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!
torimacallister 