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The Romance Reviews

Monday, 3 February 2014

My Precious...


Aren't they beautiful? I think I'm in love. I just can't stop stroking them. My first solo print books, and I've waited such a long time to have this dream come true.

I have my parents to thank for starting me on this journey. They were both big readers, and, instead of pocket money, they used to take me each week to pick out a Ladybird book. I was especially taken by The Garden Gang series, and jealous of Jayne Fisher, the nine-year-old author.



My mum also kept me loaded up with Enid Blyton books until my little bookcase was heaving at the seams. Creative writing was my favourite subject at school, and I went on to win quite a few prizes for my stories. 

I was about nine when the film Back to the Future came out. I went to see it five times in the cinema. One of the things I took away, apart from my Michael J Fox obsession, was how exciting that scene with George McFly was at the end. You know, the one were he receives a big box of his own books!

I read a piece on Enid Blyton that said she found her first success with articles in magazines. So, I duly started sending letters in to comics and girls' magazines at my own expense. At the age of eleven I got my first taste of publication with a letter published in Jackie, and a cheque for the grand amount of seven pounds. It was all very exciting and over the years I found I had a knack for letter writing, getting my name in such illustrious publications as Smash Hits, The Beano and The Manchester United Magazine.

Being a writer was the only career I ever wanted, yet, bar one short story published in that's life magazine, it wasn't a viable option for financial security. I put the whole notion on the back burner while real life intervened, like having lupus and two babies with phenylketonuria.

After my mum died a few years ago, I started back on the writing path. I met my crit group, and the rest is history. I had one goal, to get published. With a lot of time, effort, and fun along the way, I had my first ebook published two years ago. I was thrilled, but soon I had a new dream. I wanted to hold a copy of one of my books in my hand. This week my dream came true. I had my own George McFly moment.






The excitement of opening that box was so great, I still haven't taken them out. I can relive the moment anytime I choose lol

If you'd like to share in my greatest writing achievement to date, and win a copy of my sexy wolf shifters, hope on over to Goodreads and keep an eye out for my giveaway.



The Wild Irish Wolves: Volume One

The Wolf on the Hill
 Can two stubborn wolf shifters let down their guards long enough to take a chance on love? 

Lone wolf Caleb Jackson is only back in town long enough to sell his late father's house, and the bad memories with it. He never expected to find his mate. Good girl Mia Blake never behaves badly. Except for the time she shifts into her wolf, chases a stranger through Olcan Hills, and has the hottest sex of her life on the forest floor. He has no desire to settle down. She is afraid to upset her family. But, with someone determined to destroy Caleb's inheritance, and his secret fling with Mia getting hot and heavy, moving on isn't as easy as he'd hoped. Can either of them let down their guards long enough to take a chance on love? 

The Wolf on the Run 
Alpha Rory is determined to protect his pack, including feisty Naomi. How can he get close when she's intent on facing her demons alone? 

As a police officer and Alpha of the Olcan Hills' pack, being a protector is in Rory Blake's DNA. When Naomi Duffy turned up heavily pregnant and alone, Rory's natural instinct was to look after her. However, her fierce need for independence over the years has ensured they've never been anything more than friends. Naomi has spent too long trying to keep her daughter safe to jeopardise everything for a fling. However, when her past threatens to catch up with her, Rory is the only person she trusts with her life. Thrown together, the couple finally succumb to their passion and it's all too easy to forget the danger lurking in the hills. Do Rory and Naomi have a future together, or will secrets from the past tear them apart?

Buy Links: Totally Bound, Amazon


Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Wild Irish Wolves Vol 1 by Jorja Lovett

The Wild Irish Wolves Vol 1

by Jorja Lovett

Giveaway ends March 03, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Saturday, 1 February 2014

#SexySnippets


How about a #SexySnippet from my next release with Totally Bound? Here's a taster from Titanic's Ondine, coming soon...


'The vessel lurched, sloshing the contents of the pool, including the naked bathers, forcefully against its walls.
"What the hell was that?" Joe spluttered as the unexpected waves swamped them.
Through it all, Madeleine's personal lifesaver kept an arm round her. Even though she was never in danger of succumbing underwater, somehow Joe's tight grip gave her solace. His embrace reaffirmed his commitment to her and told her without words that he was as concerned with her safety as with his own.

The ship came to a jerky halt, and the cold chill of foreboding pricked Madeleine's skin.'


Titanic's Ondine - Blurb

Water nymph Madeleine has spent a lifetime searching for the human she can marry to become mortal. Finally, she finds true love with Joe Marlowe, but the romance is put on hold when he signs up as crew for Titanic.

Joe never expects to see Maddy on board the ship but she's a welcome sight during the voyage. He knows she's keeping a secret from him but it doesn't diminish his love for her. They have the rest of their lives to discover each other. After an unforgettable night together in Titanic's indoor pool he knows he's found the woman he wants to marry.


As the liner sails towards its fate, can Madeleine save Joe, and find her happy ever after?

Check out the rest of the #SexySnippets over at The Nuthouse Scribblers blog!

Alpha's Claim - Manlove Edition

“The Becoming”
Evernight Publishing’s
Alpha’s Claim Manlove Anthology

Today, I have the fabulous Tyler Robbins sharing some manlove...



Every year, wolf packs along the Texas Gulf Coast gather for what is known as the becoming. A ceremony where young adult shifters transition into their wolf form for the first time and when each wolf’s spirits selects their destined mate.
As the son of an alpha, Josh Spinner has dreaded this day ever since he first realized he was gay, but planned to go through with the becoming, denying his true self forever.
Braden Scott, the only son of an exiled omega wolf, has lived in the shadows of shame since his father’s banishment before he was even born. The becoming was his only shot of ever being accepted into the fold.
Neither man expected their undeniable attraction and neither are prepared for the fallout that follows.
Natural selection separates the men from the boys, but destiny seals their fate.    

Adult Excerpt:
Braden followed him for several minutes until the light from the campfires faded into the darkness behind them. Out of breath and feeling like he was about to come out of his own skin, he backed off. “I’m just trying to figure it out, man.”
In an instant, Josh stopped, turned on his heel and charged at Braden, slamming him against a tree.
Braden’s heart jumped, and his cock thumped the second he felt Josh’s erection pressing against his hip.
“Leave me the fuck alone.”
Braden drew in a deep breath to calm himself. “Why?”
Josh’s nostrils flared, and he seemed to search Braden’s eyes. The tight strain on his brow loosened with each passing second, and he slowly released the intimidating hold on Braden. “Because you’re gonna fuck everything up.”
Confused, Braden reached out and gripped Josh’s shoulder. “I didn’t do anything.”
Josh’s gaze drifted down to Braden’s mouth, and he licked his lips. “My future’s been planned. I’m destined to be an alpha.” Pausing, he clenched his jaw and blinked rapidly as though desperate to explain. “But I’ve never—”
“So you do feel it?”
Josh pushed away. “My whole fucking life I’ve waited to feel … that. Whatever it was.”
“I have, too.”
Josh’s chest rose and fell, and his expression twisted. “They won’t allow it.”
“You don’t know that.”
He shook his head. “Yeah, I do.”
“Are there rules?”
“Rules?” Josh stepped back and laughed sarcastically. “Some rules are the same in all societies, shifter and human.”
Braden reached out for him, unable to go another second without touching the other man. “I have to know.”
“Know what?”
“This.” He grabbed Josh by the collar of his shirt and jerked him near. “I gotta know, even if it’s just one time, how it feels to be true to myself.”
Josh closed his eyes. His nostrils flared wide, and his hands trembled as he grasped Braden’s shoulder.
Braden’s shaky exhale echoed between them, and he inched closer until he could literally taste Josh’s breath. “Gotta—”
Josh’s mouth engulfed his, and Braden whimpered from the rush of emotions bombarding his entire body like hot coals from a raging fire zapping out one by one, torpedoing his skin, inch by glorious inch.
Braden wrapped his tongue around Josh’s and sucked it into his mouth, deeper and deeper, as if consuming the other man would satisfy his insatiable appetite for more. He jammed his hardened cock against Josh’s and dry humped him through their jeans. “Feels so right.”

Links:
Evernight Publishing:

Amazon:

Tyler Robbins’ Author Bio:

Tyler Robbins is the pen name of author Robin Badillo, who lives in a small Texas town and is the mother of four nearly grown kids, two boys and two girls.
Tyler enjoys stepping out of her comfort zone and pushes the envelope on the stories she writes every chance she gets. She hopes her readers are just as thrilled as she is with the chances she's taking.
Always the optimist, Tyler is a firm believer that gray hair is merely God's graffiti!!

Blog: Tyler’s Naughty Notions:

Facebook:

FB Fan Page:

Twitter:




Thursday, 30 January 2014

#FlashFictionFriday - Secret Lovers

Every week, a fabulous group of writers take inspiration from a selected pic and write 100 words to go with it. Check them out  #FlashFictionFriday

Secret Lovers



"What are you doing?" Ed was only half awake as Francesca climbed on top of him.

"I wanted to see if you were up yet." She peeked down in time to see him rise with the morning sun.

"How did you get past security in the living room?" It was ridiculous they still had to sneak about like teenagers.

"The TV is at full volume. They can't hear us." She kissed him long and hard, and he didn't take much persuading to get with the programme.


"Mum? What's for breakfast?" The small face at the door killed the moment dead.

Wednesday, 29 January 2014

#ThursdayTasters - The Department Store #2


Every Thursday a group of talented writers share a sample of their awesome writing here. Check them out!

Last week I shared a snippet from my wip, the second book in The Department Store series. A cougar romance seemed to appeal to you, so here's a little bit more...

"Pardon me?" Jonah leaned in and made her repeat the request.
Maggie gulped, not sure she could summon the courage a second time. "Kiss me again."
Perhaps her libido wasn't as shy as she'd imagined. Her whole body swayed on the axis of anticipation. One wrong move and she'd crash back down to earth. Jonah didn't make her wait too long. He rushed at her with such a force, she held her breath and braced herself.
There was no need. His embrace was as tender as it was passionate. He wrapped her in the cocoon of his arms, and kissed her with a hunger she thought only belonged in movies.
Yes, in their earlier days, she and Peter had their moments. But there was something raw in Jonah's kiss that awakened a side of her which had lain dormant for so long.
Her head swam with dull warnings, all ignored by her need to be wanted. She wrapped her arms around his neck and matched him for every tongue flick and lip nibble. All her troubles seemed so far away whilst she enjoyed a little attention. 


Alpha's Claim - Manlove Edition


I'm lucky to be one of the authors taking part in the Alpha's Claim anthology. Perhaps you didn't know there was a manlove edition? Well, today I have the lovely Eileen Griffin sharing a snippet from her story, and her inspiration. Anyone who sends me Jason Momoa is welcome anytime *sigh*


Thanks for hosting me on your blog today J
I’ve been asked what my inspiration was when I was writing “Claiming Ayden”. I have a weakness for Alpha males and absolutely love the wolf sub-culture. They’re fascinating animals that are extremely territorial about their packs, travel vast distances to find food and shelter to ensure the health of their packs, but are also one of the few animals that mate for life. When I was developing my story and characters, I kept envisioning the scene from Last of the Mohicans when Hawkeye (played by Daniel Day-Lewis) was racing to rescue his love, Cora. The intensity with which he traverses the distance and landscape to save her has stuck with me all these years – for me, it was a pivotal scene in the movie. It made me wonder how a wolf/human shifter would react to his beloved, in this case Ayden, was captured by his Alpha’s enemy. The story basically wrote itself from there. It was such an awesome and novel experience to create a world and story for them, that I hope to one day continue Ayden and Thane’s story in future novellas J
~Eileen

Inspiraton For Thane:


       



Inspiration For Ayden:



****
 “Claiming Ayden” by Eileen Griffin
Genre: Erotic Romance, M/M, Paranormal, Shifter

Length: Anthology Length Short Story

Release Date: January 24, 2014

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

Anthology Title: Alpha’s Claim: Manlove Edition


Strength. Power. Domination. 
The shifters in our Alpha's Claim: Manlove Edition anthology have one thing in common—they won't take “no” for an answer. Whether they lead packs of their own, or whether they walk a solitary path, these alphas won't let anyone stop them from claiming their men.
Lose yourself in these ten sinfully delicious love stories. After all, who could deny an Alpha’s claim?

Blurb:

Thane, Alpha of his pack of shifter wolves, is running out of time. Drake, Alpha of a rival pack and Thane’s enemy, has stolen into Thane’s camp to capture three of his youngest members, including his intended mate Ayden.
Drake needs numbers to increase the size of his pack and he does not care how he accomplishes that feat. Will Drake succeed and not only increase the number of his pack but eliminate Thane as a rival Alpha and enemy to his pack? Or will Thane’s need for his mate and desire to have him at any cost be the tipping point that will help him overthrow Drake and claim Ayden once and for all?



Excerpt from “Claiming Ayden”


Thane looked down at Ayden’s white blond hair and felt his chest tighten. He lifted his hand and settled it in the pup’s hair. He had to hold back a moan when he felt a tremor go through the pup’s body the moment his fingers brushed along Ayden’s scalp. Thane tightened his fingers in Ayden’s hair and pulled the younger man’s face to his. Crystal blue eyes stared back at him. Nowhere in them was there any fear or pain. Instead, Thane saw the same expression of surety and desire Ayden had worn when he’d wandered into their camp almost two and a half years ago.
“Thank you for the food, pup. But that’s not the sustenance I need tonight.”
The tremor Thane had felt turned into a shudder as Ayden placed the food and water on the ground. Then in a show of true submission he gently leaned his head into the grasp Thane had on his hair, leaving his neck exposed.
Thane’s cock filled with blood and hardened against his body. His eyes roamed over the battered body of his true mate to check for damage that would prevent him from taking the action he should have completed before they had begun their journey to the winter lands. Roane approached Thane’s side and slid the leather thong from his neck, pressing it into his leader’s free hand before backing away.

About Eileen:
Eileen Griffin lives in Texas, but loves to travel and has spent many summers crossing Europe with nothing but a backpack on her back. She enjoys TexMex, lives for good wine, and has a certain penchant for purple unicorns. She loves reading all genres of books, but her current obsession is writing M/M romance. She currently has three works out, Chasing Matt, a M/M novella co-authored with Nikka Michaels, Dinner For Two, a M/F romance novella, and “Claiming Ayden”, a M/M shifter romance that is part of a M/M anthology of short stories. Eileen is currently at work with co-author on two M/M foodie romance novels set to be released summer/fall 2014.

Author Links:
Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/eileengriffin77  @eileengriffin77



Buy Links:







Tuesday, 28 January 2014

Author Spotlight on Ashe Barker


Hello again Jorja, and thanks for inviting me over to your blog today. It’s fabulous to be here.

I don’t know about everyone else, but for me 2014 seems to be flying past. It's the 28th already, and once January’s out of the way, well, it’s almost Easter really. Cue the daffodils, spring lambs and chocolate eggs.

So far this year I’ve been really busy. I have print releases for both The Dark Side and Sure Mastery coming up soon, my two series set in Yorkshire, UK, where I live. The final book in the set will go on general release on 7 February. 

In the future Totally Bound, my publisher is intending to release books in print at the same time as the e-versions come out, so some readers may prefer that. I know my mum will.

As the trilogies have developed, I’ve started to receive some fabulous messages from readers who are following the saga of Nathan and Eva, Tom and Ashley. From some it’s been feedback, saying they’re enjoying the stories or commenting on particular story lines. That’s always good to know. Sometimes a reader may have a question, maybe hasn’t understood something in my colloquial UK verbage. Or they may want to know when the next book comes out, or what to read first.

I always reply. And quick. I can’t speak for other authors, naturally not, but I expect most of us feel the same way about reader feedback – we love it, and we particularly love hearing from people who’ve enjoyed our stories. Even if you have a quibble, I’d like to know about it. I’ve had some fantastic conversations with readers, telling me snippets from their own lives and how my books affect them. I love to know that stuff, it makes it all so much more real for me.

It’s good business too. Readers keep authors in business, their thoughts count.
Reviews are great. Good reviews are better than great. But direct comments from readers top the lot for me so keep ’em coming.

Contact Links: Readers can reach me on my blog, www.ashebarker.com. I’m also on Facebook, and on twitter, as well as Goodreads and Pinterest. And you can find me on the Totally Bound website too.

Apart from the third book in the Sure Mastery series, Surefire which is on general release from 7 February I also have a short story coming out on the same day. It’s part of Totally Bound’s Paramour anthology which features older women and the younger men who make them hot under the collar. My story, Re-Awakening, will be cuddled up with wonderful stories from three more Totally Bound authors - Ayla Ruse, Elizabeth Coldwell and MK Schiller - so it’s well worth a look.

Buy links: You can get your hands on Surefire or Re-Awakening from Totally Bound



Author Biog: Until 2010 I was a director of a regeneration company in Leeds, in the UK, before becoming convinced there must be more to life. I left to work as an independent consultant, and still do some of that though most of my time is now spent writing. At last I’ve been able to realise my dream of writing erotic romance myself. I’ve been an avid reader of fiction for many years, erotic and other genres, and I still love reading historical and contemporary romances – the hotter the better. But now I have a good excuse – research.

In my own writing I usually draw on settings and anecdotes from my own experience to lend colour, detail and realism to my plots and characters, but my stories of love, challenge, resilience and compassion are the conjurings of my own lurid imagination.

When not writing – which is not very often - my time is divided between my role as resident taxi driver for my teenage daughter, and caring for a menagerie of dogs, rabbits, tortoises.  And most recently a very grumpy cockatiel.  I’m a rural parish councillor, and I’m passionate about evolving rural traditions and values to suit twenty first century lifestyles.

I’ve just completed my third trilogy in the Black Combe ‘family’ and I’m well on with writing the fourth, as well as a novella, a short story, and a stand-alone novel for Totally Bound’s ‘What’s Her secret?’ imprint. All are due for release over the next few months.

Excerpt:

Sure Mastery has been described by several readers as emotional. More than one told me they actually cried while they were reading it and I have to confess I shed a tear or two while I was writing the story. Ashley’s story is one of loss and loneliness, and of domestic abuse and its consequences. She wants to be Tom’s submissive, but can’t sort out in her head how and why that would be different from the abuse she suffered in a previous relationship.

In this scene, Tom is about to punish Ashley, but wants to make sure she knows the difference between what he’s doing, and how she feels about it, and everything that went before.

He nods briefly. “Yes, Ashley. You should. You don’t have to agree, but you should at least listen. I did listen to you and found another way to deal with the problem. But you’re new to farm life, and you’ve a lot to learn. It’ll come. That’s not why we’re here though.”
Isn’t it? I look up at him, surprised.
“We’re here because you walked out on me.” He pauses, lets that sink in before he elaborates further. “We argued, disagreed about something, and you pissed off. Went back to ‘your home’ as you called it. This is your home, Ashley, and I don’t want you to forget that again. And that’s why I’m teaching you this lesson. Commitment means you don’t just bail out of our relationship at the first sign of trouble. You stay, we work on it. We talk. I wouldn’t have walked out on you, I won’t, whatever happens. I expect the same commitment from you. Do I have it?”
I stare at him, horrified. And deeply ashamed. It’s true. I did do exactly that. I wanted my own way, so I just stopped listening to Tom, ignored his point of view. Instead I leaped onto my quad and left him there on the moor. I deserve the beating he’s about to administer. If I could, I’d do it myself.
I step forward and lean across the hay bale, settling my upper body on the blanket.
“I’m ready.”
“Yes, you are. Or very nearly. One last thing though, Ashley.” He leans on the bale alongside me, his hip propped against the hay.
I turn, peer at him over my shoulder. Maybe he intends to tie me up first.
Apparently not. It seems he has more to say. “This is the second time I’ve punished you when you’ve done something that pissed me off. The first time, that first day when I came to your cottage, you hated it. Hated me probably.”
I shake my head, start to deny it.
He silences me with one raised finger. “Quiet please, and listen. Okay, so you may not have hated me, but you hated being spanked, even if I did give you an orgasm afterwards. And you were certainly terrified then, and in the days after. You’re behaving very differently now. Why is that?”
I gaze up at him, and I find I’m wondering the same thing. Why is this different? Before I can scrape together any sort of response, he reaches out and lightly caresses my bottom. The bottom he’s soon intending to thrash with his belt. I remain still, my toes curling and my pussy moistening as he continues to massage my buttocks, increasing the pressure until I’m squirming with arousal.
“I know Kenny used to hit you, when he was angry. Maybe even when he wasn’t. Did you lie still and allow him to stroke your bum first like this, or maybe finger fuck you, like this?” His voice is soft, a sexy, sensual murmur as he leans over me, his wonderful, talented fingers working smoothly to bring me to a glittering orgasm.
I gasp, and my head falls forward to rest on the blanket as he slides his fingers between my legs and sinks three of them deep into my pussy. I spread my thighs without him needing to ask, and he moves now to stand immediately behind me. He’s laid the belt on top of the bale, and is using his free hand to reach between my legs to rub my clit.
It doesn’t take long. It never does when Tom decides I’m to come, and come fast. He thrusts his fingers deep, angling to hit my sensitive G-spot, and lightly squeezes my clit. He grips the throbbing nub between his index and middle finger and flicks the tip with the pad of his thumb. It’s too much, and in moments I’m moaning as my climax builds and erupts, all my nerve endings seemingly connected to that little button under his thumb. I grasp the blanket, curling my fingers in it as I rotate my hips, silently begging him to fuck me. He doesn’t do that though, not yet. Instead he continues to slide his fingers in and out of my pussy as I clench and spasm around him, squeezing hard to generate more friction, more sensation.
 “Greedy little slut. That’s enough for now I think. More later. When you’ve learnt your lesson and I’m sure it’s sunk in.” He withdraws his fingers, and I lie there, gasping. His tone has hardened, and I know this interlude is over. On to the main event, the main reason we’re here and I’m draped half naked across a bale of hay.
He leans over me, his hands on either side of my shoulders, his face close to my ear. “Is this different from Kenny?”
Christ, yes!
“How, Ashley? How is it different?”
I didn’t realise I spoke out loud, but I suppose I must have. And now he’s insisting on an answer.
“How, Ashley? Think, and tell me.”
“Because it’s you. You won’t hurt me.”
“I think you know I will.”
“No, not really. And you’ll stop if I ask you to. If I say my safe word.”
“So, you know it’s going to hurt. But you’ll still allow me to punish you. Is this abuse then, Ashley, or something else?”
I’m trying hard to concentrate, but in my post-orgasmic haze, it’s difficult to think straight. One thing I am sure of though, there’s nothing in the least bit abusive about Tom Shore. He loves me, I love him and this is how we resolve our differences. No sulking, no harsh words or cruelty. We have rules, and he enforces those rules. Then it’s over, and we’re even more closely connected than we were before.
“Ashley? Do you feel I’m abusing you? Bullying you? I want you to say so if you do.”
I shake my head vehemently, partly in denial and partly to clear my thinking. My voice is a whisper, but that has nothing to do with fear now. This is a deeply emotional moment, a pivotal point in our relationship. I know better than to move before he tells me I can, but I’m yearning just to turn to face him and sink my fingers into his hair as he sinks his cock into me. Nothing less will do now, but first we have unfinished business.
“No, I don’t feel that. I love you, and I know you love me. I deserve to be punished. Please do it.”
He straightens. “Happy to oblige, my sweet. I think twenty strokes would be about right. Would you agree?”
I nod contentedly and flex my fingers in the blanket. “Yes, twenty sounds perfect.”