It Takes a Cat Burglar by Cailin Briste (review)

It Takes a Cat Burglar
by
Cailin Briste

Blurb:

When Darcelle Lebeau throws off the invisible chains that keep her bound to her family, she discovers a new vocation. Tempted to enter the illegal playground of a man she nicknames Matou, she becomes a cat burglar in training. Deeply ensnared with each task he entices her to fulfill, she fails to discover his identity and true intentions.

Sebastian St. Croix, a wealthy businessman, has a dark side. He’s a thief, a cat burglar who steals art and historical objects. For one year, he trains Darcelle to become his assistant, remaining incognito, observing her from afar. His admiration grows along with his desire for her with every phase-one challenge she completes. Phase two will test the limits of his control. Hands-on personal training? Yes. Sex? No. With his sister’s happiness at stake, nothing, not even the tempting Darcelle Lebeau, can interfere with accomplishing the biggest break-in of his career.

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My review

3.75 out of 5 stars

It Takes a Cat Burglar by Cailin Briste is an adult science fiction romantic suspense story. There are breathtaking feats that made me instantly fascinated by Darcelle, who lives a remarkable double life. The gradual revelation of setting and background and the mysterious and sexy mentor, Sebastian, was a nice and somewhat unexpected twist. I love the cat references, sure to appeal to an ailurophile, and I’d be interested in learning more about the Abyssinian connection and whether Darcelle’s nickname is accurate in more ways than one. I would have liked a little more world-building, because it took a little while for me to realize this wasn’t set on a world I was familiar with, until I noticed some of the tools used and treatments available were somewhat futuristic. There are sizzling scenes but I wasn’t positive I was convinced of the attraction at first because it seemed to be a little insta-love, at least from her side since she initially didn’t even know him as anything other than a mysterious mentor. The characters aren’t as thoroughly fleshed-out as I would like, but I suspect that is because this is the introduction to the series and the author wants one to learn about the secondary characters in future stories.

This is a fun light read that introduces some engaging characters and I look forward to learning more about these folks and their goals.

A copy of this story was provided to me for review

A Woman for Zachary and Hot to the Touch by Adriana Kraft (Double Trouble blog tour, guest post) ADULT titles RBC

Double Trouble From Adriana Kraft

A Woman for Zachary

Meghan’s Playhouse, Book Two

&

Hot to the Touch

Swinging Games, Book Fifteen

 

Guest Post: 

 Double Trouble from Adriana Kraft


 One of my favorite recent memes from FaceBook reads as follows: When I get old, they’re never going to say “what a sweet old lady.” They’re gonna say “what on EARTH is she up to now?!”  

If that sounds like trouble, hold on to your hat—we’ve got a double dose heading your way. 

Our two recent erotic romance ménage releases feature leading characters at mid-life. Baby boomers ourselves, we often write characters in their 40s, 50s, and even 60s and beyond. 

If that’s not what trips your trigger, these two books aren’t for you – but, with any luck, all of us will reach these ages eventually, and we hope our readers do so with vim, vigor, and yes, a vibrant and active sex life. 

We like to think some of our characters can light the way.  

Hot to the Touch takes the mid-fifties couple who star in our Swinging Games series to a clothing optional RV resort for some summer fun. In A Woman for Zachary, the early twenties heroine who starred in Seducing Cat hooks up with a mid-forties woman and an early-fifties man to ignite the spark that’s been smoldering between them.



 

  

                                    
                                                                                                                                                                  A Woman for Zachary

 











 Blurb:

It’s New York! Broadway beckons, but Meg has more fun keeping an erotic triangle going with her current flame, Zach Cullen, and her drama coach, Josie Patrice.

Zachary Cullen has ignored Josette Patrice’s overtures for years, but she agrees to take on his latest protégé-slash-arm-candy Meghan Keenan in her off-Broadway workshop theater. Though the girl has incredible talent, Josie would stake her reputation on that little thing being a switch-hitter, like herself, and she doesn’t want Zach to be duped. 

Josie sets out to seduce Meg and expose her for what she is, but all bets are off when Meg turns the tables on Josie to hook her up with Zach.

Excerpt: 

Josie was shaking her head back and forth before Zach finished speaking. “That’s not enough.”

Zach closed the distance between the two of them.

She pressed her back against the wall, and he placed his palms against it, framing her head. She licked her lips.

What was he doing? She’d imagined him being this close countless times, but not in this way. Not in anger. Not struggling with his sense of fairness over sharing another woman. 

She kept her arms locked at her sides.

“That’s exactly what Meg said. What is enough? Do we draw lots for her?”

Josie shook her head.

“Maybe I can have her even days of the month and you odd days.”

“That might work.” Josie could hardly breathe. Zach’s male scent was overpowering. She’d agree to almost anything, if he just stayed where he was. She should be afraid of him, but she wasn’t. This was a man she’d known for a decade. He might be very angry, even deeply pained, but he wouldn’t hurt her—at least not physically.

“It works for parking cars in the winter. It’s a beginning, I guess.” His eyes darkened with a passion she couldn’t decipher. She watched his eyes shut and re-open.

And then his mouth was crushing against hers. She tried to breathe through her nostrils. His muffled groans filled her mouth. Tentatively, she lifted her hands to his shoulders. It was as if he was in a trance. She sighed and pulled him closer. Maybe she was, too.

Erotic Romance Ménage

Novella, 28,000 words

eXtasy Books, August 4, 2017

Four Flames: Explicit Sex, MF, FF;

Ménage, FFM, FMF; Sex toys

Buy Links: 

extasy books | Amazon

 

Hot to the Touch 

 











Blurb:  

Can the summer get any hotter? Escaping Southern Indiana summer heat, swingers Brett and Jen check out a Minnesota clothing optional RV resort, where the rules are very different from the swing lifestyle venues they’re used to. When they spot a hot looking couple in the swimming pool, they’re definitely interested, but they know better than to make the first move. Will Paul and Kim turn out to be players, or will Brett and Jen get a cold shoulder?

  

Excerpt: 

“Hi guys,” Kim said, giving Jen a hug. “We ran into traffic, but we’re here at last. I love your outfit, Jen. That short skirt is just right for your long legs. You guys are fine dancers.”

“And you look fantastic,” Jen managed to say. “That top is so sexy. As you said, just a touch of mystery. And I love those dangling earrings. They sparkle nearly as much as you do. Absolutely stunning.”

“Thank you,” Kim murmured, turning to hug Brett.

“As stunning as you look,” Paul said, gathering Jen into his arms for a long hug. “You both look scrumptious. Good enough to eat. Right, Brett?”

Brett nodded.

Jen noticed Kim made no move to break away from Brett’s arms. She watched the olive-skinned woman drag her lips across Brett’s wrist before lifting it up and sliding onto the curved bench. Jen slid in from the other side, with the guys sitting on either end. A bare leg brushed against her left leg, a trousered one against her right. If those legs were meant to only tease, she’d be very, very upset before the night was over.


Erotic Romance Ménage

Short Story, 7,000 words

eXtasy Books, July 30, 2017

Four Flames: Explicit Sex, MF, FF;

Ménage, MFMF

Buy Links: 

extasy books | Amazon

About the Author: 

Winner of the 2014 Bisexual Book Award for erotic fiction, author Adriana Kraft is a married couple writing Sizzling Romantic Suspense and Erotic Romance for Two, Three, or More.

One man, one woman, danger and intrigue – always a happy ending, but oh, what a ride! Readers can count on our Romantic Suspense line for gutsy characters, hot sex, and breathtaking intimacy as our hero and heroine battle outer threats and inner demons to stay alive and fall in love.

A man, a woman (or two), or another man, threesomes, foursomes—what’s your fantasy? We write our Erotic Romance stories to entertain, of course, but most of all we write them because we believe in happy endings for all who fall in love, whatever their gender, sexual orientation or numerical combination. Here you’ll find multiple partners, three-way, four-way and more, swing lifestyle, lesbian, bisexual, ménage and polyamory, in both contemporary and paranormal settings.

Together we have published over thirty-five romance novels and novellas to outstanding reviews. We love hearing from readers at adrianakraft99@yahoo.com, and here is our website:

When It’s Time to Heat Things Up http://adrianakraft.com  

Author Links:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads  | Pinterest | Amazon Author Page | Newsletter 

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GIVEAWAY


Adriana will be awarding a $10 Amazon GC, to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the RaffleCopter below to enter. Remember you may increase your chances of winning by visiting the other tour stops. You may find those locations here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway





 

Romance Awareness Month--The Beast of Aros Castle by Heather McCollum (spotlight)

August is Romance Awareness Month and what better way to celebrate than to put some of our favorite romances from different genres on sale! Whether you are already a romance lover or new to romance reading you are sure to find something to fall in love with.

If you haven't fallen for a Highlander yet, you don't want to miss this steal!
 

The Beast of Aros Castle by Heather McCollum is on sale for just 99¢.

PLUS, as an added bonus you can also pick up the latest book in the series, The Wolf of Kismul Castle is also on sale for just 99¢.

 

 

 Readers are raving about The Beast of Aros Castle...

“There is SO much to love about this book!... It's passionate and steamy and I loved every passage and word. Tor is a magnificent lover and with Ava, they literally set the pages on fire.” – Kilts and Swords

“I was glued to the pages of this fascinating dramatic romance. Ms. McCollum did not disappoint me with her vivid descriptions, her captivating characters and the storyline was intriguing and masterfully written.” – April, My Book Addiction and More

“One of those books that keep me reading till all hours of the night (morning!) because I couldn't put it down… Tor and Ava's romance is so beautifully written.” – Linda, Goodreads.com review

The Beast of Aros Castle
by Heather McCollum

Synopsis:

Ava Sutton is on the run from a dangerous man and makes her way safely to Scotland. Masquerading as a titled, English lady, she must convince the darkly handsome chief of the Macleans of Aros to wed her before she is tracked down.

Tor Maclean, the new chief of Aros Castle, has sworn off marriage. Despite his efforts to scare away the Englishwoman his father arranged for him to wed, Tor is nonetheless drawn to her passion and beauty. But he doesn't know if he can forgive the untruths that have come to light for a chance at a once in a lifetime love...

Buy it for just 99¢!

Find it online: 

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Goodreads

Other books in the series:

             

The Rogue of Islay Isle, Book 2

The Wolf of Kismul Castle, Book 3

About the author:

Heather McCollum is an award winning, historical paranormal and YA romance writer. She earned her B.A. in Biology, much to her English professor's dismay. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood of 2009 Golden Heart finalists. The ancient magic and lush beauty of Great Britain entrances Ms. McCollum's heart and imagination every time she visits. The country's history and landscape have been a backdrop for her writing ever since her first journey across the pond. When she is not creating vibrant characters & magical adventures on the page, she is roaring her own battle cry in the war against ovarian cancer. Ms. McCollum recently slayed the cancer beast and resides with her very own Highland hero, rescued golden retriever & 3 kids in the wilds of suburbia on the mid-Atlantic coast.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

So Near the Horizon by Jessica Koch (VBB, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

So Near the Horizon

by Jessica Koch

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GENRE: Romance

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Jessica Koch’s dramatic debut novel, Dem Horizont so nah (So Near the Horizon), broke every record when it hit stores in Germany 2016. Released through a small, independent publishing house, the e-book was an instant success, selling over 250,000 copies in just a few months and topping the Amazon bestseller list for more than six weeks - which made it the number-one bestselling German-language e-book of the year 2016!

Since then, one of Germany’s largest publishing houses has purchased the rights to this riveting and highly emotional memoir. The foreign rights have been picked up in numerous countries, and the feature film is scheduled to arrive in theaters at the end of 2018.

And now, for the first time ever, So Near the Horizon will be available in English! So Near the Horizon will hit online retailers in September 2017 - again as an independent publication, again without a huge marketing budget, but again with infinite passion for an unbelievable but true story that the world needs to hear.

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BLURB:

Seventeen-year-old Jessica has an uncomplicated life and a promising future. Leaving the house one evening, she has no idea that she’s about to meet the love of her life - or that her entire understanding of the world is about to change. And before long, she’s going to face a decision that will shape her forever…

In 'So Near the Horizon' Jessica Koch describes a life lived somewhere between hope and fear, confronting true events from her own past with raw honesty and frank reflection - and exploring more than one difficult subject along the way.

A story of deep love. A story of trust, courage, pain, despair, and the strength to let go. A true story.

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EXCERPT

My eyes drifted to Danny’s back, to the fine, light scars gradually fading from view beneath his deepening tan. Two or three more days of sun and they would be almost completely invisible—at least until winter, when they would serve once more as painful visual reminders of what his father had done to him, and therefore ensure that I would never forget the nightmare that would one day catch up to us. I would be at Danny’s side when it happened, there was no question of that. And I knew that Danny would never leave me of his own free will, although I wasn’t sure how exactly I knew that. I just did. I knew it the way you know you need air to breathe, or that the sun provides warmth.

Available for only $.99 on pre-order

Amazon link

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jessica Koch (born in Ludwigsburg, Germany) began writing short stories when she was still in high school, but never submitted her work to publishers. In late 1999, shortly after beginning her studies to become an architectural drafter, she met Danny, a German-American dual national. Her experiences with him eventually formed the basis for So Near the Horizon, though it was nearly thirteen years before she felt ready to bring the manuscript to the public.

The author describes a life lived somewhere between hope and fear, between optimism and despair. She reflects on events from her own past with raw honesty, confronting more than one difficult subject along the way.

Jessica Koch lives near the city of Heilbronn with her husband, their son, and two dogs. The second and third books in the trilogy, So Near the Abyss and So Near the Ocean, are already best-sellers in Germany as well.

The author about her book :

I first committed the story of my love for Danny to paper all the way back in 2003. I wasn’t trying to become an author—I just thought writing would help me work through some of the emotional burden I was carrying around. I wrote the manuscript with a typewriter and sent copies to two publishing houses, although without any serious interest in their response. Which made the contract I was offered all the more surprising: someone wanted to publish my story.

So what did I do? I turned it down!

The idea of the whole world knowing my far-too-personal story frightened me so much that I burned the manuscript—in a huge fire in my parents’ garden, a fire that had just finished consuming all my photos of me and Danny. I never managed to burn the photos I wasn’t in, though, and I saved his letters and poems as well, packing them carefully away in a box in the basement until I was ready to close the book on the subject for good.

In 2010—at age 28—I moved to a new city, got married, and had a son. One day, I mentioned to my husband in passing that I’d once written a book and been offered a publishing contract. He asked more questions, and what had started as a short anecdote about Danny became a week-long report. Noticing that I clearly hadn’t come to terms with a few parts of the story, my husband advised me to write it all out (again). From that moment on, I spent every free minute writing.

For weeks, I ran around carrying paper and a pencil, confused, caught up in a completely different time. My notes developed into a highly emotional novel. Purely out of curiosity, I sent the manuscript to five literary agencies. Within a few weeks, four of them had expressed interest, and, after several long conversations with publishers, I finally agreed to put So Near the Horizon out into the world. What happened from then on, still feels like a dream…

The enthusiastic response I received from readers prompted me to continue the series, and So Near the Abyss as well as So Near the Ocean, the second and third books in the Danny Trilogy, were released later on.

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GIVEAWAY



a Rafflecopter giveaway

The tour dates can be found here

Undercover With The Heiress by Nan Dixon (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

Undercover With The Heiress

by Nan Dixon

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GENRE:   Contemporary Romance Series

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BLURB:

What's behind her beautiful mask?

FBI agent Kaden Farrell is on a mission. He's undercover at Fitzgerald House in Savannah, where a little girl is the key to his investigation. And that's what he needs to focus on, not a down-and-out heiress whose jeweled eyes haunt his dreams. Courtney Smythe might be spoiled, but when Kaden notices her ease with the children at the B and B, he sees the beauty beyond her looks. Getting close to Courtney will help his case, and giving in to attraction is the right thing to do. Even if it means perpetuating a lie

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EXCERPT

Could Courtney be more alone? Her brother barely tolerated her. Abby wasn’t thrilled she was working at the B and B. Marion was mad. Kaden ignored her and Bess ordered her around. She sighed and headed to the first box. Maybe making beds was easier.

Courtney could barely see around the pink gerberas and bird-of-paradise arrangement she held. Small pompom-like flowers, resembling little alien beings, brushed her nose. Didn’t the bride know this combination was garish? She placed the first arrangement, sloshing water on the tablecloth. Whoops.

“Hang on,” Bess called. “I forgot the mirrors.” She glared at the water spot on the tablecloth. “At least that will be covered. Pick it up again—carefully.”

While Courtney held the flowers, Bess slid a mirror in the center of the table and Courtney set the arrangement down with a crack.

“Careful,” Bess barked.

“The damn vase was slipping,” Courtney snapped back.

“Just...don’t be so rough.” Bess chewed her lip. “Instead of the vases, why don’t you set out the mirrors?”

“Sure.” Everyone thought she was incompetent. Stupid ugly vase.

She shook her head, hoping her face wasn’t bright red. It didn’t matter what they thought. She wouldn’t be in Savannah long enough to care.

She snatched up a couple of mirrors and set them on the closest tables, making sure her back was turned in case a tear slipped down her cheek. She wanted to be where she knew the rules, where she wasn’t viewed as some sort of...liability.

Buy Links

Amazon link

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 Nan Dixon spent her formative years as an actress, singer, dancer and competitive golfer. But the need to eat had her studying accounting in college. Unfortunately, being a successful financial executive didn’t feed her passion to perform. When the pharmaceutical company she worked for was purchased, Nan got the chance of a lifetime—the opportunity to pursue a writing career.  She’s a five-time Golden Heart® finalist and award winning author, lives in the Midwest and is active in her local RWA chapter and on the board of a dance company. She has five children, three sons-in-law, two granddaughters, one grandson on the way and one neurotic cat. 




Website
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway


The tour dates can be found here





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My review:
 

4.25 out of 5 stars

Undercover with the Heiress by Nan Dixon is a lovely romantic suspense story that centers around privileged and decorative Courtney Smythe as she is forced to deal with a personal upheaval and join the working class. Desperate enough to flee to Savannah and seek sanctuary with her brother and sister-in-law, Courtney struggles to find a niche to fit into among her hard-working and highly capable in-laws, the Fitzgeralds. Her rapport with children finally starts paving the way for her to make a new life, but her progress is complicated by the sexy handyman, Kaden Farrell, who mysteriously manages to reject her but insinuates himself into her life. Too bad he’s working undercover and she’s only a means to an end…or is she?

This addition to the ‘Fitzgerald House’ series is an entertaining look at the concept of redemption and restitution as two disparate characters pursue very different goals. Courtney is almost a caricature and it is a little difficult to be sympathetic to her at first but the author did a great job of gradually softening her abrasive edges, especially when she deals with the very personable kids, Issy and Josh. I love the close relationship Kaden has with his grandfather and I was delighted in the warm family group formed by the Fitzgeralds and their significant others. Those who are squeamish should be aware there are a couple of traumatic scenes, one of which is alluded to as having occurred but is still chill-inducing, as it involves an innocent bystander. Despite this being part of a series, there was no problem reading it as a stand-alone story, and the blend of tragic pasts, redemption, suspense, and budding romance made this a fun and engaging read. I am intrigued by the other sisters in this family and would definitely like to read their stories as well.

A copy of this title was provided to me for review

 

Unseen by Lucy Felthouse (Spotlight and excerpt) WMS ADULT title

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