” chapters.

Bess has inherited the beach house where she spent summers as a teenager and young adult. That’s where she first met Nick all those years ago, the bad boy in town, at a local party. Her friends warn her to stay away from him, he’ll be no good for her. But once she is introduced to him, there’s no way on earth she can stay away from him. She thinks of him, dreams of him constantly. There’s the usual antics that young people pull on each other and the angst that goes along with it, but as soon as Bess is tired of her supposed boyfriend’s, Andy, cheating, along with the fact she wants Nick, they forge a sexual relationship over several weeks toward the end of that summer.

Now as sparks of memory come back to her being on their beach again, Nick suddenly appears, claiming it took only his name falling her lips for him to come to her after being in the “gray” for so long. Besides the fact he hasn’t aged a day in twenty years, she realizes that Nick has no heartbeat and other things that tell her he’s not alive, but she doesn’t question any of it because he’s very real and he’s with her now. She refuses to ask questions of him about what happened when he failed to come to her as he promised back then; she doesn’t want to know because it won’t change anything now.

They enjoy getting to know one another again, mostly in the bedroom — it was always very electric and hot between them and it still is. Coming up with a story for Nick’s reappearance, they head into town for the day, only to hit a brick wall when Nick becomes violently and painfully ill the further they get away from the house and the beach surrounding it. To be with Bess, he’s restricted to that small piece of real estate and no further. But because everything is so new between them again, they love each other, they believe everything will be all right and work out as things should.

In between all this, Bess has also been reacquainted with another friend from her summers at the beach. Eddie was a good friend, though he wanted to be more in those days when they worked together. He now owns the soda shop in town where they spent a lot of time before. Eddie is still interested in Bess, but once again she has to keep the relationship friendly all due to Nick. Also, her sons eventually come to visit and things don’t go well at all when they realize what the relationship is between their mother and this very young man.

This is a terrific story, and Ms. Hart does a great job in linking everything together between the two time periods to lead you to a resolution and get your questions answered. And that’s my only nitpick I have with this book. I really didn’t care for that resolution. As I read, I kept thinking to myself, “I wonder how she’s going to have him truly come back to Bess?” I looked forward to one of those quirky, different ways that could be done, especially coming from an author like Ms. Hart. Didn’t get that at all. In fact, I kind of felt cheated the way it all did end. Anything else I say here will be giving too much away, so that’s the end of that.

At least the story up to that point in time is an enjoyable one. I’m not sure, however, if that makes up for the less-than-stellar ending.

Grade: B-

Summary:
.
Some lovers never leave you…
.
Twenty years ago she had her whole life spread out before her like a mesmerizing map. She was Bess Walsh, a fresh-scrubbed, middle-class student ready to conquer the design world. And she was taken. Absolutely and completely.
.
But not by Andy, her well-groomed, intellectual boyfriend who hinted more than once about a ring. No. During that hot summer as a waitress and living on the beach, she met Nick, a dark haired, local bad boy. He was, to put it mildly, not someone she could take home to Daddy.
.
Instead, Nick became her dirty little secret; a fervent sexual accomplice who knew how to ignite an all-consuming obsession she had no idea she carried deep within her.
.
Bess had always wondered what happened to Nick after that summer, after their promise to meet again. And now, back at the beach house and taking a break from responsibility, from marriage, from life, she discovers his heartbreaking fate–and why he never came back for her. Suddenly Nick’s name is on her lips…his hands on her thighs…dark hair and eyes called back from the swirling gray of purgatory’s depths.
.
Dead, alive, or something in-between, they can’t stop their hunger.
.
She wouldn’t dare.
.
Read an excerpt.

Welcome back to Duck Chat!

Today we’d like you to meet Tracy Wolff!

Writing in several romance subgenres keeps Tracy busy and her books on bookstore shelves. Her latest book is an erotic suspense titled Tie Me Down, and she’ll be talking about it today. Tracy writes for NAL Heat, Harlequin Spice, and Harlequin SuperRomance, three very different publishers, covering the gamut from sweet and sensual to suspenseful and erotic, a terrific span for readers.

Tracy is married and she and her husband have three sons. She is an English professor at her local community college, and she began writing when she was quite young and become more serious about the craft after her mom introduced her to reading romance.

Today Tracy is kindly offering up one copy of Full Exposure and two copies of the Naughty Bits anthology which also features Megan Hart, Delilah Devlin, Jodi Lynn Copeland, Sarah McCarty and a whole host of other authors. So make sure you leave a meaningful comment or question for Tracy to be in the running to win. Now let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: Tracy, since you have a new release coming out this month, let’s talk about that first. The title is Tie Me Down, and with a title like that, the storyline has got to be hot! Would you tell us about Cole and Genenieve and how their story came about?

TRACY WOLFF: I freely admit that I’m a little bit (read a lot) of a control freak, so when I sat down to write Tie Me Down, I wanted it to be about control—having it, losing it and giving it away willingly once you find someone to trust. Much of the book is a battle of wills between my hero and heroine as each jockeys for dominance over the other—in the bedroom and out. Of course, in the end they learn that love is more about trust and respect than it is control.

Excerpt from Full Exposure:

Kevin Riley was the stuff fantasies were made of.

Her fantasies, to be exact.

Six foot five, heavily muscled, with the most beautifully intense blue eyes she’d ever seen, he captured her attention like no man ever had. And with his half-naked body in front of her and nature thrashing fiercely around her, it was all she could do to keep her clothes on, her mouth shut and her camera aimed somewhere besides his absolutely fabulous ass.

Not that he should mind– it was one of his best features, after all. And she was being paid, well paid, for taking pictures that showed his every side.

Of course, she wasn’t sure that fifty shots of his ass were quite what the publishers had had in mind when they’d hired her, no matter how glorious it was. Besides, her humming libido couldn’t handle much more without going into severe overdrive anyway.

Serena snorted before she could stop herself. Who was she kidding? She’d passed overdrive a while ago, was now heading straight toward spontaneous combustion at an alarming rate. The thought disturbed her and she moved restlessly, desperate to focus on something– anything–that could bring her traitorous body under control.

She glanced towards the large windows that covered an entire side of the old, red brick studio and tried to concentrate on the storm raging through Kevin’s little slice of bayou. But the wildness of it-the utter lack of control-only made her more uncomfortable.

Rain pummeled the tin roof, flashes of lightning illuminated the darkness beyond the house and thunder shook the studio as it exploded across the sky. Mother Nature was in a frenzy and much of southern Louisiana would pay the price on this steamy summer night.

She was just one more victim.

It was three a.m. and she should have been asleep, tucked safely into bed in her Baton Rouge condo. Nature whirled around her and she should have been terrified as she witnessed the destruction caused by every gust of seventy mile an hour winds. She was working and she should have been focused, completely absorbed in taking photos for the book that could blow her career wide open. But she wasn’t.

She wasn’t at home asleep, she wasn’t terrified and she certainly wasn’t focused.

What she was, was aroused.

Powerfully, frighteningly aroused.

Wetness pooled between her thighs, her nipples peaked and she had to work-hard– to stifle the moan threatening to part lips it was becoming harder and harder to keep closed.

She’d never been this out of control before, had never been so aroused that she couldn’t focus on anything but the throbbing ache between her thighs. Serena pressed her legs together, desperate to stem the sensations bombarding her. But it was no use. Heat swept through her body. Her skin flushed a rosy pink and her heart began to race as the fine tremor of arousal shook her, making hands that were normally rock-steady tremble with reaction.

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

TW: This isn’t from an interview, it’s from my neighbors and strangers on the street– So, is your sex life as good as your books suggest? And if you really want the answer—yes, it is. At least until my husband reads this and divorces me for kissing and telling …

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?

TW: Of course they do! At least a few times in each book my main characters will do something completely different than I expect them to. I’ve learned, in most cases, to go with it instead of fighting it. Which is why I have yet to write a book that actually follows the synopsis—I’m beginning to think that I am simply incapable of following any sort of detailed plan.

DC: You have three different subgenres on the Books page at your website: Sensual, Contemporary, and Paranormal. Where did your first release fall? Do you like writing one more than another? There’s nothing on the paranormal page yet – any hints you can give us as to what’s coming up there?

My first story was No Apologies which is obviously erotic. My first novel is A Christmas Wedding, which is Contemporary. The first book I ever wrote is Full Exposure, which is erotic suspense. I’m all over the place.

As for the paranormal, that page will soon be connecting with another website—I’m writing edgy dragon shapeshifter paranormals for NAL under the name Tessa Adams. I’m finishing up my first one right now—Dark Embers, Book 1 in the Dragon’s Heat Series—which will be out in July 2010. I’m currently billing it as a modern day fairy tale: The Dark Prince and the Biochemist in Distress …

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

TW: I wouldn’t call it so much of an argument as a dictatorship. I win, of course—reference the first answer about my inner control freak.

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

TW: My children. Project Runway on the TV. Aerosmith on the radio. A kiss from my husband. Chocolate. Need I go on? Obviously I have the attention span of a three-year old.

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

TW: Oh geez, that’s a hard question because NAL has done such a beautiful job with my covers. Seriously, I think I have some of the best covers in the genre. If you’d asked me a few months ago what my favorite cover was I would have told you, no doubt, the Full Exposure cover (I loooooove the spine of that book). But now that I see how Tie Me Down turned out, I think it might be my favorite. I think the book looks fabulous!!!!

DC: Your contemporary books are for Harlequin SuperRomance. Ever find yourself going a little bit too far when writing, getting a little too hot for a SuperRomance hero and heroine?

TW: I think my writing might definitely have been too hot for the SuperRomances of a few years ago, but I think recent SuperRomances definitely span the spectrum from sweet to hot. When I first started writing for Supers, I actually spoke to my editor about my writing style and whether she thought my love scenes were too hot for Supers. She told me they were appropriate to the stories I wrote and that as long as that was the case, she would be behind them. So while I tone them down some from my erotic novels, I still feel like I stay true to my style.

Or to put it more succinctly, yes, every once in a while I have to stop and go, oh yeah, the whips and chains might be a bit much, LOL!

DC: How about your least favorite cover? Why?

TW: Honestly, the No Apologies cover—which was beautiful and visually inviting but did not reflect the story very well. My very suave, African-American hero was turned into a white cowboy on that cover. But other than that, I can’t complain. I’ve had very, very good luck with covers.

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

TW: That’s an interesting question and one I have trouble answering. But to give it a shot– one of my favorite reviews actually came from Wendy the SuperLibrarian on this site—she basically said the character in my first book, A Christmas Wedding, kept her husband’s balls in a jar by the door during their 27-year marriage. Can I say ouch? Yet, to a certain extent, Wendy was right. So while I still write really strong, kick-ass alpha females, I work to make sure I don’t cross the line into bitchy.

DC: Your Harlequin Spice, No Apologies, is in stores now. What are the differences in writing for Spice compared to NAL Heat, if any?

TW: Spice is, as a line, not as dark as Heat tends to be. So writing for Spice lets me be a little less dark and edgy than usual, although to be honest almost everything I write has some edges to it.

DC: Would you tell our readers about Gabe and Annalise from No Apologies?

TW: This story was great fun to write—just because Annalise was different than any of my other female characters. I have a tendency to write really, really angst-filled alpha characters (nothing makes me happier than to torture the hell out of my H/h and pit them against each other as I do it) and Annalise and Gabe are no exception. But Annalise is the only character I’ve ever written who really equates sex with power and trades in it ruthlessly. Writing about her falling for the one man who won’t let her wield sex as a weapon was really interesting—and intense.

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

TW: I’m actually tackling it right now—YA. I have always wanted to write a YA and I finally got off my butt and wrote the first 100 pages in a YA paranormal called Rip Tide. My agent is actually shopping it around this week, so fingers crossed.

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

TW: Get serious about your writing sooner. Don’t be distracted by school and marriage and jobs and kids. Just sit down and write the book, damn it.

DC: If you were a book, what would your blurb be?

TW: Tracy Wolff collects books, English degrees and lipsticks and has been known to forget where—and sometimes who—she is when immersed in a great novel. At six she wrote her first short story—something with a rainbow and a prince– and at seven she forayed into the wonderful world of girls lit with her first Judy Blume novel. By ten she’d read everything in the young adult and classics sections of her local bookstore, so in desperation her mom started her on romance novels. And from the first page of the first book, Tracy knew she’d found her life-long love. Now an English professor at her local community college, she writes romances that run the gamut from sweet and sexy to hotter than hell.

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

TW: Dark and edgy with a hint of kink …

DC: In December your next SuperRomance, To Save a Boy, will be published. This story sounds intense and quite emotional. Would you tell us about it?

TW: I love this story, though the book went through some fairly extensive revisions. It’s the story of Rafael and Vivian, two emotionally wounded people who both think trust is a four letter word. Rafael was wrongly accused of rape by a rich woman when he was eighteen and ended up serving time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Out of prison for a number of years now, he runs a teen center in the worst neighborhood of San Francisco—and when Diego, one of the kids at the center, is wrongly accused of murder, Rafa is determined to do whatever he can to keep the kid from suffering as he did. Enter Vivian, a very rich lawyer who takes on Diego’s case pro bono. The story revolves around Vivian and Rafa working towards each other as they search for a way to save Diego from a system that could destroy his life. There’s a lot of emotion as these two work through their own baggage while helping Diego with his and, of course, evading the real killer who wants nothing more than to see Diego hang.

DC: Since I love to cook and you have a Recipes page on your website, let’s talk about that! You encourage readers to send in their favorite recipes and then you list recipes that are associated with some of your books. Do you incorporate the recipes in the books or do you talk about them at all in the stories?

TW: I haven’t incorporated any yet, but I keep playing with an idea of doing a chef book of some sort. But everyone is doing those right now, so I’ll probably hold off. I do, however, print up recipe cards for each of my books. Each one has a recipe unique to the story/region/characters and I give them out to readers and anyone else who asks for them.

DC: What’s your all-time favorite recipe you like preparing over and over again? Would you share it with us?

TW: Oh, that’s easy. Death by Chocolate.

This is what you need:

One tray of brownies—sometimes I make them from scratch, but usually I just use the boxed kind.
1/4 cup Kahlua, Grand Marnier or Espresso
2 packages of chocolate mousse, made
1 pint of whipping cream, whipped with a little sugar and vanilla
3 Heath bars or one bag of Heath bar bits, crushed
1 cup crushed pecans
And then you just layer it all together. Crumble the brownies in the bottom of a trifle bowl, then pour half of liqueur or coffee on them. Spread with chocolate mousse and then a layer of whipped cream. Sprinkle with heath bits and pecans then repeat all the layers again.

It’s delicious and a huge crowd pleaser.

Man, now you’ve got me thinking about dessert- I might just have to go make this.

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

TW: I’d do full-time what I currently do part-time because I just can’t give it up—I’d be a college writing professor. There is nothing in the world like helping people learn to write—and write well. And teaching college is an absolute joy (most days).

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?    – Milk, definitely. Preferably in the form of Godiva hearts or a Twix bar
- smooth or chunky peanut butter?    – Smooth
- heels or flats?     – I’m all about the wedge, baby
- coffee or tea?     – Both—preferably poured straight into my veins
- summer or winter?     – Winter—better book reading weather
- mountains or beach?     – Beach
- mustard or mayonnaise?     – Mayo
- flowers or candy?     – Flowers
- pockets or purse?     – Both
- Pepsi or Coke?     – Coke
- ebook or print?     – Still print, though the ebook is growing on me

And because we’re not tired of them yet:

1. What is your favorite word?     – wicked
2. What is your least favorite word?    – no
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?   – Reading a really, really good book.
4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?     – Exhaustion
5. What sound or noise do you love?    – My husband’s heartbeat
6. What sound or noise do you hate?    – My five year old whining.
7. What is your favorite curse word?     – Fuck—I’m a purist.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?    – Archeologist
9. What profession would you not like to do?     – Soldier
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?     – “The Library’s that way—help yourself.”

DC: Thank you, Tracy, for spending the day with us! It’s been fun!

So glad you could make it to Duck Chat!

Janet Mullany is our guest today.

Raised in England, Janet now lives in Washington, D.C. where she writes her historical novels. Her first Regency was a Signet, Dedication, which released in 2007. Two years later The Rules of Gentility captured readers’ interest, and now A Most Lamentable Comedy is her latest book and was just released last month.

Janet has just signed a two-book deal with HarperCollins and has a paranormal anthology with Harlequin coming out in 2010 with Mary Balogh, Susan Krinard, and Colleen Gleason.

Be sure to leave a comment or question for Janet. She’s giving away a copy of A Most Lamentable Comedy, so you don’t want to miss out!  Now let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: Janet, you just had a book release a couple of days ago. Congrats! Why don’t you tell us about A Most Lamentable Comedy as a whole first, and then we’ll talk about it more specifically.

JANET MULLANY: Thanks for having me visit–it’s great to be here, and thanks for the smart questions. OK, Comedy… when I was finishing up The Rules of Gentility (HarperCollins 2007, Little Black Dress 2009) it struck me that I should prove it wasn’t a one-off book. So I picked a minor character from that book and made her my heroine. It’s quite a different sort of book because I was a bit exhausted by Philomena’s wide-eyed innocence and endless gabbing about bonnets and Mr. Linsley’s trousers. So I decided to write about a bad girl. And I had to come up with a hero who was a match for my heroine; so he’s pretty bad too! I was also inspired by a couple of minor characters in Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend who marry and then discover that neither of them has any money.

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

JM: Oh, the writers’ life stuff, like my typical day. My life is very boring.

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?

JM: Yes, and it’s great when it happens. The last completely unexpected episode I had was in the book I’ve just finished, Improper Relations (2010, Little Black Dress–I do hope they let me keep that title!), when I couldn’t sleep and got up and wrote for about half an hour at 2:00 am. It was completely surreal and surprised me (in a good way!) when I read it the next day.

DC: Now please tell us about Nicholas and Caroline from A Most Lamentable Comedy.

JM: They’re basically a couple of con artists seeking their next mark. She’s broke and is looking around for a new husband–or lover–to pay her bills and prevent her from going to debtors’ prison. He’s a gigolo who thinks he’s found his usual target. What they don’t realize is that neither of them has any money, or that what they really need, as well as money, is community and love. Mrs. Giggles’ review described Caroline as “a gloriously flirtatious hussy with a PhD in gold digging,” which is pretty accurate. I was eventually quite appalled at having this gorgeous, amoral hero who’d screwed his way across Europe (for money) so I ended up giving him some other work on the side–for instance, music teacher, spy, ratcatcher, and cabinetmaker. He’s very good with his hands (in more ways than one). He’s nice to kids. Both do have some redeeming qualities, but there’s no great orgy of repentance and forgiveness and transformation. I just don’t write that sort of book.

Excerpt from A Most Lamentable Comedy:

London, 1822

Lady Caroline Elmhurst

Devil take it. I have seen this done a hundred times on the stage and read it a hundred more in novels, yet tying my sheets together proves almost impossible in real life.

“Milady, they’ll break the door down,” my maid whimpers.

“Don’t be a fool. Here, put these on.” I throw some petticoats at her. We have been unable to stuff all my possessions into my trunk and bags, and I am determined to leave nothing behind for that rapacious cow of a landlady to take. I wrench at the sheets and break a nail. “Oh, don’t stand there sniveling. Come and help me.”

Mary shuffles across the room, half in and half out of a petticoat.

Outside, the thunderous knocks on the door resume. “Open up, madam. We know you’re in there,” bellows one of the seething mob of creditors. Heavens, it is like the French revolution! How dare they!

“I am unwell, sirs,” I call in a quavering voice, tightening a monstrous knot that takes up half the length of the sheets.

“She’s a dreadful liar and a whore to boot,” says a female voice, that of my landlady Mrs. Dinsdale. I can imagine how she stands there, mottled arms cradling one of her infernal cats, snuff sprinkled over her shoulders and grubby shawl. My shawl, my precious blue Kashmir, that I gave her in lieu of rent, the dirty, fat, ungrateful thing.

“Send your maid out, then.” The door shudders under their blows, and the tallboy we have pulled in front of it shifts a little on the floor.

“She is very poorly, too, sir. Why, she is covered with stinking sores–oh, horrors, I believe it is the smallpox.”

Is there a pause for reflection? If there is, it lasts but a few seconds. I loop the sheet around the bedpost, tie it in another hefty knot, and sling my rope out of the window. The trunk and bags follow. “Out!” I hiss to Mary. “Oh, sir,” I call out, “I am too ill to move. I beg of you, come back another day.”

“Enough, Lady Elmhurst. We’ve had enough of your tricks and lies. Open the door, if you please.”

“Sir, I cannot. Have pity on a poor widow.” I shove Mary toward the window.

“I can’t. I’m afraid of heights.” She clings to me like a limpet.

I shake her off.

“Oh, don’t ask me to do it, milady.”

“Would you rather I leave you here? Get down that rope, girl.” I long to slap sense into her, but she is my only ally. I peer out of the window. There is a good six feet or so below the knotted sheets, but if she lands on one of the bags she’ll have a good soft landing. “Come on, Mary. We’ll laugh about this later, I promise you. I’ll give you my blue-spotted muslin.”

“Very well. And an inside seat in the coach.”

“Yes, yes, but go.” I shove her out of the window. “I fear I shall swoon,” I add loudly, for the benefit of the creditors outside the door, hoping it explains the silence that results when we have flown the coop.

Mary’s face, like a white, piteous flower in the dark, gazes up at me. Her mouth opens. If she is to scream, we are lost, and she seems set to dangle indefinitely in mid-air like some ridiculous spider. I look around the room for something to inspire her descent, and dart back to the window with it. She does scream a little as cold water hits her–doubtless she thinks it is the chamber pot, but even I am not so hardened–and then swears horribly as she lands. The china jug rolls from my hand as I fling myself onto the rope, there is a loud scraping sound as the bed moves, and I find myself catapulted on top of Mrs. Dinsdale’s cabbages.

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

JM: In this book I found myself saying “Oh no, you can’t possibly do/say that. That’s outrageous!”–usually to Caroline. And I’d go ahead and let her do it anyway.

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

JM: If I’m not in the mood, anything. I’ve found myself actually doing housework to avoid it.

DC: The Rules of Gentility sounds interesting. Would you tell our readers how the idea for it came about and then give them a look inside the story?

JM: I started writing it for my own entertainment (and to be honest, it’s all for my own entertainment!) after writing some fairly dark and angsty stuff that will probably never see the light of day. I tried to translate Bridget Jones into the Regency, but I gave up that idea after not finding a substitute for cigarette and calorie counts. I wrote in first person/present tense (my other Regency chicklits are too) and when I got bored, switched to the hero’s voice and then alternated between them. Basically it strings together a whole lot of Regency tropes–the fake engagement, high adventures in low places–and spoofs them. I also felt it was a sort of back to basics book in that Philomena, the heroine, is a fairly ordinary sort of girl, although stinking rich, and doesn’t have any hidden talents or aspirations. Her career is to make a good marriage. And although I took some liberties I tried to keep it as historically correct, or as historically likely, as possible.

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

JM: I find I’m more interested in relationships between women–I mean (before you get too excited)between friends, sisters, mothers and daughters, in historicals. I’m also very conscious of the implications of the HEA for the heroine. If the duke marries his mistress, will she have any friends? What will his friends think? The rest of his family?

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

JM: I try not to think in terms of genres. I’ve been very lucky in that I’ve always written what I’ve wanted to and my brilliant agent finds a niche for it.

DC: You’re originally from England. How long have you been in the U.S.? Any usual or funny stories going from one country to another?

JM: Decades. An embarrassingly long time. My husband still says I’m unintelligible! When I return to England I sound like a loud American for about ten minutes and then sound like an English person with an American vocabulary. I was very distressed that my niece’s husband said I sounded posh.

DC: Is there perhaps an American historical in your future? Or an English hero in America story? Anything along those lines at all?

JM: I love the idea of culture clash and I do have a ms. that’s about an English lord in the 1880s prospecting for gold in the Rockies. He marries the local blacksmith (a woman). My agent said it made her cry a couple of times (with emotion, not hopelessness, which was good) but I think the ms. needs a lot of work and I don’t know how it would fit in with what else I’m writing.

DC: Tell us about your first Regency, Dedication.

JM: Quite simply I wrote the sort of book I wanted to read. It was published as a Signet Regency, and was rather unusual for the line. It’s a second chance at love story, and the hero/heroine were in their early 40s/late 30s respectively; they’re old enough to have fallen in love with other people and have grown up since their estrangement, and they have some fairly adventurous sex (it’s the only Signet Regency with two bondage scenes!). Having written that, I’m amazed at how tame all this seems, which just shows how the genre has grown in four years.

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

JM: Start writing earlier and don’t be shy about paying someone else to clean the house. I’m a late bloomer.

DC: If you were a book, what would your blurb be?

JM: Buy this book’s books!

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

JM: Beware the banana peel on the boudoir floor.

DC: You also write under the name of Jane Lockwood. Why did you choose to write under a pseudonym? Can you tell us about your books written as Jane?

JM: It was a contractual obligation to do with options and so on, since I was writing vastly different material for two different publishers. I would have been quite happy to write under my own name–I don’t have any sort of reputation to protect. I published one book, Forbidden Shores, an erotic historical that did not sell particularly well–readers either loved it or hated it. It was about sex and abolitionists, and had a threesome in which no one was particularly happy because each one was in love with the other who did not love them back. There are some things about the book I’m very proud of, other things that didn’t work so well.

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

JM: Gardening! Well, not right now, it’s dark. I’d probably be working full-time in performing arts management (I currently work four days a week for a baroque music ensemble) or I’d be doing some sort of online marketing/design.

DC: What’s on the horizon for Janet Mullany?

JM: Lots! I’m very lucky. As I mentioned, I have two Regency chicklits for Little Black Dress–Improper Relations and one that isn’t even a twinkle in my eye. I have a two-book contract for Harlequin Spice, the first to come out in 2011 under yet another name, Liz Diamond. And next summer I have the first of two paranormal, alternate-historical books about Jane Austen from HarperCollins–it’s about Austen joining forces with vampires to defeat a French invasion. In September, 2010, I have a novella in a Harlequin anthology with Mary Balogh, Colleen Gleason, and Susan Krinard of paranormal takes on Jane Austen novels. Mine is a contemporary based on Emma, my favorite Austen (I’m not sure what the title will be although we called it Bespelling Jane). I have lots of writing to do!

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?   – dark
- smooth or chunky peanut butter?    -chunky
- heels or flats?    – flats
- coffee or tea?     – coffee
- summer or winter?    – spring (sorry!)
- mountains or beach?    – mountains
- mustard or mayonnaise?    – mayonnaise
- flowers or candy?    – flowers
- pockets or purse?     – pockets
- Pepsi or Coke?    – So long as it’s diet…
- ebook or print?    – print (until there’s an ereader you can use in the bathtub)

And because they’re still fun:

1. What is your favorite word?    – island
2. What is your least favorite word?     – laved
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?     – opera
4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?    – poverty
5. What sound or noise do you love?     – cello
6. What sound or noise do you hate?     – alarms
7. What is your favorite curse word?     – I cherish and use them all.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?    – entomologist
9. What profession would you not like to do?   – I have this fear that I’ll end up in the shack at the gate of an impound lot.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?    – “It’s OK, you don’t have to meet all your dead relatives, only the ones you like.”

DC: Janet, thank you for spending the day with us!

Welcome once again to Duck Chat!

Today we’re talking to Sophie Renwick, who some of you may know as Charlotte Featherstone. Sophie writes fun, light, and erotic contemporaries and dark and sexy paranormals, and you are in for a treat with her debut book, Hot In Here. It’s a friends-to-lover story that takes you for an up-and-down ride through lust and romance while also sating the taste buds. Be sure to pick it up! She is also working on her first book in her paranormal series, the Annwyn Chronicles, so you will not have to wait without having a Sophie Renwick bookin hand for too long.

Sophie lives on the north shore of Lake Erie with her husband and their daughter. She loves to cook and loves Lisa Kleypas‘ Sebastian from Devil in Winter, as well as snowstorms, early mornings, high heels, and ethnic food.  Her next book is out later this year, and since she’s living her dream, she’s always writing to bring her readers more of what they love to read.

In fact, Sophie is on deadline right now, but she will be stopping by to respond to any comments or questions you have for her. She’s also giving away two copies of Hot In Here, so make that comment or question good! Now let’s chat with Sophie.

DUCK CHAT: Sophie, you have a couple of new series we have to tell readers about. Let’s start with your Annwyn series. First tell us the idea behind the series, how it came about, and where you’ll be taking it in the future.

SOPHIE RENWICK: The series came about during a phone call from my editor. I had put in a proposal and she called the next day saying they couldn’t buy it because an author at the house had a new series coming out that was similar. I was bummed. But my editor said that the publisher was really eager to get a ‘dark and sexy shifter series.’ So we chatted for a bit, and I thought, what about using my Scottish background to make a series. So I picked Scottish or Celtic type animals to use, the Hart, the Raven, the Selkie, etc., and used them in the way the ancient Celts did. I added the Druid/Gothic feel because it’s an area of interest for me. I added the element of an overarching quest, and sinister magician, and the Annwyn Chronicles were born!

My editor has been very involved along the way, and it was really fun to throw in stories and images from my childhood. Plus, I got to research something that I’ve always been interested in.

I think what makes this paranormal series different is the Fantasy elements, the quest, and the fact that the Destroyer, who is an apprentice to the villain, is actually one of the characters in the series. But like most anti-heroes, something has made him turn. The identity of the person will be revealed in the last book.

I’m really, really excited about this series and it was so much fun building the world. I hope readers enjoy it.

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

SR: I think it’d have to be ‘how do you come up with your sex scenes?” The honest answer is, ‘they stem from the characters and their desires and conflicts.’ When I’ve given that answer I’ve had many people try to probe deeper, or some have an expression of disappointment on their face, like they thought they were going to get to hear something really juicy about my personal life, which, for the record, is not as remotely exciting as my stories!

DC: The first story in the series, Yuletide Enchantment, will appear in the A Highlander Christmas anthology, which also features Dawn Halliday and Cindy Miles and is due out in November of this year. Would you give us a look inside this novella?

SR: I was thrilled when my editor at NAL asked me if I wanted to participate in this project. It was a historical anthology, and she knew that I wrote historicals for Harlequin Spice under the name Charlotte Featherstone. We talked about what I would write and she thought we should try to use it as a platform for the Annwyn Chronicles. I was writing the first draft of Velvet Haven at the time (book 1 of the Annwyn Chronicles) and decided to use the historical novella in Highlander Christmas as a prequel to Velvet Haven.

Yuletide Enchantment is the name of the novella and involves the uncle of the hero from Velvet Haven. Daegan is his name, and he is co-ruler of the Celtic Otherworld, Annwyn. He falls in love with a mortal woman which is taboo, and thus thrusts Annwyn into the Dark Times, which is an era of imbalance and impurity. I really had fun with that story and I hope people will read it and be intrigued by the world building and the Druid/Celtic aspect of the series. Bran, the hero from Velvet Haven is in the novella, too! He makes a sacrifice for his uncle, which then becomes the focus of his book.

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?

SR: This happens to me all the time! I’m a character-driven writer and usually do follow them where they lead me. Sometimes I’m surprised, and then sometimes I’m relieved because they seem to ‘fix’ a problem or enhance a scene. I actually love it when characters do that!

DC: We’ve mentioned Velvet Haven, the first full book in the series and it’s slated to be released in March 2010. Can you give us a little sneak peek into Bran’s story?

SR: Here’s the official blurb (and I’ve added the sexy cover art for Velvet Haven! It might change a little, but not much. The guy on the cover is very much like Bran. I love it!)

Hidden from mortals for all eternity, Annwyn, the Otherworld, is home to shapeshifters, wraiths and dragons. But in a nightclub called Velvet Haven, desire brings humans and immortals together…

Built atop the mystic passageway to Annwyn, the gothic nightclub Velvet Haven has seen its share of lost souls—both mortal and immortal. It is here that Bran, the shapeshifter king of the Sidhe, searches for his brother, who is ensnared by a centuries-old curse. When a vision foretells his own death, he knows his time to find Carden is running out.

For help he must turn to Mairi, a mortal woman with an unusual aura. Bran has never liked humans, other than using their sexual pleasure to restore his magic energy. But with Mairi everything is different. Her lush curves and teasing caresses enflame him like no Sidhe has ever done. He has no idea that the woman he’s falling for holds the key to his destruction – or his salvation.

Now, here’s a bit more. The Dark Times come to Annwyn during the period that Bran is searching for his brother. The Dark Arts which are Death and Sex magick have once more appeared in Annwyn, and Sidhe are being put death in black magick rituals. So Bran, as King, is trying to find the Mage responsible while dodging his feelings for the mortal Mairi. His journey leads him to the mortal realm which is presided over by a Fallen Angel. The Mage is also performing his rituals on mortals which thus unites the ruler of Annwyn, and the ruler of the mortal realm. Bran’s journey also leads him back time and time again to Mairi.

There is an overarching quest through the series to find a flame and an amulet which together forge a key that will lead them to the Mage who is known as the Soul Stealer. But the Soul Stealer has something up his sleeve. He’s recruiting an apprentice, and it’s one of the characters of the series.

The book is dark and sexy, and while it’s for the Heat line, which is billed as erotica, it’s definitely a romance!

I hope to put up some excerpts on my website soon, and as well I’ll be putting a glossary up and some tidbits about Druid religion and the practice of Death and Sex Magick, so keep checking back!

DC: I read on your site you had a Scottish upbringing. Please tell everyone a little about that.

SR: My family is very proud to be of Scots ancestry, and, as a child, my parents and grandparents would always tell stories of faeries and midgies. In fact, when we would get out of bed when we were supposed to sleeping, my parents would yell up, ‘get back to bed before the faeries come and steal you away!’ Faeries scared us!

The idea of incorporating some of those stories into books really interested me. The Highlander is iconic in historical romance, but I wanted to bring in some of the witchcraft and Celtic mythology of Scotland.

DC: How many books do you have planned in the Annwyn series?

SR: There are a lot of characters in this series. Some are more fleshed out in my mind than others. I don’t know if all the characters will have a book. But right now, there are six characters I’d like to write about and whose story I already know, the first character being Bran.

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

SR: I used to. Then I realized when I did that and bullied my way to win, the writing felt stilted and stale. So I no longer do that.

Actually, if I’m having a hard time knowing where to open a book or doing a scene, I sit down and look at the computer screen and say, “Okay, whoever comes to me first, I’ll write, and I’ll write whatever he/she says.”

I did this with Velvet Haven. I originally started the book with Mairi in the Goth club. It never felt right. So I sat down, did my exercise, and boom, Bram came, took me to Annwyn, inside his magick circle during a ritual. I loved it and knew that was the right beginning.

The advantage of doing this exercise is that it allows you deep point of view for a compelling opening.

I did the same thing with Charlotte’s Addicted. The prologue where Lindsay is discussing opium was that exercise.

DC: Next is your Ryder Brothers series. Hot in Here was released a couple of days ago. Can you tell us, first, how the series came about, and then share a little with us about Bryce and Jenna?

SR: I was at my parents and she had a Ricardo cooking magazine on her kitchen table. She’s a great cook, and Ricardo is cute! I made the comment, “Oh wouldn’t it be nice to come home to some hunk who had made you supper?” That was the moment that Bryce was born.

The characters just seemed to evolve, and I used my small, rural upbringing as a base. I grew up in Southwestern Ontario which is known as Canada’s bread basket. We have orchards, wineries, farms — you name it, we got it. We also have tons of food festivals. Cherry Fest, Apple Harvest, etc… Those were good times, and I used those ideas and that small town feel as a backdrop for Hot In Here.

I also liked the idea of three bad boy brothers, and three good girl sisters and watching what happened when they came together.

So, Bryce is, while having grown up rural, a big city guy who’s a famous chef. He gets misquoted in a magazine, and his future business empire looks very shaky. Jenna is his best friend. She’s a farm girl who now lives in the city. She runs a marketing company, but she still has those small town ideals. Bryce recruits Jenna to help him out with his reputation, and the sparks fly. It’s really just a fun, very hot romance. And I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed writing that book!

Here’s that special treat – an excerpt from Hot In Here:

Bryce couldn’t think. Hell, he couldn’t breathe. Watching Jenna saunter away in that pretty little chemise was playing havoc with his synapses. He didn’t even blink as he watched her walked away. The ecru- colored lace skimming just beneath the luscious curve of her cheeks commanded his attention, not to mention fueled his imagination.

She had the finest ass he’d ever seen. Full and round, begging to be cupped by his hand.
Shit! What was he thinking, cupping her ass? This was Jenna. Safe, little Jenna. The friend he hadn’t had any sexual thoughts about. Well, not since…Okay. He finally allowed the dirty truth to come up. There had been a few times when he’d awaken from a vivid dream, his sheets tangled and wet, his brain burning with images of him and Jenna.

But he’d always laughed it off. Always thought it absurd. He used to tell himself that the dreams were about Jenna because she was the only woman he really knew well. They were friends, had spent a lot of time together. Naturally she’d invade his dreams.

Pressing forward, he leaned over the counter and watched Jenna. Her profile was just as stunning as the back view. Her breasts were just as hot as her ass, and the way they bounced and moved as she reached for the blanket that lay across the back of the sofa had him groaning.

Man, he was hard. And completely fucking losing it.

Jenna was a friend. He wanted that friendship. Depended on it. No way was he going to toss a decade of friendship down the toilet because his subconscious all of a sudden decided to cough up a few instances of past wet dreams involving Jenna.

He couldn’t imagine his life without Jenna in it. She had always been there, to talk to and hang with. He liked just calling her up for no reason and chatting. He liked how they laughed at the same things. If he couldn’t have that anymore, if he ruined the relationship by making it all awkward and heavy with sexual shit, he didn’t know what he’d do.

But what about when she finds Mr. Right, the insistent voice in his head asked. How much do you think he’s going to tolerate your phone calls and late-night visits? Probably about as well as he tolerated the thought of Jenna wearing that skimpy nightie for another man—including Tyson.

God, he didn’t even want to go there. His emotions and thoughts were all over the map tonight and he couldn’t understand why. What was it about Jenna today? What was it about her walk, the way her ass moved, that had him wanting to risk their friendship by taking it into the bedroom? And what was it about her that suddenly had him thinking how damn nice it would be to always have this, this closeness with her?

The relationship word suddenly crept onto his radar and he panicked. Then, thank god, Jenna’s voice squelched the thought before it could become a full blown visual of a picket fence.

“Movie’s starting,” she called from the living room.

“I’m on it,” he answered back, not moving, just watching as she sat on the couch and crossed her legs. They weren’t overly long, but man, they were shapely. The kind that would feel really good and soft wrapped around him. The kind of shapely, womanly flesh he hadn’t felt in all his other girlfriends.

He heard the Psychedelic Furs singing “Pretty In Pink,” and he got his ass moving. Looking through the cupboards, he found two bowls and a couple of spoons, and tore into the still-steaming dessert.

Inhaling the aroma, he savored it, hoping to hell she liked it. This was an untested concoction he’d just created. And poor Jenna was the guinea pig.

Carrying the bowls, he hit the switch with his elbow, killing the light spilling from the kitchen. Candles glowed on the coffee table, and the light from the television screen made it bright enough for them to see.

“Mmm, what’s this?” Jenna asked as she reached out for a bowl. “Smells delicious.”

“Just something I cooked up in honor of your twenty-eighth birthday.”

Jenna wrinkled her nose. “Let’s not talk numbers tonight.”

“Deal,” he said, settling back against the leather sofa. “As long as that also includes my numbers and that plan of yours.”

“Absolutely.”

“God, it’s been forever since I’ve seen this movie. Remember how you loved Blaine?”
“Yeah,” she said, blushing.

“I never got that, why you found him so hot. His hair really looked terrible in that prom scene.”

Jenna laughed. “You always say that.”

“Well, it did.”

“I’m sure you had the hots for Molly Ringwald. All the guys did.”

“I didn’t.”

“Oh, the blonde then, the one dancing around in her underwear?”

“Definitely not her. I liked Andie, actually. Not Molly. But the character of Andie.”

Jenna shot him a sideways glance. “She was an outcast and kind of quirky, don’t you think?”

“What’s wrong with quirky?”

“Nothing.” A strange expression flickered across her face before she picked up her spoon and motioned to the bowl. “So, what do we have here?”

“Oh, just a little white chocolate and cream, and caramel filled chocolate squares, with some egg bread I had laying around. I suppose you’d call it chocolate caramel bread pudding.”

“I love bread pudding. I haven’t had a pudding like this since I left home. Although I know my mom never made anything this decadent.”

Bryce found himself grinning, filled with an absurd adolescent feeling of giddiness. He was always like this when someone waxed on about his cooking. He was even more giddy, he realized, when that someone was Jenna.

Jenna’s mom was a phenomenal cook, and Bryce knew that to wow Jenna was a difficult task. She was clearly wowed now, though. She was closing her eyes, savoring the sweet smell wafting up from the bowl.

She dug into the custard mixture with her spoon and was about to raise it to her mouth, when he wrapped his fingers around her wrist. “Wait.” She looked at him, and all of a sudden his heart did this weird flopping thing.

“What?” she asked, her voice so soft and quiet and so very feminine.

“I…” he licked his lips and pressed closer to her. “I just wanted to say Happy birthday.” He bent to kiss her cheek, something he’d done numerous times in their friendship. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he cupped her cheek and brought her forward, dragging his mouth against the curve of her ear and down lower to her jaw. God, she smelled good. And she felt good, so soft against his hand and mouth.

“Happy birthday,” he said once more, kissing the corner of her mouth, then he pulled away, horrified by his actions and wondering what she was going to say.

But true to Jenna form, she saved his ego by not making a big deal out of his lost control. Instead she smiled and pointed at the bowl with the tip of her spoon. “So what do you call this?”

“It needs a name. If it’s any good, that is.”

She smiled and raised a spoonful to her lips. Catching his gaze, she slid a bit of the steaming pudding into her mouth. With a groan, she closed her eyes. “Good? Bryce, this is awesome. This is…” she blushed and looked away.

He put his bowl down on the coffee table and cupped her cheek. “Tell me what you were gonna say.”

She wouldn’t meet his gaze. Bryce saw some struggle waged in her eyes before she lifted her lashes and looked fully at him.

“This is so good, it could be sex on a plate.”

His heart went into overdrive. Pressing closer, Bryce watched her take another bite. “Yeah?” he asked, his voice curiously hoarse.

“Yeah,” she replied in a rush of breath.

Her breasts pushed against the pink satin, her nipples pressing against the bodice. He watched as a lace strap slid down her shoulder. He reached out, hooking his finger beneath it, knowing he should slide it back onto her shoulder, but wanting to lower it, wanting to expose her breast—needing to feel all that soft flesh in his hand.

Her breath seemed to hitch, and so did his. What was he doing? Hell, what was she thinking, looking up at him like that?

“Do you want a bite?” she asked, her voice a little shy and tremulous.

He swallowed—hard. His fingers were still beneath the strap of her chemise, still frozen, immobilized against her soft skin. They started to move then, to brush the soft downy skin of her upper arm. His body heated as he felt the first flush of her goosebumps erupt beneath his fingertips.

“I want to watch you eat,” he said, feeling his erection harden even more.

She took another bite that was laden with chocolate and caramel. He watched, his mouth dry as she spooned the delicacy into her mouth and closed her eyes in blissful surrender.
What would it be like to experience that sweetness as it coated her lips, her tongue? What would it be like to feed her and have her feed him, to taste that warm liquid chocolate as it dribbled its way over her breasts and belly?

Like a voyeur, he watched her eat, conscious of the way his body hardened and his lips parted as if he were eating each and every bite with her.

He wanted her spread on the table like a meal for him to devour at his leisure. He saw himself seated, Jenna spread atop the table, his tongue licking away the sweet rivers of chocolate as she moaned and begged him to eat—other, more pleasurable parts of her body.

Her gaze locked with his, and she held the silver spoon which was overflowing with custard and chocolate out to him. Unblinkingly, he sat forward and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. He put the dessert in his mouth, and didn’t taste the rich chocolate, or the sweet caramel–the only taste he had was that of desire. The sweet, heady elixir was swimming in his mouth.

“Well?” she asked.

This time, he heard the breathless pant of desire in her voice, saw the flicker of awakening in her eyes. He swallowed slowly, then holding her gaze, he brought his mouth to hers until his lips brushed her lower one.

“Taste me, Jenna.”

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

SR: Unfortunately, I’m not the most disciplined writer. I tried to make this my new year’s resolution, but, alas, it’s kind of fallen by the wayside! The truth is, if I’m not consumed by a scene or dialogue playing out in my mind or a very tight deadline looming over my head, I’m can be distracted by anything! I have to change that! Lol!

DC: Trey’s story is next in the series. Would you tell our readers about it, when it’s due out, and maybe a sneak peek to whet the appetite?

SR: Unfortunately, Trey’s book is not scheduled yet. The publisher was looking for something in his story, and it wasn’t really where I wanted to take Trey. My agent is going to be shopping his story to other publishers. I’m disappointed, but already I’ve gotten lots of reader email which say, “I’m dying for Trey’s book.” I’m keeping them all, and I’ll forward them to my editor. Never know. It might convince the publisher to put his book out! This is, unfortunately, something that happens in writing. The publishing industry is a business, and I respect that. Likewise, the publisher respected my creative vision. So that’s how the Annwyn series came about. I think it’s an amicable solution. And both sides are happy.

And, I swear, I haven’t given up on Trey. I adore him. He’s so dark and tortured. I have 75pgs written of his story, and have decided that if it never sells, I’ll post it on my website as a serial installment and free read! Trey will get his day in the limelight!

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

SR: I’m no longer afraid to write characters as they come to me. Whether they’re opium addicts or sexy chefs, I just write them how I want. In doing so, I’m much happier than when I first started writing and tried to fit into what was selling at the time.

I’m especially happier with my heroines. In the beginning I had such a hard time connecting with them, thinking they had to be perky and happy and stunningly beautiful. But I don’t write those women anymore. I write ‘real’ women. Skinny, plump, blonde, brunette, shy, outgoing, whatever the case might be, I think I write women who readers can relate to and can understand. Women, who are, like readers who read romance.

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

SR: Well, I never thought I’d write contemporary, so Hot In Here totally surprised me. I guess the answer is no, not right now. I’m writing historical, and I have AN historical paranormal novella coming out later this year with Spice. I’ve written contemporary and am now into contemporary paranormal. So I’d say I’ve got enough on my plate for now! But I never say never! Lol!

DC: I know you love to cook. Would you mind sharing your favorite recipe with us?

SR: I do love to cook! And why I don’t give you a recipe that appears in Hot In Here?

Chocolate Caramel Bread Pudding with White Chocolate Kahlua Sauce

6 cups day old French bread, cubed
4 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
½ cup white sugar
8 oz white chocolate
1-2 Caramel filled chocolate bar, such as Cadbury’s Caramilk (depending on size of your casserole dish)
2 whole eggs
5 egg yolks

 

Preheat oven to 350. Place cubed French bread in large casserole dish and toast bread in oven for 15mins. Remove from oven. Place heavy cream, milk and sugar in medium saucepan and heat just until the boiling point. Remove from stove, ad white chocolate and stir until chocolate has melted. Whisk together egg yolks, and whole eggs. Add to cream mixture and whisk until incorporated. Pour mixture over toasted bread and allow to soak for 20 mins. Before placing in oven, break chocolate bar into squares, and press into the bread mixture, putting some deep into the pudding, and leaving some just at the surface of the pudding. Place in oven and bake 35mins covered. Uncover and bake for additional 15mins. Top each serving with Kahula sauce.

 

Kahlua Sauce

 

1cup heavy cream
4 oz white chocolate
¼ cup Kahlua

 

Bring heavy cream and Kahlua to a simmer in a small saucepan for 3-5 mins. Remove from stove and add chocolate and allow to sit until the chocolate is melted. Stir until smooth.

 

Yields 12-15 servings, and does re-heat well in the oven, or microwave.
Now, being Scottish, we love custard, and I gild the lily with this dessert by adding some warm custard with it. Any commercial, powered custard will do, but I use Byrds.

 

*This dish is best served with Bryce Ryder feeding it you*

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

SR: To not be afraid to explore all the things I wanted to do.

DC: Your site told me that you’re trying Lora Leigh and Joey W. Hill for the first time. How did those reads go for you?

SR: OH, I LOVED them! I haven’t gotten through all of Lora’s Breed series yet, but I plan to this summer. And I adored Joey’s mermaid series. So beautifully written. (I love angels, btw. Especially those fallen ones!) I have her third mermaid book, A Mermaid’s Ransom, on pre-order and am really looking forward to reading that.

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

SR: Probably nursing. It’s a safe income bet!

DC: You also write as Charlotte Featherstone. What is Charlotte up to right now?

SR: Charlotte has an historical paranormal coming out with Harlequin Spice in Nov ’09. The anthology is entitled Winter’s Desire, and my novella is Midnight Whispers. The anthology is written with Kristi Astor and Amanda McIntyre and it revolves around the Winter Solstice.

As well, I’m finishing up Sinful, which is Lord Wallingford’s book, which releases from Harlequin Spice in May 2010. Readers saw him in Addicted. He was the hero’s best friend. And let me tell you, he’s living up to his name!

DC: What’s on the horizon for Sophie Renwick?

SR: I hope to be writing more on the Ryder brothers and definitely more Annwyn Chronicles. I’m starting to think about the second book and what character will get his book next. The quest is involved, and I can take different paths, allowing me to kind of pick and choose who I want to write. So I’m definitely hoping to develop this series!

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?   – Definitely milk!
- smooth or chunky peanut butter?   – Smooth all the way!!
- heels or flats?    – Oooh, I love heels! Not always practical, but love them.
- coffee or tea?   – Both. Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon and evening.
- summer or winter?   – Summer. Although I do love that first snowfall of the winter!
- mountains or beach?   – Beach. I love the water and the moon.
- mustard or mayonnaise?  -  Mayo
- flowers or candy?   – Flowers
- pockets or purse?   – Usually I like pockets, but also collect evening bags. I love them!
- Pepsi or Coke?    -  Coke!
- ebook or print?   – Print, because I’m one of those people who love to hold a book in her hands, smell the pages and keep flipping back to the front cover.

And just because:

1. What is your favorite word?   – I love words! Probably it’d something like love, passion, pleasure
2. What is your least favorite word?   – Can’t
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?   – Almost anything. I’m surprised where I get inspiration, or peace
4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?   – Fatigue
5. What sound or noise do you love?   – Waves crashing on a beach, the sound of leaves rustling on a summer evening
6. What sound or noise do you hate?    – Dentist drill
7. What is your favorite curse word?   – OH, the F bomb for certain!
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?   – Book store owner
9. What profession would you not like to do?    – Nursing. ‘That’s my current ‘paying’ job and I’m ready to be done with it!
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? – “You were a good, honest, honorable person.”

Thanks so much for having me and for the really great interview questions!

DC: Thank you, Sophie, for taking the time to chat with us!

Limecello’s review of Stranger by Megan Hart
Erotic novel published by Harlequin Spice on 1 Jan 09

I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but this is my favorite novel yet by Megan Hart. And I mean that. I stayed up til 4 AM, then 6 AM respectively to read and finish this book. I recommend reading this book when you have a bit more time, or not picking it up between 2-3 AM, because you’ll want to read it all, and probably won’t like the tired feeling the next day. But it was worth it. I read the book premise with no idea what to expect (other than exactly what it says -which is clear yet vague at the same time -much like Ms. Hart’s writing in general). Stranger gripped me from the start.

I really liked the heroine Grace. She was so sensible, and real. I enjoyed the normality of her life, and the range of emotions that she experienced. Grace had to deal with everyday mundane issues, albeit on the darker side of things. I never once felt that the plot dragged or moved too slowly. It was also nice that Grace had a relatively normal childhood, which is always good to find in a heroine. She’s self deprecating, knows how to protect herself, and very reasonable. Grace is someone you’d like as a friend – although she has a secret life that nobody knows about. Grace is very kind and has a big heart, though she doesn’t wear her emotions on her sleeve.

Sam Stewart is a character that makes me smile. He’s the main romantic interest, but I wouldn’t exactly call him a hero. He’s really cute, although you kind of want to smack him a number of times. It seems that Sam is… unfinished. At the same time, Sam gets points for creativity, persistence, and in the end, honesty. I also love that he is Dan’s little brother, from Dirty. (Yes, this time I recognized all the cameo appearances characters made.) I wonder if Sam will appear in any other books – it seems that he still has a lot on his plate before he can settle. In a way, I liked that Sam was an uncertainty, because it definitely kept me on my toes. I liked Sam’s sense of humor, as well as his zany late night calls. Who would have thought a drunk dial would be endearing? But Ms. Hart made it happen.

It was very nice for Ms. Hart to connect the books, yet definitely leave them as stand alone novels. (I read them “out of order” so not until a re-read did I figure out that Elle from Dirty had a few cameos in Broken.) Another important repeating character in Stranger is Jack, who was also featured in Dirty. He’s an excellent character- entertaining, and young – so he provided for humor, as well as some male posturing. There was so much in Stranger in regards to emotions and situations – yet it wasn’t too draining.

I think I liked Stranger so much because I was invested in the book, but didn’t find it draining. I could relate to all the emotions, and put myself in the scenes and situations, but Ms. Hart didn’t employ shock techniques – which was nice. I think that this may be the happiest novel by Ms. Hart that I’ve read – and it was good. Ms. Hart’s writing brilliance lays in her ability to keep the reader entertained and involved, without resorting to fireworks and flash. That characters are believable and real – normal even, yet have some quality that is larger than life .

I was again reminded that it says “An Erotic Novel” on the front cover of each of Ms. Hart’s novels – so near the end I about made my head explode when I was expecting the worst and wondering about the end. However, I should have had faith in Ms. Hart and the Harlequin Team (and I did) to not let me down. While not sparkles and ponies (and if you’re expecting that you’re reading the wrong author), the conclusion to Stranger was extremely satisfying. I cannot wait for Ms. Hart’s upcoming releases, and hope that both Jack and Jared get their own books as well.

About a chapter into Stranger I had to stop, and squee. You know that super happy expression little kids gets when you hand them a giant ice cream cone on a hot day? When they shrink into themselves and smiles take up their entire face? That was me. Throughout reading this novel.

Grade: A

Summary:

I pay strangers to sleep with me. I have my reasons… But they’re not the ones you expect.

For starters, I’m a funeral director taking over my dad’s business. Not exactly the sort of person you’d expect to fork over cash for the lust and urgency only live, skin-to-skin contact can create. Looking at me, you wouldn’t have a clue I carry this little secret so close it creases up like the folds of a fan. Tight. Personal. Ready to unravel in the heat of the moment.

Unsurprisingly, my line of work brings me face to face with loss. So I decided long ago that paying for sex would be one of the best (and arousing) ways to save myself from the one thing that would eventually cut far too deep.

But Sam was a mistake. Literally. I signed on to “pick up” a stranger at a bar, but took Sam home instead. And now that I’ve felt his heat, his sweat and everything else can I really go back to impersonal?
Let’s just hope he never finds out about my other life…

Read an excerpt here or a spicier one here.

p.s. – Megan Hart is visiting us at the pond on Friday, January 23.
p.p.s. – On page 112, Sam talks about a bottle of Smirnov [sic], but I’m pretty sure he meant Smirnoff, which just made me go “awwweee.”
p.p.p.s- To be honest, I’m not 100% sure what time I stayed up until – I know dawn, Saturday. But much like the heroine, Grace, I hate looking at the clock and finding out exactly how muchlittle time I have left for sleep.

Limecello’s review of Sam’s Creed (Hell’s Eight, Book 2) by Sarah McCarty
Historical erotic romance published by Harlequin Spice on 24 Jun 08

I’ve heard a lot about this series and Sarah McCarty in general, so when I got this book I was happy to move it to the top of my reading list. It wasn’t quite what I expected, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I can see why so many people love this series and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series (as well as the previous book, Caine’s Reckoning).

The story in Sam’s Creed is interesting, and relatively unique. Nothing earth shattering – yet the book is engaging and moves at a good pace. It doesn’t seem like that much is happening – yet you realize you’ve read nearly 100 pages without quite knowing it. What I’m saying is that the novel is surprising in a good way. And with lots of heat.

Isabelle Montoya is a likable heroine, even though I wanted to smack her at times. She had a few TSTL moments – and this book really goes to show that men go for looks – and admire things other than sense. Isabelle while courageous, wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. She nearly got herself and Sam, the hero, killed a number of times. In fact, Isabelle was nearly killed by Sam a few times, because she got in the way. (Can you tell that annoyed me?) I liked that she knew her own mind – she wanted Sam and she really went after him. Yet even with all that confidence and pragmatism, Isabelle was still soft, and naive about a few things. This mix really develops her character – and I think the reader feels also warmly towards Isabelle because Sam takes to her so quickly.

Texas Ranger Sam “Wildcard” MacGregor has quite the reputation, but is so kind and gentle with Isabelle. He could (and likely should) have abandoned her a number of times, but instead he makes her his cause. It’s cute, how Sam tried to be noble and stay away from Isabelle. A bit of a romance cliche, but adorable how Sam acted all the same. I also really liked Sam’s integrity and his competence. Sam was definitely an alpha hero, but one with a heart and was a gentle giant with women and children. I thought he was a fantastic character, well rounded, with a lot of depth. And resilient. The man was shot and/or knifed no less than three times in the book and still kept going. A veritable machine – and his injuries were such a minor issue it really contributed to the “myth” and intrigue of the Hell’s Eight.

One thing I’d like to say is… I wish a bit more background had been given to the Hell’s Eight. I mean, I understood/got that they’re a group of bad ass good guys that have formidable reputations (that are well deserved). But otherwise – what/who are they?  It was nice “meeting” one of the other members of Hell’s Eight, Tucker, in the novel – as well as some previous events. I wish that the group – the members, its inception, and development had been included at some point in the novel in some form.

I really liked how the story didn’t end at the conclusion of Sam and Isabelle’s [physical] journey. It was nice that Ms. McCarty took the time to solidify and cement Sam and Isabelle’s relationship. Putting the characters in different settings and having them interact with others was very revealing of the characters. I liked all the secondary stories and felt that they definitely worked in conjunction with the plot, and were not a distraction. Another positive was Sam and Isabelle’s interaction. It was quite witty and amusing – and I liked how they sparked off each other.

I recommend this book to people who are fans of Ms. McCarty’s writing, enjoy Western romances, and especially ones that have a good bit of heat in their books.

Grade: B

Read reviews and info on this and other books in the series by following its tag.

Summary:
Known for making up his own rules of right and wrong. Texas Ranger Sam “Wildcard” MacGregor takes what he wants when he wants it, especially when it comes to women. But seduction is the last thing on his mind the moment he stumbles across an Hispanic beauty racked with grief crouched beside a burned out wagon. And it doesn’t take long before he realizes the woman the townsfolk call “cursed” is hiding secrets too dangerous to face alone.

Isabella may look feminine and unassuming, but she’s hell in a bodice, with gun-slinging skills to match any man’s. But though she knows not to give Sam her heart as readily as she offers him her lush body, Isabella is certain she sees in Sam what he can barely glimpse in himself— a virtuous man dropped deep into a hard country bent on breaking him. A man who, under it all, craves a passionate woman willing to risk everything…

Read an excerpt here or a spicier one here.

Other books in the series:

and Tucker’s Claim (Book 3), comes 1 Jun 09

Sandy M’s review of Sam’s Creed (Hell’s Eight, Book 2) by Sarah McCarty
Historical Western Romance published by Harlequin Spice 24 Jun 08

I love alpha men in my romances. Really alpha. The kind that take what they want when they want and know how to love a woman like she’s never been loved before. Of course, another part of my loving these alphas in my romances is seeing them fall for the one woman who stands up to them, makes them shiver with a touch, pulls the emotion from them while never letting them be less than the men they are. Sarah McCarty is doing all that and then some in her Hell’s Eight series. The men of Hell’s Eight grew up together after suffering the loss of their loved ones during a massacre, all feeling guilty about not being able to help save their families and all vowing to never love again to keep the pain of loss at bay. In the intervening years Sam has become a Texas Ranger and is a hard man, a man who kills with no remorse, a man who knows he’s best alone. His loyalty lies with his Hell’s Eight family and he’s content enough with that. Until he meets an Hispanic spitfire by the name of Isabella at the wrong end of a pistol.

She’s bossy. She’s been gently reared, a princess who needs pampering. But she’s also as sexy as all get-out and he’d love to have his hands all over her. But he knows she deserves better, so he’s not about to take her innocence, even though she throws herself at him at every turn. She’s running scared and even his assurances that he won’t let Tejala, the local bandito who everyone fears, get anywhere near her again don’t pacify her. Her answer to her problem is to give her virginity to Sam so Tejala won’t want her any longer. As much as Sam would like that, he just can’t let himself ruin this woman who fascinates, irritates, and tempts him with her fiery nature.

Isabella does her best, however, to push Sam over that sensual, sexual edge. I have to give Sam credit for the length of time he does hold out against her semi-clumsy, innocent wiles. Finally he’s at the end of his rope and there’s no going back for either of them when he snaps. Isabella even pushes him so far for him to lose his control, to show her the true passion between a man and a woman, not the slow and easy foreplay that Sam wants to give her. Isabella is a great match for Sam.

She doesn’t take any guff from him, but she also learns to follow his instructions when danger seeks them out, which happens quite a bit. Although she does save his bacon a couple of times when she ignores his dictates. That pisses him off to no end, but at least he’s still breathing to give her a good talkin’ to.

The quick and snappy banter between these two is a lot of fun. We meet up again with Tucker, another Hell’s Eight brother, and we’re set up nicely for the next book, Tucker’s Claim, due out in April of next year. The only thing that I didn’t get and would have really liked was a visit with Caine and Desi from the previous book, Caine’s Reckoning.

I know the storyline doesn’t allow for that, but I still would have liked it somehow anyway. For most of this book the only two characters we get are Sam and Isabella, which you’d think would get a little boring after a while, but that never happens. Ms. McCarty has a way with these characters and they keep the pages turning as fast as you can flip them.

Grade: A

Summary:

Known for making up his own rules of right and wrong. Texas Ranger Sam “Wildcard” MacGregor takes what he wants when he wants it, especially when it comes to women. But seduction is the last thing on his mind the moment he stumbles across an Hispanic beauty racked with grief crouched beside a burned out wagon. And it doesn’t take long before he realizes the woman the townsfolk call “cursed” is hiding secrets too dangerous to face alone.

Isabella may look feminine and unassuming, but she’s hell in a bodice, with gun-slinging skills to match any man’s. But though she knows not to give Sam her heart as readily as she offers him her lush body, Isabella is certain she sees in Sam what he can barely glimpse in himself— a virtuous man dropped deep into a hard country bent on breaking him. A man who, under it all, craves a passionate woman willing to risk everything…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Caine’s Reckoning (Hell’s Eight, Book 1) by Sarah McCarty
Historical Romance released by Harlequin Spice 1 Nov 07

I loved this book. I absolutely loved everything about it. The characters are very true to life, good or bad.

Caine Allen is a Texas Ranger and head of Hell’s Eight, a spread nearly the size of Texas where he and other men who have lost loved ones in Indian massacres have found a home and a family of sorts. Caine is a hard man because of the hard life he’s led living in a hard land during hard times. He’s also a good and honest man, a man who looks out for those under his protection and for those who have a place in his heart. He and two of his men, Sam and Tracker, have been hired to rescue a town’s kidnapped women. When they come upon the kidnappers and their victims, only one woman is fighting back and what a job she is doing on not one, but two of the evil cowards and she wins Caine’s admiration and respect right off the bat.

Desi is a feisty hellcat when she has to be. Most of the time, however, she’s afraid of every sound and movement and doesn’t trust a soul. She’s been held captive since her family was killed by Indians. And it’s not the Indians who have kept her in chains and used her for their own twisted ways. The town’s gambler is Desi’s guardian and that’s the first thing, besides her fear, that bugs Caine about the entire situation when he returns the women to the townsfolk. As determined as he is not to leave her with such lowlifes, Desi herself is more determined to remain free and she even fights Caine for that freedom. But at the end of it all, they end up married so he has the right to take her away from the hell she’s been living in for years.

From this point on this story becomes an emotional ride for Caine, Desi, and the reader. Caine does his best to hold himself in check when he tries to love Desi. He doesn’t know the whole story yet and every time she jumps at his touch or she expects anger from him when she does something “wrong,” he vows to get his hands on the men who abused his wife as horribly as they did. Caine is soft and sensitive to her every need, her every want, her every desire. It’s fascinating the way he comes across on the page being the hard man he is but knowing he has to gently love this injured, scarred, and scared woman.

Desi’s issue is trust. She hasn’t had any for anyone in a lot of years and with every flinch at Caine’s touch, it seems as though her trust is gone forever. What she doesn’t know is that Caine is not about to give up because this woman, his wife, although she deserves better than the likes of him, she is only one for him. Seeing Desi’s trust grow in each and every scene between these two characters is wonderfully done. And when Desi finally truly opens herself to Caine, it’s a scene not to be missed.

The secondary characters are all simply terrific. The other Hell’s Eight men have their own demons to fight and they’re going to be great but hellacious reads as they come along in the series. I’m especially taken with Tracker and Shadow, who are brothers, and look forward to their stories. The villains are also written quite well and are characters who you love to hate. James, the aforementioned gambler, is a complete but terrifying asshole, along with his cronies, and it’s so nice when their time comes due.

There’s not one thing I didn’t like about this book. I’m just sorry I waited so long to read it after everything I heard about it when it was first released. I won’t be doing that with the newest edition in the series, Sam’s Creed, which was released just last month. I will be reading it very, very soon.

Grade: A

Read other reviews by clicking on the Caine’s Reckoning tag.

Summary:

Caine Allen is a hardened Texas Ranger, definitely not the marrying kind. But when he rescues a kidnapped woman and returns her to town, the preacher calls in a favor. One Caine’s honor won’t let him refuse.

From the moment he beds Desi, Caine knows turmoil will follow. Desi might have the face of a temptress, but she also has a will of iron and while she needs his protection, she’s determined that no man will control her again. They establish an uneasy bond, but it still isn’t enough for Caine. He wants all Desi has to offer. He wants her screams, her moans, her demands…everything. Yet there’s still a bounty on Desi’s head and keeping her satisfied is proving easier than keeping her alive.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Limecello’s review of Dirty by Megan Hart
Erotic romance released by Harlequin Spice on 1 Jan 07

I discovered Megan Hart around the time Tempted came out. I’m still not quite sure what happened, but I got caught up in the craze, and I’m glad I did. I’ve read all of Ms. Hart’s Spice books, and I think Dirty may be my favorite. I read it because Ms. Hart has a new Spice Brief out, Reason Enough, which acts as an epilogue to Dirty.

Ms. Hart has a great writing voice. While the characters and situations are stark – almost bleak – the words hold an almost sort of warmth. It’s hard to describe. Dirty is both normal, and outrageous. You would think that the contrasts in the book are too clashing, but it works. Incredibly well.

Elle is a very average person, with a troubled past. Her family is dysfunctional, like so many other people’s, but her situation is unique because of the combination of things that happened to her. Tragic events led her to closing off her emotions. She’s haunted by what happened to her, and copes through sex and drinking. And counting. Elle eschews all emotional ties, and is living life as a dead person. Still, she has quirks, and her reaction to people give her depth and complexity. There’s a vulnerability about her as well, which saves her from being a static character.

Dan is a perfect foil for Elle, and a great character. He’s incredibly sweet, but stands up for himself. Dan is also a very human character. Sometimes, he loses his temper, or even acts like a jerk. However, I felt that when he acted cold, it was because he knew it was the only way he could get closer to Elle. I love that Dan liked and wanted Elle from the start, and he’s willing indulge her eccentricities. He’s incredibly considerate, and pushes Elle, willing to force her into difficult situations in order for her to grow.

While I generally don’t like books written in the first person point of view (ok, I actively dislike it) – this type of narration is perfect for Ms. Hart’s writing. Rather than alienating or isolating the reader, the writing draws you in, and gives you perspective on the heroine, and you begin to empathize with her. The story line is relatively normal – the occurrences and situations are all every day, but there’s something special about Dirty. While most of us don’t do what the characters did, and generally don’t have to deal with all the traumatic events in Elle’s past, we do have dysfunctional families or friends. The secondary characters were fun, and became a way to provide additional perspective to the story.

Dirty has things each and every one of us has can relate to, either personally or through a friend or acquaintance. Still, the additional issues and problems the characters have prevent them from being mundane. I also love how the title of the book is integrated throughout the novel. Not only that, but I felt the title was clever, because really it’s an oxymoron.

I generally like happy books – actually, I strongly prefer happy books. Life and circumstances are sad enough. This makes it just that much more impressive how much I enjoy Ms. Hart’s novels. The nuances in the book as well as the characters make for a very enjoyable read, and I definitely recommend looking into Ms. Hart’s books. I’m anticipating reading her next novel.

Grade: A-

This is what happened…
I met him at the candy store.

He turned and smiled at me and I was surprised enough to smile back. This was not a children’s candy store, mind you–this was the kind of place you went to buy expensive imported chocolate truffles for your boss’s wife because you felt guilty for having sex with him when you were both at a conference in Milwaukee.

Hypothetically speaking, of course.

I’ve been hit on plenty of times, mostly by men with little finesse who thought what was between their legs made up for what they lacked between their ears.

Sometimes I went home with them anyway, just because it felt good to want and be wanted, even if it was mostly fake.

The problem with wanting is that it’s like pouring water into a vase full of stones. It fills you up before you know it, leaving no room for anything else. I don’t apologize for who I am or what I’ve done in–or out–of bed.

I have my job, my house and my life, and for a long time I haven’t wanted anything else.

Until Dan. Until now.

Read an excerpt here.

Limecello’s review of Mistress Ménage (Mistress Diaries, Book 3) by Jenesi Ash
Erotic romance short story eBook released by Harlequin Spice 1 May 08

I think I need to preface my review with the statement that I like Harlequin as a publisher. A lot. In fact, I probably spend twice as much on Harlequin books as I do on groceries. [And I buy from the site with discount codes - so imagine. Scary.]

That being said, I’m still undecided about the Spice Line. First of all, the book blurb lies [Ed.: Like a rug.]. Good thing I read that after reading the Brief. Still, I started reading this, and 1/5 through the first page, I was checking grammar. This is bad news, because I am not a grammar girl. I am the girl who told her 8th grade English teacher, “If someone held a gun to my head and told me to find the gerund in the sentence, I’d tell them to pull the trigger.” She thought I was joking.

The heroine starts out with all the depth of a sidewalk puddle. She’s full of contradictions, and frankly, not that bright. Within the first page or so, she’s bragging about being shown off, and then complaining about… being shown off. I’m not a fan of sweeping generalizations or stereotypes, so, “I always seem to take the riskiest option. I guess it’s a quality all mistresses have” rubbed me the wrong way. And while I’m generally not for taking pot shots, but I couldn’t resist this one. The author just handed it to me when Amaris thought, “I’m not going to get into this… He’s smarter and quicker than me.” No – really?

Unfortunately, I found myself mainly bored during the sex scenes. There was also a major emphasis on speed. “Demonic speed” “lightening speed” “already?” The Spice Brief was like reading a poor description of a really bad porno. The comments the characters made were exceedingly inane, and it would have been better if they had not spoken at all. There’s a twilight zone switch, and the real purpose of the “story” comes out. The first 15 pages [out of 20, mind you] were pointless. Much like gratuitous boob shots in a porno. But no, after some purely awful dialog, it ends – just when you think the story is about to get going, you find out that’s the next installment. Unfortunately, my first foray into Spice Briefs was not a good one.

My suggestion is to read the blurb, and leave it at that. It’s the best part – but here’s a spoiler: Amaris isn’t thrilled. The end.

Grade: F

Summary:

In this third installment of The Mistress Diaries, the bawdy, naughty adventures of Amaris Martin, ambitious career mistress to a millionaire, Amaris’s lover Leon loses at a high-stakes Vegas poker game, and a night with Amaris is part of the bet. Rather than being outraged, Amaris is delighted–the man who won her is very sexy…and even richer than Leon! Approaching the night as a potential job interview, Amaris is dismayed to discover the guy’s already got a mistress who’s not too keen on the ménage a trois he has in mind. But by the end of the night, Amaris is sure she’s got herself a new benefactor…until she wakes up the next morning to find his dead body in her bed, and her rival claims Amaris killed him.

No excerpt available.

Author Kristina Cook is giving us new reads with her new pen name, Kristi Astor, under which she will write Edwardian-set romances hotter than her previous Regency-set titles. And now with two psuedonyms she’s busier than ever.

~ February 2009 will see the release of the Kensington anthology Lords of Desire in trade size paperback, which includes Astor’s novella Swept Away. Virginia Henley, Sally MacKenzie, and Victoria Dahl are also featured.

~ Her first Edwardian-set single-title, tentatively titled A Grand Affair, will be released in March 2009 in mass-market paperback by Zebra Books.

~ In November 2009 Astor will see her first erotic romance title for Harlequin Spice entitled Lover’s Dawn in the winter solstice-themed anthology Winter’s Desire, along with Charlotte Featherstone and Amanda McIntyre. This anthology includes three historical novellas.

~ Under her Kristina Cook name, in September 2009 her first Harlequin NASCAR book will be released. It’s still untitled, but we’ll keep you posted.

Consider yourself flashed.

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

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

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

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

guidelines

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

Berkley Jove HEAT
from their guidelines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Secrets Red Sage Publishing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

launch in May 2006 SPICE
from their guidelines

SPICE is:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We are not looking for:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Submission Guidelines for Tor’s Paranormal Romance Program

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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