Archive for the ‘erotic romance’ Category

Today lets talk toys, playing with toys and buying toys  – no, not the sort you get in Toys R Us or down the chimney at Christmas. I’m talking ‘sex toys’, playing with sex toys, buying them, using them and what we think of them featuring in the books we read.

Some of you may flush or feel embarrassed, but I hope you’ll stay and I hope you’ll post comments at the end, maybe some of you will even share tips about toys on the market – anonymous if you prefer.  Because even if you don’t want to leave your name it is fine to talk about these additions to our sex lives, it is fine to own them and use them. Toys are great, they’re sexually liberating for many and can spice up relationships to dizzying levels and save stale marriages from years of dullness and routine.  We should celebrate the fact that some very inventive companies out there take the time to do research and invent them, manufacture and sell them – okay, I agree, some are ridiculously expensive, but can you put a price on a truly satisfying bedroom session and a great orgasm? – I guess that’s a whole other blog!

Most people know about the basic toys available.  Vibrators and handcuffs, blindfolds and feathered ticklers, but here’s a list I’ve compiled of some of the others I can think of;

Cock Rings. Dildos. Paddles, Handcuffs. Whips.  Anal Beads. Butt plugs. Nipple Clamps, Sex Swings (take a little more preparation) Vibrating tongue rings. Remote control Vibrators and Panties. Double ended vibrators for girl fun. Sexy  DVD’s. Prostate massagers for him.  And get this one I saw recently for sale ‘Death by Orgasm – the Fang Bang Vibrator’ Phew!

As I was compiling this list I was thinking about some of the toys I’ve used in my books. Ticking them off in my head as I went along. A surprising amount have featured and I pondered for a moment on why this might be the case.

Mmm?

Then I cast my mind back to the first piece of erotic romance I had published. It was a story called ‘Madam President’ – it actually won first place in a competition and one of the conditions of entry was a sex toy had to feature (the competition was organised by www.lovehoney.co.uk ). In this story I had the British PM playing a very naughty game with a remote control vibrator to persuade the first female president of the US to agree to his global warming policy. Hee, hee, such naughty fun in the Oval Office – you can read this story for free by following the link on my website by the way.

So perhaps this is where my habit of toys claiming starring roles in my stories started.

What else has featured since then – scratching head and pulling thoughtful expression – oh yes, paddles and handcuffs in ‘Shared’ a hot ménage set in Cardiff featuring the luckiest woman on earth.  Sexy DVD’s and a big, black vibrator in ‘Thief’, he uses the vibrator on her for extra fun. In ‘The Mother of all Hen Nights’ – a steamy fairy tale about Cinderella’s hen night in a BDSM club, I’ve got, nipple clamps, butt plugs, paddles (engraved with the princes emblem for extra branding!) handcuffs attached to the ceiling, sex shows, thigh length boots, gags. Phew! Got a bit carried away there didn’t I?

I wrote a story for Rachel Kramer Bussel’s newest release ‘Orgasmic’ called ‘Making Shapes’. It’s about a sculptress who moulds real life body parts and one day becomes besotted with the cast of a man’s penis she’s made, it’s just so perfect, big and shiny, twisted with thick bulging veins, two tiny freckles on the head, just to the right of the slit… sometimes I worry about my own imagination! So she in effect made her own sex toy, a very talented young lady.

I like to read about toys in stories too. Lora Leigh uses plenty, remember the things Clint and Morganna get up to in Dangerous Games? And in Kristina Lloyds ‘Asking for Trouble’ a banana is star of the show in one chapter – bit squishy for me but it makes for fabulous reading material.

Of course some of these toys maybe considered hard core play. But in all my stories, as should most definitely be the case in real life, both partners are consenting and have a wonderful time, no matter what toys they’re playing with. Yes, even Madam President has enormous fun.

So where to buy these delightful inventions? Well, the wonders of the internet and discreet brown boxes have to play a leading role. But also I’ve been to several parties over the years, girls only, where these products are passed around and giggled over with a glass of wine. Orders are taken discreetly but in my experience everyone is usually boasting about what they’ve bought, all good fun until morning at the office and the financial director’s assistant, recently divorced is wondering why she told everyone she fancied a go with that ‘We Vibe Clitoral and G-spot vibrator’. Poor girl – she blushed for a week.

Somewhat of a novelty a while ago was a party for men along the same theme. I quizzed my resident hunk about it when he came home. ‘Business deal’ he muttered ‘of course no-one knows what I ordered’. Seems they were all quiet and serious and very secretive, not what I would have expected at all – and don’t ask what he bought, ‘cause I’m not telling *big grin*

So the wonder of toys, just because we’re adult doesn’t mean we can’t play with them anymore. And as for reading and writing about them, I’m so glad it’s okay to do that and experience the fun of play voyeuristically through characters experiences, because let’s face it, there are some toys out there that would make your eyes water!

Do share your thoughts, and be sure to swing by my website www.lilyharlem.weebly.com to read my FREE stories and see what else I have been up to, including this week’s new release ‘Mattress Music’ where the hot lyrics become the rock and roll toy of the moment.

Thanks for having me.

My e-book ‘Mattress Music’ is released today at Ellora’s Cave. It’s the first in a set of three short stories based in London focusing on ‘rock and roll’ in a very literal sense! Watch out for the other two books coming in the New Year, ‘Mirror Music’ and ‘Ménage à Music.’

Here’s the blurb

Is it possible to lose one’s ability to orgasm? Nina has. Lately, her fun weekend hook-ups have been more “ho-hum” than “hot damn”! It doesn’t help that she has three flatmates and is forced to play loud music to mask the sounds of her lovemaking. Talk about distracting! Of course, there’s another reason Nina’s less than satisfied these days…she’s just having a hard time admitting it.

It’s a good thing she’s met Ian, then. Not content to be a weekend hook-up, Ian is set on giving Nina what she’s been missing while making her admit what she needs. His talented fingers—and other body parts—are up to the task. But Ian’s not admitting a few things himself. Turns out his fingers can do more than make Nina’s body sing.

When she discovers his secret, it’s time for both of them to face the music.

Bio: Lily Harlem lives in the UK with a workaholic hunk and a crazy cat. With a desk overlooking farmland, she allows her imagination to run free and revels in being able to use the written word as an outlet for her creativity. Lily’s stories are made up of colourful characters traveling on everyone’s favourite journey — falling in love. If the story isn’t romantic, sexy and exciting, it won’t be written, at least not by this author. Lily also won the 2009 Love Honey Award for Erotic Fiction with an American inspired tale titled ‘Madam President’. Read it for free at her website  http://www.lilyharlem.weebly.com/ and check out other great authors and hot inspirational pictures.

Find out more about Lily Harlem at http://www.lilyharlem.weebly.com/ or purchase your copy of Mattress Music here http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8777-50-mattress-music.aspx

HALLOWEEN is a fun Holiday for letting loose and having fun but sometimes too much fun can have the opposite affect. Louisa Bacio is here in the Backseat sharing her Halloween Holiday fun with us.

Hpnotiq: A Little Too Naughty?
 
Our Halloween festivities actually began last Tuesday with an adventure to Disneyland’s “Mickey’s Halloween Party.” Then came the costume carnival at my daughters’ school on Friday, with a final culmination of the actual food & freak fest on Sunday night. Is there such a thing as having too much fun?
 
Halloween seems to be split into kid activities and those for adults. We were invited to a few Halloween parties, and I thought, “Really? Let’s dump these kids and go have a good time!” NOT. The little ones are only little for a short while. Instead, it’s making the best out of the experience. And, specifically, for me that means some tasty treats and even better (alcoholic) drinks!
 
On Halloween night, I stirred up a mighty mean Witches’ Brew, simmered on a bed of smoking dry ice, and spiked with plenty of vodka. On the side we sipped champagne and Hpnotiq, a passion fruit-infused vodka that’s ice blue. Not only does it look pretty in the glasses, it tastes good, too.
 
A few hours of trick-or-treating, candy bags overflowing and a laughter-filled evening, and the adults, as well as the children, were done in. Now only if we could have all slept in later. Who schedules Halloween on a Sunday night!
 
The next day may be a little queasy and gooey and weary, but the party memories last forever.
 
Louisa Bacio

Louisa Bacio started reading A. N. Roquelaure’s Sleeping Beauty series at an impressionable age, and has been hooked on erotic romance ever since. She believes that everyone should have a little love, and a lot of pleasure, in their lives.
Bacio enjoys soaking up the sun in Southern California, and spending time with her family.

For more thrills, check out Bacio’s debut erotic thriller Sex University: Physical Education. Her story “Two’s Company” can be found in I Kissed a Girl: A Virgin Lesbian Anthology, and “The Wait” can be read in Rekindled Fire: An Anthology of Reunited Lovers. Drop in for a visit at http://louisabacio.blogspot.com/ or http://www.ravenousromance.com or if your interested in purchasing Sex University: Physical Education you can get it here http://www.ravenousromance.com/modern-love/physical-education.php?keyword=louisa+bacio

Hi Everyone!

We are excited to welcome Author Bianca Swan to the Backseat today to share with us what she found so fascinating about the Andalusian horse and why it is such a big part of her book Hot Spanish Nights.

Thanks for the opportunity to ride in the Backseat! Readers can go to my blog site for the excerpt of Hot Spanish Nights here http://biancaswanblog.wordpress.com and dont forget I’ll offer a HSN coffee cup to a random reader who comments on my post.

THE BULLFIGHTING HORSE OF SPAIN – THE HORSE OF KINGS – THE ANDALUSIAN
 
Surrender to imagination.  Envision a fairy-tale horse prancing across the mountains and plains of ancient times, his unshod hooves lifted high in a dramatic trot.  This white stallion, his thick mane unfurled like a flag , canters boldly toward an angry bull and the cheers of the crowd rise into a blue-hot Spanish sky.                                       The Andalusian is an ancient pure breed that has been carefully preserved over the centuries.  In Northern Spain, cave paintings depict men leading Mesolitic horses with convex heads, solid muscular bodies, elegant necks and luxurious manes.  Circa 1,100 B.C., Homer refers to the Iberian horse in his Iliad.  Xenophon, the ‘father’ of modern equitation, praises the gifted Iberian horses and horseman who fought in the Peloponneisian Wars in 431 B.C.  Julius Caesar wrote of the noble steeds of Hispania in “Del Bollo Gallico.”  The Iberian horse carried Hannibal across the Alps in his invasion of Italy (though the elephants got all the credit!).  History records Richard I and many of his knights mounted on “airy Spanish Destriers”.
In the heyday of European monarchies, the Andalusian’s flair, style and formidable carriage made him the mount of choice for the aristocracy.  Not only did the Spanish horse excel in battle but he was a fancy parade horse and an elegant fine harness animal.   This popularity earned the Iberian horse a grandiose title, “Horse of Kings” or “Royal Horse of Europe.”   Indeed, there was a time when no crowned head would consider having a portrait painted on any horse other than an Andalusian.              The 17th-century Flemish painter, Peter Paul Rubens, chose the Spanish horse, with its robust body and flowing mane and tail, for his paintings.   The artist is noted for his voluptuous, full-bodied nudes, and the Andalusian horse epitomizes the term “Rubenesque.”  The Spanish horse and Rubens’ passionate style were the quintessence of the opulent Baroque era.  As a popular painter and a pro-Spanish diplomat, Rubens’ work and his pro-Spanish politics accompanied him on his diplomatic missions.  Thus, via canvas, the Spanish horse was introduced to the high courts of Europe.
Rubens painted portraits of such famous personages as the governors of the Spanish Netherlands, King Charles I of England, King Philip IV of Spain, the Spanish Duke of Lerma, Kings Henri IV and Henri XIII of France, the Polish Princes Ladislas Sigismund and the Duke of Lerma.  In “Capture at Juliers”, Rubens allegorically depicts Marie de Medici mounted on a Spanish horse.  Many of his works, including “St. George and the Dragon” (c. 1606-1610), feature the Spanish horse in powerful and fierce battle poses, which seemed to satisfy his taste for depicting violent action and lovely women.                                                                                                               Van Dyke, Rubens’ most celebrated pupil, depicted Charles I on an Andalusian, and the Spanish painter Velazquez painted Philip III and Queen Isabel of Bourbon riding Andalusians.  But in the late 18th and 19th centuries, the trend to greater size and scope in horses began to adversely affect the Andalusian’s popularity.
Then a tragic plague followed by a devastating famine nearly swept the breed into oblivion, but, fortunately, in a few mountainous areas of the country, the Carthusian monks carefully preserved the depleted blood stock and began the long journey to re-establishing the breed.  In order to conserve these rare horses for breeding, the Spanish government placed an embargo on their export and, for over 100 years, the Andalusian was virtually unseen by the rest of the world.   Only a scattered one or two Andalusians came to this country prior to the 1960′s, and it was virtually impossible to see one outside art or film.
Throughout history, the Spanish horse has remained remarkably pure.  The Andalusian is very sturdy, with a long sloping shoulder which gives him a lofty and pleasant trot.  His wide chest, deep heart, strong, short back and well-rounded hind quarters give him the ability to sit down on his haunches and balance on his hind legs.  The crested neck with its curtain of silky mane and the thick, long tail add elegance and a story-book beauty.  Though most people imagine the Andalusian as the dancing white horse, the Spanish Registry recognizes blacks and bays as well.  The Andalusian ranges in size from 15 hands to 17 hands, with the average being 15.3-16.0.                                                                                                                                          In an era when the mounted soldier trusted his life to his horse, the Andalusian’s strength and natural gift for collection made him the premier warhorse of Europe. When mortal conflict waged hand-to-hand, the Andalusian was the soldier’s best friend or worst nightmare, depending on which side of the battle you faced him.                                                                                                                               Dressage, today’s fastest growing sport, developed as a means to school the superior warhorse.   The so-called airs-above-the-ground, capriole and courbette, were designed to strike terror in the enemy foot soldiers.  In capriole, the horse leaps into the air and kicks out with his hind feet.  In courbette, he rears and jumps forward on his hind feet. 
It is easy to see why a horse, so bold and quick, that he can dart near enough for a mounted bullfighter to place a rose between the horns of a maddened bull then whisk away before being gored, is a definite advantage in battle.
 

The Andalusian horse has a major supporting role in Hot Spanish Nights, released October 29th by The Wild Rose Press.  http://www.thewildrosepress.com.  However, the hero (a mounted bullfighter) and the heroine (a Virginia socialite) soon venture beyond the bounds of riding instructor and pupil…into the realms of lust…and maybe love.
Hot Spanish Nights, a Wilder Rose publication, is an erotic novella that can be read in a fever.

Bio: Bianca lives in Texas with her baby grand piano and is very fond of her snazzy little convertible.  She still believes in the power of love—and the power of lust—and enjoys delving into the soul of both the L-Words, bringing to life hot men and the hot women who love them.  She has been writing since she was a teen, and that is a long time ago!  For thirteen years, she bred, trained and showed Andalusian horses.  Her stallion, imported from Costa Rica was twice National Champion at halter.  Though she no longer owns horses, like everyone who is a horse lover, those dreams on the hoof are still in the blood.

You can find out more about Bianca Swan here: http://www.biancaswan.com or here http://biancaswanblog.wordpress.com or here http://www.thewildrosepress.com/  You can buy your copy of Hot Spanish Nights Here: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/wilderroses/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=182&products_id=792

HALLOWEEN is always thought of as a way of becoming someone or something else but what do you do if you are just not brave enough to pull off that sexy fairy or naughty nurse? Author Melissa Aires is here in the Backseat to tell us all about it. Dont forget to leave a comment about your costume adventures  for a chance to win an Ebook copy of Melissa’s Del Fantasma: Demonade.

My Secret Desire (For Halloween Glamour!) 

Do you dress up for Halloween? I do almost every year for work. Alas, I don’t have anyplace to where a costume to in my non-working life. Such is the life of an introvert. No way I’ll go to Halloween Karaoke dressed as Dorothy from Oz–that is a thing of nightmares! 
 
My costumes for work are always super G rated. One year I was a munchkin with pink argyle socks, one year I was a moll–that was fun and cute with pin curls and red lipstick. Then there was the string of years I wore a peach satin bridesmaid dress and carried a wand made from a dowel and a plastic jack o’lantern. I got a lot of wear out of that bridesmaid dress. I had fun being a blue alien in a blue star print pajama shirt, blue tights makeup, and antennas–but I did wear bright pink lipstick because blue lips make your teeth look awful. 
 
Secretly I yearn to wear something sexy and gorgeous– a witch, with glittery false eyelashes and black cherry lips, or a woodland fairy in gauze and leaves with crazy-cute messy hair. 
 
We dressed up today at work. I wore a giant felt jack o’lantern. Seriously, I need to plan a little more glamour into next year’s costume! 
 
My heroine Trudy in my latest release Del Fantasma: Demonade, dresses up in sexy goth miniskirts and vinyl bodice outfits to hunt in goth clubs. Now, that sounds like an interesting costume! She wouldn’t be caught dead in a felt jack o’lantern. 
 
My characters always lead much more exciting lives than I do! 

Comment on this post by 11/5 about your cool costumes–or lack thereof–to be entered in a drawing for a pdf ebook of Del Fantasma: Demonade. Since I love Halloween I will also pick names for some of my backlist ebooks. Happy Halloween! 

Find out more about Melissa Aires at http://www.melisseaires.com/   or purchase your own copy of Del Fantasma: Demonade at http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/more-hot-reads/del-fantasma-demonade/prod_316.html

       

 

Black Cats…

I’ve always been a cat person.  When I was a kid, we lived in a rural area and I always enjoyed springtime because that meant kittens.  Every spring the three or four mother cats would have a litter of soft mewing fur balls. They were so adorable and helpless.  The cats were barn cats so most of them didn’t make it very long, but I always had a cat or ten following me around.  When I was married my hubby didn’t care for cats, but out of love, he gave me a cat for our first Christmas, soon the cat liked him better than she liked me.  He’s a cat person now too.

We have a black cat named Rascal and the little stinker lives up to his name.  His breed is Bombay and true to the breed, he loves people.  He’s my little writing buddy.  I write after the kids are asleep because I have a day job so I’m up late every night banging away at the keyboard. Rascal stays up with me sleeping in the chair next to me or watching me type from the back of the breakfast nook bench.  As soon as I turn, the computer off he’s at the stairs waiting for me to go to bed.  He’ll stop and wait until I’ve got up a few steps and then he’ll go up a few more and stop again. I think he thinks I don’t know how to find my bed since I spend so few hours in it!

 

As soon as he’s tucked me in, he goes and crawls in to my daughter’s bed with our other cat and goes to sleep.  He’s such a cute little thing.  This summer I decided to write something for Halloween.  When I started to think about what Halloween means to me, I decided that black cats were at the top of my list.  That’s how Just One Night was born in my imagination. Here’s the blurb…

Wynn Goode made a big mistake when he took two of his witch wife’s coven sisters to his bed and expected his wife to join in the fun. Cursed for two hundred years to a life as a tomcat he is only human for one day a year and the only way for him to break the curse is to make a woman truly love him. Mika is a Native American girl who has left her life on the reservation to move to Chicago and act on the stage. When a very strange cat adopts her, she begins to have some very erotic dreams. Will Wynn be able to save her from her jealous ex and make her love him before All Hallows Eve?

I loved writing this story and it just proves that black cats aren’t really bad luck after all.  I hope you will enjoy reading Just One Night as much as I enjoyed writing it.  Silver Publishing releases it on October 30^th just in time for you to read it and get in the All Hallows Eve spirit.  I hope it will be your favorite “treat” this year.

Happy Halloween **hugs** ~Ashlynn~

 

Ashlynn Monroe is a busy wife and mom. She’s been writing since she was a teenager for her own pleasure but in her thirties, she decided it was time to share her stories. She enjoys writing about anything and everything paranormal or fantasy related while maintaining a career as a full time customer service professional.  When she is not lovingly raising her young family, she is dreaming up her next tale of romance.  She’d love to hear from you at authorashlynnmonroe@gmail.com.  Visit her website at http://ashlynnmonroe.webs.com/ or for her YA books go to http://ashlynnmonroeya@webs.com/.

 

A Demon’s Kiss

by Sable Grey

Publisher: Breathless Press

Patricia Weaver has always loved Jack Avery, but when she finds out he’s a soul-collecting demon, everything changes. Drawn to him despite the darkness that surrounds who and what he is, Patricia finds herself swept away by his sexual heat but in the end must decide if she can accept and love him…talons and all.

(Synopsis: Breathless Press)

Genre: Erotic Romance (mild), Light Paranormal, Historical

A Demon’s Kiss by Sable Grey

Review by Jasmine

4.5/5 Whips in the Backseat

A Demon’s Kiss by Sable Grey is a solid short read.  It is not every author that can this scillfully pack a punch of paranormal demons and sweet romance.  Sweet is the only way I can think to describe the interaction between Patricia and Jack.  She has pined for him as he runs the general store, he has been listening to her thoughts, that are anything but innocent when it comes to him.  The question is, when the Demon wings come out will she stay or will she run?

What I found very interesting is that the book is a historical set in 1837 Roscoe, Colorado.  Really as I read the historical setting slipped away which I found rather nice.  It would have hung up a story this short if the author had dwelled to much on the setting and distracted from the boy likes girl, girl likes boy aspect.  All in all this is a nice read, that warms the heart, as we see that courting between the hero and the heroine brought to a head by her discovery of Jack’s Demonic side.  Otherwise they likely would have been going on carriage rides and picnics for quite a while in their chaste road towards marriage.

Definitely a fun read for those that are partial to the genres of paranormal or historical and even for those that are not.  The relationship between these two characters drives the story like the most enjoyable reads do.

- Jasmine

Buy the Book at Breathless Press – http://www.breathlesspress.com/erotic/a-demon-s-kiss.html

Visit Sable Grey’s Website to Learn more about this and other titles – http://sablegrey.net/home/

I am excited to welcome Debra Glass to the Backseat today -

Usually I am the only one who does interviews – so to keep things interesting I have decided to add my two cents to some of the answers – and leave only the most interesting questions.  So Enjoy!

- Terry Kate

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?

I joke that my day job is writing and I moonlight as a tour guide. I started a ghost walk tour in my hometown and during the week of Halloween, I escort people to the local haunted sites and tell ghost stories.

What was your favorite book as a child? Why?

My favorite childhood book was 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey by Kathryn Tucker Windham. Ms. Windham is an Alabama storyteller who possesses a lovely Deep South accent. I always enjoyed her creepy tales steeped in legend
and truth.

Sexy heels or comfy flats?

When I go out, I love to wear my favorite pair of wicked stiletto boots. At home, I’m a typical Alabama girl – bare feet!

-  I thought the barefoot part of the Southern woman experience was an exaggeration.

Heroines – Spicy or sweet? Heroes – Cowboy, vampire, or minister?

I love a spicy heroine who has a vulnerable side. I especially enjoy the banter between a strong heroine and an alpha hero. In choosing between cowboy, vampire, or minister, I’d have to take the vampire. I love the idea of otherworldly power and the strength the vampire has to have not to devour the heroine.

- Minister?  Where did that come from?  Alien would have been more likely if I was asking the question!

What’s your favorite word? Least favorite word?

My favorite word is “dangerous.”  My least favorite word is any buzz word currently being bandied about. Right now, because it’s an election year, the word “transparency” has me cringing.

- I have a friend who plans to give his kids, Danger, Sexy, and Adventure for middle names.  We shall see if the future Mrs Bernstein agrees.

Swings or merry-go-round?

Swings. Of course! (the indoor kind)

Winter or Summer?

Summer, summer, summer. I hate to be cold.

Bad boy or Good boy?

I like a nice, healthy mix. Bad boys can be selfish and good boys can be boring.  One with both attributes is continually full of surprises.

Leather or Lace?

A mix. I adore an 18th century badass hero with lace cuffs.

- I like lacy or leather, both at once, each separately, more, less all…

Hot sexy love scenes or sweet romance?

The hotter the better! But I love to focus on the emotions in a love scene rather than the physical choreography.

Vampire, werewolf or ghost?

Ghosts! My Phantom Lovers series feature a trio of ghostly heroes that I adore.  In Lucid, the hero is the ghost of Lord Byron. I love writing a historical hero into a paranormal romance.

Favorite location for a romance?

I’ve set several of my romances in my hometown in Alabama. I’ve read to write where you know instead of what you know. Because I know the scents, sounds and sultry feel of an Alabama summer night, I can describe the hell out of it!

-  Alabama sounds like the location for a Horror Movie, and Texas, and Vermont, and Nevada maybe… but hey I am from Jersey and that is other peoples nightmare location.

My current release, Twice the Novice, is set in the Bavarian Alps in Germany, where I spent two summers. I tried to bring the rugged but fairytale beauty of that land to both my characters, the plot, and the description of my fictional castle,  Sommerhald. (Oops, did I just give away who inspired Axel von Sommerhalder, Novice’s hero?)

Is setting important to you as a reader? What type settings do you like to read? Comment by October 23 to be entered in a drawing for a free download of my Taboo Ellora’s Cave release, Twice the Novice.

Debra Glass
History for the Taking ~ http://DebraGlass.com
Sign up for my free newsletter ~ http://eepurl.com/JuP9

Night Ranger’s Moon

by Tara Nina

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

ISBN: 1-60154-800-1

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Synopsis:

Weylin Anthropos is a Lykoian with anger issues and a demon in his past that haunts his soul.  He’s a Night Ranger, one of the elite protector’s of the Lykoian clans. Without the backing of the council, Weylin sets out to find his brother. The trail leads him to Mississippi and a village that many Lykoians would rather forget.
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Ghosts of the past linger on these hallowed grounds but are disturbed by an intruder…an enemy from his ancestry. One he must face and defeat if he is to survive and find his brother.
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Long and lethal, a charcoal gray wolf from an unfamiliar clan interferes in his surveillance. Her presence toys with his mind, body, and soul. Where did she come from? How did she find him?  And most of all, what did she want?

—–

Night Ranger’s Moon by Tara Nina

Book Review by Pepper

3.6/5 Whips
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Night Rangers Moon gives a different slant on the wolf-shifter genre, bringing together two Lykoians who are both an elite type of wolf cop. One a rogue and the other by the book, they are forced to work together to complete their missions. It’s an interesting premise, and Tara Nina handles the plot well, giving us lots of twists and turns, suspense and excitement, and hot steamy sex.
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I had only one problem with Night Ranger’s Moon. While I enjoyed the sex scenes, after the first one I didn’t really feel they moved the story along like they should have. It was almost as if they were inserted to fill space. That said, the plot was really first class, and the villain more than a match for the hero and heroine. There were enough twists and turns and interesting characters to make Night Ranger’s Moon worth reading.

—

Find out more about Tara Nina’s other titles on her website – http://www.taranina.com/

READ AN EXCERPT:

Excerpt:

An unusual, erotic scent filled his nose as he caught the surprised and angry heat in a set of sexy cobalt blue eyes staring back at him. He paused and suddenly knew he couldn’t snap the creature’s life vein even if he wanted. The knowledge of who lived within this wolf’s flesh washed over him. Pure need filtered through his system causing him to harden. Intense animal urges thrashed through his veins yet he refused to bow. Never had he taken a female in wolf form, and he wasn’t about to do so now. To do that mated him for life, and he wanted no mate.

Not now, not ever.

On an angry growl, Weylin released the death grip he held to her throat and backed away. He shook his entire being and returned to human form. Naked, he stood before the female wolf and knew he stared at the woman he followed through the village.

She sat upright on hind haunches, held her chin in a regal tilt, and returned his steady gaze. The dilation of her pupils gave the only indication that his naked form affected her in any way. He read defiance in those hot cobalt blues. Good, he decided. It seemed to him, she battled nature’s demands and wanted no mate either.

Though, according to an antiquated Lykoian law, he’d won the right to take her as his own. He’d beaten her. In the ancient culture, that meant he could mount her and mate her if he chose, and she could not resist. But he didn’t believe in the archaic testaments of the old tribal ways. With a sister of his own to protect, he was a true believer in the freedom of choice when it came to a mate. His lip curled as he stared at the beautiful wolf. Desire roared through him urging him to claim his right.

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Tara Nina’s other titles with The Wild Rose Press

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Blue Moon Rising

by Tara Nina

ISBN 1-60154-058-2

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Missing children, werewolves and a mysterious castle in the swamps of South Carolina test Rae Richardson’s version of reality. Strange things happen around her convincing her that maybe werewolves do exist. The sight of a large black wolf in the swamp only fuels her overactive imagination. Crossing paths with a handsome man ignites a fire in her soul she refuses to acknowledge. Something about this stranger raises her suspicions. Did he have a hand in the children’s disappearance? Or was it the over-powering need in her gut to be near him the reason for her mistrust?

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Nick Anthropos is on a quest, one that does not include saving children or meeting the woman of his dreams, his Lykoian soul mate. Her scent teases his senses and keeps him on edge. It’s obvious to him she doesn’t know her true self. But can he teach her to be the wolf he knows lies within her soul and save her from the very creature he set out to destroy? If he fails she would be lost forever.

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Lykoian’s get one chance in life to bond with their soul mate forever. Failure is not an option.

Lucky me, I had a fabulous publisher, Laura Baumbach step forward to give us a peek into ManLoveRomance (MLR) and its stable of authors. It is a fun term, stable – sounds kinda Naughty…

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Terry Kate: Welcome to Laura Baumbach, Owner/Publisher of MLR Press. You specialize in gay erotic romance and fiction, can you please share a little bit more about your Press and what readers can expect to find?

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Laura Baumbach: ManLoveRomance Press was created to bring m/m erotic romances to print for our readership. I write M/M erotic romance almost exclusively. I started out being published by a small print house in the LA area, and then began submitting and being accepted by multiple ebook publishers. My print house wasn’t paying royalties like they should have been and did nothing to promote the work. This made me frustrated and discontent. I began looking for other print publishers for my work. While one of my ebook publishers did take one of my stories to print in an anthology, they wouldn’t commit to doing more of my novels. Their focus was e-publishing and they had limited interest in doing print. I understood that but because I knew from my readership and fan letters that there was a growing interest in having these books in print, I continued to submit to houses like Alyson and Kensington. Unfortunately for me, they weren’t interested in gay erotic romance at that time. After a number of attempts and rejections of stories I knew where print worthy, I decided to gather together my closest and most talented friends within the industry and fill what I saw as a void in the publishing industry—a press for gay erotic romance and fiction by creating ManLoveRomance Press, LLC aka MLR Press. We publish the ‘feel good, falling in love again’ stories that readers were asking for.

I’ve kept the focus of MLR Press on gay erotic romance and fiction because that is the genre I know inside and out and can market and promote effectively. The readership for this genre is almost entirely straight women and gay men and I target different media and events for each, keeping in mind that there are a lot more cross over venues each year.

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TK: What makes a story stand out to you as something MLR Press should publish?

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LB: Writing in this genre is, to me, a calling. You have to understand the genre and its components. You can’t take a het romance and change one character’s name to make it two men. The way your characters act, talk and react are different and if you don’t have the understanding of that down pat it shows in the writing. It’s easy to spot someone who is writing M/M to cash in on the popularity of it and one who writes it because they have to because their characters won’t have it any other way.Characters have to be strong and plots intriguing and well-thought out. Sex should flesh out the characters or progress the story not just hang there in the air as filler. We like unique, edgy work.

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TK: What sub-genre is the most popular with readers?

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LB: Mystery. But any of the titles with good action and plot, breath-taking heroes and sizzling intimacy work.

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TK: And why not? We as readers want an experience other then our own, a little mystery or action would certainly spice my life up! On a more personal note, this is your company and being a publisher is a tough job. What is the hardest part of being a publisher?

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Laura Baumbach: Having to say no to an author. Whether is to a submission, a cover request, whatever. I like my people happy. But it isn’t always possible to do it 100% of the time.

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Terry Kate: Laura, thank you so much for your time and I am so excited to be hosting your authors all this week on Naughty Boys in the Backseat! To find out more about MLR join us this week and visit their website -

http://www.mlrpress.com

Writing about Achilleus and Ares was a thing waiting to happen for a long time. When I approached my brilliant co-writer Raev Gray with the idea, the Iliad and Troy had been sitting in my brain for something like 25 years. I grew up on the stuff – a collection of the mythology was one of the best gifts I ever got as a kid. Sex, passions, violence. I inhaled it all.
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Achilleus was one of my favourites – the greatest warrior who ever lived. His rage at the death of his ‘friend’ Patroklos, his bottomless, sacrilegious revenge had to have roots in love, I never doubted that. When I studied Ancient History (yup, got a degree in that), I learnt about the various interpretations of that relationship. “Did they or didn’t they” wasn’t a question that would have interested the Ancient Greeks.
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I have to admit I was pretty excited when they put “Troy” onto the big screen in 2004.   I’ve seen the – admittedly pretty trashy – film a dozen times. I even own it. But it never satisfied me. A million versions of the Iliad, and a million versions that never got the whole point – the point I saw in it.
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The big question that Achilleus faces is this: live long and raise a family, become a well-respected elder and king, or live short and win lots and lots of glory. As we all know from Homer’s story, he chooses the short life, and glory. Then his friend/lover/comrade Patroklos dies.
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And the question is – have you made the right decision, Achilleus? I never doubted that he’d sacrifice his own life for greatness – but would he sacrifice Patroklos? If he could give it all back in return for Patroklos’ life, would he?
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And that’s the core of all romance fiction, isn’t it? How much are we willing to sacrifice? What are we really made of?

-  Aleksandr Voinov

http://www.aleksandrvoinov.com/

http://www.aleksandrvoinov.blogspot.com/

FaceBook – Twitter:  vashtan