Sunday Reflections: Upcoming Books, Fun Stuff and Great Deals You Might Have Missed, Week of February 16, 2014

Upcoming Books and New Releases

For fans of romance novels featuring football heroes, check out Avon’s upcoming release, Rushing Amy by Julie Brannagh which comes out on February 25th and it’s the second book in the author’s Love and Football series. An arrogant ex-NFL star meets a gorgeous florist at her sister’s wedding and is shocked when his patented moves prove he’s got no game with this particular woman. It’s always nice when the heroes have to step up their game, isn’t it? I don’t know if the price is permanent, but as of right now, the Kindle version is only $1.99 with the paperback at the usual release price of around $6, so I’ve taken advantage of the ebook discount.

Lori Wilde is well-known for her small-town Twilight, Texas series and recently the books she’s put out for that series have had some tie-in to a holiday, and since she does a great job bringing the spirit of a holiday into the plot, more power to her! The latest addition is The Valentine’s Day Disaster, book #4.5 in the series, and features an injured NASCAR driver looking to recuperate in his hometown who ends up face-to-face with his high school sweetheart during the town’s Valentine’s Day auction. Out already so go get it!

Lynsay Sands clearly deserves a yearly word count award as she keeps cranking out book after book for her Argeneau series (and vampire fiction fans appreciate all her hard work). The latest addition is the 20th book in the series (woohoo!), and Vampire Most Wanted has a renegade Argeneau hiding out in Southern California and the vampire sent to bring her back to Louisana for questioning. Put February 18th in your calendar or better yet, pre-order it.

With my adoration of all things steampunk/gaslight, I’m really not sure how author Lynn Viehl and her Disenchanted & Co series managed to sneak past me this year. Featuring a female private investigator living in an America which lost the Revolutionary War, this series looks terrific – it even has a love triangle with both an Inspector and a mage vying for the heroine’s affections! With the release of the second book in the series, A Clockwork Wolf, coming out on February 25th and having our heroine petitioned by the noblewoman responsible for ruining her, I’m going to be playing catch up this week and reading these novels.

Elle Kennedy has romance readers everywhere fanning themselves with her Out of Uniform series and the latest addition, As Hot As It Gets, is actually the tenth book in the series and centers on a sexy SEAL who, after watching all his teammates find their true love, discovers a sexy gardner who pushes all his buttons…and has so many obligations she’s not open to dating. Give a SEAL a challenge and expect all the stops to be pulled out.

Vivian Arend‘s most recent Thompson & Sons novel, Baby, Be Mine, will be on the shelves as of February 25th and I’ve had this one pre-ordered since December 15th as the initial buzz was so great. When a heroine has a car accident and loses her memory (and let’s just say that one particular memory of that night is pretty key), she’s more than baffled as to how she can be pregnant, but she’s further confused when a good friend comes back from a work assignment two months later acting like he has rights where she is concerned. What gives? Do yourself a favor and get the fantastic anthology Marked which has not only the first book in this new series but also two other amazing books by Kit Rocha and Lauren Dane while you are waiting for this one.

Contests and Giveaways

Historical romance fans love Elizabeth Hoyt for good reason, so if you enjoy her books or have simply wanted to try them, you may want to take a look at the Goodreads giveaway for the first book in her Legend of the Four Soldiers series, To Taste Temptation. When a self-made man wearing moccasins shows up among the ton with a reputation for fleeing a massacre in North America that many English gentlemen didn’t survive, society is scandalized but one young woman is nothing but fascinated with the forthright, sensual man who made it through the battle her brother did not. When that same gentleman begins to suspect her fiancee of culpability in the battle’s outcome, she must decide whether she can rely on her newly formed trust to tell help her ferret out the truth. Enter before the February 28th deadline for your chance to win.

Entangled Publishing recently released three fantastic military romances under the Brazen imprint – including Staking His Claim by Tessa Bailey, Tawna Fenske’s Marine for Hire and Temporarily Yours by Diane Alberts– and they are still celebrating with a terrific giveaway on the Fiction Vixen website. Prizes include a Kindle Paperwhite, signed copies of the books and 2 $25 Amazon gift cards, so unlock the Rafflecopter interface and get your entries before the February 26th deadline.

Since I’m a fan of Gina Maxwell‘s world of MMA Fighters in her Fighting for Love series, I was thrilled to see that her excellent Entangled ebooks have been picked up by St. Martin’s Press to be published in print. The second excellent book in the series, Rules of Entanglement, will be coming out in paperback on February 25th, and anyone interested in winning a copy should hustle over to the Goodreads giveaway immediately and enter the contest by February 17th (that’s tomorrow!). With this ridiculous cold weather, watching an uptight district attorney let her hair down with an MMA fighter while she plans her best friend’s (and his sister’s) wedding is exactly what the weatherman ordered!

Fun Stuff

Those clever editors at Avon Publishing have come up with a “choose your own adventure” type book, except this time it’s a naughty romantic adventure. A Girl Walks Into a Bar: Your Fantasy, Your Rules is written in the first person and offers periodic decisions (like wearing control top panties, naughty underwear or going commando) with the adventure directing you to the page of your next adventure. It’s tough to say from the Amazon preview as to weather the ebook as direct hyperlinks to the place in the text, but it’s an intriguing direction for romance fiction or erotica to venture. Author Helena S. Paige is purportedly doing more than one, so take a look and see if this could be something you’d like – I can picture it being a great present for a girls’ night out/bachelorette party!

My love for sports romance fiction is no secret, so I was pleased to see several wonderful authors like Cassandra Carr and Kelly Jamieson band together and form the Hockey Romance website to promote their upcoming work to fans. This is a great idea since if you enjoy one hockey romance, you might certainly enjoy another, so cross promoting like-minded authors leads to greater discoverability. I hope they start blogging about their favorite teams, the Stanley Cup playoffs and tricky concepts like icing to help readers appreciate the genre even more!

If you know someone who didn’t have the greatest Valentine’s Day, a terrific gift would be one that allows them to dwell on all their favorite Hollywood stars. As good as chocolate would be Color Me Swoon: The Beefcake Activity Guide for Good Color-Inners As Well As Beginners with it’s representations of Ryan Gosling, George Clooney and Brad Pitt just begging for your set of colored pencils and some “me” time. British artist Mel Eliott has given all of us a chance to reconnect with our inner (ahem) child, so thanks Mel!

The toughest part of choosing a calendar is always debating the cute animals approach versus the hot shirtless guys you’d like to also be looking at. Compromise no more! Hot Guys and Baby Animals 2014 combines two of your favorite things and tells you what day of the week it is. You’re welcome.

Great Deals

Harlequin Blaze’s Uniformly Hot series is one of my favorites and if you enjoy your category romance with a military hero, I suggest you take a look. A great way to dip a toe is to take advantage of the great Uniformly Hot! Volume 1 Bundle, featuring three books from Rhonda Nelson, Tawny Weber and Karen Foley – three writers with serious military chops. Harlequin books are always well priced, but $.99 for over 500 pages of hot heroes and feisty heroines is the ultimate bargain.

I love Kresley Cole‘s paranormal novels (she has an entire section of my Kindle app devoted to her) and her recent contemporary The Professional was amazing, so I’m eager to sample her historical novels. A great way to try one out is to take advantage of the ebook sale on If You Deceive, the third book in her Scottish McCarrick Brothers trilogy. A former Highland nobleman, beaten and scarred years ago for a crime he didn’t commit, finds the opportunity for the ultimate revenge when he realizes the man who caused him all this pain has a gorgeous daughter, one he can seduce with false promises and then cast aside. Naturally his plan goes awry, but can love survive the ultimate deception?

This great deal could have also been in the Upcoming Books section with a release date of March 3rd, but with seven books from seven really wonderful authors, the Lucky 7 Bad Boys Contemporary Romance Boxed Set should be on everyone’s pre-order list, particularly with the price of $.99. Readers ge 2000 pages by Charity Pinerio, Sophia Knightly, Tawny Weber, Nina Bruhns, Susan Hatler, Virna DePaul and Kristin Miller, so I think we end up being the lucky ones!

That’s it for this week. Happy reading!

You’ll Give Diane Alberts’ Temporarily Yours a Permanent Place In Your Heart (and Your Bookshelf)

Temporarily Yours (Shillings Agency #1 – Cooper and Kayla) by Jen McLaughlin (Entangled Brazen, February 3, 2013)

It doesn’t seem to matter if she writes under Jen McLaughlin or her other contemporary romance penname of Diane Alberts – this wonderful writer always hits me at heart level with her sexy, smart voice and amazing characters.

After loving her Take a Chance series, I was extremely excited to see that she was embarking on a new series, Shillings Agency, since this agency in question is a security firm based out of Maine and we all know that former military personnel populate the ranks of these organizations. Who doesn’t love a military hero? Diane Alberts specializes in tortured, handsome heroes who have one woman destined to reveal their sweetness, an ability which has always made her quite the writer goddess in my mind.

After reading this new release, I hope Mt. Olympus is pretty this time of year because she certainly is using all her power with Temporarily Yours!

Kayla Moriarity is just trying to hold it together as she waits for her flight from Maine to North Carolina. As an actuary, she is all too aware of the statistical chance of dying in a plane crash and this knowledge has only exacerbated her fear of flying. Going home for her sister’s wedding is hard enough when she doesn’t really believe in love (and can quote divorce statistics in her sleep), but add to it the method of transportation and she’s not having a great weekend. Kayla’s not even registering the post-holiday bustle around her, except for when one gorgeous guy gets nailed in the cashmere sweater by a three-foot-high hoodlum wielding a saliva-coated, candy cane like nobody’s business. He literally drops at her feet and it’s not long before this hunk is helping her forget all her fears, particularly when he arranges to sit next to her in the empty first-class seat adjoining hers.

Try Me (Take a Chance #1) by Diane Alberts (Entangled, May 2012)

While falling at a woman’s feet isn’t exactly the way he’d like to make a first impression, there is no denying the view of this beauty’s gorgeous legs and even more beautiful face might be worth the fall. Kayla stirs up all Cooper Shilling’s protective instincts, so much so that when he invites her to use him as the model of the fake boyfriend she’s invented to pacify her family, it’s not long before he’s offering to fill in as the in flesh version. They both know that he’s shipping overseas to take a security job – and not the one with his father’s firm back in Maine – so their time together has an expiration date. A few days to explore the chemistry between them and solve Kayla’s boyfriend dilemma is the perfect solution. When their chemistry becomes something more, Kayla finds herself wanting to defy the odds, but Cooper may not be capable of letting her in past the losses he carries from his time in service.

OH. MY. GOD. Cooper and Kayla are both terrific characters, deluded in the way they see and understand their family, but smart and insightful about one another. Their connection is so strong that I felt the need to ping the flight attendant for cold drink while they were busy kissing in front class! Alberts always does a great job with the sexy times, but she’s even better at surrounding her characters with flawed families who nevertheless overflow with love for each other. The plot is tight in this wonderful novel, with each piece of information and action building to a climax that had me reading with my hand over my heart the whole time. The epilogue was so heart-warming (and so tied into the plot) that I found myself choking up while wishing for my own Cooper. I’ll never look at first class the same way again. (I always knew amazing things happened behind that curtain!!!)

Do yourself a huge favor and take advantage of Entangled’s new $.99 deal for new releases to pick up this outstanding book. You, like me, will want to be in on this series from the get-go and Temporarily Yours is going to find a permanent place in your heart, I promise. For anyone within driving distance of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area of Pennsylvania, you may want to come enjoy hearing Diane in person as she will be reading (possibly from this novel) at the newest location for Lady Jane’s Salon, along with several other authors on Thursday, March 6th. (And there will be wine.) I’ll certainly be there in the front row. 🙂

Happy reading!

Tawna Fenske’s Marine For Hire Will Have You Wishing For Live-in Help (More Than Usual)

Marine for Hire (Front and Center #1 – Sam and Sheri) by Tawna Fenske (Entangled Brazen, February 3, 2013)

I fell for Tawna Fenske‘s writing this past summer after loving her Eat, Play, Lust novella. Now having read the first book in her new series for Entangled Brazen (yes, please!), I am definitely reminded why I love her writing. Hot, sweet heroes who occasionally step in it and flawed funny heroines generate plenty of heat together in the pages of her books, resulting in plenty of reader laughs and sighs as we watch two people struggle to get their happily ever after.

But even I wondered how much heat a talented writer could pull off when the heroine in question has twin seven-month-old boys. I have now come to the conclusion that Fenske lives to defy the odds, gleefully laughing while traveling where other authors fear to tread. This woman pulls off the impossible, delivering a relatively new Mom actually interested in having sex – but then again, who wouldn’t when the man in question is a sexy Marine who loves children and can clean and cook like Martha Stewart (minus the servant abuse)?

Sam Kercher can’t let on he’s a Marine however. His buddy Mac finds Sam helping his parents while contemplating whether or not to officially leave the Corps. Still torn up over his last assignment (which is under investigation), he’s taking some much needed time off, a fact Mac knows. Since Mac has saved Sam in the past, Sam owes him a pretty big favor, but nothing prepares him to hear that the favor Mac wants is for Sam to fly to Hawaii to pose as Mac’s sister’s nanny.

Sheridan has haunted Sam’s thoughts since he literally fell into her crocheted bikini cleavage in college and hearing that her now-ex-husband abandoned her and her new twins has him nothing but indignant on her behalf. But Mac isn’t in intelligence for nothing. Knowing that Sam comes from a huge family and is great with kids and can cook makes him a reasonable cover as a nanny hired to help Sheridan. That Sam can also wield a gun like nobody’s business is also vital as the ex is resurfacing and Mac believes him to be a threat. However, Mac makes Sam swear that he will help Sheridan, keep the fact that he’s a Marine a secret, and not touch Sheridan at all.

Eat Play Lust by Tawna Fenske (Entangled Flirt, August 2013)

Sheridan can’t believe that her new manny is smokin’ hot and that she can’t remember meeting him when he was Mac’s college buddy, although the circumstances appear to have made a big impression on Sam. She desperately needs another pair of hands and can’t help but feel like a failure as a Mom. After suffering through an overbearing military father, brothers, and former husband, she’s had enough of men who think they outrank her when it comes to her running her life. Now that her stripper-bonking ex is sniffing around again, she knows her oldest overprotective brother is only looking out for her in suggesting his friend fill in as nanny, but accepting help means admitting she can’t pull it off on her own. But her twins love Sam, he’s amazing in the kitchen and, she suspects, amazing in the bedroom as well. The fact she can’t keep her hands off him is not sexual harassment if her brother is the one who hired him, right?

Clearly this is a train wreck waiting to happen. Our hero and heroine are perfect for each other but a relationship built on a lie has got a cracked foundation. Any woman will empathize with Sheri’s feelings that all other mothers are naturals while she’s fumbling to make things work and there is no warm-blooded woman alive who won’t swoon for Sam. This is no overbearing alpha asshole; Sam is a sexy nurturing beta happy to switch on his alpha when Sheri or the babies are threatened. I found myself tearing up when he sang the “Halls of Montezuma” to the boys or cooking and cleaning so Sheri could sleep.

My only wish (and it’s a minor blip on the awesome book radar) was that Sheri’s ex-husband’s actions were a little more explained. Obviously he was a total dick having left her like that, but a little more about their non-relationship or a better understanding of why he suddenly was so unhinged as to want to get back together would have made him seem more of a threat. The supporting characters were outstanding while never taking over the story. This is a good thing considering that this novel is the first in Fenske’s new series, Front and Center. Considering the ending, it’s obvious that the next book is going to focus on Sheri’s brother, the mysterious Mac, and Kelli, Sheri’s veterinarian friend who has had the hots for Mac for some time now. I, for one, will be looking forward to reading their story. And there is still another brother we haven’t met, who I imagine is as sexy as Mac. An abundance of riches, indeed!

Keep in mind Entangled’s new policy of having their new books at the $.99 price for the first week or so – you’ll want to hop on board that price if you haven’t had a chance to enjoy Fenske’s work before (and you’ll be congratulating yourself on the great bargain if you have).

Happy reading!

Tessa Bailey Aims for the Heart With Her Latest Amazing Release, Staking His Claim

Staking His Claim (Line of Duty #5 – Matt and Lucy) by Tessa Bailey (Entangled Brazen, February 3, 2014)

It’s only appropriate that the hero of Tessa Bailey‘s latest Line of Duty novel, Staking His Claim, is a sniper. This incredible author aims for the heart every time…and never misses.

I’ve raved for over a year about my author crush on Tessa Bailey, whose Line of Duty series about dark, hot cops and the women who ensnare them is the BEST contemporary series on the market (and I do not make that claim lightly). While she first captivated me with her incredibly unique writer-voice, what won me over was a combination of the unbelievable characterization, her ability to write unique panty-melting sex scenes that bare the souls of her heroes and heroines, and finally in her un-freaking-believable dependability. Tessa Bailey never phones in a book – each one matches or tops the previous novel in its high quality. Considering how amazing her very first book was, this is nothing short of incredible and the reason she is on my auto-buy list as soon as she announces a new book. I don’t even have to read the description!

We actually met the taciturn NYPD sniper Matt Donovan in Bailey’s previous novel, Asking for Trouble, when he took time out from his usual observation mode to deliver some home truths to his best friend Brent Mason when his love life was going to hell in a handbasket. Brent and his fiancee Hayden are doing great now, but an obligation to Hayden prevents Brent from driving to Syracuse and picking up his sister Lucy and her grad school roommate to bring them to NYC for the week. Matt agrees reluctantly to help him out and get them, only to be confronted by a strawberry blonde petite siren who stirs all the dominant instincts he tries to keep tamped down tight. At least she’s not Brent’s sister, but this ray of sunshine roommate doesn’t seem capable of handling what Matt wants to dish out – until she shows that she’s 100% on board with it in a motel room after his car breaks down on the drive back to New York City.

Asking for Trouble (Line of Duty #4 – Brent and Hayden) by Tessa Bailey (Entangled Brazen, November 25, 2013)

The only problem? The roommate is actually Lucy Mason who was in the coffeeshop across the street from her building when the hottest man she’d ever seen walked in asking the drooling baristas for directions to find her. When she hears him call her a nuisance and realizes that this stern warrior would never cross the best-friend’s-sister line, she decides to impersonate her roommate Sasha who bailed to go be with her boyfriend at the last minute. Once she realizes that Brent is not only attracted to her but that his mouthy brand of dominance – clearly meant to drive her away – is only ratcheting up the heat between them, she’s determined to have him. And she does, but what Brent takes for her hesitance at what they did together is actually guilt that she forced him to say another woman’s name during their fantastic sex.

Of course they can’t help but see each other again at the engagement party for Brent and Hayden a few days later and naturally Lucy’s deception comes to light, awakening a tidal wave of anger in Matt. He’s been deceived before and gives no quarter for liars, even ones he’s overwhelmingly attracted to. That he’s battling his inner demons, the ones that tell him that Lucy’s brand of inner sunshine would only be tainted by the desires he has been taught by experience only repels women, complicates the situation. But it’s not long before he succumbs to his need for her, helped by her take-no-prisoners itinerary she left in his car that first day. But the road for these two is far from smooth as Matt’s inability to express his feelings leads Lucy to believe that his attraction to her is just physical, an impression which could lead to him losing her forever.

Protecting What’s His (Line of Duty #1 – Derek and Ginger) by Tessa Bailey (Entangled Brazen, February 2013)

I defy you to not fall for these funny Masons! Brent had me laughing out loud in Asking for Trouble and Lucy had several similar moments, clearly showing that this Queens brand of humor is genetic. Matt’s experience with his former fiancee and deceased best friend was understandably scarring, leading him to believe that his need for dominance in the bedroom would send women fleeing. Not so for Lucy who, fresh out of her master’s program, has never been with a man with this predilection, one that she quickly realizes is exactly what she’s been wanting. Every sexy, hot thing Matt does – the spanking, the dominating, the possessive sex talk – pushes her buttons and she’s baffled as to why he keeps thinking it’s not what she wants when she’s shouting his name. Matt’s brand of dominance reminds me very much of Derek, the hero of Tessa Bailey’s first novel, Protecting What’s His.

Entangled recently announced several new features of their house (mostly awesome things to help their authors) but one of their changes that affect lucky readers is that they have decided to offer all new books at the $.99 cost for their initial debut. I think the offer only lasts a week or so, so hop on that amazing decision if the descriptions look good! For Staking His Claim, that price makes this book a tremendous bargain in my opinion, and you could certainly read it if you haven’t yet sampled any other book in the series.

While I’m a little worried that Bailey is finished with the Line of Duty novels since there are no more uncoupled characters or stray siblings, the fact is that my faith in her writing remains so firm that I know whatever her next project, I’m fully behind her. This writer is a sharpshooter among romance authors, and one who never misses her target.

Happy reading!

Three AMAZING New Releases from Entangled’s Blaze Line

If you like your heroes hot, the sex hotter, and a swoon-worthy romance to swoop in and save your happily ever after, Brazen has the story for you. Sinfully sexy soldiers. Alpha cops who demand control. Sweet guys with a naughty side in the bedroom. At Brazen, they’ve got the hero destined to melt your… heart. Visit the Entangled website, the Brazen Blog, follow them on Twitter, Like their Facebook page, and follow them on Pinterest.

Introducing Brazen’s Feb 3rd releases:

She thought she’d sworn off military men for good… Find out More! Special $0.99 Introductory Price! Amazon   B&N   Kobo   iTunes	He wants her. All of her.Find out More! Special $0.99 Introductory Price! Amazon   B&N   Kobo   iTunes	This soldier’s the perfect hoax if she doesn’t fall for him first. Find out More! Special $0.99 Introductory Price! Amazon   B&N   Kobo   iTunes

Join the The Boys of Brazen Military Bash on 2/10 from 7-10pm EST. Four fabulous Brazen authors (and their men!) will read steamy scenes from each other’s Military Hero books. As an additional treat, several other Brazen authors will be stopping by to help celebrate the hunky heroes of the military.

Today, I’ll be reviewing each of these titles in a separate post and they are AWESOME, so prepare yourself to use the above links to order!!

Throughout the event authors will be asking readers questions and giving away prizes. Hope to see you there!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday Reflections: Upcoming Books, Fun Stuff and Great Deals You Might Have Missed, February 2, 2014

Upcoming Books and New Releases

Any reader of this blog knows my near-worship of the talented Tessa Bailey and her phenomenal Line of Duty series, so don’t be shocked that I’m putting a “Do Not Disturb” sign on my door for anyone who attempts to come between me and Staking His Claim, the fifth novel in that fantastic series. A wicked NYPD sniper agrees to drive his best friend’s little sister home from college and ends up with a sinfully tempting roommate instead. Except it’s really the sister in disguise, one she’s happy to adopt when she catches an eyeful of the blisteringly hot cop whose eyes hint at dark, kinky tendencies she’d like to explore. This is one grad student who is going to show how she learns fast and aces any exam her lover can dish out, if he would just give them a chance.

Carly Phillips’ recent release Dare to Love is $3.99 right now and the reviews are outstanding. When a sexy, domineering man who loves his family but only skates the surface of a relationship finds a woman who presses all his buttons, he begins reevaluating his stance on something long-term, but the woman he’s set his sights on comes with the package of the half-brother he wants to forget exists. But the lady in question is worried about her reaction to his bedroom control, with her own past a little too close for comfort.

Just out yesterday is Karen Foley‘s latest in the U.S. Marshals series, Hard to Hold, and wow, does this sound like a kidnapping a reader could get behind! A desperate young woman who needs money for her brother’s ransom takes a hot lawman hostage – with a toy gun, no less – but Stockholm syndrome has nothing on the heat between these two.

S. E. Gilchrist’s latest in her Legends of the Seven Galaxies series featuring those serious Darkon Warriors (one of my guilty pleasures), Star Pirate’s Justice, also debuted on February 1st and I can’t wait to read it. A woman desperate to return home to her ill sister captures a Darkon traitor with the necessary information and tech to get her there, but neither counts on their tentative alliance deepening to real feeling. And when those Darkon warriors find a mate, nothing keeps them apart…

Contests and Giveaways

Love the amazing fantasy writing of husband and wife team, Ilona Andrews? The fabulous duo responsible for the Kate Daniels series, the Edge series, and now the outstanding Clean Sweep is busy recruiting readers and fans to help name their latest venture with Avon Publishing. If your title is chosen, not only do you get the glory of simply helping them, but you can win a spot on the Beta team to read the new book, get a full set of Kate Daniels books to date, or win the new book (and all subsequent books in the series as they are published). Wow!

Entangled Publishing’s Covet line (the sexy paranormal stories, yum!) is celebrating their latest release, Love at Stake by Victoria Davies, about a paranormal dating service with a fun giveaway. You can unlock the Rafflecopter contest interface by leaving a blog post with your worst date story and gain multiple chances to win a $25 Amazon gift card. Enter before Valentines Day for your chance to win!

RT Book Reviews is giving away five copies of Cynthia Eden‘s latest novel Burn For Me, the first in her new Phoenix Fire series about paranormal beings hunted by a dangerous scientist who wants them for his own nefarious experiments. Fire isn’t the only thing hot about this novel (trust me, I’ve read it already!) so go over and enter by February 6th for a chance to win.

Haunt Me by Heather Long came out this week and its spookily awesome. When a writer inherits her great-aunt’s haunted house she’s hoping to finally break the writer’s block she’s been suffering from, but the spooky domicile is harboring some serious secrets which a sexy local architect is happy to help her uncover. To celebrate, Entangled Publishing is having a giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card and a choice of books from Long’s backlist. Enter before February 20th for a chance to win.

Fun Stuff

If a gentleman in your life claims that he has difficulty finding condoms that fit him properly, consider directing him to sources like the Condom App (available for iOS) or the Condom Size Calculator website, each of which allows you to dial in girth and length measurements for a specific brand recommendation. The calculator actually allows you to select material type (for people with latex allergies or vegan preferences) and has over 100 specific types in its database.

Sometimes I see a gadget and think “only the Japanese” usually because the item in question is techy and quirky. As today’s example, please see the “True Love Bra” which, using technology laced through the bra plus data from a corresponding Smartphone app, says it can “sense” when the wearer is actually in love and then and ONLY then does it allow itself to be taken off. This thing actually flies off with such violence, I’m really hoping the lady’s partner in question isn’t at eye level, otherwise they will be sporting the True Love Eyepatch, but don’t take my word for it, watch the hilarious video (with subtitles)!

Also from the world of new gadgets is the prototype for a “sensory fiction” book straight out of MIT Media Labs. The scientists have created a book holder and companion vest which alters the ambient light, can squeeze you to make your heartbeat faster or even alter body temperature to mimic weather or promote anxiety, all while knowing exactly what you are reading at a given moment in the story. I’m a little interested to know what direction romance novels could travel if we start having companion electronics that know when to work at various points in a novel. There could be a LOT more romance readers in the world if that ever got off the ground!

Great Deals

Category romance doyenne Maisey Yates combines the classic sheikh romance with a retelling of Beauty and the Beast with her novel Hajar’s Hidden Legacy (from the Beasts of the Desert series) which happens to be free for download right now. A princess who has always resigned herself to being a pawn in a political marriage is surprised when the man his people call the Beast of Hajar ends up being a wounded man with hidden depths, inflaming her interest and her love.

Dead Man’s Deal, the second book in Jocelynn Drake‘s The Asylum Tales is only $1.99 right now. Urban Fantasy lovers might want to check this one out as the series features a tattoo artist who has left the formal world of magic behind to occasionally add a little something extra into a tattoo. In a world of wizards, elves and trolls, this hero has a lot to juggle but does so with a certain amount of sexy aplomb.

Nicole Jordan‘s first book in her successful Courtship Wars series, To Pleasure a Lady, is on sale for $.99 right now and Regency romance readers will want to take a closer look at this bargain. When a roguish nobleman inherits three sisters as his wards, his goal is to get them married off as soon as possible, but spicy eldest sister awakens an erotic yearning in them both, causing him to make a bet that he can seduce her into marriage in the space of two weeks. To resist her gorgeous guardian will mean her freedom and that of her sisters as well as the ability to continue running her finishing school. Who will win this contest of wills?

Lisa Kleypas‘ amazing book Tempt Me At Twilight from her enormously successful Victorian series starring the eccentric Hathaway family is only $3.99 right now! I cannot say enough about this amazing series (which I religiously re-read a few times a year), and this book featuring the brainy Poppy Hathaway and the ruthless hotel mogul and inventor she teaches how to love is one of my favorite books in the series. Pick. It. Up. Now!

Billionaire fans, be sure to hop over and take a look at the first book in Nadia Lee‘s Hearts on the Line series, Vengeful in Love, which has a gorgeous billionaire bent on revenge who thinks the perfect opportunity has dropped into his lap when he realizes that his enemy’s daughter is working at his company. When he discovers that the vulnerable woman is actually kind and loving – the opposite of what he expected – he begins to fall for her but can he keep her when the truth comes out? The fourth book in this series will be out in March, so this is a great way to sample Lee’s writing for free right now to see if you want the other books in the series.

That’s it for this week – happy reading!