Romance That Lives And Breathes The Power of Love
Thanks to my kind host, Beth, for having me as a guest today. It is a pleasure and an honor to be here.
As for romance….
I confess that beneath my tough girl exterior, my hard as nails hammered into strong wood heart, I am a hopeless romantic. I can be sentimental and yes, although I seldom like to admit it, I have been known to weep at tender scenes in either books or movies. The first time I watched Australia, I cried when The Drover and Nala found Sarah alive and well. Their sweet reunion brought tears to my eyes and choked me up with unshed sobs. I’ve even been known to shed a tear or two while writing some of my own scenes.
So my brand, tagline, motto, whatever anyone wants to call it, “Romance that lives and breathes the power of love” is true. I write it and I believe it. Love is a powerful force. In my own life, I have seen love cause amazing things, beautiful and wonderful ones. I have also felt in past relationships that withered and failed to grow how destructive and harmful love can also be. But I think that the positive power far outweighs any negative.
As more of my novels are out into the reading public’s hands, I find it harder to pick excerpts because it reminds me of picking just one of my kids for a special treat. But, since Love Never Fails, my contemporary romance is out in both eBook and paperback format, I’ll use an excerpt from it that I think illustrates my motto. The couple is meeting again for the first time after a five year separation and she came back to their hometown because he needed her, without even knowing why…
“Are you all right?” She needed to know.
“I’m okay,” Reid said. He put his hand in the center of his chest. “That is, except for this pain I’ve had right here for about five years now. A deep, burning pain that never went away. Today though, it feels just a little bit better.”
She inhaled sharply, panicked at the idea of him having chest pains and then realized his heart trouble was romantic, not medical. Without analyzing it or planning what she'd say, she leaned forward.
“Maybe this will help it heal.”
She touched her lips to his, a very light kiss, her mouth barely touching his.
“It helps if it’s real,” Reid said, taking her face into his hands and kissing her with thoroughness that ignited fire in her veins. “Did you mean what you said on the phone?”
“I came, didn’t I?”
“You did, but do you?”
Her answer was a vow. “I do, Reid. I love you.”
He exhaled. “It’s about time you told me so.
Love Never Fails, like all of my novels and novellas, can be purchased through Amazon.com, All Romances Ebooks, Manic Readers, Bookstrand, Coffee Time Romance and more.
As the granddaughter of the owner of Hart Ranch, Heather wasn't surprised to learn from the attorney that she might inherit the ranch from the dying man. What she wasn't expecting was to be in competition for the ranch with the man she had met on her one visit to the ranch. Tristan Rogers remembered the little girl with the sprained ankle. She had been jail bait back then, fifteen to his twenty one, but he hadn't forgotten her. He'd hired on at the Hart and eventually worked his way up to foreman. The Hart was his home and his life, and he wasn't about to give it up without a fight.
I liked this contemporary romance, but then, who doesn't like hunky cowboys? Tristan's character is believable because he is attracted to Heather but doesn't want to lose his home to some cold stranger, a vegetarian at that, who doesn't know the first thing about how to run a profitable organic cattle ranch. Heather and Tristan clash on many levels, including their attraction for each other, throughout the book. I really enjoyed the information about raising cattle organically. It was just enough to understand the fundamentals without a lengthy information dump (some writers like to tell everything they know).
The story moves along quickly as Heather is forced by her grandfather to learn about ranch life or have no chance to win her inheritance, losing it all to Tristan. Her character must grow up and take stock of who she is. Her introspection is done very well, including what she has to face to overcome past injustices, her hatred and distrust of men in general, and then move on to decide who she really is and what she really wants out of life. Be sure to keep your tissue box close by for the ending. I'm giving this one a thumbs-up.
Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual
Reviewer: Kathy F.
May 18, 2011
And From Whipped Cream:
Heather and Tristan first met when she was a teenager and sprained her ankle while visiting her grandfather’s ranch. Now she’s all grown up and returned there to compete with him for the right to take over the running of the family ranch once her ailing grandfather dies.
I really enjoyed the opening to this story. A step back in the past to see both main characters and how they first met. When we fast forward to the present we meet a completely different Heather. The author did a great job showing us the transformation of her character. She’s now someone you almost despise but somewhere in the back of your mind you sense something has happened to her to turn her into this rebellious and sometimes unlikeable young woman. Tristan is still his delightful and in many scenes I felt sorry that he had to endure Heather’s temper and attitude.
The secondary characters in this story are great and helped to round out this short read. The dialogue and pacing were both spot on. It’s a sexy story full of sexual tension as Heather and Tristan go about their business at the ranch and the author does a first class job with making you finally see Heather through Tristan’s eyes which eventually makes her more tolerable.
I won’t give away what Heather was hiding but when the author did finally reveal the dark secret, all became clear as to why she acted out during the first half of the story. I would have liked to have been told this earlier in the story so we could have spent more time with this couple while Tristan mends the hurt she’s been through.
This is definitely a story to pick up if you like a sexy cowboy and a quick read.
I would like to thank Beth for having me asa guest on her blog. I really appreciate it. Thank you Beth, you’re a doll!.
My inspiration for my debut novel - ‘Her Heart’s Desire’ sprang from my penchant for sexy, well educated English men and beautiful architecture.
I love England’s stately homes and heritage. I have spent many a happy afternoon strolling through elegant manicured gardens and staring open mouthed at incredible buildings. I have no idea why, but being near such grandeur makes me weak at the knees and the idea of meeting the handsome lord of the manor really gets me going! When I watched Downtown Abbey my desire piqued! I went to Highclere house in Berkshire where the drama is filmed and the ideas came thick and fast (no pun intended)
I decided to write about my own dashing hero and created Highcroft house as his ancestral home. Hence (Lord) James St John was born. He is charming, handsome, titled and super sexy. What more could a woman want?
I also love reading ‘bodice rippers’ and I will read and watch anything with a handsome posh man in it! They really turn me on. I have fallen hard many a time for a suave and sophisticated gent, and subsequently nursed a few broken hearts when the big romances were over. (Cads!)
But my failed romances have not put me off. I still adore a real gent. As long as he is tall, dark and handsome, if he talks classy, opens doors, walks to the outside on the pavement, pays for dinner and calls me darling, I will do almost anything he asks in the bedroom. I would do naked cartwheels if I could! Such is my desire for the love of an English Gentleman.
I like my erotica to be set in an environment that has presence and atmosphere and setting my story in a grand Ancestral home gives it tons of that. Think four poster beds and what can be done in them, creaking floorboards, dark passageways (no pun intended), candlelight and roaring fires and you’re on the right track. Give me loads of romance with a bit of kink thrown in and I’m in fantasy heaven! So I wrote ‘Her Heart’s Desire’ and let my imagination run wild. I created Highcroft to satisfy some of my own Heart’s Desires. Step inside and prepare to blush!
Blurb:
When Marisa applies for a PA job to an English aristocrat, she expects a stuffy, older gentleman. James St John is anything but. He is an extremely good-looking, English charmer. Sparks fly, and the attraction is intense.
Marisa fights her desire, cautious about becoming involved with her boss.But James St John is unable to resist the sexual allure between them, and he will not rest until she is in his bed.
Marisa soon discovers that the walls of Highcroft house hide a hotbed of sin and dark longings. Will its secrets destroy her happiness when love starts to bloom?
He watched her as she bent over to light the candles, her perfect arse showing under the tiny maid’s dress. He felt his cock grow hard instantly as he imagined kneeling behind her and kissing that peachy bottom with fervour. His heartbeat quickened as she lay on the bed and caressed herself, exposing her full breasts. He sucked his breath in. ‘Oh, God,’he murmured as he watched her open her legs and reveal her silky cunt.
She closed her eyes and moaned gently as she touched herself.
He could see everything. She was exposed for him, her gorgeous, wet pussy. Her perfect breasts spilled out of the bodice. He stared at her nipples, hard and ready for his tongue, and it made his cock twitch.
He watched mesmerised as she continued her teasing. He smiled as he caught her peeking at him beneath her eyelashes. He gazed at her, his eyes burning with desire as he watched her slim fingers playing on her clit. Her tongue licked seductively at her lips, moistening them. He unzipped his pants and his cock sprang out, hard and proud. He began wanking it gently as he watched her breasts heaving and her finger frigging her clit. His excitement intensified when she started speaking in a soft, seductive tone.
‘I want strong hands to massage me and feel me all over, I want to feel my lover’s cock pressing against me.’ She breathed huskily as her eyes glinted in the candlelight, beckoning him, drawing him to her. James remained silent in the shadows, watching her as he pumped his cock slowly, massaging the bulbous head, squeezing the tip to extend his pleasure.
‘Hmm, I want my lover to take me and fuck me without mercy. I’m desperate to feel him. I long for his touch.’
‘Oh, I wish my lord and master were here. I want to feel his tongue on my tits, his fingers on my pussy, his beautiful cock in my cunt.’
James could not restrain himself any longer, striding from the shadows with his erection bobbing in front of him, he moved slowly towards the bed. She feigned surprise. ‘Oh, master, I didn’t realize you were there.’
He grinned wickedly as his eyes travelled all over her body. He loved the kinky maid’s outfit, the stockings and suspenders, frilly knickers pushed sluttishly aside, exposing her pussy.
‘Dear god you are a vision!’ he whispered, his voice husky with desire.
Marisa smiled at him wantonly. He licked his lips at the sight of her lying there. His fingers worked quickly as he pulled at the ribbons on the bodice of her dress. He gasped as the bodice fell apart and she lay there almost naked. He reached out and stroked the soft globes. He groaned as she touched his cock. He sucked his breath in as her soft fingers stroked his shaft. Her touch felt silky against his flesh, and he longed to thrust his hard cock into her tight pussy. But he wanted to make it last. He intended to take his time with her until they were both mad with desire.
‘My, we are a naughty little maid, aren’t we?’ he murmured. He watched her, transfixed. He continued stroking her tits, the nipples straining beneath his fingertips. He bent his head to lick them, making her groan as his hand went down between her legs.
‘Open your legs wide for me,’ he demanded.
Marisa did as he asked. Pulling her knees up, she spread her legs wide for him.
‘Yes, master,’ she said obediently. He grinned. He loved their games. Excitement rushed through his veins, and he longed to tie her up, bind her wrists to the bed, and make her beg to be released so she could touch his cock and suck him. His thoughts ran wild.
He could feel her heart thundering. Her breathing rapid with excitement and it spurred him on.
‘Hmm, you’re so wet,’ he murmured as his fingers worked in and out of her soaking pussy. Marisa was gasping with pleasure, crying out in ecstasy as he talked to her in his deep, masculine English accent.
‘Are you nearly there, are you going to come for me my darling?’
‘Yes!’ she cried out.
He swooped on her, licking her deeply. With a few long, lascivious strokes of his hot, wet tongue he brought her off instantly. He groaned as he felt her coming. He lapped at her juices and sucked her clit as she convulsed on his tongue. She cried out and tugged hard on his hair as she screamed in ecstasy.
He moved up her quivering body and kissed her lips passionately, his tongue darting into her mouth to share her secretions. She gasped and licked at him, wild and hungry.
‘Now it’s my turn,’ he growled, taking her hand and raising her from the bed.
‘Suck me, my naughty maid,’ he demanded.
Thank you Lauren for your deliciously sexy excerpt!! I can't wait to get my hands on James, er, the book!!!
This is, I think, my favorite cover so far. It was designed by April Martinez, who has done two other covers for me at Loose Id, and I have to give her a huge round of applause. When I was writing Kismet I envisioned a "green" cover, with Evie and Kris nestled amidst the green Louisiana Bayou grass. And April hit this out of the ball park!
My favorite part is Evie's eyes. I imagine this moment is when they merge into one, her eyes fly to his and she gasps at the pleasure. To me, this cover is very sexy and embodies all of who Evie is.
Burb:
All of her life, Evie Rhoton has had visions of the immediate future. Her dreams are of two men, Kristian Seek and Hyde Galloway, and she travels her adult life tracking them down in the post-apocalyptic world after a virus has devastated the population.
She gets a dream that shows the two men in trouble, and heads to Los Angeles against a lot of trepidation.She finds the stoic side of Kris a perfect match for her soul, but questions her idea of love when her attraction for Hyde flares out of control.
The three race against time, trying to save a colony of survivors from the oncoming deadly earthquake.But will Evie’s choice be her destiny or ultimate destruction.
-Kismet available July 10th at Loose Id. http://www.loose-id.com/Kismet.aspx
Q) What got you started in the romance genre as a writer and reader?
A)I always liked to read, but until the so-called sweet gothics came along way back when, I didn’t focus especially on romance. These had a mixture of romance, mystery and either paranormal or at least a hint of it. I already enjoyed both mysteries and paranormal, and found I liked romance as well. I read every one I could buy or borrow. (Love libraries!)
Then mysteries, my other favorite read at the time, started having romance subplots and I devoured those as well. Fantasy became popular, much of it written by women who almost always had at least a touch of romance and usually more. Finally it got so if a book I was reading didn’t have any romance, I felt cheated. I was definitely hooked.
Until I was asked this question, I didn’t analyze what the appeal of romance for me was. Thinking about it, I believe my reason for feeling the need to have romance threaded through my reads came from the very human need to see love triumph despite formidable obstacles.
All this said, I don’t read very many romance books that don’t have another element added--mystery or paranormal or humor. If romance authors can make me laugh, I do keep trying their books.
Somewhere about the time I got hooked on sweet gothics, I decided I could write one. I’d been fooling around with short stories, never sending them anywhere (my bad!) and this gothic was my first try at a novel--actually my first serious try at something I would try to sell. So I wrote Tule Witch, blending my love of paranormal with the gothic romance. Since I was a nurse, my heroine became one. She worked in a spooky old hospital in the area where I lived at the time--California’s Central Valley. I’d never heard anyone say “Write what you know,” but it’s good advice for a beginning writer. This was my pantser period. I’d never heard the word synopsis applied to writing.
When Tule Witch sold to Avon, I never looked back--just kept writing sweet gothics until they stopped being popular.
How I learned to write--gasp!--sex scenes and how I learned I was really a plotter and needed a synopsis is another topic entirely. But romance is still within every story I write or read.
Check out my website at www.JaneToombs.com My most recent book will be out in February from Devine Destinies--Flying High, a historical romance set in Al Capone’s bootlegging Chicago during the Roaring 20s. And, yes, there’s suspense as well as romance--with a touch of paranormal.
Have to admit, this is not a "movie" but I enjoyed this new television show so much I thought I would blog about it. It is on Wednesday's on ABC, but since I never really sit to watch tv, I catch it at hulu.com.
The show is about a girl, Chloe, who discovers she is a descendant of the Egyptian Goddess Bast, a protector of sorts. The show starts out with a normal sixteen year old girl decided to break the rules and enter a dance club via the back door. She meets a good looking guy, dances with him, and shares a quick good-bye kiss with him.
But strange things start happening to Chloe. She is almost hit by a car and jumps backward, high in the air to save herself. She is attacked by a homeless man and scratches him across the face with her cat-like nails. She falls out of window and lands on her feet.
There is a mystery, of course, and bad guys chasing her. One pushes her out of a tower and she falls to her death, only to come back alive a moment later. This miraculous feat seems to make her some type of "uniter" who has nine lives. The bad guys, for some reason, want the rest of her eight lives to be quick.
Along with the danger, the super-powers, and the ancient lineage, are cute boys, best friends, and handling school. I'm almost reminded of Buffy, in a non-demony way.
I hope the continuation of the show is as promising as the pilot. I'll be turning to hulu.com to check it out!
Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy:
