Wednesday 27 August 2014

Guess what's on Presale - Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh

Guess what's now on presale, yep it's Nalini Singh's new contemporary romance, Rock Addiction. Woo Hoo.





New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh stuns with a sizzling contemporary romance…

A bad boy wrapped in a sexy, muscled, grown-up package might be worth a little risk…


Molly Webster has always followed the rules. After an ugly scandal tore apart her childhood and made her the focus of the media’s harsh spotlight, she vowed to live an ordinary life. No fame. No impropriety. No pain. Then she meets Zachary Fox, a tattooed bad boy rocker with a voice like whiskey and sin, and a touch that could become an addiction.

A one-night stand with the hottest rock star on the planet, that’s all it was meant to be…

Fox promises scorching heat and dangerous pleasure, coaxing Molly to extend their one-night stand into a one-month fling. After that, he’ll be gone forever, his life never again intersecting with her own. Sex and sin and sensual indulgence, all with an expiration date. No ties, no regrets. Too late, Molly realizes it isn’t only her body that’s become addicted to Fox, but her heart…

Order Now:  

Monday 25 August 2014

New Release Sneaky Peek - Raven (The White Witch’s Legacy 1) by Kelsie Belle

When Xander Kane meets a delectable exotic dancer in a bar, he is instantly drawn to her striking beauty. He knows he has to have her, but when he finally convinces her to let him take her home, she disappears without a trace after they share an electrifying night together. He never thought he would see her again, but when fate takes her right back to his doorstep he is intent on making her pay for running out on him like she did. But Raven is not what she seems, and the secrets she hides, coupled with his own dark skeletons, threatens to destroy any hope that Xander harbored for them.
Raven embarks on a perilous journey to protect her mother’s legacy and finds herself fighting for her life at every turn. When she meets Xander Kane, he is everything she wants in a man and everything she cannot afford to let herself have right now. Will they be able to overcome the obstacles that confront them at every turn and find their way to love?
A Siren Erotic Romance
[Siren Allure: Erotic Fantasy/Paranormal Romance, shape-shifters, witches, daemons, bondage, spanking, HEA]
Word Count: 53,517     Heat Level: SEXTREME     Published By: Siren-BookStrand, Inc.
AVAILABLE: Tuesday, August 26th  (This title is offered at a 10% discount. Offer ends midnight CST, September 2nd).


Excerpt One:

“Myra, hurry up, girl. I need you up here before the nightfall,” she said, and Myra sighed again. It was already getting dark outside so, with slumped shoulders, she made her way up the flight of rickety stairs, fully expecting a dinner of liver and onions with boiled potatoes to be waiting on her upstairs along with a game of cards.
The scene that met her as she pushed the door open and entered the apartment, however, made her freeze in the doorway, her jaw hitting the wooden floor in shock. Hazel had pushed away all the furniture to leave a wide space in the center or the living area. She had used chalk to draw an enormous star in the middle of the floor, on each point of which there was a lit candle, the flame flickering in the slight breeze that entered through the half-opened window. There were bottles of oils and essence placed on the ground beside the peculiar drawing on the floor, and a black book lay inside it. The salt-and-pepper-haired woman was busy walking around the shape and sprinkling some sort of liquid methodically onto the floor. When she noticed Myra standing dumbfounded in the doorway, she quickly put down the container she was holding and beckoned for the girl to join her where she stood. “Come girl, we don’t have time to waste! The time has come for you to meet your destiny.”
“Aunt Hazel, what is all this?” Myra asked when her wits returned to her. She took several tentative steps forward, wondering if the old woman had finally lost it after all. “I thought we were going to watch The Sound of Music again and then play cards.”
“It is your time, dear girl. Today is the day. This is what I have been preparing you for, for all these years. Come! Take your place now, it will soon begin.”
“Take my place? Where exactly is my place, aunt?” she queried cautiously, her feet still firmly rooted to the spot where she had stopped.
“You are the eldest, Myra, the first. It is you who must bear the Mark first. It will begin with you.”
As much as Hazel’s words confused the heck out of her, Myra didn’t bother to question her any further. She knew her aunt would only keep speaking in riddles so the sooner she did as she was told, the better it would be for her. Hesitantly, she walked over to where the old woman stood, and upon her instructions, she stepped over the outline of the star and went to stand in its center. Immediately, there was a whiplash of lightning, followed by a horrific roar of thunder, causing Myra to jump in fright. Where the hell had that come from? It had been a bright, clear day, no sign of rainclouds anywhere. Suddenly, all coherent thought fled her mind as a searing pain gripped the back of her neck. It felt as if someone was carving her skin with an extremely sharp object, or branding her with a hot pole. A tortured cry tore from her lips and she fell to her knees, her arms flying to the point of the pain as if she could make it stop by wiping it away.
“Yes, it has begun,” Hazel’s voice noted solemnly. She hobbled closer to where Myra knelt, clutching the back of her neck. “Let go, Myra. Accept your mark. Accept your true powers.”
Then the wind began howling outside, rushing in through the open window with the strength of a mid-summer Castallantran hurricane, so powerful that it whipped Myra’s hair about her face and roared loudly in her ears. In the midst of all this, the candles didn’t only remain lit, but they seemed to be burning even brighter still. Staring at them in shock, Myra suddenly noticed that inside each flame, there was the face of a different woman staring back at her. She gasped and made to jump to her feet, but Hazel’s hand on her shoulder restrained her.
 “Do not fear, my child, no harm will come to you,” the woman reassured her, and reluctantly Myra remained kneeling as the faces in the candles’ flames began to chant together. The words were in a language Myra had never heard before. There was no way for her to understand what they meant, but somehow, she could tell exactly what they were saying.
One of three, witches that be, we grant you this day, the power to see. Strength, wisdom, and courage be yours, to find the spell caster and the other that cures.
Then, just as suddenly as it started, the howling wind stopped. The pain at the base of Myra’s neck subsided just as the flames from the candles went out simultaneously, bringing an end to the mysterious chanting, and the apartment was once again as quiet as it always was. Myra jumped to her feet, head reeling with consternation as she turned to face Hazel. The old woman just smiled and nodded before bending to retrieve the black book from the floor. When she straightened again, she handed it to Myra and then pulled her in for a tight hug. “Welcome to the sisterhood, Myra,” she whispered affectionately. “I know this is overwhelming, but I tried to prepare you the best way I could.”
Myra pulled away to look suspiciously at her eccentric aunt, her eyes darting down to the book in her hand, then back to Hazel’s face. “Aunt Hazel,” she began, her voice quivering slightly. “What just happened?”
“You finally joined the family, my dear,” her aunt replied, smiling gleefully. “You now possess one third of the powers of the Great White Witch of Castallantra.”
Myra promptly fainted.


Excerpt Two:

“Don’t come.” Xander’s voice was like a battering ram slamming into her head, interrupting the intoxicating sexual high she had been experiencing.
“No!” she screamed when his lips left her sex, his head moving from between her legs.
He chuckled softly, gently easing her legs off his shoulders and rising to his feet. “I say when, beautiful, never forget that. You come when I tell you to, only when I tell you to.”
She had to bite her tongue to quell the annoyance that welled in her stomach at his words. Who the fuck did he think he was? She wanted to tell him to go fuck himself. She wanted to knee him in the groin and get the hell out of there. But when he took her hand and pulled her off the sofa, she couldn’t find the will to even resist for a moment. She was desperate for him, desperate for the pleasure she knew he could give her. Moisture seeped between her thighs when she noticed the lustful animal ferocity in his sea-blue eyes and her anticipation returned with full force. Oh God, maybe she was a whore after all!
He spun her around so that the fronts of her thighs were touching the arm of the sofa. He ran his hand over her shoulders and down her arms, reaching around to cup her breasts, as he used his body to push her forward. She was now fully bent over the sofa arm, ass held high, head lying on the soft cushions. She whimpered when one of his hands trailed a heated path along her spine to finally splay at her waist and hold her in place. His other hand delved between her thighs, easing the thong fully to the side as he sank two long, thick fingers into her body with exquisite gentleness.
“So eager, so fucking wet,” he whispered as he withdrew his fingers to fondle her clit before sinking them into her heat again. Myra couldn’t stop herself from gyrating on his hand. Her pussy clenched and gushed reflexively, loving the feel of his fingers inside her sex, wanting even more still.
“Please…please, I-I’m so...God, don’t make me beg.” Hot tears stung the back of her eyes when she heard the desperate, pathetic words that had just been uttered from her lips. How did he do this to her? How did he reduce her to nothing more than want and need without even trying?
“You don’t need to beg, beautiful, at least not tonight. Tonight I’ll freely give you what you desire, all that you desire.” He pulled back then, leaving her momentarily to quickly sheath himself with a condom. Then he was plunging into her, his powerful cock forcing its way into her tight channel, stretching her almost painful. A loud gasp escaped Myra when she felt him sinking into her. God, she’d forgotten how big he was. Jesus, he was so damn huge! She gripped the sofa for support as he filled her to capacity, inch by glorious inch.
“Christ, you feel good. So fucking good around my cock,” he rasped, his voice shaking with unleashed lust. He pulled back, sliding his cock completely out of her. She glanced over her shoulder wildly, afraid he would stop. Did he plan to just leave her hungry and desperate like this, to punish her? God, she wouldn’t survive it.
“Don’t go! Xander, please, I—”
“Shhh,” he said, and she watched as he held his magnificent cock in one hand and slowly rubbed it against her moist slit, teasing her until she was wiggling against him, pressing back to try and force him to enter her again. Then suddenly, he was at her entrance again, his thick member sliding into her like it was made to be there. She cried out as he began to fuck her steadily, pulling back and pushing in, finding a delicious rhythm that made her pussy clench and flutter.
“Yes…Jesus, yes!” she cried, curling her fingers into the cushion. Xander grabbed her hips and continued to fuck her at an almost leisurely pace, pumping into her with slow, torturous thrusts. Myra worked her hips, pushing back on him to try and get him deeper into her body.
“That’s it, beautiful, fuck me back.”

About the Author:

Kelsie Belle wears many hats – wife, mother and teacher are just a few but the erotic romance writer hat is by far her favorite. Kelsie is wildly gregarious by nature. She considers herself ‘forever 21’ and enjoys reading contemporary romance, Science fiction and fantasy, listening to music and dancing like there’s no tomorrow. A caffeine addict that lives life from one coffee mug to the next, she’s always on the go, ready and waiting for the next adventure.

She has been a storyteller for as long as she can remember, her characters live inside her overactive mind and a thousand stories come to life in her head every day. This novel is the first in her three book paranormal series The White Witch’s Legacy. It promises to be an exciting trip into her wild imagination and she hopes her readers will enjoy the experience of taking a ride outside the ordinary with her.

Contact Kelsie here:

Twitter: @mskelsiebelle





Friday 22 August 2014

Cover Reveal - Timeless Desire by Lucy Felthouse




Timeless Desire is due for release on 10th September. 2014. 


Blurb:
Emily arrives at Westbury Hall with a job to do. She’s to clean and conserve all of the books in their impressive library, preserving them for future generations. Not long into her stay at the house, she bumps into the night guard, George. She’d expected an old, balding guy with a comb over, so the hunky chap she actually meets is a very pleasant surprise. The introductions complete, George leaves Emily in peace to get on with her job. But when a falling photograph sets off a chain reaction of ghostly events, Emily and George are thrown together in order to find out who—or what—is causing them. Their investigation uncovers a tragic past, a lost love, and a stunning secret.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a revised and extended of a previously published title, Love Through Time.


About the Author: 

Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and has over 100 publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These include several editions of Best Bondage Erotica, Best Women's Erotica 2013 and Best Erotic Romance 2014. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has edited and co-edited a number of anthologies, and also edits for a small publishing house. She owns Erotica ForAll, is book editor for Cliterati, and is one eighth of The Brit Babes. Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk. Join her on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9


Tuesday 19 August 2014

New Release Sneaky Peek - Fortune by Destiny Blaine


FORTUNE
 “The older the money, the more valued the man and his lion’s share”

Blurb

After Ariela’s abduction at Lane Livingston’s Catwalk premiere, Lane returns to the Valley of Fire hoping Ariela will soon be released. Angst-ridden, Livingston turns to a former submissive and Ariela is released in time to catch him in the throes of passion. Distraught over Lane’s behavior, Ariela sets some ground rules.

Lane Livingston loves his mate but he won’t let her run over him. Ariela isn’t one to share even if a dominant man expects it so they’re at a crossroads in their relationship.

Ariela’s mates willingly share her because of Ariela’s demanding lioness breeding bouts and she expects mutual understanding. After forgiving Lane for his indiscretions by deciding he wasn’t committed to her at the time of his affair, Ariela and Lane mate for the first time. As their fiery passion burns wild, Ariela senses her other mates slipping away.

Jagger, Leon, and Sanchez go to the desert in hopes of finding Ariela but when they discover Ariela at Lane’s home, they realize she is in awe of her new mate. Ariela is pregnant with Lane’s child and is inexplicably drawn to him, something Lane knew would happen all along. 

Series: Rise to Power, Search for Pride - Book Four
Release Date: August 15th at eXtasy Books
Genre: Paranormal MFM and MFM+
For Series Excerpts Visit:

Read the Rise to Power, Search for Pride Books in order and visit http://www.extasybooks.com/rise-to-power-search-for-pride to view the beautiful Martine Jardin covers created for this completed series.

Rise to Power: Search for Pride reading order:

Book One: POWER
“There’s nothing sexier than a successful man, except the carnal beast inside him.”  
Book Two: MONEY  
“Every man, every beast, has a price
Book Three: FAME 
“When money and power aren’t enough”
Book Four: FORTUNE
 “The older the money, the more valued the man and his lion’s share”
Book Five: INFLUENCE
“The right people can push a man to his limits”


Author Bio:

International bestselling author Destiny Blaine is an award-winning e-book and paperback author. She writes under several pseudonyms in various genres. Writing as Destiny Blaine, her books are published by eXtasy Books, Siren Publishing, Dark Hollows Press, and Champagne Book Group. Her past westerns and erotic romance novellas have been #1 in several genre categories at Amazon.
When Destiny isn't writing, she loves spending time with her granddoll in Connecticut. Destiny and her husband enjoy watching NFL and college football and attending music festivals, book events, and nearby beaches.
Destiny's favorite pastime is reading about intelligent ALPHA males who know how to take the lead in all situations. In October 2014, she will host a writing workshop for new and seasoned writers. For more information visit http://www.destinyblaineworkshops.com
Links:
Buy Link for Rise to Power, Search for Pride Series Books


Friday 15 August 2014

Cover Reveal - Rock Addiction By Nalini Singh

This is truly one of the most exciting cover reveals I've ever participated in. Nalini Singh is branching out with a new book and I am literally buzzing with anticipation for it's release. But first, lets move onto the cover reveal, followed by a few tasty little teasers and a competition where you could win a advance release copy of the book. Readers and fans of tattooed rock stars, here it is - Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh. 






RELEASE DATE: September 9th, 2014
Blurb
A bad boy wrapped in a sexy, muscled, grown-up package might be worth a little risk…

Molly Webster has always followed the rules. After an ugly scandal tore apart her childhood and made her the focus of the media’s harsh spotlight, she vowed to live an ordinary life. No fame. No impropriety. No pain. Then she meets Zachary Fox, a tattooed bad boy rocker with a voice like whiskey and sin, and a touch that could become an addiction.

A one-night stand with the hottest rock star on the planet, that’s all it was meant to be…

Fox promises scorching heat and dangerous pleasure, coaxing Molly to extend their one-night stand into a one-month fling. After that, he’ll be gone forever, his life never again intersecting with her own. Sex and sin and sensual indulgence, all with an expiration date. No ties, no regrets. Too late, Molly realizes it isn’t only her body that’s become addicted to Fox, but her heart…

And now for some Tempting Teasers







About the Author 

NEW YORK TIMES AND USA Today bestselling author of the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series Nalini Singh usually writes about hot shapeshifters and dangerous angels. This time around, she decided to write about a hot and wickedly tempting rock star. If you’re seeing a theme here, you’re not wrong.

Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand, and is passionate about writing. If you’d like to explore her other books, you can find lots of excerpts on her website. Slave to Sensation is the first book in the Psy-Changeling series, while Angels’ Blood is the first book in the Guild Hunter series. Once Rock Addiction is out, swing by the site to check out the special behind-the-scenes page, complete with photos of many of the locations used in the book.

STALK HER:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads




a Rafflecopter giveaway



Author Hot Seat Welcomes - Charlotte Howard

The author hot seat specials are designed to help readers get to know both popular, and up and coming authors, a little better. The questions are broken into sections - About your writing, about you, fun stuff and finally. Some of the questions are easy, other may need a little more thought and some may cause our author friends to hesitate before answering—still, they all answer. 

Today we welcome Charlotte Howard to the hot seat, her new book The Black Door is out and Charlotte is hitting the blog tour highway in order to get the word out. I'm so happy to have her here today. 

Getting Started:

Tell us about your latest book. What was your inspiration for writing it, is it part of an ongoing series, the characters, the genre etc?

The Black Door is a contemporary romance / light erotic romance novel (it lies somewhere in between!). It revolves around the life of Imogen Pearce, a recently divorced mum of four who is fast approaching 40. She starts working for Ryedale Incorporated, and finds herself having to compete against the younger generation for clients. She’s offered the account for Sean and Cherry Rubin’s adult shop, Wicked Ways. It’s not long before she realises that the shop is a front for a private club called The Black Door, and that she actually knows a few of the members.
  It’s a book about discovery – Imogen sees people she knows in a new light and secrets are revealed, but more than that, it’s about her discovering herself.
  I was inspired to write it after a reader of my previous books made a comment about heroines always being young, beautiful and rich. They wanted a heroine who was older, and struggling. So I created Imogen.
 Cal Ryedale, the owner of Ryedale Incorporated and sort-of hero, isn’t perfect either. Imogen doesn’t even find him attractive to begin with. He’s married, and uses cheesy lines (“my wife doesn’t understand me”), but as with Imogen, his character develops over the story and we see a kinder side to him.

 

About your writing:

How many books have you written during your career so far and which is your favorite?

I like to say three. My first two, Seven Dirty Words and Four Letter Words are part of a duet, with the first being published in 2013. But I did write a novella back in 2010 and self-publish it. I don’t like that one though – I did it all for the wrong reasons, and it wasn’t all that good.

I don’t have a favourite. That would be like asking me to choose between my children! (I think most writer’s say that.)

Have any of your books received negative reviews and how did you handle the situation?

Seven Dirty Words received a 2-star review on Goodreads, but it was from a man saying he didn’t enjoy it. That doesn’t bother me though because I wasn’t aiming for a male audience when I wrote it!
I think the worst review I’ve had was for my self-published novella – it got a 1-star review on Amazon. Negative reviews don’t tend to bother me because everyone is entitled to their opinion, and you’re never going to please everyone. But, this one did bother me because it was written out of spite. It was from someone I used to work for, who created the review after I quit the team and we fell out. I think that’s very childish. I’ve always said as long as the review is honest I’m happy, even if you do rate it at 1-star, I appreciate that. But if you’re going to slate someone’s work just because you fell out and wanted to upset them, then that’s not fair. However, it was on the SP novella which I took out of print!!

Do you believe in writer’s block and if so, how do you overcome it?

Yes. Yes I do. Every now and then I get completely stumped and don’t know what to do. As a writer, whose career sort of depends on being able to write, I find it quite upsetting when I sit and stare at a blank screen, unable to think of anything.

Sometimes taking the dog for a walk and simply getting some fresh air can help, but there have been times when I’ve committed the ultimate sin and hit delete on the entire manuscript.

When that happens I switch the laptop off and take a break for at least a week. Even if I find myself wanting to write after a couple of days, I refuse to and have a whole seven days off. By the end of it, I’ve got a whole new idea in my head.

What is the one genre you would never write and why?

I never say never. However, I have tried writing children’s stories and can’t do it. I have a lot of respect for anyone who can write for kids! Horror would be difficult for me as well – Stephen King terrifies me (well, his stories do), so writing something along those lines would give me nightmares!

Have you ever written a book that you’ve regretted publishing and why?

Yeah – the self-published attempt. I wrote it when I was pregnant with my daughter, thought it was perfect and refused to edit. I spent nearly 3 years sending it out to agents and publishers (unsurprisingly it got rejected) then decided that KDP made it easy to self-publish and would do that instead. Big mistake.
I was arrogant and naïve to think that it was even remotely ready to be seen in print. Back then, all I wanted was to see my name on the spine of a book.

If a reader said they wanted to write a book, what advice would you give them? 

Do it! But before you consider attempting to get it published, or self-publishing it, join your local writer’s group and ask them to critique it. Constructive criticism is your friend – as long as it is constructive and not just “yeah that’s crap”. Ask how to improve it, take part in writing exercises, and NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!

I love my fortnightly meet-up with Yeovil Creative Writers. It’s 2 hours where I can talk to like-minded people, read 1200 words out and get some tips on how to improve it. My writing has improved drastically since joining, and I’ve made some life-long friends as well.

About you:

Tell us what a typical day in your life is like?

There’s no such thing as typical in this house! I’m always on the go, and if I’m not running around after the children, walking the dog, or volunteering and doing charity work, I’m glued to my laptop and writing.
  My 5 year old son thinks he’s a werewolf, who climbs EVERYTHING. My daughter is a girly-girl and loves to dance and sing.  I also volunteer at our local primary school and for the Girl Guiding Association, so every day brings something different.

What sort of things put you in a bad mood?

My husband will tell you that’s not difficult to do. Lack of sleep is probably the worst thing. I need a minimum of 8 hours or I am the worst person to live with. That or interrupt me when I’m mid-write. If I’m in the flow of writing a scene and suddenly the phone rings, or the dog barks, or anything, and I get irritated!

Do you have a bucket list and what’s one thing you still want to do that you haven’t done?

Oh yes. I add to it quite a lot. I’d love to play a villain in a film – like an evil witch or similar. I have a great evil witch laugh according to my kids.

What makes you laugh?

My kids. They come out with some cracking lines. Out of the mouth of babes and all that. The other day we were shopping, and a young girl walked past wearing a pair of extremely short hot pants. My son piped up with “Mummy, that girl forgot to put her trousers on. I can see her bum.” I shouldn’t have laughed, but I did.

What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?

Too many to list, and tequila has usually been involved.

Do you like to read and what are you reading at the moment?

I usually have three or four books on the go at any given time. At the moment I’m reading Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs and Not Juliet by Ella Medler.

If you couldn’t write anymore, what would you do instead?

A few years ago I would have said working as a vet nurse, since that’s what I did before kids. But since volunteering at the school I’ve realized how much I love working with children. It’s very rewarding, so I’d probably say working as a teaching assistant.

Fun Stuff:

If you could go out with one famous person who would it be and why?

Will Smith. No contest. I’ve been a huge fan since the late 80s / early 90s and his Fresh Prince days.

Do you have a habit that drives your partner/friends/family nuts and what is it?

Talking. I could win medals for talking. I never shut up.

In your opinion, what makes a person attractive?

The ability to put up with me.

What is the strangest food you’ve ever eaten?

Oh wow. I like to try new foods, and if I’m in a different country I will eat whatever is their traditional dish, so I’ve eaten horse, baby octopus, shark, snails, frog’s legs and stuff that I don’t know what it was!

Would you rather have a classic 1969 convertible Mustang or have the use of a beach side condo any time you want?

Beach-side condo. We’ve been through the “nice car stage” (MR2 – two of, RX8, Rover 220 GSi Turbo, Lexus iS200…) and now have a busy family life, so being able to relax on the beach whenever we wanted would be a welcome change.

And finally:

Would you rather survive an apocalyptic event (yes, even a zombie apocalypse) or die instantly without knowing what happened to your family and friends?

I’d probably die – I’m rubbish at surviving. Even in my dreams when I’m being chased, I’ll hide in a cupboard and then come out just as the baddie is going past! I’d like to survive though.
  We went through a “prepping” phase at one point. We’d been watching DoomsDay Preppers, and decided it would be cool to own our own bunker. We didn’t get that far, but I do have a cupboard full of tins of hotdogs and bags of flour.


Blurb:
Imogen Pearce is a single mum of four children and fast approaching 40, she works at Ryedale Incorporated where she has to battle a younger and smarter generation to get to where she wants to go. If that means taking on the account of Cherry and Sean Rubin’s adult shop, then she will. But what happens when Imogen discovers the private club that they run at the back? And what happens when she realizes she knows quite a few members?

Excerpt:

Men. All the bloody same.
My mind traced back to the day I had given up on one-sided monogamous relationships.
The children were at school or work, and the sun was beating down. It was a glorious day, and I had decided to go home for lunch, rather than spend it in a stuffy office.
I pulled up outside the house and a fleeting thought passed through my mind when I saw Connor’s car sitting in the driveway. My husband of eighteen years had had the same idea.
I crept into the house, hoping to surprise him. But, it turned out that his idea had involved a slutty bottle-blonde.
I wanted to blame the events that followed on a red mist descending over me. The truth is that in the time it took for my mind to register that some tart was riding my husband in what I later found out was known as reverse cowgirl, my mind had calculated the necessary response.
The skank lost a good handful of bleached hair, roots and all. I allowed her to gather her clothes and watched as she tugged her pants on whilst running out of the house. If nothing else, the neighbours got a good show.
Connor yelled at me. But his words were drowned out by the blood pumping in my ears. I marched back up the stairs and into his little study. Opening the window, I saw Miss Slut stood in the middle of the road, screeching obscenities at me. I looked at the Ferrari in our driveway and smiled.
I think his Xbox enjoyed its first and final flying lesson as it sailed out of the window. The fact that it landed in the bonnet of his prized mid-life crisis proved that Karma does exist.
Connor. Holly.
I made a mental note of the two names at the top of my imaginary hit list.
I blinked and I was back in the boardroom.

Buy Links:


About the Author and where to find her online

British author Charlotte Howard, was born in Oman and spent much of the first part of her life flitting between Oman, Scotland, and England. Now settled in Somerset, Charlotte lives with her husband, two children, and growing menagerie of pets.
Her career as a writer began at an early age, with a poem being featured in an anthology for the East Midlands. Since then Charlotte has written many short stories and poems, and finally wrote her first full-length piece of fiction in 2010.
During what little spare time she has, Charlotte enjoys reading and writing (of course), spending time with her family, and watching action movies whilst eating curry and drinking tea.
Charlotte is an active member of Yeovil Creative Writers.


Monday 11 August 2014

New Release Sneaky Peek - Sweet Secrets by Constance Munday

What will happen when dark secrets threaten a perfect recipe for happiness and newfound love?

Left on her own, Carrie Ann decides it is time to escape her past, empower herself and overcome her confidence issues by turning her secret hobby of erotic cake design into a business. Her world is then turned upside down when she bumps into dynamic and sexy Dominic. Unwittingly, Carrie Ann sows the seeds of disaster from day one, weaving a web of deceit, and before she knows it the lies are multiplying.

As news of her baking brilliance spreads, romance grows. Now, only one thing can ruin their happiness and that is Carrie Ann’s dark deceptions and the battle she is fighting within herself. Will she be strong enough to overcome a past that is set to destroy her dreams for the future and tell Dominic the truth, or will she lose him forever?

Sweet Secrets is available on Kindle, ebook and print from:

Excerpt

The sun warmed Carrie Ann Jude’s face as she glanced through the large plate glass windows of the airport. Planes rose into the sky like silver birds, their metal bodies transporting people all over the world on adventures. She tightened her grip on the straps of her handbag. She had been one of those people embarking on an adventure only two weeks ago, except her journey had not started just with feelings of excitement, but trepidation. She pushed her sunglasses up over her head and took out her paperback to flip through. It was hard to concentrate with so many thoughts dancing in her head.

Carrie Ann was so deep in thought she hadn’t noticed the stunning youth about to sit down beside her. Wanting to be alone and not have anyone invading her space, she’d put her large bag on the chair next to her. Before she could say anything, he’d had his hand on it and, much to her consternation, had dropped it unceremoniously onto the floor. Then, not giving her time to move out of the way, he dumped a considerably weighty backpack on her foot.

“Ouch. Watch it!” she cried out, as he bumped against her, slopping his coffee over her hand. “That was hot.” She angrily snapped her book closed, noticing spots of coffee marking the pages.

“Oh, my God, I’m so sorry. Hi.” He had an American accent. “I ought to have asked if you minded if I sat here, but that’s me.”

She looked up to make a rude retort and found herself glaring into an impossibly green pair of eyes. She flushed. It was so embarrassing to be trapped by his compelling gaze.

“I’m so clumsy, everyone says it.” He held out his hand. “I’m truly sorry. My name’s Dominic, and you are…?”

How could she resist those eyes and his flirtatious expression? Carrie Ann took hold of his proffered hand and shook it unenthusiastically. “Carrie Ann.” What she could only describe as an electrical charge danced up her legs and ended with a pleasant fizz in the tips of her fingers and toes. He was very good-looking and his mop of shaggy blond hair that flopped into his face seemed to remind her of…

“Great.” He flashed her a grin. “I’m sorry. Let me get you another coffee.”

“No thanks, I don’t want one.” She was attempting to be more assertive, but it was harder than she’d thought. Actually, everything was so much harder out in the big wide world as she tried to cut ties to her past. Rommy, her father, so named because when he was younger he’d looked devilishy like a true Romany gypsy, had often criticised her for her submissive stance, which was ridiculous since that was what he’d wanted from her. The thought of him sent a creepy crawly shiver down her spine.

No one should feel like that about their father, but she did and she couldn’t help it. On occasion, she wondered if she would ever be able to get over him, shake loose all the hang-ups and phobias he had given her. It had not been abuse, but he had been good at keeping her under. She realised now she shouldn’t have put up with it for so long, she should have fought more for her independence when she’d had a chance to. But that was easier said than done.

The young guy hefted his bag and again knocked her. The nerve of it. She studied him angrily out of the corner of her eye. She had keen powers of observation—it was another one of the little skills she’d developed from being alone so long. Not having a lot to occupy her, she had become exceedingly observant. His arms were bare and muscular and covered in a frosting of tight blond hair. He also had strong, capable hands. Rommy would have said the man’s thighs were those of a rugby player. She had a thing about blond men, she reflected. Perhaps that was why she was instantly captivated by him. That came as a surprise and an interesting one, since anger and desire had a potent effect on her newly liberated self. It would be hard to be immune to his charms and it might be fun to test her boundaries yet again. She was woefully inexperienced with men. In a way, stepping out into the world was like learning to drive, and shy girls like her had to approach it slowly and cautiously and be prepared for any sudden unexpected turns in the road or emergency stops. She smiled to herself. She might have been confined to the house for years and had no experience of love first-hand, but she was living and breathing and had the same desires other women had.
For some reason she was shamefully hot and crossed her legs. It was utterly ridiculous being affected like this since Dominic was sexy and because of that was the kind of guy who wouldn’t flirt with her, well, not seriously. She tugged her skirt down over her knees. When she glanced up, he was watching her with a wry twist to his lips, as if he found her faintly amusing.

He gestured to the terminal board. “I guess you’re heading back to England.”

“Naturally,” she said. Carrie Ann wondered if she had a sticky label on her forehead, stamped ‘England’.

Nervousness made her feel hysterical. She would much prefer to be left alone with her thoughts, besides which it was distinctly embarrassing to have a man’s leg pressed against hers. He kept staring at her and she self-consciously stroked her lip. Why did he keep peering at her, like that? Besides the invisible label, there was nothing else that could make her seem even remotely interesting…was there?

At that moment a stunning girl strolled by and Dominic sized her up with interest, his gaze rippling up and down her from the tips of the high heels she was tottering in, to her layer-cut, multi-toned hair. Carrie Ann’s spirits sank further. She only had to dissect some of the women around her to realise she was at a distinct disadvantage where flirting was concerned. Let’s face it, she wasn’t even dressed for seduction. She was draped in her shabby comfortable skirt and she hadn’t even bothered with her appearance. As for what Rommy would have rather rudely termed ‘slap’—that was like attempting a recipe that was way out of her comfort zone. She’d only recently ventured down the makeup trail and she still didn’t like wearing it, although that might soon have to change, if her career plans took off. Makeup was weird stuff. It never looked right on her—the eyeshadow she’d tried made her dark brown eyes seem to retreat backwards so they seemed far too small, her freckles overwhelmed her complexion and her riotous mousy curls defied brushes, combs and tongs.

Any makeup she had used, she’d mistakenly plastered on to cover the freckles, and red lipstick—as Myra, the girl she had met at the ranch had pointed out—made her appear garish. Myra had given her a stick of lipstick termed nude and that did help, teamed with a tinted moisturiser. Myra was a brick, she thought grimly, pity she lived halfway across the world in Australia. She was also into baking, which had been a plus. It had been great to actually have a kindred spirit to talk with, to enthuse about her dreams to. Her heart soared and dipped. If anything was guaranteed to lift her spirits, it was the prospect of the new plans waiting for her when she got home.
“I don’t bite.” He touched her.

 She jumped. He was smiling at her and trying to be funny by dipping his head and making puppy dog eyes at her.

She laughed, she couldn’t help it. “No, I guess not.”

He stretched out his long legs, settling back in his chair. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Enjoy what?”

“Your stay over here in the States. What were you doing? Was it business or pleasure?”

She was still guilty that she’d splurged a considerable amount of Rommy’s nestegg on the short holiday. It was the kind of thing her father, with his thrifty ways, would have termed profligate.

“All pleasure. Something trivial actually. I just had the Arlem experience.” She stared him in the eye, seeing if he got it or not. Most people knew about Arlem or they didn’t.

He broke into a grin. “Wow! You’re kidding. The Arlem experience, that’s way cool. I read about it in a Sunday supplement.” Brow creased, he seemed to be thinking.
“But that’s where the weird people go isn’t it? You a teacher? You don’t strike me as weird.”

She felt a short sharp violent stab of indignation. “The people at Arlem are lovely. They specialise in helping people. People with problems.”

“Yeah, but it’s mostly mental problems isn’t it?”

“Not always,” she snapped. Goodness, he had no tact whatsoever. “And no. I’m not a teacher, I was a visitor.”

He shrugged and looked away. It was as if he hadn’t noticed her sharp tone. “I’ve just been to visit my mother,” he explained. “She lives in California and he—my dad—still lives in England. After that ordeal, there were a few things I wanted to stop off and see here before I headed back. I don’t know why I come back to see her because it winds me up so much. Dad’s worse though, so it’s the lesser of two evils. In case you wondered. They’re divorced although it’s a sham since neither of them abide by the rules. They frequently visit one another to have passionate interludes.”

“Really.” Carrie Ann was intrigued, as in her estimation, romantic folk like that only seemed to exist between the pages of novels. “How modern of them. They must like it and be very much in love to be like that. To want the continual spice.”

He didn’t seem to have heard her. “It’s not like a divorce. It’s like playing at a divorce. In fact, I reckon you’re right. They rather like it. It seems to add something to their love life.”

“I think it’s romantic. Fancy still loving a person when you’re half a world apart.”

“Yes. Quaint. A grown-up kind of game. My father’s version of Viagra. I often wonder if that’s why I’m so messed up. It would be hard not to be, with two parents like that.”

Carrie Ann fell silent. Dominic didn’t look messed up. He seemed the most confident and together person she’d met. Besides being wickedly good-looking. Come on. You deserve a slap on the wrist. He’s so young for one thing. Let’s face it, there’s no way on earth a guy like him would ever want to date you.

About the Author

Constance is nearly always to be found with a pencil in her hand making notes for a new story. She has led a varied life and done many jobs from cup washer, lecturer, to new age healer but has always written since she was a child.

A major health scare recently though, made her see life differently, and after years as a part-time writer, she turned full-time, because as she says - life is too short not to do what you love. She has literally climbed a mountain and made many sacrifices to pen her novels and now builds on a fund of wonderful encounters with intriguing people, plus her imagination, to write stories with strong characters and determined and adventurous women.

When asked what kind of genre is her favourite, romance is always the answer because to Constance, romance - whether hot and steamy or sweet and emotional is always at the heart of a good story. She hopes her stories reflect all of life’s facets from the struggling mother at home who finds a way out of poverty, the ardent and often disappointed dieter, to the girl who triumphs over sickness or has the courage to embrace her rather naughty side.

Constance loves listening to snatched conversations, which often gives her a seed to start a story, taking walks, revelling in the mysteries of life and baking and dancing, when she isn’t tapping away at her latest novel, of course.

She loves her fans and their comments, so invites you to please drop a line and if you have a second, pen a review.