This is a bit different! But I have two new releases this month in different genres with different publishers. There are stories behind both, and hopefully they’ll tell you a little bit about what goes on behind the books. There’s an exclusive excerpt and a contest coming up, so go ahead, make my day and enter!

Griffin’s Treasure was first released in 2004 by the late unlamented Triskelion. Except that this was one of my breakout books. I got a lot of attention for this book, and I won the 2004 EPPIE for Romantic Suspense. Good times. I wrote it originally as the second Department 57 book. It introduced Svetlana, one of my favorite characters, as well as Josh and Laurie, British footballing brothers (based on Beckham – there’s something that hasn’t changed!) It also had an Asian (Indian) heroine. I felt confident writing Chana-I was brought up in a multiracial environment, where we celebrated Divali as much as we did Christmas. I wouldn’t write an ethnic character I didn’t understand, or just for the sake of doing one, but this felt right. Chana leapt off the page at me.

When I resold the Dept 57 series to Loose-Id, they pointed out that they were a publisher of erotic romance. Originally, although the books contained lashings of rumpy-pumpy, it wasn’t written at the erotic level. Erotic isn’t just a matter of writing more and using The Words, it involves a lot more sexual tension and emphasis on the sexual journey. So I agreed to rewrite the book with that in mind. As I was rewriting, I found more things I wanted to change. I fine-tuned the plot, sheared the edges, and developed the characters. I cut other characters, people who had little to do with the central story. Since Svetlana had already had her own book in Topaz Delirium, I changed the secondary female character to another Russian firebird, and discovered someone I’d like to explore, perhaps in another book. The cutting gave me the space I needed to develop the erotic centre of the story, and the developing romance between Josh and Chana. But I’d rather write from scratch than rewrite. It was incredibly tricky, much harder than I’d imagined. Times have changed and the paranormal romance has moved on. So has my style. So rewriting proved easier than tweaking, in the end. But that’s just relative.

Here’s the book summary:

International soccer star Josh Friedland has a secret. He’s a griffin shapeshifter, and a covert operative for Department 57. Josh’s brother Laurie is missing, and Josh is sure businessman George Skeffington is involved.
So he can’t trust Skeffington’s stepdaughter, Chana Rafiz, even though he wants her with every cell in his body.
When her controlling stepfather asks Chana to look after his guest, she suspects another trick to keep her by his side. Only to find that Josh is the man she’s been waiting for all her life.
Long, hot Californian nights see their bodies twined in more inventive positions than Chana knew existed, but when she finally discovers his secret, she uncovers one of her own. One she doesn’t even know about herself.

Together, Josh and Chana have to face dangers only Department 57 can help them with, only to plunge the whole Department into peril. If Cristos and the Department are to endure, Josh and Chana must succeed in their mission.

Here’s an extract from the new, improved Griffin’s Treasure. It’s out on March 5th, 2011, at Loose-Id.

In her room, Chana tried to read, but her book couldn’t hold her attention. She squirmed in her seat, remembering the smoldering looks their guest had thrown her during dinner. How on earth would she get through the next few weeks?

She couldn’t deny his appeal for her, but she could hope it was nothing more than a desire for something different. A handsome Englishman made a change to the usual men she dated, mostly rich, mostly moving in the same circles as Skeffington. She hadn’t found any time for much leisure during cop training. Perhaps she should have made time. But George had all her boyfriends checked out, and the ones he didn’t approve of hadn’t lasted long. She wanted to do something of her own, become her own person. She wanted a life. Was that so bad?

Something flashed past her window, an insect or a bird, drawing her attention outside, but then she heard a crash and a thump.

Dear God, that sounded as if it came from inside the house.

Chana leaped to her feet and grabbed her gun from the drawer of her bedside table before racing out of her room in the direction of the noise. All sounded quiet outside, but the crash had been heavy enough to rock the floor under her feet. She listened for any sound in the now quiet house and heard a muffled groan. Thumbing off the safety catch, Chana shoved the door open and crossed the soft carpet to the source of the sound.

Lying on the floor of his bathroom, groaning, lay Josh Friedland. It could have formed a replay of earlier events, except this time Josh was naked and she’d had nothing to do with his suffering.

Chana pushed the safety back on and put her firearm on the vanity. No danger here. At least, not that kind of danger.

She might find danger of another kind. She’d noted, as coolly as she could, that Josh was handsome, but she hadn’t quite absorbed just how handsome. Although George’s oldest son, usually known as Junior dwarfed him size-wise, Junior dwarfed everybody. Josh was actually a tall man and beautifully made. He could pose for Donatello.

The muscles stood out on his shoulders as he sat up, reaching for his foot. “Ah, God!” he moaned, rotating it in his hands. Then he saw her and stared.

Those eyes, golden brown, mesmerizing with his lightly tanned skin and gleaming blond hair, caught her full beam, and Chana felt a connection between them, electric and unique. This, whatever it was, lay between Chana Rafiz and Josh Friedland. No one else.

He broke it first. He stood up, wincing. “A wet spot on the floor. I should have put a towel down or something.”

She glanced around. “The shower’s dry, and the towels by the bath haven’t been used since dinner.”

A slow smile crept over his already handsome features. “Clever of you to notice that. I was on my way into the shower. I just slipped.”

He was lying. No domestic in this house would dare to leave a wet spot on a bathroom floor.

But right at this moment, she couldn’t make herself care. Forcing her head up, she kept her attention carefully on his face. No sense tempting herself with what she determined she wouldn’t have. But naked, Josh Friedland formed a treat for the eyes. His hair, probably disordered by the fall, suited him better that way. Made him even sexier… No, she wouldn’t look, wouldn’t think that.

Too late. Her gaze dropped and saw exactly how well hung he was. Even limp his cock was impressive.

When she raised her eyes, she caught his, gleaming wickedly. Fuck, he’d caught her looking. Now he’d swagger.

He didn’t. Instead, he smiled, slowly and thoroughly. Much more effective. Perhaps he knew that. Perhaps he didn’t. In any case, she didn’t think she could resist. His cock twitched, just a little bit, and it showed her she wasn’t the only one feeling the attraction between them.

When he took a step forward, she didn’t retreat as she should have done. When he circled her gently with his arms, she didn’t resist, and when he lowered his head to hers, she accepted his kiss.

His lips caressed her gently, pressed a little firmer and lingered to taste. No tongues, no insistent grabbing; he treated her like a precious jewel.

But she wasn’t precious. Diabetes didn’t mean delicate.

She pushed away from him. He smiled at her, quietly. If she hadn’t known better she’d have thought he wasn’t the same person.

“A little more honest?” he suggested.

“In what way?”

He indicated, with a wave of his hand, her person, and she remembered. Oh dear Lord — no makeup; loose, tousled hair; and wearing her favorite comfy garment, a soft, wash-worn nightshirt, ragged at the hem, which these days only just cleared her ass.

Not good. Her resolution to keep him at a distance with immaculate makeup, clothes, and hair had just gone right out the window.

She stopped looking at him by the simple expedient of turning around. “Can’t you put something on?”

His rich chuckle filled the room. “You seemed to prefer me naked.”

“No, I don’t. I only met you today. Cover yourself up.”

She felt rather than heard him cross the room. “Okay, since you’re so modest, you can look now.” The short, gaudy silk robe barely covered him, and he’d belted it slackly, so any minute it might come loose, but he didn’t look as if he cared. “Better?”

Shannon C.’s review of Last Hope by Moira Rogers
Paranormal erotic romance eBook released by Loose ID 6 Jan 09

Standard Disclaimer: I consider the two writers that make up Moira Rogers to be personal friends. I still think I can make a go of writing an honest review, but if you disagree, you might want to read some other review. That being said, while I did enjoy this book, a number of things held it back from reaching the pinnacle of awesome that I know this author duo can reach. 

The setting of this novel is Mystic Ridge, which seems to be a sanctuary for paranormal creatures of all kinds. A group of humans who aren’t fond of supernatural beings have been attacking shapeshifters and other psychics, but they make the mistake of going after a dominant werewolf woman. Nurse and empath Kiara is called onto the scene in order to treat her, and in so doing runs into Adrian, a private investigator and werewolf. Adrian wants to catch the people responsible for the killings, but he doesn’t count on his wild attraction to Kiara.

There was a lot I liked here. The world feels concrete, and I never once felt like these characters lived in a vacuum. It is refreshing to note that both characters have friends outside of each other, a fact I often lament in other books I’ve read. Both Adrian and Kiara are likeable, and I felt both were equally well-drawn. I also like that these two constantly subvert several paranormal tropes, like that there’s no downside to having sex with an empath, and having female characters who aren’t always bowled over by the alpha-ness of their men.

My problems were largely subjective. I felt that the conflicts between Kiara and Adrian were largely irrelevant. Kiara is always completely understanding, and Adrian is domineering in a way she finds sexy. The result was that, though I did like them both, together they just weren’t very interesting to me and I didn’t get that thrill from knowing that a couple of characters I’ve been rooting for are finally going to find happiness.

My other major beef with the story is that it all felt like something I’d read before. I can think of several books with supernatural-hating humans. I can think of others where werewolf politics play a major role. This book does not set itself apart from anything else.

I’m glad to see that this writing duo is going to start doing more urban fantasy in the future. I think their voice will work better in that genre than it does in paranormal romance. Still, this isn’t a bad book, and if you’re a fan of hot shapeshifters, you should definitely check it out.

Grade: B-

Summary:
Sex has always been awkward for Kiara, mostly thanks to a strong empathic gift that men seem to find far more interesting than the woman who possesses it. Tired of men who assume a psychically shared orgasm is the end of their responsibility, she’s spent the last few years concentrating on her job. But when her latest patient brings her face to face with a shape-shifter private investigator with sexual energy to spare, she can’t resist the temptation to offer him what she senses he wants: her absolute surrender.

The last thing Adrian needs is a distraction. His latest case has taken a turn for the fatal, and the pretty psychic nurse is looking like she might be the next victim. But no alpha could resist her trusting submission, and what starts as a passionate one-night stand turns into something far too deep. When it turns out the only way to keep her safe may be to declare himself the leader of Mystic Valley’s shape-shifting wolves, he’ll have to decide if he’s ready to accept one responsibility he never wanted–even if it means losing her forever.

Publisher’s Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Strong violence.

Read an excerpt.

 I’ve been involved in the epublishing market since close to its inception as a potentially profitable fiction market, ie around the late ‘90’s, early 2000’s. I slipped into it by accident – I write unabashed romance and I live in the UK, where if you write romance, it’s Mills and Boon or nothing. Sagas, which until recently filled the market, are more about a woman’s life than they are about romance and an American reader wouldn’t class them as romance.

Anyway, once M and B rejected my historical, because it’s in the first person, (“Yorkshire,”) I had nowhere to go, so someone suggested the USA. The big publishers seemed impossible, so I tried epublishing, figuring it would be a good stepping-stone. I’m still there.

But boy, has it changed! It’s no longer a stepping-stone, but an end in itself. Now what I have to say concerns certain comments I’ve seen recently by people who ought to know better, but maybe it’s because they can’t see the numbers. Any more than I can give them.

However, any study of any market will tell you that the top 20% of companies makes 80% of the profit. It’s called the Pareto rule, and although the numbers are obviously not exact, it’s true for almost every market you can think of. It’s true for New York publishing, it’s true for epublishing, too.

In New York, the big five (six?) make far more than all the other small publishers, and that’s not even thinking about the self-publishing outfits. It works the same way in epublishing, although detailed figures aren’t available and authors are constrained by their non-disclosure agreements with the publishers so they can’t give them, which is why I can’t tell you my sales and earnings in any detail. There must be a large audience of people who don’t participate on the message boards, the blogs or the loops who just buy books, because sales are now very healthy indeed.

I write for three of the biggest epublishers – Ellora’s Cave, Samhain and Loose-Id, and my income is – well it’s in five figures, which is what a midlist New York author can expect. This is not unusual for an author for the largest epub houses, and it’s no longer confined to the erotic only. My Samhain historicals are highly sensual, not erotic, and I’ve featured in the Samhain list of top ten sellers several times, as have other non-erotic authors.

I am fairly prolific, but a lot of that is reissues. My editors are as exacting as you’ll find anywhere, sometimes more so, and I have at least two for each book, and extra editing for print releases. I’m not showing off, I’m just tired of people saying that epubbed authors earn miniscule amounts, and then quoting someone from one of the smaller epubs. The majority of sales don’t lie there. Authors write for them for various reasons – to get into the market, because they’re friends with the owners, because they’re happy with the editing and cover art the house offers or because they expect the house to grow and want to grow with it.

It’s now very difficult to get a book accepted by the bigger epublishing houses. The bigger epublishers spend a great deal on cover art, the website and other incidentals, so it’s not true that it’s cheap to produce an ebook. And the author gets a bigger cut, too, than they can expect in New York. And barriers to entry are rising – art is more expensive, editors demand a proper salary, and promotion and website costs are rising, too.

However, asking a hardback price for an ebook is a marketing decision, not one of economics, and I’d be unhappy if anyone was asked to pay $12 or more for one of my ebooks, unless I’d written a book the length of “Lord of the Rings.”

Concentrate on where the majority of sales are and you’ll find an expanding, dynamic market which is changing to reflect the nature of the changing market. Ellora’s Cave now has a new website, Jasmine Jade, which encompasses all its imprints. Samhain has just acquired Linden Bay Romance, to increase its scope and its roster of authors. Harlequin has made major investments in putting its books out as ebooks, and the marketing team there is one of the sharpest you’ll find anywhere. They have good reason for doing so. I’m not even touching on the new readers like the Kindle and Sony. Suffice it to say that they’ve helped to boost sales, too.

While I’d love to write for New York or London, or both, it’s no longer my sole career path. Epublishing has been good to me, even considering the Wild West days, and I sincerely believe it’s the way of the future. Not least because last year I made the decision to get my new books in e-format whenever possible (I just ran out of space). And I no longer feel I have to defend the industry. I can afford to shrug and walk away. Just trying to put a few misconceptions right, that’s all.

Is everything hunky-dory in the epublishing world? Of course not. But it’s no longer something that can be swept under the carpet, although its position as the red-headed stepchild of the fiction market will probably stick with it for a while.

Shannon C.’s review of Liquid Crystal (Department 57 Series) by Lynne Connolly
Paranormal erotic romance ebook released by Loose ID 1 Sep 08

Some reviewers — some even on this site — are capable of reading every book and loving all of them unreservedly. They are capable of looking past personal no-nos in order to judge the book on its own merit. Sadly, I am not one of those reviewers, and despite the fact that I adore Lynne Connolly’s writing, I can’t ignore the fact that the latest in her Department 57 series really didn’t work for me. To explain why will require spoilers, so don’t read beyond this point if you’re squeamish about such things. 

We learn right away that Crystal’s boyfriend Jeff has some interesting obsessions. He believes mermaids are real and he’s determined to see them for himself. He’s convinced that Crystal’s friends, the very hot Bryn and Kai, are mermen, and he uses Crystal as the bait to lure them to reveal themselves by dumping Crystal into the Thames. (Her boyfriend is, indeed, a charming bloke.)  Naturally, Bryn and Kai, who are in fact mermen and who also work for Department 57, an agency that protects paranormal creatures (called Talents) from bigoted humans who are out to expose the Talents, rescue her and bring Crystal into a life she never imagined, and show her a hot, wet, good time, in more ways than one.

I will say that as of this writing it’s been about three weeks since I finished this book, and the plot is fresh in my mind. I haven’t needed to consult the text or the author’s site to figure out what I’ve forgotten. And I did tear through this book in a couple of hours, which is something considering what a slow reader I am. I was engaged, too. Sometimes, when I read, I find my inner critic reading along offering up snide commentary. Not so with Ms. Connolly’s books. It was only once I realized the direction the story was going that I knew I was going to have problems.

First, I didn’t really get a sense of who Crystal was. I liked what I saw of her, but she was fairly bland. I felt that a lot of her characterization was told to us rather than shown, and in particular I never understood why it was that she was drawn to Bryn and Kai, except they’re both hot. I would have liked to have seen a few quiet scenes that would have actually established their friendship. I also felt that she ended up accepting everything much too easily and quickly, going from a skeptic to asking Bryn to turn her into a mermaid at the end. And, of course, she did the requisite TSTL thing that requires her men to rescue her.

The men are not much better. I’ve always liked Ms. Connolly’s men, as they are closer to my ideal than the uber-alpha types. But she’s written better characters than Bryn and Kai, who were unremarkable other than that I thought they were hot. And yet again, I just didn’t feel the chemistry between the two men. I wish Ms. Connolly would actually write a full-fledged M/M sex scene instead of teasing us with foreplay, because then, at least in this case, I would have accepted the chemistry of the two guys for each other.

But my real problem was the way the ménage was resolved. This is one of those stories where two of the three decide they want to be monogamous and the third steps away voluntarily. I didn’t like that at all. In fact, it’s the thing about ménage stories in general that’s the biggest turn-off for me. I can accept that two men want to share one woman, but as soon as it becomes clear the ménage isn’t going to last, I find myself wondering about the guy who’s left out. Ms. Connolly states that the guy in this case feels incapable of love and he wouldn’t want a long-lasting relationship with anybody, but, geez, this is a romance novel. Heroes *always* say that. My reader expectation is that the author isn’t going to let them get away with that crap. But Ms. Connolly did, and I ended the ebook with a sense of disappointment. I felt she’d let me down by not at least hinting that she was going to pair her spare.

Despite all the negatives I’ve just ranted about, I would like to point out one thing I really loved: I absolutely adored the setting. This story takes place in London, and it felt very British. (It probably helps that Ms. Connolly herself is British and thus can provide a sense of authenticity to her British characters.) But it was really nice to read a story with such a clear sense of setting, and to feel like I was actually reading about real Brits.

Will I keep reading Dept 57? Yes. This series is pure fun, and the fact that Ms. Connolly has inspired a rant from me is definitely an indication that something works in her writing. Not every author can have a winner every time, and I’m hoping that I’ll like the next installment of the series better.

Grade: C+

Read other reviews and information about this series by following the Department 57 series tag.

Summary:

When an unsuspected enemy rises up to threaten Crystal’s life, her old friends, Bryn and Kai, rescue her from a nearly fatal plunge into the Thames. Later, they share a bed, and their bodies. The passion they wake in each other is as incredible as it is inevitable.

But Bryn and Kai have a secret. They are mermen. Crys is intrigued, so they introduce her to the pleasures of underwater loving, and the passion they release steams up the water.

Yet their enemy still chases them, and they’ll have to defeat him before they can give in to love’s demand.

Publisher’s Note: This book is a re-edited revised version previously released by another publisher, and contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, male/male sexual practices, ménage (m/m/f), sex while in shifted form, violence.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Tuesday, 3 September, sees the release of Liquid Crystal, the latest Dept. 57 novella. This is one of the short, hot ones, but I love this book for many reasons, one of them being that the book takes place in London.

I don’t live there, but I love it, and I love visiting. I wouldn’t live there unless I couldn’t help it, though, but the heroes of this book, Bryn and Kai, love being there.

Anyway, want a look at the book? This one was out (briefly) at another publisher before they closed. I’m really happy that it’s getting its fair shake now, and take a look at that amazing cover! April Martinez is my girl!

Here’s what it’s about:

An unsuspected enemy rises up to threaten Crystal’s life, until her old friends, Bryn and Kai, rescue her from a nearly fatal plunge into the Thames. When they share the same bed, the passion they wake in each other is as incredible as it is inevitable. Bryn and Kai reveal their secret – they are mermen – and show Crys the secrets of underwater loving, the passion they release steams up the water.
But their enemy still chases them, and now Crys, Bryn and Kai are in mortal danger. Even in a city as busy and modern as London, England, old enemies lurk and old secrets hide.

*** E-X-C-E-R-P-T ***

LIQUID CRYSTAL by Lynne Connolly

Geoff spoke to her as if she were some kind of idiot. Perhaps she was, for trusting him. “Bryn Murchison and Kai Murdoch are mermen. We know it. I showed you the pictures.” Altered by a computer program. She refused to believe, didn’t dare to. But now she had to think again. Could it be true? Her mind worked rapidly. She still had no idea what they planned, and when she tried to think too hard her mind spun. The pictures of Bryn and Kai, frolicking in a swimming pool and then hoisting themselves up onto the side of the pool showed them with beautiful, glimmering tails. Just like in her weirdly erotic dreams. She listened. She couldn’t do anything else. Perhaps she could persuade them, plead with them. Anything. “They like you, Crys, so you’re the bait tonight. You’ll live, we’re sure of it.”

The car stopped, and she was hoisted up. Two men held her, at the top of the sack and the bottom, and then someone hoisted her up onto his shoulder. His grunt of exertion identified him as Geoff. Her head swam with the sudden movement but the chill night air, seeping through the coarsely woven fabric of her prison, revived her a little. She worked to wake up, but the drugs they’d given her made the wooziness impossible to dispel.

Geoff carried her, bumping against his back and although she struggled, they’d bound her too tightly for her to do much about it.

Then fresh air and the sight of Geoff’s face for a brief moment before they stuck tape across her mouth, catching her nose with the end of it, so she only had one nostril through which to breathe. Geoff turned away and someone behind her grabbed the tape and tugged so it covered her nostrils. She couldn’t breathe. Jesus, they wanted her dead. The unknown hand refastened the sack and plunged her back into stifling darkness.
Chains clanked as someone drew them from a bag, and Crys’s stomach fell away. But she couldn’t be sick. If she vomited, she’d choke on it and die. Not that she had much chance of surviving this.

They hoisted her up onto a parapet, or a ledge of some kind, and she knew from the rush of cold, damp air from below that she was balanced on the edge of a bridge, and below the rushing waters of the Thames awaited her.

Just before they tipped her into the cold, killing torrent, Geoff said, “You’re going for a swim, Crys.”

“He was just trying to rile us.” Bryn kicked a stray pebble with far more viciousness than it deserved.

“You think?” Kai’s mouth hardened to a thin line. “He knows more than is good for him. I’m calling on the Department come Monday morning. Let Grady know about him.”

“Hey, boy, I’m the full-time Department 57 agent, not you. Can’t have you part-timers doing the job I should do. We’ve had our eye on him and his cohorts for a while and now I’m as sure as I can be that they’re up to no good, so I’ll do the calling. Anyway, if you contact him, you know Director Grady will put you on to watching Geoff, and you can’t stand the sight of him.” Bryn grinned, knowing how much Kai would hate that.
Kai shrugged. “It won’t be the first time I’ve had to pal up with somebody I don’t like.”

“I hope you don’t mean me, lover.”

“Never.” They exchanged a companionable grin.

They strolled up the Victoria Embankment, leaving the dull party behind them, the music drifting over the churning water, black and seemingly fathomless. Bare armed, Kai hadn’t bothered with a jacket, figuring they’d just order a taxi straight from the party, but both felt the need for fresh air.

Bryn sighed. “Yes, you’re right. We have to tell Grady, just in case Geoff turns out to be more than a stupid drunk with a big mouth. When Crys told us he was prejudiced, I thought she meant the normal thing, you know, an antigay attitude. Not bloody mermen!”

Kai paused and stared up into the star-filled sky. “Makes you wonder how he guessed. I mean, we don’t look like the merpeople in the books, do we?”

Bryn glanced at Kai, giving him the once-over. He was well worth looking at, with his lean, fit body and flowing white-blond hair. It reached almost to the crack in his ass. Bryn should know, and the mental vision of Kai bending over for him made his cock twitch.

Hastily, Bryn turned his mind to other matters. It’d be an hour at least before they got home. He didn’t want to travel the whole way with a raging hard-on. And London was too busy, too well observed, to risk male-male sex on the waterfront. Although he could try fuzzing, that mental technique all Talents used when they wanted to pass unobserved. Kinky, but definitely tempting.

His mind made up, Bryn turned to Kai, to see his partner waiting with a whimsical smile on his sharp-featured face and his arms spread in welcome.
That was when his phone decided to ring.

He bit back a curse as he glanced at the screen before flipping the phone open. Number withheld, but that wasn’t unusual when you worked for Department 57. “Yes?”

“A bit snappy, aren’t we?” came a voice he didn’t recognize. He opened his mind and let Kai in, to share the call telepathically. This could be business, and it would save explanations later if Kai heard the orders as well.

“Get on with it.” His plans disintegrating around him, Bryn couldn’t get enthusiastic about orders at two a.m. He didn’t care if it was Will Grady himself; he couldn’t go willingly on every assignment. What he expected was a code number and an instruction, not what he actually got.

“If you want to see Crystal Miller alive again, you’ll come to Vauxhall Bridge now. You’ve got ten minutes.”

If you want to find out what happens next, the book’s out on Tuesday 3rd September!

Oh yes, and keep checking, once I get my final versions, I’ll give one away here. Any idea of the kind of questions I should ask?

Shannon C.’s review of Undeniable Magnetism by Bonnie Dee
Contemporary M/M Erotic Romance Ebook released by Loose ID 25 Mar 08

I really like Bonnie Dee’s writing. I’ve only read a couple of her books so far, but I love that she tackles a variety of genres, and her characters have a lot of warmth and seem like people it would be fun to get to know. In Undeniable Magnetism, a recent release from Loose ID, Ms. Dee continues in that vein and provides a nice character study with two protagonists who are both the kind of guys one might actually run into at some point in real life.

Essentially, the plot here is simple. Simon Chase goes to a bar to de-stress, a bar owned by Jay Moran. After a heated encounter, Jay never expects to see Simon again, but on a whim, Simon calls him and the two begin a relationship. The conflict here is that like in the real world, not everybody in Simon and Jay’s world really embraces the men’s sexuality, and the two of them have to come to a place where they can accept that.

The thing that really works here are the characters. Jay and Simon are both guys. Sometimes when I read plot descriptions of gay romance, I feel like the author could just give one of the guys a set of breasts instead of a penis, do the occasional find and replace, and you’d have a het romance. This frustrates me as a reader, because if I wanted to read a het romance, I would, well, read a het romance. But both men do very masculine things and they talk like men. Their issues were very realistic, and because of that, I was rooting for them the entire time I was reading.

I also liked the fact that Ms. Dee subverts a few stereotypes. Simon is the upper-crust one who attended the best schools and parties. Simon is black. Jay grew up in a poor, ethnically mixed neighborhood and owns a bar. He’s white. The race thing does come up occasionally for both of them, and I felt it was addressed in a sensitive way.

Overall, I think this is a great example of M/M romance. I didn’t even mind the relatively short page count, because Ms. Dee manages to pack a lot into those pages. I definitely recommend this one.

Grade: A-

Summary:
When Simon walks into Jay’s bar for a drink, he never expects to find himself having an afternoon quickie in the back room. Although he’s very attracted to the blond, blue-eyed bartender, he’s never experienced a real relationship with another man and isn’t ready for the commitment that entails.

Jay is ready for Mr. Right, and when he meets hot, hunky Simon, he believes he’s found his match. But convincing the reserved man that their brief encounter could evolve into something more will take all his considerable persuasive skills.

Jay is blue collar, Irish. Simon is an African American from a society family. Can two men from such different backgrounds find common ground? Undeniable magnetism draws them to one another, but only love can keep them together.
You can read an excerpt here

Shannon C.’s review of Heaven by Jet Mykles
Contemporary gay romance eBook released by Loose ID 30 May 06

I’ve been in kind of a reading slump lately. Nothing really looks good, particularly the books I had to review. So a couple of days ago, I went trolling through blogland and ended up stumbling across a rec somewhere–I honestly don’t recall where–for Jet Mykles’ Heaven Sent series. Since contemporary gay romance is so far beyond my general reading tastes, I figured I should read this book and hopefully get out of my funk.

I’m not sure that this book is what I was looking for. It’s a competently written story with characters who were likeable, but I just didn’t relate very well.

Heaven Sent is the hottest up and coming rock band. They hit it big on the Internet and then became a household name. Tyler Purcell, the manager of the Weiss Strand Hotel, hires the band to perform on the hotel’s new nightclub’s opening night. Tyler, however, is not prepared for the barrage of feelings that sexy lead singer Johnny Heaven elicits in him.

My major problem with this book was with Tyler. I think that coming to terms with one’s sexuality is a really really big deal. It is not the sort of thing that happens after a few really amazing sexual encounters. It got on my nerves that Tyler protested so very much. He’s not gay. No, really. Really not gay over here. He just likes anal sex and blow jobs when performed by another man. And Johnny… Johnny could never love him. They’re from two different worlds, oh noes! I felt like Tyler spent much of the book wringing his hands, his lower lip trembling in misery.

Johnny, on the other hand, is just adorable. There’s not a whole lot of depth to him, but he’s pretty sweet. I loved his enthusiasm about video games. I’ve met guys like him, too. And he definitely seemed to know what he was doing as far as being a top. Plus, I’m a sucker for musician heroes.

This book is a lot shorter than I normally go for, which explains why the characters weren’t developed as much as I wish they’d been. I did like that, aside from Tyler’s wishy-washiness, there wasn’t any huge external conflict to detract the focus from Tyler and Johnny. But the romance aspect never entirely went anywhere for me. For a nice female fantasy about two very pretty boys getting hot and sweaty with each other, it’s great, but if I wanted to read that, I’d read fanfiction for free.

I suspect other readers will like this a lot more than I do, and I suspect that my reading funk contributes to the lowering of the grade. I might read more in this series because I am intrigued by the band’s hot bass player and his book doesn’t look like it features the whole “I’m soooo not gay except for the fact that I like having sex with men” angle.

Grade: C

     Summary:

     The Weiss Strande Hotel is in trouble. Business just isn’t what it used to be when Tyler’s father ran the family-owned hotel. On top of business being down, dad’s sick with cancer and bills have skyrocketed.

     Desperate to save his family interest, Tyler and his best friend sink their hopes and what’s left of their money into a new venture: a nightclub at the hotel. It’s imperative that the White Room is a success, or else the hotel will go under. Lady Luck seems to be with them, however, because they manage to sign the mega-popular rock group Heaven Sent to play the grand opening.

     Already a huge fan of the group, Tyler couldn’t be more excited to welcome them to his hotel. He’s not at all prepared for the bomb of lust that hits him when he’s finally face-to-face with the painfully gorgeous lead singer, Johnnie Heaven. No, it couldn’t be lust. Yes, Johnnie’s probably the most beautiful person he’s ever seen, but Tyler is straight. It must be a misguided form of hero worship that he’s feeling.

     Tyler finds out that he and Johnnie share an obsession: video games. When Johnnie invites Tyler to his room to play, Tyler jumps at the chance. Who wouldn’t snap up the opportunity to spend time with their idol? He and Johnnie have a great time with the games, but Tyler soon discovers that Johnnie’s got more in mind. The rock star’s aims to introduce Tyler to a whole new level of game play.

     You can read an excerpt here.

Shannon C.’s review of Topaz Delirium by Lynne Connolly
Paranormal romance eBook released 29 Apr 08 by Loose-ID

There’s at least one thing that can be said for Lynne Connolly. She does really unique things with her characters, and her paranormal books are refreshingly not the norm.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to like having the hero of Topaz Delirium, her latest book set in the department 57 universe, be a top fashion designer, since my impression of fashion designers as a rule does not lean very heavily toward anything remotely masculine. But I should have remembered this is a Lynne Connolly book, and she does just fine at creating a sexy hero in the form of Jasper Lebec, one of Paris’s top fashion designers. Jasper is also one of the guardians, the people in charge of Department 57 offices, and he’s been in love with top fashion model Svetlana Yevchenco for years. He finds it necessary to fight his attraction to her, because loving her would lead to some pretty disastrous consequences.

Svetlana, for her part, has her own demons to worry about. Though it’s been decades, she’s never forgotten the torture that she suffered at one point in her life, and though she’s a good agent, she has never quite been able to hide her attraction to Jasper. When she is asked to try and seduce a man that Jasper and his colleagues suspect is trying to poison Talents–Talents, of course, being the paranormal creatures in this world–she agrees to do it even though it’s Jasper she wants, and one night of passion together won’t drive him out of her head.

My favorite part of this book was the romance. Jasper and Svetlana have chemistry in spades, and the revelation of their feelings for each other couldn’t have come at a more inopportune time for either of them. And once again, I have to mention that Lynne Connolly is one of the few authors who can sell me on the concept of mates bonding the way hers do without it totally coming off as squickily codependent.

The plot clips along rapidly once it gets moving. Secondary characters who also appear in Cat’s Eyes make appearances here, too, though Connolly succeeds in integrating them into the story in a way that doesn’t scream “OMG look at me! Sequel-bait over here!” The villains are pretty nasty, even if they are a bit on the flat side, and the ending resolves everything neatly.

Most of my issues with the book are pretty personal and will probably not deter most readers. I’m not particularly fond of stories about the rich and famous, and all the glitz and glamour got a tad annoying. I also thought that the book took just a bit too long to really hit its stride.

This book can very easily be read as a standalone, and knowledge of the rest of what happens in the Department 57 universe isn’t required. It’s definitely a fresh, fun paranormal with likeable characters and a hot love story.

Grade: B

     Top fashion model and Dept 57 agent, Svetlana Yevchenko, is in Paris for the couture Fashion Week. She is principal model at the House of Lebec, and his new perfume, Topaz Delirium is named for her (Topaz is her model name). She has been in love with Jasper for years, but he never has serious relationships with anyone.
     However, when one of the models, a Talent, is murdered, Svetlana and Jasper work together on the operation to close down the factory that is producing the poison that is killing Talents.
     Svetlana finds out far more than she ever suspected about Jasper. But with a curse attached to him, Jasper doesn’t feel he can take the chance of loving her.

     Read an excerpt here .

Shannon C.’s review of Cat’s Eyes by Lynne Connolly
Paranormal erotic romance eBook published by Loose-ID Oct 2007

One of the perks to being a reviewer on a site like this, as opposed to my own piddly little blog, is that I get exposed to new-to-me authors that I might not have tried before. Lynne Connolly was one of the discoveries I made when I signed on as a reviewer and Sybil sent me some of her upcoming releases. I am so glad I know who she is now, because I have become a squeeing, obsessive fangirl.

I read Cat’s Eyes in preparation for Topaz Delirium , which also features members of Department 57. Department 57 is that ubiquitous paranormal agency that protects people–in this case, other supernatural creatures from human terrorists who know who they are and want them stopped. Silje, our heroine and a cat shape-shifter, is literally starting a new life, leaving her native Norway and moving to New York where she takes a job working for the department. They’ve got a lead on the fact that there’s a really nasty addictive inhibitory drug being distributed out of a strip club. While she’s casing the joint, she meets Ari and Devante, two male strippers who seem to be very much into each other and who are also shape-shifters. Both men are drawn to Silje, and soon they find that they must all join forces against a common enemy.

I’ve said before, several times, that I usually prefer a meatier story, even in ebook, because that way I get invested in the characters and get to know them well. Most of the time either the world-building or the characterization gets seriously skimped in an ebook, but this time, that did not happen. Connolly handles everything with a deft touch, and even in the limited space she manages to flesh out all three of our protagonists into individual, distinct characters. I think she should be commended for that, because in my experience, very few authors can pull that off well.

And, oh, what characters they are. I couldn’t tell you exactly what it is about Lynne Connolly’s heroes that make them work for me, but they do. Devante and Ari were both smokin’ sexy, and the sexual tension between the two of them and Silje was intense. I also really liked Silje. I really liked that she was in charge of her unit of Department 57 workers, and I thought that she had the common sense to carry it off. Her past was intriguing, but refreshingly not full of angst, and I got the sense that she really did need Devante and Ari in her life.

The plot also moved along at a brisk pace, keeping me reading from beginning to end without pause. The villains were actually pretty smart, too, which added to the suspense, and I really liked the resolution of the three fated mates idea there at the end.

I’ve only got a minor quibble, which isn’t really major enough to bring down the grade too much. I would have liked a bit more M/M interaction between Devante and Ari. (This from a self-professed non-enjoyer of M/M romances… You can stop gasping in shock now!) I felt like the M/M stuff was mostly glossed over and not written with the same intensity as the rest of the sexual encounters, which made me a little sad because those boys really did have chemistry.

Other than that, solid world-building, likeable characters, and all within a short span of time makes this highly recommended.

Grade: A-

New city, new job, new life: Silje Nordstrom, a Norwegian cat shape-shifter, is starting over. Except that she’s still working for Department 57, the covert government agency for Talents — just in New York, with a new identity. And she’s still alone, still too sexually inhibited to find the mate she needs. That is, until she meets sexy Brazilian shape-shifters Devante and Aristides.

Sent to a male strip club on an operation to find the dealer for a dangerous new designer drug, Silje is transfixed by two Brazilian strippers. They’re so into each other there doesn’t seem to be room for anyone else. But things aren’t always as they seem.

When booked for a private dance, Devante shows Silje a hot Brazilian samba in the bedroom. And once he’s got her where he wants her, he brings in his lover Ari. Together, the men show Silje exactly what she’s been missing.

But they still have to find the source of the drugs, and the Talent’s enemy, the terrorist organization the PHR is involved. If they don’t close this outlet down, New York will be flooded with a dangerous, addictive drug, designed for Talents, but affecting everyone. If Silje’s not careful, her new beaus could end up on the body count.

Read an excerpt.

Topaz Delirium by Lynne Connolly
Contemporary Erotic Romance eBook coming soon from Loose ID (late April 2008)

Topaz Delirium is part of the Department 57 series. After you’ve read our exclusive excerpt, you can find out about the earlier (and currently unavailable) books here and meet the heroes of Dept 57 here.

Top fashion model and Dept 57 agent, Svetlana Yevchenko, is in Paris for the couture Fashion Week. She is principal model at the House of Lebec, and his new perfume, Topaz Delirium is named for her (Topaz is her model name). She has been in love with Jasper for years, but he never has serious relationships with anyone.
However, when one of the models, a Talent, is murdered, Svetlana and Jasper work together on the operation to close down the factory that is producing the poison that is killing Talents.
Svetlana finds out far more than she ever suspected about Jasper. But with a curse attached to him, Jasper doesn’t feel he can take the chance of loving her.

After a show, in which one of the models collapsed and died, Svetlana and Jasper have dinner together. They have discussed the coming Department 57 operation, and have carefully avoided their mutual attraction.

The Excerpt:

Jasper gazed down at his plate. “Is there something wrong with the food? It came from my usual service, which is generally reliable, but it seems to taste of very little tonight.”

Svetlana forced herself to lift a morsel to her mouth and concentrate on tasting. This was the first real meal she’d had all week, so she should really have more appetite. “It’s fine. Better than fine.”

He considered his plate, his head tilted to one side, his invariable habit when thinking about something. “Perhaps I’m not in the mood for it.” He shoved his plate aside and reached for his glass. “It gives me pleasure to see you eat, though. So many models never eat at all.” He toasted her, lifting his glass. His lips quirked in a smile though the look in his eyes remained distant. “I’ll design for real women. With curves.”

“Isn’t that more difficult?”

He shrugged and tilted his chin up in an arrogant gesture. “I am Jasper Lebec. I can do it. It’s true that breasts disturb a drape or break up a sweep of pattern, but I’ll make breasts fashionable if I can.”

She forced another mouthful down. “So why do you think many women have breast augmentations?”

“A different market. Less refined.” His gaze sharpened. “You haven’t had such an abomination, have you?”

She laughed. “No. You’d have noticed, in any case.”

He put his empty glass down on the fine linen tablecloth. “So I would. I see you naked several times every season. But it’s just business. In the atelier, you’re another shape to challenge me, that’s all.” He opened his mouth but closed it again without saying anything. Abruptly he got up from the table and tossed his crumpled napkin down by his plate. “Would you like some dessert? It’s something with raspberries, I believe.”

Svetlana recognized the gesture; Jasper was getting too close to revealing his true feelings, so he changed the subject and broke eye contact. Her naked body disturbed him, did it? Was it that, or the thought of her stripping for Hugo Berthier? Tough shit. He was sending here there, after all so he’d have to suck it up. “I don’t want any dessert. You’ll have to take my word for it, Jasper. I don’t starve myself; I’m just not hungry tonight.” She couldn’t take any more.

She had to leave. She wanted Jasper so much; her pussy was wet and ready for him already, dampening her panties under the severe blue skirt. Her thoughts were too disturbing, too close to the surface, and Jasper’s powerful Talent would discern them before too long if she didn’t leave now.

“Too late,” he murmured, so quietly she had to strain to hear him. He turned around to face her.

The expression in his silver eyes was nothing like she was used to. Hot, passionate, and desirous. Needy. He spoke to her, in words throbbing with sincerity. “I want you so much, it burns me every time I look at you.” He paused, and she stared back, stunned. “What, you can’t take the truth? Shall I send for your car?”

She shook her head. “Why, Jasper?”

“Why what? Why do I want you? God knows.”

“Jasper?” If they wanted each other, if he’d wanted her all this time she’d wanted him, why hadn’t he said anything? Was he afraid of commitment, perhaps? She had no idea. She couldn’t read him unless he let her in, and his face remained impassive apart from the fire in his eyes.

He lifted his hand, only to drop it again, the movement jerky, so unlike his usual elegant, considered gestures. “Every time I look at you, I want you with a despair that eats at my soul.”

“Why haven’t you come to me before?” She wasn’t hearing this; she couldn’t be.

He shook his head. “Too many reasons. But, Svetlana, we can have tonight.”

These are reviews of five short, erotic titles from various publishers, in various flavors. They are a bit too short to review on their own without the review being almost as long as the story, so I have put together five “Lightning Reviews.” 

Read on if you’re wearing rubber soled shoes…

The Good Lawyer by Rachel Carrington
Contemporary erotic romance released 2006 by Whispers Publishing 

This is a super-short story. The fantasy is sexy and the emotion is anchored by a plot twist that I loved. Recommended for a quick erotica fix.

Grade: B+

From the back cover:

     When Deidre Manning’s days get long, she allows herself to escape into wild fantasies. Locked inside the sanctuary of her office, she enjoys more than just the satisfaction of the moment, especially once a visitor makes it a party for two.

     Read an excerpt.

Mr. Fix It by Donelle Carroll (author doesn’t appear to have her own site and this looks like her only title)
Contemporary erotic romance released Oct 06 by Wild Rose Press

Also, a super-short story. Calling up the cute repair guy for a fling is a common fantasy, I’m sure. The problem is the characterization. Obviously just a sexual encounter between strangers, the author forced a level of emotion at the end that didn’t fit. But where some more sexual tension would have benefited the story, instead we get some faltering on the leading lady’s part that does nothing for the story.

Grade: D

From the back cover:

     Looking like he just fell from Hunk Heaven, Ryan stepped into the elevator. Jill shamelessly sized him up. Building Maintenance. Handy with tools. But could he fix her broken heart?

     No excerpt available.

Sweet Shoppe: Her Wicked Warrior by Melissa Schroeder
Time travel erotic romance released Mar 06 by LooseId (Title is out of print)

This one is sexy and fun. It has some unreal marathon sex but this is an erotic title, so that’s allowed. The characters are enjoyable and I wanted them to be together. Don’t expect deep relationships or plot development. It is adult fairy tale stuff but it’s good. I got some real giggles here and there as well as some “squirm in your seat” moments.

Grade: B

From the back cover:

     Librarian Paige Turner isn’t having the best of weeks. Work has been hell, her sometimes fiancé seems only to pay attention to her when he needs research help, and on top of that, she has been losing sleep thanks to some pretty erotic dreams. So, at the end of the day, one week before St. Patrick’s Day, she stops by The Sweet Shoppe for some Irish Truffles. Before falling asleep, she wishes her dream lover were real. When she wakes up in the morning, she finds out he is.

     Seamus can’t remember exactly how he ended up in Paige’s bed. One minute he is in a battle, the next he’s in bed with the woman who has been stealing into his dreams. Instinct has him seducing her before he even knows her name, but soon he is confronted with a strange new world, and the possibility that Paige just doesn’t understand he is her soulmate.

     Paige decides to keep her warrior, but soon everything goes awry. Thanks to Seamus, her life is disrupted, her career almost ruined, her fiancé has called off their wedding, and she finds herself falling in love with Seamus. But will Paige be able to accept the changes he has wrought, or will her fear of change bring disaster for both of them?

     Read an excerpt.

The Seduction of Sean Nolan by Treva Harte
Time travel erotic romance released (unknown date) by LooseId

This story has some seriously yucky parts. She notices he’s filthy and bloody and probably has lice… and he’s dying from an infected leg wound. So of course she can keep herself from going down on him? Eeewww! The plot resolution completely out of left field and unexplained. I really can’t recommend this one.

Grade: F

From the back cover:

     Wounded and near death, Sean prayed for the thing he wanted most. “Dear God, don’t let me die a virgin.”

     When Nell appeared, she didn’t look like any angel he’d ever imagined. And she sure as heck didn’t kiss like one. But she might just be the answer to his prayers.

     Read an excerpt.

Come, Sweet Creature by Tilly Greene
Contemporary erotic romance released 2005 by Whiskey Creek Press

I saved the best for last. This story is light BDSM. It may disappoint the hard-core power exchange lifestylers. However, it is a good story for those who like sex games. There’s no humiliation, but there is titillation. I liked the characters, but, really, get this one because it’s hot… then put down a towel on your chair before you read it.

Grade B+

From the back cover:

     Jena Flyno works for Tilton Spidermach, CEO of TS Properties. As PR Director she’s got her hands full cleaning up after his debauched peccadilloes. She’s heard about his playroom and she’s not about to become his latest prey.

     Spider has been watching his lovely, but oh, so prim and proper PR lady for months. Jena is elusive and unattainable, and he has just figured out a way to ensnare her. All he needs is one little sign of weakness and she’ll be caught up in his web.

     Read an excerpt.