Friday, April 17, 2015

Knowing the Score by Kat Latham on Sale!



My fellow Carina Press writer Kat Latham's debut novel KNOWING THE SCORE is on sale until April 24! Here's the blurb:

Rugby player Spencer Bailey is determined to win a spot on England’s World Cup team. But with a month break before the selectors start watching him, he’s eager to have fun with a woman who knows the score: the relationship will end when rugby season begins. The lovely American Caitlyn Sweeney seems perfect for the role of temporary lover, since her visa will run out soon anyway.
Caitlyn works for an international disaster relief organization and can handle the world’s worst crises, but she flinches from her own. Her past has left her with a fear of intimacy so deep that she has trouble getting close to anyone—until she meets sexy Spencer. His hot body and easygoing nature are too much for even her to resist.
Neither Caitlyn nor Spencer expects to fall hard for each other. But with their relationship deadline approaching, the old rules of the game seem less important than before…until past secrets surface, challenging everything they thought they knew about each other.
What reviewers are saying:

"This is one of the best contemporary romances I’ve ever read! I had such a fantastic time watching these two characters fall in love…”
- The Season for Romance

To purchase your sale copy of KNOWING THE SCORE go to Kat's website at http://katlatham.com/books-2/knowing-the-score/ and check out the buy links.


Join the hottest rugby team around!

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Consent is Sexy by Cecilia Tan

Consent is Sexy: So is Pushing the Boundaries
by Cecilia Tan

I think consent is sexy. One of the things that turns me on the most, both in a lover in my real life and in the books I like to read and write, is communication between partners. Consent is about negotiating likes, wants, needs, and boundaries between lovers. Finding out how the key fits into the lock, the magic fit between the two main characters, is the key to any romance novel and I love to see how people get there. 

In BDSM, consent--and achieving clarity between partners about consent--is so important because the power dynamic that takes place in BDSM can appear one-sided. It's really important to express clearly what you want if you're the type of person--like me--who is turned on by being overwhelmed by my lover. The fantasy of a romance heroine being swept away, ravished, held down and pleasured (or held down and tormented) is a common one. BDSM makes it possible to experience that in real life with a willing play partner. So as the one getting ravished I have to be very clear to my partners what I want  them do to me for fun.

I think it's very important to be clear that our fantasies of being overwhelmed, of being "taken," of being ravished, even of being raped, are valid fantasies to have. They're valid fantasies to use as erotic fodder for the imagination and they're valid to enjoy in fiction, whether in erotica or romance.

That said, many people struggle with the idea that fantasies of being taken by an unstoppable male erotic force is okay. I grapple with this issue in THE INCUBUS AND THE ANGEL, the third book in my Magic University series. In the book, one of the subplots is that many of the female characters are being visited in their dreams by an "incubus," a demon lover who may be "only a dream" and yet leaves many of the women feeling deeply affected. Some feel violated, others yearn for an incubus-like lover to find them in real life, and every other reaction in between. I knew it would be a bit tricky to present male desire this way in a romance novel, but I felt it was important to recognize that not all women dream of being in a historical romance novel or even a 50-shades-style power relationship.

The whole incubus subplot for me was a way to contrast the unstoppable dream lover with the way our characters conduct themselves in real life. Sexual magic is our hero Kyle's strength, and when he agrees to have magical sex with a female friend to help her with her homework, he's scrupulous at negotiating what the boundaries and rules of their interaction will be. Of course, the boundaries begin to shift as he and Lindy's feelings for each other grow... But Kyle is also strongly attracted to a male student he has performed sex magic with, a student whose boundaries are zealously guarded. I can't tell you what happens without spoiling the book, but it's all part of exploring the theme of boundaries, and what can happen when those boundaries are crossed.

Because although consent is sexy, pushing the boundaries in fiction is, too. I like to play with that ravishment trope as much as many romance writers, I just come at it from a slightly different perspective.

The Incubus and the Angel: Magic University Book Three
by Cecilia Tan
Print ISBN 978-1-62601-121-2, Digital ISBN 978-1-62601-122-9
Paperback $16.99, ebook $6.99

Buy links:

Description:
The third volume in Cecilia Tan's LGBT new adult paranormal romance series.

Since his arrival as a freshman at Veritas, the hidden magical university inside Harvard, Kyle Wadsworth has been on a quest for true love. He's had his heart broken a few times along the way, though, and now halfway through his junior year he thinks he isn't ready to love again. He has grown obsessed with studying an ancient prophecy and is still haunted by past events, even in his dreams.

But Kyle isn't the only one suffering from haunted dreams. One of his good friends, an enchantment student named Lindy Carmichael, is having uncontrollably erotic dreams and difficulty with magic. Lindy, a sexually naive young woman who, like Kyle, did not grow up in the magical world, fears she is losing her power. Kyle can't do anything about the incubus haunting her nights, but power is one thing he can provide—through erotic magic. Lindy and Kyle start "dating," first for the sake of schoolwork, but they quickly become more serious about each other.

As their romance blossoms, Kyle discovers perhaps he can do something about the incubus after all. Is Kyle the hero prophesied in the ancient texts? Whether he is or not, there is one person whose help he must enlist. The one person who wants the least to do with him. The person Kyle sees in his dreams: his old Gladius House rival, Frost.



"Cecilia Tan brought me into her world of magic with a plot that intrigued me from the start. Power comes in many forms and I found myself enthralled with the erotic nights spent between Lindy and Kyle." --Siren Book Reviews

"The Incubus and the Angel is an entertaining read that has a similar magical world structure as the Harry Potter books, though these tales of magic definitely aren't for children. Kyle is a strong hero but with a touch of femininity which helps him relate to Lindy in ways an alpha male type couldn't. He's been hurt emotionally, but willing to keep searching for his soul mate. I like that resiliency about him."--You Gotta Read Reviews

"If you want a book about students practicing magic and sex, this is definitely the one for you."
--Erotica Readers Association


About the author:
Cecilia Tan is “simply one of the most important writers, editors, and innovators in contemporary American erotic literature,” according to Susie Bright. Her BDSM romance novel Slow Surrender (Hachette/Forever, 2013) won the RT Reviewers Choice Award in Erotic Romance and the Maggie Award for Excellence from the Georgia Romance Writers chapter of the Romance Writers of America.

Tan is the author of many books, including the ground-breaking erotic short story collections Black Feathers (HarperCollins), White Flames (Running Press), and Edge Plays (Circlet Press), and the erotic romances Slow Surrender, Slow Seduction, and Slow Satisfaction (Hachette/Forever), The Prince’s Boy (Circlet Press), The Hot Streak (Riverdale Avenue Books), and the Magic University series (Riverdale Avenue Books). Her short stories have appeared in Ms. Magazine, Nerve, Best American Erotica, Asimov’s Science Fiction, and tons of other places. She was inducted into the Saints & Sinners Hall of Fame for GLBT writers in 2010, was a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Leather Association in 2004, and won the inaugural Rose & Bay Awards for Best Fiction in 2010 for her crowdfunded web fiction serial Daron’s Guitar Chronicles.


She lives in the Boston area with her lifelong partner corwin and three cats. Find out more at www.ceciliatan.com or follow her on Twitter at @ceciliatan

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Help me get "Over the Hump" and win prizes!

I am stuck! I'm following 1,999 people on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/JanaRichards_) and I can't follow anymore until I get over 2,000 people to follow me. As well, I would love to get over 500 followers on my Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/JanaRichardsAuthor).

Can I get some love?

To sweeten the pot, I'm giving away ecopies of five of my books/novellas, a $5 Amazon Gift Certificate and a $10 Amazon gift certificate. Here are the books I'm giving away. Click on the name to read a blurb and an excerpt:












If you already follow me on Twitter and Facebook, thank you! You can still enter the contest by tweeting a message or sharing my post on Facebook. The contest will close on April 11 at midnight and I will pick the winners from Rafflecopter and post the winners by April 13. Good luck!



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Saturday, April 4, 2015

#MySexySaturday THERE GOES THE GROOM

This week's theme is A Long Time Sexy about characters who have loved each other for a long time. Such is the case with Olivia Taylor and Tony Dipietro in THERE GOES THE GROOM, Book Two in my Left at the Altar series. Eight years ago Tony left Olivia at the altar, but he never stopped loving her. Olivia has tried to move on with her life but her first love still haunts her. Here's 7 sexy sentences when Tony realizes he can't walk away from her again:

A powerful emotion welled in Tony’s chest, making his voice choke in his throat and his heart pound in his chest. He laid his hand on Olivia’s dark, silky hair and gently stroked.

“You’re wrong, Liv,” he said softly. “You’re the most lovable person I know.”

With those words a door opened in his heart, and for the first time in eight years he dared to look inside.

He knew with complete certainty that he loved her, that he’d never stopped loving her all these years.

His elation at finally acknowledging the truth was quickly tempered by the knowledge that Olivia was engaged to marry another man.

I hope you enjoyed my snippet! Hop on over to the blogs of other authors contributing to My Sexy Saturday this week!


Friday, April 3, 2015

Kim Iverson Headlee and DAWNFLIGHT

Kim Iverson Headlee is my guest today with her her book DAWNFLIGHT. Here's a blurb:

Gyan is a Caledonian chieftainess by birth, a warrior and leader of warriors by training, and she is betrothed to Urien, a son of her clan’s deadliest enemy, by right of Arthur the Pendragon’s conquest of her people. For the sake of peace, Gyan is willing to sacrifice everything...perhaps even her very life, if her foreboding about Urien proves true. 

Roman by his father, Brytoni by his mother, and denied hereditary rulership of his mother's clan because of his mixed blood, Arthur has followed his father's path to become Dux Britanniarum, the Pendragon: supreme commander of the northern Brytoni army. The Caledonians, Scots, Saxons, and Angles keep him too busy to dwell upon his loneliness...most of the time. 

When Gyan and Arthur meet, each recognize within the other their soul’s mate. The treaty has preserved Gyan’s ancient right to marry any man, providing he is a Brytoni nobleman—but Arthur does not qualify. And the ambitious Urien, Arthur’s greatest political rival, shall not be so easily denied. If Gyan and Arthur cannot prevent Urien from plunging the Caledonians and Brytons back into war, their love will be doomed to remain unfulfilled forever. 

But there is an even greater threat looming. The Laird of the Scots wants their land and will kill all who stand in his way. Gyan, Arthur, and Urien must unite to defeat this merciless enemy who threatens everyone they hold dear.





Kim is currently on a blog tour with DAWNFLIGHT. For a full list of stops, check out Kim's blog, The Maze of Twisty Passages.

Excerpt:

They circled for what felt like half an eon. He appeared to be inviting her to attack first. She noticed him favoring his left leg a wee bit, as though troubled by an old wound. Bearing full weight seemed to be a problem reflected not only in his gait but occasionally in his eyes too. A clever warrior might feign such a weakness to trick his opponent into doing something foolish.

There was only one way to find out.

She lunged toward that side. He parried the blow with ease and answered with a counterattack so forceful, it was all she could do to block the bone-jarring blows. Injury or no, the Pendragon knew his craft. And she was half dismayed yet half pleased to recognize that, unlike in her matches with Urien, Arthur was holding nothing back. As the ache in her arms and shoulders mounted, she knew she had to devise some other tactic, or this would become the shortest bout on record.

After parrying one of his lighter blows, she spun away to disengage, catch her breath, and collect her thoughts. Sword cocked, she resumed circling him, relieved that he didn’t seem anxious to reengage. Briefly, she noticed a crowd forming along the rail; soldiers, mostly, gesturing and shouting words she couldn’t understand, nor did she wish to. She blotted them out to open all her senses to her opponent, even down to the huskiness of his breathing and the tangy odor of his sweat, trying to think of anything that might work to tip the balance in her favor.

An image flashed to mind of a bout with her father, fought on the eve of Urien’s arrival at Arbroch. Inspired by the outcome of that fight, she swiftly formed a plan. It carried high risk and no guarantee of success. She never would have attempted such a move in combat. Here, the only danger if she lost would be to her pride. But if she won…she bit her lower lip to keep her face from betraying her intent.

She let Arthur initiate the attack. While advancing to meet the blow, she stumbled, fell, and rolled to her stomach. As expected, he quickly moved in to claim the victory. The crowd cheered. But before she could feel the prickle of his sword on her neck, she twisted aside and hooked his legs with hers. Luck favored her; with a startled yelp, and equally startled noises from their audience, he went down. She scrambled to her feet and pinned him under the point of her sword. Amid the overall roar of disappointment, she could pick out phrases like “Trickery!” and “Not fair!” But the taunts didn’t bother her; victory had never tasted sweeter! Her only regret was that Ogryvan and Per and the rest of her clan couldn’t savor it with her.

Studying Arthur for a reaction, her grin soured. For several seconds, he stared at the sky as though stunned; whether physically or mentally, she couldn’t tell. Her concern rose as she wondered if she had injured him. Finally, he shook his head and attempted to sit up, but her sword barred his way.

“I concede the match, Chieftainess.” He released his sword and waved his open hand. “I won’t try anything unique. You have my word. Thank God my enemies aren’t half as devious as you are.” His grin could have stopped the sun in its course…and it was having an arresting effect on Gyan’s heart as well. “But I wouldn’t advise using that move in battle. Much too risky.”

“Oh. Yes, I—I know.” Chiding herself for how silly she must sound, she sheathed her sword and thrust out her hand. He tugged off his gloves and accepted her unspoken offer, gripped her forearm, and hauled himself up.

Pain stabbing her arm forced a strangled gasp from her throat. He shifted his grip to her hand and gently turned her arm to expose the underside. A long cut lay perilously close to one of the veins, seeping blood. He traced the vein lightly with a fingertip.

“When did I do this?” His voice was a hoarse whisper.

Staring at the cut, she wondered the same thing. Probably during their initial clash, though she really had no idea. She shrugged. Even that motion made her wince.

“Chieftainess, I didn’t mean to—” A stricken look shattered his bearing. He squeezed her hand. “God in heaven, Gyanhumara, I am so sorry.”

She wanted to reassure him that she’d be all right; the wound looked clean and wasn’t much deeper than a scratch. In fact, it was the least of her concerns. Enchanted by the sound of her name on his lips and mesmerized by his gaze, she felt the world seem to collapse to just the two of them. His face hovered over hers, his lips a handspan away. The warmth of his nearness had an intoxicating effect. She was acutely conscious of the tugging of her heart, as though it was trying to pull her closer to him. It wasn’t an unwelcome idea.

BUY LINKS
Amazon Kindle:
US | UK | CA | AU | BR | DE | ES | FR | IN | IT | JP | MX | NL |
Other digital formats:
Nook | iBooks | Kobo | Smashwords | 
Print:
Amazon | B&N | Createspace (2013 cover) |  Half.com (autographed)
Audiobook:
Amazon | Audible | iTunes |




Enter this great giveaway for e-books, note cards, and an autographed print copy of Dawnflight!

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Thursday, April 2, 2015

Easter Traditions #LASRblogfest

My post at the Long and Short Reviews Blogfest goes live today at 11 am EST. I'm giving away an ebook for commenting on my post, so please pop over to Long and Short Reviews and tell me about the Easter traditions in your house. Happy Easter!