I am delighted to be part of the Fall Into Romance Blog Hop. I have the great good fortune to be able to share three different authors whose books I was very thrilled to find, one because I had the opportunity to edit, one set which captured my attention because I liked the premise in the blurb and one which I found through participating in a hop.
First, allow me to introduce you to a wonderful New Adult (think college-age protagonists) Science Fiction Romance tale which is called the 'Endure Series' and thus far has two volumes, Maven and Nemesis.
My blogpost about Maven is at this link. I will be reviewing Nemesis next week but I will say now that it was a terrific sequel and I am anxiously awaiting the next title in the series. I really enjoyed both of these titles because I like the mixture of science which appeals to the geek in me (it is set primarily on a research facility that is located beneath the sea and features dolphins--although they are very minor characters for the most part) and the blossoming relationship between two very brainy young adults who are finding their way in life and with one another. Yes, there is plenty of angst and I found myself wanting to smack them a couple of times but it is still a very fun read and I think that anyone who remembers being an awkward outsider anywhere can identify with these folks.
GIVEAWAY (one of three)
I am delighted to be able to offer an e-book copy of both Maven and Nemesis thanks to the generosity of the author, S.A. Huchton. Please enter by leaving a comment about what you find interesting about science fiction stories along with your valid e-mail address. (I always appreciate those of you who become followers of the blog but don't believe in twisting your arm). A winner will be chosen from eligible entries by using Random.org after the blog hop is over (i.e. after midnight Sept. 21, 2013 West coast U.S. time). My impression is that international entries should be admissible provided it is not illegal for you to accept such a prize (but I am definitely NO lawyer)
Please make sure that you mention which of my prizes you are trying for (and leave a separate comment, each with a valid e-mail address for each of prizes you wish to win) and THEN make sure you click the pretty button at the bottom to visit other blogs on the hop...you have until September 21, 2013 to visit the others so please try to space things out, lol.
I remind interested readers that the first book of the series, Maven is only $.99 for the e-book Maven (The Endure Series)
and the author is hosting a wonderful blog hop, my stop is at this link with interesting prizes to celebrate the release of Nemesis (see this link for details on other blog stops) which is only $2.99 for the e-book--Nemesis (The Endure Series, book 2)
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Adult title:
I had the great good fortune to read the contemporary erotic novella Sizzle because I was given the opportunity to edit it. This is the first work I have read from this author, and I sincerely think that she has an excellent voice. I was impressed by the breezy and comedic tone of the novella and enjoyed the various secondary characters, including a budding artist who threatens to steal the show for a brief time. My blog post about the story is at this link. I love tales that tickle my sense of humor enough to make me giggle as I read them and this author did a great job of that.
SIZZLE by Darcy Lundeen
Published June 2013 by Secret Cravings Publishing
BLURB:
She needs lessons in developing sexual sizzle. He’s only too happy to be her teacher.
Betsy Kincaid has no sexual sizzle.
At least that’s what her boyfriend claimed before he dumped her.
Determined to prove him wrong, Betsy puts learning to sizzle at the top of her to-do list. And who better to provide the lessons she needs than the safe and oh-so-willing gay guy who just moved in with her gay buddy?
Matt Pollard has had his share of disastrous relationships, so when the chance comes to help a foxy lady develop her sexual mojo while also enjoying some no-strings-attached bedroom action, he’s happy to oblige.
Unfortunately, they get more than they bargained for when romantic emotions threaten to complicate their simple arrangement.
Then Betsy discovers Matt isn’t gay. Her sense of betrayal at being misled is matched by his resentment at being blamed for an innocent mistake. But their anger could cost them the thing they both want most: a chance at true love.
EXCERPT:
As the hero, Matt, embarks on his first lesson of showing heroine Betsy the way to develop sexual sizzle, he embellishes on the art of kissing by devising his own special category of kisses. But I’ll let him explain it in the following excerpt.
“Kiss,” he said and took her face in his hands. “Always start slow.”
She tensed. Starting slow had always been her style. She loved starting slow, but something about him was making her feel nervous. Then his mouth touched hers, and nervous was the last thing she felt. Sheer panic was the first.
She tried to move her head away to tell him no, wait, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. But he stopped the movement, his hands holding her there. Not harshly, really very gently, like a man who had done this before. True, he’d done it with other men, but a face was a face, she supposed, and a kiss a kiss, no matter the sex of the people involved.
And then his right hand drifted down the side of her neck, raising goose bumps all over her body, and she thought, Whoa, that guy’s right hand is good.
Then his left arm drifted around her body, pulling her closer, and she thought, Really rocking left arm, too.
Then his teeth nipped at the corner of her closed mouth, and she thought, Great teeth, his dentist must be so proud.
Then his mouth did some primal thing—a slow, half-sucking, half-nibbling movement that raised another round of goose bumps on the goose bumps she already had and, without knowing how it happened, Betsy felt her mouth open to him and stopped thinking as his tongue worked its way inside, touching her tongue, stroking it, curling around it, and sending a shaft of heat clear down to her toes.
She cuddled closer, then closer again to get more of that primal thing he was doing. But too soon he eased away, gently breaking the lip-lock, and Betsy’s goose bumps screamed at her to grab the guy’s head and pull his mouth back. Only his words stopped her.
“Starter kiss,” he whispered, and she blinked at him and thought, If that was a starter kiss, what did the next level up feel like?
Then he lowered his head again, apparently to show her.
“The starter kiss is like an appetizer meant to prepare your taste buds for the next course,” he explained.
Betsy gave a half-nod. Made sense to her. It was certainly preparing her taste buds—something she suddenly realized Tyler’s starter kisses rarely did. Maybe because he usually also used them as finisher kisses just before he jumped her uncomplaining bones.
“This kiss is like a main course,” he said as his mouth came closer. “More intense but still not the hot-as-hell version. That one we save for dessert.”
“Dessert,” Betsy murmured.
Then his lips touched hers, pressing gently to coax her mouth open, and for a moment she forgot about dessert and willingly concentrated on the main course as the primal thing he did got more primal. He nibbled gently at her lips, then let his tongue come out to play, licking at the places he’d just snacked on until Betsy gladly opened her mouth to him. No coaxing necessary. Again, his tongue invaded—an intrepid explorer that seemed determined to know every inch of her. He did it so slowly, too, as if he would happily take days to do the job right if he had to.
“See the difference?” he asked a long time later when he finally broke the kiss but still kept his lips against hers.
“Difference?” she echoed dreamily.
Oh yes, she saw the difference. The starter kiss had turned her body into one gigantic quivering goose bump. This kiss had drenched her thong. She took a breath, almost afraid to think what his dessert kiss would do. Probably burn the skin right off her lips.
“Now the dessert kiss,” he said, and Betsy thought, Oh well, what’s a little singed flesh when measured against the benefits of higher education?
I’ll end here, but needless to say the scene continues a while longer so that Matt can demonstrate everything else he has on his menu.
BUY LINKS:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Secret Cravings Publishing
BIO:
Darcy Lundeen has long been a writer and researcher, working on topics as diverse as multiple sclerosis and the Soviet Union (when there still was a Soviet Union). She enjoys visiting the Ancient Egyptian and Etruscan exhibits in museums, taking long walks, and concocting stories about everyday people who laugh a lot, cry a little, and ultimately find the happily-ever-after they deserve.
Her debut novel, Finding You Again, was published by The Wild Rose Press in January 2012. Her second book, Sizzle, was published by Secret Cravings Publishing in June 2013.
She can usually be found at the following sites:
Blog
Facebook Author Page
GIVEAWAY
To win a copy of this fun title please leave a comment with a positive way you have coped with a breakup. If you are one of the fortunate folks who has never experienced a breakup, leave a comment with a positive way you cope with disappointments. Please leave a valid e-mail address.
Please make sure that you mention which of my prizes you are trying for (and leave a separate comment, each with a valid e-mail address for each of prizes you wish to win) and THEN make sure you click the pretty button at the bottom to visit other blogs on the hop...you have until September 21, 2013 to visit the others so please try to space things out, lol.
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Adult titles
The Dark Reign series by Mychael Black is a m/m erotic paranormal romance series featuring a fascinating mixture of personalities and talents. I am not crazy about the covers but I really enjoyed the stories themselves. There are necessarily limitations because of the brevity of the tales and I hope that one of these days these short stories become fleshed out into longer novellas (or novels!). The author has very generously donated an e-copy of each of the four tales in this series to one lucky winner!
My reviews can be found at the following links:
Dark Reign: Found review
Dark Reign: Oathbound review
Dark Reign: Atonement review
Dark Reign: Fight or Flight review
GIVEAWAY: Please leave a comment with the most recent m/m story you enjoyed (author and title, please, so I can look for it, lol ) along with your e-mail address.
Please make sure that you mention which of my prizes you are trying for (and leave a separate comment, each with a valid e-mail address for each of prizes you wish to win) and THEN make sure you click the pretty button at the bottom to visit other blogs on the hop...you have until September 21, 2013 to visit the others so please try to space things out, lol.
VISIT THE OTHER PARTICIPANTS IN THE HOP!
NOTE: You need to be logged in in order to hop via the button. If you haven’t registered at TRR and/or logged in, please click on the button as well to go to the top right side of the page on TRR to do so. Registration is free.
