Guest Author & Giveaway: Lexi Blake featuring The Men with the Golden Cuffs

I know that Shades of Grey has been all over the news, net, and just about any other media outlet highlighting BDSM in romance like it's some new evolution in erotic romance, but I have to wonder what the next book will be that will garner that kind of interest.  Will it be another erotic romance "taboo"... that has a bit of kink times two...as in a Ménage Romance?  I think it could be, especially when you have some talented, and already popular authors writing these already quietly popular romances.

Erotic Romance author Lexi Blake is my guest today to share with us, why sharing is caring in her new ménage romance, The Men with the Golden Cuffs.  Enjoy!

~~~***~~~

Sharing is Fun

Oh, maybe it’s not so much fun to share your toys, but a lot of women have the fantasy of being shared by two (or more) men. Go and take a look at Amazon or B&N web sites and you’ll see a ton of books that can be termed Ménage Romance. One woman, many men. Sounds a little spicy—and it is—but if you really read one, I think you’ll be surprised to know that the fantasy goes far beyond the sexual.

I write a lot of ménage. I’ve written and read so much of it that sometimes I see movies and TV shows and wonder what is wrong with these people. I love The Vampire Diaries, but I don’t see what the problem is. Damon loves Elena. Stefan loves Elena. Elena loves them both. Yes. It sounds lovely. So why are they trying to get her to choose? I didn’t get the whole Twilight problem. Edward had the sparkly thing and Jacob would probably keep Bella warm at night. It’s the best of both worlds. But, again, Bella had to choose. And poor Sookie. Seriously, Charlaine Harris could write some extreme ménage for that girl.

We fall in love with these characters because they all bring something to the table. That’s what a great ménage should be about. The heroine wouldn’t be happy without both men. She’s made complete because she needs each of them for different reasons. And the men need each other, too.

When I sat down to write The Men with the Golden Cuffs, I had already set up Jake Dean and Adam Miles. In The Dom Who Loved Me, I made it clear that these were two men who were ready for something serious, but they wanted to share a wife. Why? Because they figured out a long time ago that they were better together than they were apart. Both men are deeply damaged. They have wounds and flaws, but they complement each other. Jake is the brooding alpha male and Adam the smooth-talking metro hottie. They depend on each other to bolster their strengths and cover for their flaws. In the end, they’re halves of a whole, capable of giving Serena (their heroine) the best of both worlds.

That’s the heart of my ménages. I try to make the sex as hot as one woman with multiple, enthusiastic men can be, but in the end, this is a romance. This is about love and acceptance, and if I throw in multiple orgasms, hopefully it makes the book even better!

A woman in danger…

Serena Blake is a bestselling author of erotic fiction. She knows how to write a happy ending but hasn’t managed to find one of her own. Divorced and alone, she has no one to turn to when a stalker begins to threaten her life. The cops don’t believe her. Her ex-husband thinks she’s making the whole story up. She has no one left to turn to except a pair of hired bodyguards. They promise to guard her body, but no one can protect her heart.

Two men in search of love…

Adam Miles and Jacob Dean are halves of a whole. They’ve spent their entire adult lives searching for the one woman who can handle them both. Adam is the playful, indulgent lover, while Jacob is the possessive, loving Dom. When Serena comes into their lives, Adam is certain that she’s the one. But Jacob’s past comes back to haunt them all. He is suspicious of Serena’s story, and his concerns are driving a wedge between him and Adam. But when the stalker strikes, they will have to come together or lose each other forever…

Read an excerpt

And for your reading enjoyment Lexi has provided an additional special excerpt for Musings readers in the flipbook below:

or read it in a Google document here.

  

Thank you Lexi for being my guest today!  I don't know about you, but I love a good ménage love story.  Earlier this year I read The Dom Who Loved Me and met both Jacob and Adam (whom I thought were great characters), and after reading that book I went to Lexi's website as fast as my little fingers could take me to find out if there were more books in the series.  And what did my eyes behold? The Men with the Golden Cuffs, which made me oh so very happy, LOL.  Luckily I've only had to wait about a month or so :)

 

If you'd like to learn more about erotic romance author Lexi Blake you can find her at her website www.lexiblake.net, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

 

To celebrate the release of the second book in her Masters & Mercenaries series, The Men with the Golden Cuffs, Lexi has offered to giveaway a digital copy of the first book, The Dom Who Loved Me to two lucky Musings followers.  Here's how you can enter to win...

Ways to earn entries:

• Mandatory: What's your favorite part, or line from one of the excerpts?  AND/OR ask Lexi a question about her book or characters (good for 1 entry)
• Mandatory: You MUST be a Google Friend Connect (GFC) follower in order to be eligible to win (unfortunately an email subscriber, or subscription in Google reader, and a follower are not the same thing so make sure you are signed up as a follower if you'd like to win this book)
• If you have a blog, or even if you don't, you can earn extra entries by telling your friends. If they successfully enter to win and mention that you sent them you can each earn extra entries. You can blog about it with a link to this post, post it on Facebook, Twitter, email...or even word of mouth (good for 5 entries for the referrer and the commenter for each friend) . Please note that to earn the points they must mention your GFC name so that I can match you.
• You can also earn extra entries by sharing the flipbook excerpt on Facebook, Twitter, your website or blog or other social media sites. You can earn 5 entries for each place that you share it and leave a link in the comments.
• Purchase any item from the Seductive Musings Amazon store by using this link, or the Amazon widget contained within this post and email a copy of your purchase receipt to me no later than the deadline to enter (email available in sidebar). Sorry purchases made prior to this date do not apply, and link contained in this post must be used. No faxes or snail mail copies are allowed. No purchases are necessary to win. (good for 25 entries, or 50 entries if a purchase is made from the featured author's available titles)

How to enter:

• You can choose to enter as many different ways that you want, but please place all of your entries in ONE comment 

Rules and disclaimers:

• This contest is open to US & International addresses
• You must be at least 18 years or older, or of legal age in your country
• The contest will end on June 1st at 11:59 pm EST and winner will be posted after they have been selected
• Winner(s) will be selected using Random.org, and/or by the author
• The winner(s) will have THREE days from the date they are posted to provide a mailing address. If you do not contact me within three days a replacement winner will be selected. NO EXCEPTIONS
• The book(s) will be mailed directly from the publisher or author and no substitutions are allowed
• Winners will be subject to one copy per household, which means that if you win the same title in two or more contests, that you will only receive one copy of the title in the mail
• Seductive Musings is not responsible for prizes that are not honored, distributed in a timely manner, lost, stolen, or damaged during transit 
• All giveaways are subject to change/cancellation without prior written notice

Good Luck!

 

*Seductive Musings is an Amazon affiliate and receives a very small referral fee for purchases made via the links on the blog and through the Seductive Musings Amazon Store. Read the full disclosure here.

Read more...

Review: Lord of the Black Isle by Elaine Coffman

Title:  Lord of the Black Isle*
Author:  Elaine Coffman
Series: Black Douglas #3
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Format:  Paperback & E-Book
Date/Year:  June 1, 2012
Reviewed by: Andrea

*This book was provided to the reviewer by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Summary from the publisher:

WHAT HE NEEDS MOST...

David Murry, Earl of Kinloss, never wanted to be the laird. But the title is thrust upon him, and now the well-being of his clan weighs heavily on his shoulders. He has never felt so alone, until a beautiful healer from another time is brought to the Black Isle...

IS WHAT SHE DOES BEST...

When Dr. Elisabeth Douglas is thrown back into time to sixteenth-century Scotland, she decides to use her modern medical knowledge to save lives. In a time when a healer may be accused of witchcraft, she must keep her secret closely guarded, especially from David, whose uncanny curiosity could destroy them both.

My Musings:

I picked this book because the premise sounded great to me.  I love time travel, I love Highlanders, and I really love female healers.  How could I not like this book?

Yeah...   I didn’t like it.  I knew early on that this book wasn’t for me.  The first clue was all the literary quotes at the beginning of chapters and then Shakespeare quotes thrown into the dialogue.  I don’t like that.  The next clue was the detailed medical explanations.  They were too detailed and factual, I felt like I was reading passages from a medical textbook.  My third clue was the personal musing.  There were very involved private thoughts going on for pages at a time thrown into the middle of a dialogue.  A conversation would start, the heroine would go off on her thought tangent, and by the time I got back to the conversation I wasn’t sure what they had even started talking about anymore.  I found that irritating.

David and Elisabeth were very difficult for me to understand and get to know because their thoughts and actions wavered too much.  I never got a good feel for them and never liked them.  They weren’t good, they weren’t bad, I just didn’t care about them.  That led me to another problem, I didn’t feel the chemistry between them.  It was described, they thought about it a lot in their thought tangents, but for some reason I didn’t feel it. 

The sex scenes confused me.  I’m used to reading books with graphic and descriptive sex scenes.  The sex in this book was ambiguous.  They would start out kissing, then go onto fondling and all of that was pretty descriptive.  It was once touching started happening below the waist that I got confused.  No specific words were used so I wasn’t sure what was being done to whom.  I actually had to stop reading and question if there was sex with penetration happening or if they were just rubbing on each other to get off.   I don’t care if an author chooses to give me blow by blow descriptions of sex or if they choose to fade to black.  It was the grey area this author chose which caused me so much confusion. 

The best way to sum up my feelings on this book is to say that I didn’t care.  I didn’t care about the characters, I didn’t care if they fell in love or if they had their happily ever after conclusion.  This is not a bad book but this was definitely a case of me reading a book that’s not right for me.  I’m sure there are people that love these types of books and are huge fans of this series.   If you are, then read it, enjoy it and ignore me.  I’m not one of them so I’ll move on and find a book more to my liking... hopefully :)

Ratings:

Overall:  2 stars  (I didn’t realize I was picking up a book in the middle of the series.  It didn’t take me long to figure that out.  Important events and key characters were glossed over in a way that left me confused.  It was obvious that I should have read the previous books and known these things before getting into this one.  That was my fault, not the author’s.)

Sensuality level: 2.5

For a complete understanding and definition of the ratings at Seductive Musings, click here

Other Reviews:

• Publishers Weekly
• Minding Spot
• Goodreads (rating as of 5/28/2012 3.42 stars)

 

 *Seductive Musings is an Amazon affiliate and receives a very small referral fee for purchases made via the links on the blog and through the Seductive Musings Amazon Store. Read the full disclosure here.

Read more...

Review: Chase Me by Tamara Hogan

Title: Chase Me*
Author: Tamara Hogan
Series:  The Underbelly Chronicles #2
Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Sci-Fi Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Format: Paperback & E-book
Date/Year:  June 1, 2012
Reviewed by:  E.L.F.

*This book was provided to the reviewer by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Summary from the publisher:

The secrets she’s uncovering will be his to keep…

Centuries ago, when their ship crashed to Earth, paranormals of all types settled secretly into our world, quietly going about their business with humans none the wiser. Self-ruling and careful to stay below humanity’s radar, all is threatened when Valkyrie archaeologist Lorin Schlessinger and her werewolf geologist partner Gabe Lupinsky in advertently draw evil attention to Earth and its treasured natural resources.

As the threat intensifies, Lorin and Gabe struggle to contain the chaos they’ve unleashed, and to resist their explosive mutual attraction…

My Musings:

Chase Me by Tamara Hogan is a paranormal tale that combines an archaeological dig with an extraterrestrial mystery.  The Council of Vampyres, Weres, Incubi, Sirens and Valkyries are very interested in discovering whether the artifacts found at a dig site in Minnesota will give insight into the events that marooned their races on Earth.  Lorin Schlessinger is the Valkyrie second, used to being in charge of the dig and filled with passion that can only be alleviated by eating, fighting or sex.  Fortunately for her, Gabe Lupinsky is a werewolf who is willing to use his propensity for extreme attention to detail to keep Lorin’s libido satisfied.  The Lupinsky clan deals with multiple handicaps as do most of the Weres due to their extreme inbreeding.  Gabe himself is suffering from vision issues that are worsening at an alarming rate even as he fights to keep it from preventing him from performing his investigations. 

Unbeknownst to the workers, a cloaked ship is orbiting with beings who are far more knowledgeable about the ship that those on Earth are searching for.  The Vampyres and other beings occupying the ship have a propensity for exploiting captives as is demonstrated by their treatment of the incubus Stephen, as well as the exploitation of a captured meteorologist.  Stephen has wrought his own havoc while on Earth and the Council is puzzled at his escape and urging Security and Technology Head Lukas Sebastiani to recapture him. 

An inventive melding of science and imagination combined with an erotic tale of semi-forbidden love.  A bit of kinky sex is alluded to with the spaceship entities but most of the heated encounters are between a sexy Valkyrie and the straight-laced werewolf that she encourages to join her in hedonistic encounters.  The intriguing concept of space travel to explain the presence of non-humans on Earth adds an interesting dimension to the tale which also addresses the concept of inbreeding and its deleterious effects as well as gives a glimpse of the serious effects of water shortage.  There are a few inconsistencies that allow the story to move along, but overall there is an intriguing mystery that is being gradually revealed, somewhat mirroring the work being performed at the archaeological dig that is taking place.  An intriguing read.

Ratings:

Overall: 4 stars
Sensuality level:  4.5

For a complete understanding and definition of the ratings at Seductive Musings, click here

Other Reviews:

• Fresh Fiction 
• Reading Between the Wines (4 wine glasses)
• Abbey Ann's Bookland (3 stars)
• Goodreads (rating as of 5/28/2012 3.44 stars)

*Seductive Musings is an Amazon affiliate and receives a very small referral fee for purchases made via the links on the blog and through the Seductive Musings Amazon Store. Read the full disclosure here.

Read more...

Monday's Muse

Sorry, but the image containing the Monday's Muse has been removed from this blog so as not to violate any copyright issues.  Thanks for your understanding!

I hope many of you are enjoying the Memorial Day holiday weekend!  I'll keep this short and sweet today, and just give you a Muse to make up for missing one last week as well as to honor our Men and Women in uniform :)  All, I have to say is God Bless America...because that was certainly the inspiration for this week's Muse :)  Unfortunately, I haven't been blessed with a scene like this when driving through the farmland where I live :(  Darn it!

This week at Seductive Musings:

• Tuesday:  I'll have a winner's post with any outstanding giveaways and possibly a review or two
• Wednesday:  Author Lexi Blake will be my guest to share with us her new erotic romance The Men with the Golden Cuffs (as in more than one yummy hero!).
• Thursday:  I'll have a review of Erin Nicholas' Anything You Want, and maybe one more for good measure :)
• Friday:  Historical Romance author Jayne Fresina will be my guest to share with us her new book The Most Improper Sophie Valentine.  When I read the summary for this book I was immediately intrigued so I can't wait to find out more about this one!
• Tempting Trailer: This week's Tempting Trailer is for the upcoming Harlequin Anthology, Love is Murder.  I'm really excited about this for several reasons.  First, it has a TON (and I mean that almost literally) of amazing suspense and romantic suspense authors in this one book.  It is headlined by Sandra Brown and also includes stories by Allison Brennan, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Brenda Novak, Cindy Gerard, Roxanne St. Clair, Laura Griffin, Lori Armstrong (aka Lorelei James),  and so many more... Secondly, because Allison Brennan will be a guest here in June to celebrate the release.  Very excited about that!!

Also of Interest:

• I received some information about a giveaway that many of you might be interested in for one reason or another.  Author Sara Humphrey's is having her 4th annual Military families giveaway.  It starts Memorial Day weekend and goes through Labor Day.  Basically you send in a picture of you and your family member in uniform and tell your story and from those entries each week she will feature one of the stories on her blog, and at the end she will select three winners.  You can find all of the details here.  I think this is such a great way to honor military families.  Readers like myself can learn about the sacrifices they make with the stories featured each week, and a few families can win some great prizes.
  

Finally, I'd like to congratulate all of the authors will new releases this week, especially Musings authors Jill Shalvis, Mary Wine, Paula Quinn, Jayne Fresnia, Samantha Grace, Emma Lang, Mari Carr, Lexi Blake, and several Love is Murder authors!!!

p.s. who picks out a romance author name like "Immodesty Blaize"? Seriously?

 

*Seductive Musings is an Amazon affiliate and receives a very small referral fee for purchases made via the links on the blog and through the Seductive Musings Amazon Store. Read the full disclosure here.

Read more...

Review: Always a Bridesmaid by Cindi Myers

Title: Always a Bridesmaid*
Author: Cindi Myers
Series:N/A
Genre:  Contemporary Category Romance 
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Format: E-book
Date/Year:  April 23, 2012
Reviewed by: DD

*This book was provided to the reviewer by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Summary from the publisher:

She's sworn off weddings…

After two failed relationships and six stints as a bridesmaid, Stephanie Ludlow is convinced she’s man-poison. So when her hormones point due south to her sexy—but not so charming—new landlord, she can't help the sparks that fly. It’s a good thing she’s declared a strict "no sex" policy, because Mike Brubaker might as well have “it’s not happening” tattooed across his delectable chest.

He's sworn off love…

Spurned single dad Mike has learned the hard way women are the source of all evil and should be avoided at any cost. And that definitely includes his gorgeous new tenant. But when they're thrown together in the wedding party from hell, both will stop at nothing to fight the heat building between them. Giving in is not an option for either of them.

May the best man—or woman—win.

My Musings:

Stephanie Ludlow works at her dad's heating and AC business while finishing up her business degree. He has a couple close friends and a great relationship with her dad. But she, like most, has been unlucky in love.  Similar to the popular movie, 27 Dresses, she has bridesmaid dresses in every hideous design and color. Hence the "Always a Bridesmaid" moniker.

Mike Brubaker is a guy's guy coming off of a recent divorce. He is a gifted home builder and has a young son, Ryan. Since his wife decided she wanted something better, what is left behind is a house full of empty bedrooms. Mike rents out the rooms to fill the rooms and the silence.  Little does he know he is about to meet Stephanie, a coworker of one of his housemates.

Stephanie and Mike's characters are realistic, that much is for sure. But there is a difference between relatable and so realistic it's boring. It's a fine line. Unfortunately, this story just fell flat for me.  I didn't feel any real chemistry between the characters despite the love scenes.  Basically they meet each other and are really attracted, but they both feel things are too 'complicated' and 'messy' with their realities to really make a go of it.  Frankly it seems apathetic and Lazy, and who wants an indifferent couple to read about?

Mike's character did manage to touch on some issues about dating after divorce and how to balance a personal relationship and fatherhood with an emotionally vulnerable child.  He also has a few sad moments where he realizes he may not be his son's only father figure forever.  Mike really is trying to take care of his young son and have a life for himself.   He does touch on the fact that is is difficult to introduce another adult into a child's life that is still dealing with a  recent divorce. Mike handles this well and probably like a lot of good dads would. He has a lot of positive aspects. That being said, I just don't feel that his struggles were written poignantly enough to endear him to the reader or make him a lovable hero. Although his interactions with his son are sweet, and those are some of the better moments within the story, he just isn't that interesting of a character.

Stephanie was an OK character, but not very well rounded.  I really can't even describe her because after reading this twice I don't have a great grasp of her. She loves her Dad with her whole heart and she enjoys working with him, although she longs to work in other businesses and see the world which is mentioned a few times.  I just don't have any feelings for her as a heroine. She is sweet to Mike's son Ryan and really just eases her way in as his friend by helping him with a science project and I did like that part. Stephanie seems like every young lady in America trying to find a place for herself.  I feel like she and Mike are at two different places and while this can sometimes work with other stories it doesn't work here.  The passion to throw caution to the wind and indulge their attraction doesn't happen fast enough, or for that matter convincingly.

Stephanie's best friend and now housemate Justin is the common friend between the two. Justin suddenly gets married to his foreign girlfriend to keep her in the country and not only that but he is written like a 13 yr old. The whole "If you hurt her you'll answer to me" conversation is tiring. I’m not so sure adults even have those types of interactions. I didn't get any enjoyment from Stephanie and Justin's banter. I just felt it was juvenile and lacking warmth,  which pretty much sums up how I feel about this book.

There were a few moments that I wanted to be funny that just turned awkward. To me it’s again a problem with the development of the characters and their individual personalities. I wanted to love it. I don’t like to give negative reviews because if I wrote a book and it got a negative review my feelings would be smashed, but I have to be honest with this review. The love scenes were good, but not great, and you wanted them to hurry up...not because you’re excited for Mike and Stephanie to express their lust, but because you’re bored. The characters weren't passionate and I didn't "feel" the love story because there wasn't enough background or history to overcome the other flaws. The conflict isn't really a conflict at all if you’re in love,  and I didn't feel this story had enough tension to make a HEA anything but anticlimactic.

Ratings:

Overall:  2 Stars (I respect all authors because I couldn’t write a book. It was cute, but  really didn’t do it for me. I can see the talent, and I want Cindi Myers to write to her full potential.)
Sensuality level:  3 Stars (There were a few  steamy scenes. They were well executed but I didn’t feel the emotion.)

For a complete understanding and definition of the ratings at Seductive Musings, click here

Other Reviews:

• Cocktails and Books (4 cocktails)
• Reading, Eating & Dreaming (3 stars)
• Goodreads (rating as of 5/24/2012 3.74 stars)

*Seductive Musings is an Amazon affiliate and receives a very small referral fee for purchases made via the links on the blog and through the Seductive Musings Amazon Store. Read the full disclosure here.

Read more...

Review: Tempting the Best Man by J. Lynn

Title: Tempting the Best Man*
Author: J.  Lynn
Series:N/A
Genre: Contemporary Category Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Format: E-book
Date/Year:  April 23, 2012
Reviewed by: DD

*This book was provided to the reviewer by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Summary from the publisher:

Madison Daniels has worshiped her brother's best friend since they were kids. Everyone thinks she and Chase Gamble would make the perfect couple, but there are two major flaws in their logic. 1) Chase has sworn off relationships of any kind, and 2) after blurring the line between friends and lovers for one night four years ago, they can't stop bickering.

Forced together for her brother's wedding getaway, Chase and Madison decide to call a truce for the happy couple. Except all bets are off when they're forced to shack up in a tacky 70’s honeymoon suite and survive a multitude of "accidents" as the family tries to prove their "spark" can be used than for more than fighting. That is, if they don't strangle each other first…

My Musings:

This story starts off with Madison Daniels drowning in a pool of dread about attending her brother's wedding at a winery  Her fantasy/nemesis and her brother's forever best wing man, Chase Gamble is the best man, of course.  Maddie is a smart, successful cookie that works for the Smithsonian (yes THAT Smithsonian!) For as long as she can remember, she has bowed at the temple of Chase. Madison was always the kid sister following everyone around and he was the young male in her life that wasn't her icky brother. It started with a bad case of hero worship and raged out of control, until one night lines were crossed and their whole way of relating to each other changed. Chase finally started to see her as a woman and not a little girl. Unfortunately, Madison's whole family, much to her chagrin,  is aware of her deep seated puppy dog love for Chase and don't mind trying to help it along.  Her brother suspects, but in the way of most big brothers isn't huge on encouraging that relationship, although he does tend to find the situation slightly humorous.

Chase Gamble is one of three brothers. His dad was a bonafide cheater and philanderer, and unfortunately Chase is following the same path, and angry that he can't seem to break the cycle.  Maddie does not know he's always held her dear, and he has never allowed his feelings to be known of her except the one night they almost consummated their attraction and "ruined everything." Chase has never felt he is good enough for Maddie, being a carbon copy in his own mind of the man he grew to hate. It is the same story of an honorable man coming from a broken home who doesn't feel he knows how to be different from what he has learned. That is an internal struggle that only the perfect woman can rectify (of course!) He has more or less toyed with Madison's emotions because he himself is torn and it's caused a lot of torment in her heart over the years. The truth of the matter is Chase adores Maddie but he is very conflicted with the psyche consuming  "do I deserve love and happiness" question.

Madison and Chase bicker constantly when they are in forced close proximity. Chase is pushing her away and Maddie is pissed off because she thinks he doesn't want her or love her.  The Ninnys actually live two floors from each other in the same building and see each other all the time but rarely speak regularly. They're both mourning the close relationship they had before everything changed.  Chase wants to go back because he's scared of the future and Madison wants to move forward cause she loves him. They are two tectonic plates constantly butting against each other causing earthquakes trying to figure out how they fit together. It's enjoyable to see them actually working through their feelings when they are "thrown together by accident" in one cabin because of a reservation mix up. They have no choice but to talk and face each other. It almost makes you wish that everyone had a loving meddling family to push them together.

I have some negative and positive feelings about this novel.  On the negative side, some of the prose and themes are just not exciting to me anymore and it's getting harder for me to look past formulaic cliche's. I feel like I've said that a lot lately. For example... The guy from a broken home.  Let's "do the deed and get it out of our system and everything can go back to normal" (this NEVER works).  The "flaring" and changeling eye colors according to mood.  I mean for the love, these people don't have mood ring stones making up their eyeballs. I have never noticed an eye color change according to mood. Mostly when my husband is angry I tryyyy to stay away from him (lol.)  The hero pushing away the heroine because he just can't face or admit to himself his overwhelming and undying love. These things are overdone like beef jerky. Also, Chase never seems to understand why Maddie gets all bent out of shape at what he says, but I refuse to believe he is really that dense.

On the positive side, regardless of what I said above I did enjoy this little novel.  Maddie keeps getting caught in embarrassing hijinks. Her tire blows out at the beginning of the novel and her dad screams over the crowd how Maddie has "blown" something. It's quite hilarious. Her father also is terrified of the apocalypse, which although is out of left field is pretty creative for a dad character and some of his quips are entertaining.  Some funny moments about shaved balls come unexpectedly, and I bet every girl laughs her fanny off at this Gamble Brothers conversation.  Maddie indulges herself in a little too much alkie-sauce and has a few inebriated situations most of us girls can relate to, like getting a little frisky with someone you think is not that attractive, and sitting down on the ground and waxing poetic about the moon and "how pretty" it is.  There is some sweet and good-natured teasing between Chase and Madison that shows an underlying strong affection that I really enjoyed. Also endearing is the fact that Chase knows thing about Madison's childhood that he was around to witness, that in turn makes their bond, platonic or not, magnetic and special to the reader.

This short lil' novel was cutesweet and enjoyable. Not earth shattering, but that isn't what is expected here.  I really did like Maddie. She's witty and doesn't take herself too seriously, and she has a hint of self deprecation in her character which makes her all the more lovable. I can relate to her and the pain of unrequited love and have felt those heartbreaking moments where an idiot man says something so stupid you want to slap him and start bawling. Mad cause you hurt his sweet face and crying cause he's an a- hole.  And that's men in a nutshell. Shaved, of course.

Ratings:

Overall:  4 stars (This was a sweet book that was enjoyable to read. Beware of cliche's, but after all this is only 50,000 words and classified as Category Romance.)
Sensuality level:  3.5 stars (Some pretty steamy moments, but it doesn't get tooo crazy)

For a complete understanding and definition of the ratings at Seductive Musings, click here

Other Reviews:

• Stuck in Books (5 stars)
• Good Choice Reading (4 stars)
• Goodreads (rating as of 5/24/2012 3.95 stars)

 
*Seductive Musings is an Amazon affiliate and receives a very small referral fee for purchases made via the links on the blog and through the Seductive Musings Amazon Store. Read the full disclosure here.

Read more...

Review: Never a Mistress, No Longer a Maid by Maureen Driscoll

Title: Never a Mistress, No Longer a Maid*
Author: Maureen Driscoll
Series: Kellington #1
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Self Published
Format: E-Book
Date/Year:  May 2011
Reviewed by:Andrea

*This book was provided to the reviewer by the author in exchange for an honest review

Summary from the publisher:

Caught behind enemy lines at the Battle of Waterloo, nurse Jane Wetherby is forced to seek shelter with British operative Lord Edward Kellington. After a night of passion, the two are separated. With nothing but the alias Jane used to protect her family, Lord Edward is unable to find the woman he cannot forget.

Seven years later, Jane courts scandal by serving as the unofficial surgeon in the village of Marston Vale. When Edward arrives to formalize his betrothal to the daughter of a viscount in accordance with his late father's wishes, Jane has no choice but to watch the match proceed. When a threat from the past emerges, Jane must join forces with Edward to safeguard her loved ones. But at what risk to her heart?

My Musings:

I usually love to take a chance and read unfamiliar authors, some of my favorite books were discovered by doing just that.  Unfortunately, I also run the risk of reading less than stellar books too.  The last 4 or 5 books I’ve read fell into the latter category.  I was reluctant to pick up a book by an unfamiliar author because of this.  I’m very happy to say that the streak has been broken, I found a good book by a new to me author :)

I knew about 10 pages in that I was going to like this book.  It was obvious right away that Ms. Driscoll wasn’t going to give me a cookie-cutter historical romance novel.  She was giving me unusual characters and a storyline I rarely see.  The best part, she was going to do it well.  It began with Jane Wetherby.  Jane deceived her grandfather and traveled to the war front to further her education as a surgeon.  You can picture me doing a little happy dance here because I adore well written female healers in historical novels.  Jane fits so nicely into that category.  Jane is smart, independent and strong.  She knows exactly who she is and what she wants to do with her life.  Jane may be a fallen woman, she may also be ostracized from polite society, but she is proud of her accomplishments and refuses to let anyone harm her daughter because of Jane’s past.

Lord Edward Kellington defended and saved Jane when she was caught by the enemy during the war.  They shared one night of passion and then she disappeared.  Edward finds her again 7 years later while on his way to get engaged to another woman.  Edward knew they shared something special that night and spent years searching for Jane.  He’s not about to let her slip through his fingers again.  Edward had no idea how much opposition he was going to receive.  In order to get her back he will have to battle their enemies, their families and even Jane herself.

All the characters in this book were incredibly well developed.  I expect to know and love the main couple when I read romance books.  I was pleasantly surprised to get a full cast of characters with a wide range of personalities and their own fascinating stories.  Edward has 3 brothers and one sister and they all step up to show their support.  There are also a couple special investigators brought into the picture.  They come from very different backgrounds and quickly integrate into the family.  A close family friend comes to the rescue at a crucial time (I have a feeling she’ll be important later in the series).  The characters form an interesting and eclectic group.  They reminded me of the Hathaway family written by Lisa Kleypas.  I love the Hathaways and I can see myself getting wrapped up in the lives of the Kellingtons too.

I did have a few issues with the book.  Toward the end the pace slowed down too much and the story grew predictable.  Then, the conclusion happened too quickly.  I could have used a couple more pages of Edward and Jane’s thoughts and emotions to help me process the dramatic events.  The epilogue did give me a better sense of closure and answered a few lingering questions but it didn’t have the same feel as the rest of the story.  The way it was written felt very detached after the warmth I had come to expect during the novel. 

Even though I did have a few problems with the book, I can forgive them because the characters are so well done.  This series has so much potential and I’m excited to see where it will go.  I will be eagerly waiting for the next book in the series.

Ratings:


Overall:  3.75
Sensuality level:  3.00

For a complete understanding and definition of the ratings at Seductive Musings, click here

Other Reviews:

• Dear Author (C-)
• Bookworm 2 Bookworm (favorable)
• Goodreads (rating as of 5/24/2012 4.38)

 

*Seductive Musings is an Amazon affiliate and receives a very small referral fee for purchases made via the links on the blog and through the Seductive Musings Amazon Store. Read the full disclosure here.

Read more...

Guest Author & Giveaway: Emma Lang featuring Endless Heart

I often wonder how authors choose names for their characters, don't you?  Sometimes they seem so perfect, other times they are just name, and then a few sad times you wonder what in the world they were thinking when they picked that name!  Names are very important to me in a romance, it helps me connect to them as people, even though they aren't real.

Author Beth Williamson aka Emma Lang is my special guest today to share with us a bit about the names of the characters in her upcoming historical western romance, Endless Heart, the third book in her Heart Trilogy (which I have enjoyed immensely.  Ruthless Heart was one of my favorite reads in 2010).  Enjoy!

~~~***~~~

What's in a name? Quite a lot

As a writer, I often choose the character names before I even know what the story is. It's true! Picking the right name is so important to me because it helps me shape the character. It's also important for me to be historically accurate - I cannot use names that were not "invented" in the time periods I write in. I do spend an inordinate amount of time picking names. Let me show you why.

For example, when I wrote the first book in the Devils on Horseback series, NATE, I spent time picking the names of the five men. Readers might not realize that each of the five men, the Devils as they are, have biblical names. Yep, they sure do, Nathaniel, Jacob, Ezekiel, Cornelius and Gideon. Each of them was granted a name that fit their personality.

Let's take Zeke, or Ezekiel as he hates to be called. It means "God strengthens." How appropriate for this ex-soldier, sheriff and the strongest of the devils.

Plus I had a bit of writerly humor giving bible names to the devils. Hee.

My next release, ENDLESS HEART, brings the Heart trilogy to a close with Lettie's story. Her name, Lettie Brown, is as plain as the clothes she hides behind. She has brown hair, brown eyes, brown dress and her name is brown. But what you find out in the story is there is more behind the brown, in fact, there is Violet.

Her real name that is. Beneath the tough, hard exterior lies the soft, fragile petals of a flower. She has grown a wall around herself to protect that fragility, hide it from the world.

Then there is Shane Murphy. Ah, my tortured hero who insists on punishing himself over and over for the same mistakes. Shane is a version of Sean, which is a version of John. Such a noble name, but hidden amongst the layers of darkness Shane buries himself in. John means "Yahweh is gracious" and there was never a hero who deserved the grace of God than Shane Murphy. He spends his days drowning in whiskey, lost in the shame and guilt he wears like a blanket.

In ENDLESS HEART, the names of the hero and heroine set the tone for the story, tell the reader right away, these two characters are in trouble. If their names were something like Claire and Tim, it wouldn't be the same, would it? Those names would diminish the dark undertones and affect the entire story.

Then there is the title of the book itself. ENDLESS HEART - what does that mean to me? The word "endless" means seeming to have no end. These two characters have the capacity to love so deeply, it will never end, but only grow deeper and stronger. Their hearts are so full of shadows, they have to find each other and thus, the love that grows in that endless heart.

It may be the geek writer who lives inside me, but names are critical to a book when I'm writing it and when I'm reading it. I admit I judge other people on their name choices and wonder, what made them pick THAT name? Like a Medieval with a character named Willow or Tiffany. Um, no. Or something like Brock for a cowboy. It just doesn't work for me and it can throw me for a loop.

I *hope* my characters and their names work for my readers. That the care I take in selecting their monikers translates into a fully rounded character that someone can relate to and take a journey with.

Signed, Beth
(whose grandmother was named Elizabeth, although called Betty, which means "God is my abundance". I do indeed have a lot to be thankful for :)

She’s learning to live. He’s forgotten how. Love will be their teacher.

Heart, Book 3

Lettie Brown has lived in the shadow of violence. After escaping her brutal past, she’s finally at home in Forestville, Wyoming, where she would live a normal life—if she knew how. She’s content working at The Blue Plate and printing the town newspaper, if not happy. Then a stranger stumbles into her world and turns everything upside down.

Shane Murphy is a shell of a man, destroyed by the aftermath of the war, his personal tragedies and a penchant for cheap whiskey. When he lands, literally, on Lettie’s feet, his future takes a hard right turn.

As they fumble through a relationship that should not have been, a deep love takes root, one that cannot be denied. Together they discover a bond as unbreakable as steel and as undeniable as life itself—until the past rears its ugly head and threatens the happiness they’ve found in each other.

Product Warnings
Get ready for a deep, intense love story that will leave you crying, cheering, shouting, squirming and sighing. Prepare for a hero who needs to be held, a heroine who needs to be loved, and a story that needs to be told.

Read an excerpt

 And enjoy this special excerpt just for Musings readers in the flipbook below:

or read it in a Google document here

  

Thank you Beth for being my guest today!  And I couldn't agree more, names are hugely important to me when reading a story.  So I thank you even more for taking such care in choosing them for your characters.  I have to say I think Shane, the hero in Endless Heart, is one of my favorite heroes so far this year.  My heart went out to him, and I think his name is perfect.

If you'd like to learn more about author Beth Williamson and Emma Lang (one in the same) you can find her at her oh so fab website www.bethwilliamson.com, her blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.   I think one of the things that attracted me to Beth's books at first was her slogan, "Read a book, Ride a Cowboy!".  I heart that so much! LOL.

To celebrate the release of Beth's newest and upcoming Historical Western Romance as Emma Lang, Endless Heart, the third and final book in her Heart Trilogy, she would like to giveaway a digital copy of the book to one very lucky Musings follower.  Here's how you can enter to win.

Ways to earn entries:

• Mandatory: What's your favorite part, or line from one of the excerpts?  AND/OR ask Beth/Emma a question about her book or characters (good for 1 entry)
• Mandatory: You MUST be a Google Friend Connect (GFC) follower in order to be eligible to win (unfortunately an email subscriber, or subscription in Google reader, and a follower are not the same thing so make sure you are signed up as a follower if you'd like to win this book)
• If you have a blog, or even if you don't, you can earn extra entries by telling your friends. If they successfully enter to win and mention that you sent them you can each earn extra entries. You can blog about it with a link to this post, post it on Facebook, Twitter, email...or even word of mouth (good for 5 entries for the referrer and the commenter for each friend) . Please note that to earn the points they must mention your GFC name so that I can match you.
• You can also earn extra entries by sharing the flipbook excerpt on Facebook, Twitter, your website or blog or other social media sites. You can earn 5 entries for each place that you share it and leave a link in the comments.
• Purchase any item from the Seductive Musings Amazon store by using this link, or the Amazon widget contained within this post and email a copy of your purchase receipt to me no later than the deadline to enter (email available in sidebar). Sorry purchases made prior to this date do not apply, and link contained in this post must be used. No faxes or snail mail copies are allowed. No purchases are necessary to win. (good for 25 entries, or 50 entries if a purchase is made from the featured author's available titles)

How to enter:

• You can choose to enter as many different ways that you want, but please place all of your entries in ONE comment 

Rules and disclaimers:

• This contest is open to US & International addresses
• You must be at least 18 years or older, or of legal age in your country
• The contest will end on May 26th at 11:59 pm EST and winner will be posted after they have been selected
• Winner(s) will be selected using Random.org, and/or by the author
• The winner(s) will have THREE days from the date they are posted to provide a mailing address. If you do not contact me within three days a replacement winner will be selected. NO EXCEPTIONS
• The book(s) will be mailed directly from the publisher or author and no substitutions are allowed
• Winners will be subject to one copy per household, which means that if you win the same title in two or more contests, that you will only receive one copy of the title in the mail
• Seductive Musings is not responsible for prizes that are not honored, distributed in a timely manner, lost, stolen, or damaged during transit 
• All giveaways are subject to change/cancellation without prior written notice

Good Luck!

 

*Seductive Musings is an Amazon affiliate and receives a very small referral fee for purchases made via the links on the blog and through the Seductive Musings Amazon Store. Read the full disclosure here.

Read more...

Guest Author & Giveaway: Jill Shalvis featuring Lucky in Love

Don't we all want to be lucky in love?  I know I do :)  So I guess it's no big surprise that I love love love the Lucky Harbor series, and was super dooper excited when the series was expanded beyond the first three in the series.

New York Times Bestselling Author and RITA Award winner Jill Shalvis is my guest today to share a bit with us the fourth book in her Lucky Harbor series, Lucky in Love.  Enjoy!

~~~***~~~

Some authors have a synopsis, outline or idea of what the story they are about to write will be.  However, sometimes during the writing process your Muse might speak to you and lead you in a different or unplanned direction.  What surprised, or changed the most from your original intent of Mallory & Ty's love story?  What do you love about them as a couple?

My stories always change and evolve from the synopsis stage.  Regarding Lucky In Love, I really got  a kick out of the badass hero trying to be good and the girl girl heroine wanting to go for a walk on the bad side …

What's your favorite scene or moment from Lucky In Love, and why? Can you describe it  for us without giving too much away?

Fave scene is when the hero has to lead the heroine through a crowded attic all 007 style, and he pushed her up a ladder and all she can think about is can he see her undies and that she’s happy she’s at least not wearing her laundry day panties.

What are five fun facts about this book and it's characters, that we would love to know?

1. I wrote the hottest sex scene in this book on a road trip with a full carload of family.  Every time someone asked me what I was writing, I said I was writing an article on quantum physics so no one would care enough to try to read over my shoulder.
2. My bad boy hero Ty Garrison is an ex Navy SEAL whose entire life has been one adrenaline rush after another but none of it compares to the adrenaline rush/roller coaster ride of falling in love with good girl Mallory Quinn.
3. My heroine Mallory and her best friends think that they’re the original Chocoholics but they’re not.  Me and my best friends are.
4. Ty thinks he’s nothing but a walk on the wild side for Mallory, and is resistant to falling for her.  What he doesn’t anticipate is Mallory taking HIM on a walk on the wild side.
5. Mallory loves Ty in his battered Levi’s and t-shirt stretched taut over his broad shoulders, dirty from being beneath his beloved muscle car working with his hands.  She could watch him work with his hands all day, and so could I.

Mallory Quinn has had enough of playing it safe. As a nurse and devoted daughter, she takes care of everyone but herself. And as the local good girl, she's expected to date Mr. Right. But for once, she'd like to take a risk on Mr. Wrong. And who could be more wrong than Ty Garrison? The mysterious new guy in town has made it clear that he's only passing through, which suits Mallory just fine. Besides, his lean, hard body and sexy smile will give her plenty to remember once he's gone . . .

For the first time in his life, Ty can't bear to leave. Helping this sexy seductress-in-training walk on the wild side is making him desire things he shouldn't, including leaving the military for good. As their just-for-fun fling becomes something more, Mallory and Ty wonder if they could really be this lucky in love. After all . . . anything can happen in a town called Lucky Harbor.

Read an excerpt

 

Thanks Jill for being my guest today!  

You all know how much I love not only Jill's books but also her blog, and her website.  Basically I'm a big fangirl :)  If you'd like to learn more about Jill Shalvis you can find her on her website, www.jillshalvis.com, her blog, Facebook, & Twitter.  I highly recommend her blog, it's always good for a daily laugh, and fans of the Lucky Harbor series will definitely want to check out the story behind the series.

 

To celebrate the release of the fourth book in the Lucky Harbor series, Lucky in Love, Jill's publisher, Forever Romance, would like to giveaway a print copy of the book to one lucky Musings follower :)  Here's how you can enter to win...

Ways to earn entries:

• Mandatory: Ask Jill a question about this book or her writing OR tell me your favorite part or line from either excerpt. (good for 1 entry)
• Mandatory: You MUST be a Google Friend Connect (GFC) follower in order to be eligible to win (unfortunately an email subscriber, or subscription in Google reader, and a follower are not the same thing so make sure you are signed up as a follower if you'd like to win this book)
• If you have a blog, or even if you don't, you can earn extra entries by telling your friends. If they successfully enter to win and mention that you sent them you can each earn extra entries. You can blog about it with a link to this post, post it on Facebook, Twitter, email...or even word of mouth (good for 5 entries for the referrer and the commenter for each friend) . Please note that to earn the points they must mention your GFC name so that I can match you.
• Purchase any item from the Seductive Musings Amazon store by using this link, or the Amazon widget contained within this post and email a copy of your purchase receipt to me no later than the deadline to enter (email available in sidebar). Sorry purchases made prior to this date do not apply, and link contained in this post must be used. No faxes or snail mail copies are allowed. No purchases are necessary to win. (good for 25 entries, or 50 entries if a purchase is made from the featured author's available titles)

How to enter:

• You can choose to enter as many different ways that you want, but please place all of your entries in ONE comment 

Rules and disclaimers:

• This contest is open to US addresses only
• You must be at least 18 years or older, or of legal age in your country
• The contest will end on May 27th at 11:59 pm EST and winner will be posted after they have been selected
• Winner(s) will be selected using Random.org
• The winner(s) will have THREE days from the date they are posted to provide a mailing address. If you do not contact me within three days a replacement winner will be selected. NO EXCEPTIONS
• The book(s) will be mailed directly from the publisher or author and no substitutions are allowed
• Winners will be subject to one copy per household, which means that if you win the same title in two or more contests, that you will only receive one copy of the title in the mail
• Seductive Musings is not responsible for prizes that are not honored, distributed in a timely manner, lost, stolen, or damaged during transit 
• All giveaways are subject to change/cancellation without prior written notice

Good Luck!

   

*Seductive Musings is an Amazon affiliate and receives a very small referral fee for purchases made via the links on the blog and through the Seductive Musings Amazon Store. Read the full disclosure here.

Read more...

Winners & Other Stuff: Lila DiPasqua, Grace Burrowes & Bronwen Evans

So, you may not have noticed but I missed the Monday's Muse post this week.  Egads, it was so crazy this past week, and I have several book cover deadlines staring me in the face that I just didn't have time to put my Muse post together for Monday :( 

It takes quite a bit of time to research all of the new releases, then go through my calendar to see what is coming up for the week, find a Muse...needless to say something had to give and it happened to be Monday's post....and the posting of a few winners.  Sorry for the delay for everyone who's been anxiously awaiting the announcement of winners.  So, without further ado....

To celebrate the release of her newest Fiery Tales novel, Undone, Lila would like to giveaway a signed print copy of A Midnight Dance by Lila herself, AND a signed print copy of Katharine Ashe's Captured by a Rogue Lord to Musings follower...

LadyRed

 

To celebrate the release of Lady Maggie's Secret Scandal, author Grace Burrowes would like to giveaway signed print copies to these TWO lucky Musings followers...

krazymama_98

lorimeehan

 

To celebrate the release of Invitation to Scandal and her Invitation to Romance Tour, author Bronwen Evans would like to giveaway a signed print copy of her new book to lucky Musings follower...

 lorimeehan

 (a double winner!)

 

Congratulations!   As always, you can click on any of the links or the book covers found on this blog to purchase the books you are dying to read...even if you didn't win them.  If you didn't win one of these, don't lose heart because I'll have some new ones for you soon!

If however,  you've been lucky enough to have already won these book(s) in another giveaway please let me know so that alternate winner(s) can be selected.  The winner(s) will have until Friday May 25th to contact me with your mailing address, otherwise the prize will be forfeited, and an alternate winner may be selected.  

For new followers to Seductive Musings please take note I do NOT email you that you have won.  The blog post serves as the announcement and it is your responsibility to contact me with your mailing address. You can send your mailing address to me by using the Contact link in the menu bar at the top of the blog then filling out the form.

*Seductive Musings is an Amazon affiliate and receives a very small referral fee for purchases made via the links on the blog and through the Seductive Musings Amazon Store. Read the full disclosure here.

Read more...