My Reader Review for Roping in Forever by Destiny Blaine

When a reader hears the author name of Destiny Blaine, you know you are in for the ride of your life. This is an author who knows how to hook her reader from the first page and her new series debut is no exception. Roping in Forever is the first book in her Forever Series and it has a hunky rodeo cowboy finding his comeuppance in the form of a feisty heroine.

Now onto my personal review for Roping in Forever....

Corbin Cansey has made excuse after excuse on why he wouldn't make Bella McDermott his woman. She was too young....too innocent....too everything. Until Bella decides enough is enough. She is twenty one now and it's time for Corbin to either claim her as his own or let her go because she is tired of waiting for him to come to his senses. Can this fiery woman get her wild cowboy tamed long enough to have him face what was right in front of him-a love worth fighting for?


Destiny Blaine does it again with her introduction into the Forever Series. Tight writing, sexy cowboys, women who can go toe to toe with them and a storyline that hooks you from the beginning. I got to admit, after reading the book blurb for Roping in Forever, I was intrigued. Who doesn’t like a story where the heroine gives the hero a taste of his own medicine? I know I do. With the right amount of sexual tension, a fast paced storyline and intriguing characters, the reader is drawn into the world of rodeos and cowboys. Ms. Blaine is a talented author who knows how to keep the reader glued to the edge of their seat as they flip the pages, trying to see what happens next between Bella and Corbin. 

Bella McDermott has loved Corbin Cansey since she was a teenager but he has had one excuse after another in not claiming her like she wants him to. Now grown up and ready to give him everything she has to offer him, Bella finds herself heartbroken after a surprise trip to see him at a local rodeo. What she sees there leaves her reeling, confused and more determined than ever to teach Corbin that he can not keep her on his terms. Now Bella is about to turn the tables on this rodeo romeo. Corbin is about to find out what it takes to love a woman like Bella.  I loved that Bella wasn't one of those weak willed heriones who needed a man for every detail of their life. She was innocent but also knew what she wanted and that was Corbin, come hell or high water. The sparks fly fast and furious between these two and man, that sexual tension rockets upward during the last half of the book. Corbin in the beginning had to grow on me. He was brash, sexy as sin and careless with Bella's heart. What I loved about these two characters was they grew in the story. Both find they are at a crossroad. Do they take that risk and go after what they want or do they both walk away? Quite a problem but one I found was satisfied nicely by the time the last page was read. Some secondary characters had me intrigued so I am hoping they show up in future books as well.


Roping in Forever is more than boy meets girl, they fall in love, and live happily ever after. It's about taking a risk with your heart and grabbing onto that brass ring. The prize isn't some shiny belt buckle but a love worth fighting for....if you just believe in yourself hard enough. I loved Roping in Forever and can not wait to see what else this talented author has to offer in her new series. If you arelooking for a hot and sexy cowboy story, then hightail it and grab Roping in Forever. It will leave you breathless.


My rating for Roping in Forever: 4.5 stars


Buy at Siren Publishing HERE


For one week, you can get this at 10% off the price.

Guest Excerpt: Sultry In Sweden by Sloane Taylor/ADULT

Sultry in Sweden
Sloane Taylor
Amber Quill Press/Amber Heat
Available NOW
Buy HERE at AQ Press

BLURB:

Battered hockey player Colt Coltrane arrives in Sweden with one thing on his mind--victory. A bad spill later, however, and he's at the tender mercies of the sexiest masseuse he's ever seen. From that point, all his good intentions go straight to hell when he strips for the Swedish iceberg.

Disa Ellstrom has had it with sports figures who always expect more from her than a massage. She can't believe her friend Carl sent the American goalie to her. Unable to ignore the man's pain, however, Disa takes on Colt and soon finds her heart melting faster than a spring thaw.

Combine a hot-blooded American and a Swedish spitfire and they're sure to set Stockholm  ablaze...

EXCERPT:

Disa ran her fingers along Colt’s deltoids, watching the strong muscles flex under her touch. His shyness had been endearing along with confusing. She wondered if his physical problem went farther than the normal aches and pains of a professional athlete. If so, she intended to help him overcome the situation. If not, then he was in for a satisfying surprise. She hoped. 

A quick scramble across the sheet gave him more room, then she tugged on his shoulders so he would lay back against the pillow. He winced, but continued to draw his legs up onto the bed. 

She combed her fingers through the crisp auburn hairs sprinkled across his broad chest, descending to his beautiful hard dick nestled in a curly, reddish tuft. She swallowed hard, fighting her desire to suck him until he came. 

“You are a fine-looking man, Colt.” She rose onto her knees, then traced a fingernail around his tight balls, her inner muscles clenching with desire. 

He laid a hand on her calf and slowly eased it up toward her thigh, caressing her. His fingers climbed higher. A shudder ran through her from his gentle massage over her rear end up to the small of her back, then down, slipping a finger between her cheeks. Pressure built when he circled her sphincter, dipping his fingertip into the tight circle, out again, then back in. 

She nipped at his balls, laving the tight sacs, savoring their salty taste. Her hand pumped his cock, starting slow and increasing the speed. His hips jerked, rocking with her rhythm, thrusting along her palm. 

Deftly, Colt maneuvered out from under Disa and knelt facing her. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her with a passion she had never known. She clung to him, loving his strength, savoring his taste. He pulled away, the skin pulled taut over his cheekbones. 

“It’s time to make you happy, baby. How about rolling over?” He tugged on her hip until she faced the brass headboard. “A little more to the center, so we can watch in the dresser mirror.” 

She scooted across the rumpled linen and glanced into the antique glass. Their eyes met in the reflection and breath caught in her throat. 

“Spread your legs, Disa.” He gently nudged her shoulders to the mattress. “I promise to go easy.” 

Kisses rained down her back as he mounted her. His thick cock played against her wet labia, the swollen head teasing into her. After a smooth thrust, he was inside, filling her. One firm palm kneaded her lower abdomen, while his long fingers curled through her pubic hair, covering her mons. He stretched a finger along her nether lips, separating the folds, and massaged her fiery clit. 

 Tingles shot through her, watching their wavy images across the room. His arm muscles bulged as he moved his hands to her hips, gripping them tight, guiding her to him. 

 He rocked into her, the strokes faster and faster, his balls slapping against her perineum. He clutched her hips, slamming into her, riding her hard. She reared back, keeping pace, clenching her muscles to hold him tight, straining to swallow him in deeper. She gritted her teeth, biting back the scream that tore through her. Her body pulsed with his touch, screaming for release from the magnificent torture that only he could provide. She clutched the sheets, wadding the warm material in her fists, and burrowed into them, inhaling his musky scent. 

 “Come for me, baby.” His voice rasped against her back. “God, I need you...” 

 BUY LINK http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/SultrySweden.html

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey...Hotter than Hell
www.sloanetaylor.com
http://www.facebook.com/home.php  

www.myspace.com/sloanetaylor

Introducing Passion In Print with EIC Tess McCall

Introducing Passion In Print Press

There’s a new kid on the block—well, not really new, but simply the new romance imprint of MLR Press, LLC. (ManLoveRomance). Owned by author-publisher, Laura Baumbach, Passion In Print Press will offer readers only the highest quality stories in heterosexual erotic romance. Our readers can expect to find pleasure, intrigue, and phantasy between the pages of every single book and in every romance sub-genre.

http://passioninprint.com

Our uniquely talented roster of authors will take readers on a journey where they will explore new and exciting worlds, delve deep into mysteries with twists and turns that will keep them on the edge of their seats and revel in the romance that sweeps them away.

From that very first kiss to a lustful night of erotic delights, Passion In Print promises to deliver exactly what our readers crave: Strong women who allow men into their lives to share the magic of love, heroes with a soft spot for their women and love them passionately, believable characters and realistic situations and a story packed with sexual tension and emotion that you will not want to end.

The sex doesn’t just sizzle, it burns.

Primarily a print publisher, our books will simultaneously release in print and also several different digital formats. So regardless of how you like to read your romance, PIP will have the perfect fit for you. Our doors open this month (July 2010) and we have an incredible line-up waiting for you.

Authors Willa Lambert, R. Paul Sardanas, Nita Wick and Jeigh Lynn lead the way with four amazing stories of erotic delights, adventure and, of course, love. For a taste of what they have in store for readers, check out these exciting blurbs:

Africa: Spice Island Love by Willa Lambert

Carolyne Mider is on the Dark Continent's exotic island of Zanzibar in the capacity of "barefoot doctor", providing medical assistance to the locals ... attending the Institute of Kiswahili and Foreign Languages ... and collecting ingenious holistic folk medicines.

Dirk Johnson is on Zanzibar researching one of his popular history books, this one including the romantically exotic island's long and volatile involvement, past and present, in the nefarious slave and in the once-lucrative clove trades.

Carolyne and Dirk, also, have a shared clandestine reason for being where they are, doing what they're doing. Will Carolyne and Dirk, as well as their burgeoning love, survive machinations tied to the 1964 revolution that killed thousands of Zanzibar land owners and put the island's economy into the debilitating chaos that endures to this very day?

The Order of the Golden Rose by R. Paul Sardanas

In a stunning tale set against the rich urban landscape of modern-day Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, occult book authority Siobhan Bishop uncovers a century-old secret society of sexual mystics. A rare edition detailing the dark, sensual practices within the Order of the Golden Rose has surfaced. On her quest for answers, Siobhan encounters charismatic Harvard professor Richard Blake, and passion ignites, plunging Siobhan into Richard's circle of hidden knowledge and transcendent eroticism. But does love stand a chance amidst the twisted obsessions of Richard's scorned lover, Olivia Dorian? Having tasted the sexually charged magic of the Order of the Golden Rose, Olivia will not be satisfied until she possesses all of the perilous knowledge of the erotic mystics—no matter who is destroyed in the process.

A Real Husband by Nita Wick

Married for years in name only, Angelina longs for A Real Husband. Hawk is pleasantly surprised to find his young bride has become a beautiful, full grown woman, and he is ready to leave his life of debauchery for the arms of his tempting wife. But a mysterious villain plots murder to end their romance and spoil their dreams of happiness. Can Angelina unravel the conspiracy in time to save her husband and their future? Is it already too late?

Adventure of the Souls by Jeigh Lynn 

Working as a wedding coordinator? Bah humbug. Psy has worked alongside her husband, Cue, in the love biz for millennia . She's finally had enough. No more Bridezillas and hated white cakes. She's ready for some excitement.

Too bad she forgot to be careful about what she wished for.

Apollo has gone missing, and according to her devious in-laws, finding him is Psy's job. With the help of her sexy husband, her irresponsible son, her wacky secretary, an amorous bird, and Zeus's favorite love slave, that is.

Sheesh. If Psy's life gets any more exciting, she might just lose her marbles.

Our experienced staff of editors, cover artists and formatting personnel are all committed to producing quality books you’ll want to read again and again. So if you’re looking for the quintessential erotic romance, a book you simply can’t put down, Passion In Print is the place to be. What’s keeping you? Give us a try. You’ll be glad you did. http://passioninprint.com

Talking Reincarnation with Karenna Colcroft

REINCARNATION

Reincarnation is one of those subjects that people have widely varied opinions on. Some believe in it, some don’t. Some think it’s something you have to earn, some believe everyone reincarnates no matter what. In some religions, it’s taught that you might reincarnate as a human or an animal, depending on what sort of life you lived. Other belief systems teach that humans only reincarnate as humans.

Past lives are something often talked about. Actors have claimed to recover memories of their past lives through hypnosis or other means, and happily share the information they say they’ve gained. Past-life regressionists earn decent livings by hypnotically taking people back to their previous lives, whether or not they’re legitimate.

I do have personal beliefs about reincarnation, and I’m not going to go into them too deeply here because I’m not looking to start a debate. I believe that humans only reincarnate as humans, and that in each lifetime, we have lessons our soul has chosen to learn. Whatever occurs in our life is either an attempt to learn one of those lessons or an attempt to clear up something with someone else that occurred in a past life we shared with that person.

In my opinion, it is possible to recover memories of past lives. Some of our dreams may actually be those memories. However, I find it unlikely that every single person who claims to be reincarnated royalty actually is. If everyone lived past lives as royalty, where were all the peasants and commoners?

And at this point, you may be wondering why, on a blog devoted to reading, I’m talking about reincarnation. There is a connection, I promise!

In my new paranormal romance novel Eternal Love, Rhys Trevellian is a 935-year-old immortal man who has seen many changes in his life. He’s also been in love with the same woman for most of that time. However, she’s mortal—which is where reincarnation comes in.

When Rhys was a child and teen, before he learned of his immortality, he was in love with Gwen, a girl who lived near him in Wales. After he left his village, he learned that she had died. Decades later, he found a woman who turned out to be Gwen’s reincarnation. And then that woman was murdered, and a few decades after that Rhys found another reincarnation of Gwen.

Each time, he had to convince her that they’d shared a life together previously. Each time, his love was murdered by the Purists, fanatic immortals who believe mortals and immortals shouldn’t mingle. And each time, after a few decades, Rhys finds his love’s soul again, reincarnated into a different woman.

In the novel, he finds her ninth incarnation, a woman named Gwen Davies who has many reasons not to trust him or anyone else. However, something in Gwen recognizes Rhys immediately, and when he tells her about his past with her previous incarnations, she knows he’s telling the truth. Gradually, she remembers bits and pieces of some of her previous lives with him, and she comes to trust him.

And this time, she isn’t murdered.

Reincarnation and the theories I’ve learned about it play almost as large a role in Eternal Love as the characters themselves. Don’t get me wrong, the novel isn’t a lecture about reincarnation. It’s a fast-paced story with plenty of action, hot love scenes, and a romance that has endured through centuries. Reincarnation just happens to be one of the key points.

It’s a pretty important point, because without it, Rhys and Gwen wouldn’t be together.

Eternal Love is available now as an e-book from Pink Petal Books http://pinkpetalbooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=113&zenid=3cc1ef424b47c2638a308e7ee98334ee

Sudden Devotion by Nicole Morgan (Adult Excerpt)

Sara is inexperienced with men, but finds her untapped sexuality is bursting beneath the pressure of lustful desires. Mitch works with Sara and knows office romances can go horribly wrong, but that doesn’t stop him from going ahead with his plan to seduce her. Soon, the two find themselves in an erotic game of pleasure. Their affair proves to be more than either of them anticipated. After only a couple of days their relationship intensifies into a firestorm of passion and they begin to fall in love.

    Claudia works with them both and isn’t happy when Mitch rejects her advances. Not willing to take no for an answer she uses every form of manipulation to drive the couple apart. Is their relationship strong enough to handle the betrayal that they believe to be true? Or will the thought of losing each other be the catalyst to keep them together?

 

Note: This book contains anal sex and menage elements involving only secondary characters.


Click HERE to buy from Siren-Bookstrand
Click HERE to go to Nicole's Blog


Adult Excerpt:

“Hard and fast! I want it hard and fast.” Her hips were rocking against his hand.

“Okay, I can do that, baby.” His voice still soothed her into submission. “What about number three?” He swiped his tongue down her slick entrance, moaning when he tasted her. “What should I do after I come in your sweet pussy?”

“No…I don’t…I mean, I want you to fuck me, but don’t come. I want…oh please, Mitch, I can’t concentrate.”

He chuckled. “Is my tongue distracting you, honey? I’ll stop then.”

“No! No, don’t stop.” She whimpered and bit on her bottom lip.

“Then you better tell me why. Why can’t I come in your sweet little pussy?”

“Because, damn it! I want to taste you after you’ve been inside me.”

Sara shouted at him, her frustration bringing out the animal in her.

He watched her as she bit out the words and continued to writhe against his tongue. She was completely lost in her arousal. Could he tell that she was no longer in charge of her body? Her desire had taken over. “Oh, baby. Do you want to taste yourself on me?”

“Yes, all right. Yes.” Sara was beyond any sense of reason or self-control. She only knew that she had fantasized about what it would be like. And now that he was here, she wasn’t about to lose her chance to get what she wanted.

Coaxing her along he asked her to finish, “Tell me, what would you do after you sucked all that sweet pussy juice off of my cock?”

Her whole body was on fire. She was going to come, and he’d barely even touched her, just occasional licks and kisses. No real friction or pressure. His touches were more teases than strokes. “Mitch, I want you to come in my mouth again.”

Mitch closed his eyes for a moment. Trying to hang on to the control that she had almost just broken. “Oh yeah? You’re such a sweet girl, honey. You liked that earlier today, didn’t you?” He looked up at her and watched her face as she fought against the orgasm that was building. “Then I’ll give you exactly that, Sara. But only if you do the same for me. You tasted me, now I want to taste you. I want to taste your sweet climax when my face is buried in between your thighs. Come on, baby. I want you to come for me.” Mitch dove in as he attacked her with his mouth and his tongue, devouring ever succulent nibble of her.

Darting his tongue inside her entrance, he moaned in delight at the sweet taste of her. The meal he had planned to make of her had barely begun, and he was about ready to lose himself in the ecstasy of it when she came. He hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. She screamed out his name and wrapped her legs around his head, bringing him closer to her.

Mitch had to laugh. She was just a flowing fountain of untapped desire. Even though she was shy, she changed who she was when she got truly hot and bothered. Then she completely let go. She had so many naughty sides to her, but she didn’t know what to do with any of them. He was thinking this as he drank up the last of her and knew that he was going to have quite a lot of fun with her.

Mitch looked up and watched her. His good girl hadn’t moved from the position he had put her in, no matter how much she squirmed her body. That was very good. She was going to be a very good student, indeed. He stood up while her eyes were still closed and stripped down.

“Stand up, Sara.” He waited until she opened her eyes. Then he held out his hand and helped her up before swinging her around. He placed her hands on the back of the chair and whispered in her ear, “Hold on, honey.”

He heard her moan at his half threat, half promise. The flush glow on her face told him that she was feeling every wave and jolt shoot through her body as he slammed into her. Sara was much different than any other woman he’d been with before.

He slammed his cock deep inside her and hit places he was sure she never knew existed, not even with her trusty vibrator.

Sara rocked into him and met him thrust for thrust when he felt her third orgasm of the day approaching. He saw she was struggling to fight it.

“No baby, don’t you dare stop yourself. Come for me.”

He watched her in awe as she threw her head back and screamed his name once again, all while her body convulsed in pleasure.

Mitch didn’t move. He stayed buried inside her as he waited for her body to come down. He watched her ass wiggle as she trembled. And wondered just how long he would have to wait until he could take her in that tight, little hole.

“Feel good, honey?” He waited, and she moaned her reply. “Good.” He fisted her hair in his hands and yanked her head back. “Now sit on the chair like a good little girl, and suck all of your hot juice off of my cock.”

Why I Love Good Bad Boys by Rie McGaha

     WHY I LOVE GOOD BAD BOYS! By Rie McGaha

I love good bad boys. Oops, don't I mean bad good boys? Nope, not at all. There is a difference, at least to my way of thinking. Bad good boys are the ones I don't trust. They're the ones who pretend to be good, kind, loving and caring, but they're really underhanded, sneaky, and probably snivel and cry when a good bad boy shows up! Now, there are also bad, bad boys who are just that. They're bad and don't care who knows it. They don't have anything good in them and wind up being the ones who beat the women in their lives, kick puppies and rob their grandmothers. Eeewww!  But the good bad boys, oh, give me one of them anytime.

A good bad boy is the one who is sexy, confident, loving, kind, protective, a little possessive, good in bed and the ones we love to love. They're also not afraid to be the tough guy when they have to be. They'll punch out anyone who disrespects a woman, kicks a puppy, or mistreats anyone who is unable to defend themselves. They might bend the law in their effort to do the right thing, maybe occasionally, break the law, but only when the law stands between them and their goal to do the right thing. These guys are the perfect man in every way, which is probably why they are written about in so many books.

Some of my favorite good bad boys are Thomas Jane, playing Castle in The Punisher (2004, Lions Gate Films); Mark Wahlberg as Max Payne in the movie by the same name (2008, 20^th Century Fox); and Denzel Washington in everything he does, but most recently as Eli in The Book Of Eli (2010, Warner Bros.).

In books, I think Karen Marie Moning's Highlander series has some of the sexiest hunks with Kiss Of The Highlander, which introduces identical twins Drustan and Dageus MacKeltar. I have consumed each new book faster than the author can write them and absolutely love not only the brothers, but also the other men created in this series. Each one is more scrumptious than the next and I could lick them all from head to toe and want seconds!

These are the kind of men I not only love, but also married. Oh yes, ladies, I have my very own good bad boy in my bed every night. He is also just as scrumptious as the make believe men, but he's also very real. He is everything I've ever wanted, the one who treats me like a treasure, and protects me, loves me, takes care of me and the sex, well now…I don't want you to be too jealous of me! J He's a strong, strong-minded, physical kind of guy with a warrior's heart and soul, who still has enough little boy in him to be playful and carefree. That is something I lack and without him to pull me out of my adult doldrums, I'd probably be a hermit who never sees the sun.

He is also the one I model my good bad boy characters after. Even my first published book, Deadly Dreams, (Noble Romance Publishing),had elements of my husband in both the hero and the villain. I continued in that vein in Blood Line, (Noble Romance Publishing), and it's sequel, Ancient Blood, with the character Joshua Kaine. The relationship between Josh and his wife, Jessie, is very close to the relationship my husband and I share. He is also in my characters from Comes An Outlaw, (Silver Publishing), Closure (Champagne Books), One Good Man (eXcessica), and a few I'm still working on. As far as I'm concerned, I've found the perfect mix of good bad boy in the man I married, so why shouldn't I share him with the world through my characters? After all, he is the man we all love to dream of and fantasize about.

website- www.riemcgaha.com

twitter- www.twitter.com/Rie_McGaha

Face book- www.facebook.com/RieMcGaha

MySpace- www.myspace.com/novelsbyrie

*~*

                       ONE GOOD MAN by RIE MCGAHA (blurb)

          Allison Hamstead thought it was love, finally, after all the years alone, someone loved her in spite of the fact she was fat! Not that her size had ever kept her from being successful, but it had kept her far from personal relationships. She’d heard all of the fat jokes ever told, all of the things people in her office said behind her back, and she didn’t miss not having a boyfriend, or dates every weekend. Did she? But now she was in love and she couldn’t wait to introduce him to her best friend, Sarah. And what a mistake that had turned out to be! It wasn’t long before the love of her life and her best friend were living together and Allison was humiliated.

          Starting over is never easy, but Allison is determined to do so and moves far from Chicago to the warm waters of Biloxi, Mississippi where she accepts a position at one of the floating casinos. For the first time in her life, Allison feels like she’s truly at home.  She loves her job, she loves her boss, who is like a father to her, and she loves being a part of all the excitement going on around her. Except for one little thing…

          Her boss’s eldest son, Stephen, is probably the most handsome, gorgeous, and sexy man she’s ever laid eyes on…and he knows it! And for some reason he acts interested in her. Then her mother comes to visit and winds up dating her boss. Her accounts start showing large amounts of money missing. And her ex shows up unannounced and says he wants her back. Can anything else possibly go wrong?

          Absolutely!

         

 *~*

 

Closure by Rie McGaha (blurb)

 High in the hills above Albuquerque, New Mexico Detective Zachariah Ellison arrives at the scene of a murder, and not just any murder, but one that definitely falls into the “gruesome” category even for a seasoned cop like Zach. When another body is found murdered in much the same fashion, Zach knows he’s got a serial killer on his hands, and to top it off he’s got an assistant district attorney hounding him about the case. As Zach tries to investigate the crimes while sidestepping nosey Amy Logan, a third body is found and Zach hasn’t a clue as to whom the perpetrator might be.

Amy Logan has worked hard to put herself through school and pay for law school on her own and now that she’s secured a position as assistant district attorney in Albuquerque, she’s determined to do everything she can to be the best prosecutor this office has ever seen. And as if luck was following her, she’s been assigned to the biggest homicide case the city has ever seen. The only problem she’s having is the homicide detective who’s leading the investigation—Zach Ellison.

*~*

Comes An Outlaw by Rie McGaha (Blurb)

Jacob Dobbs is alive. That surprises him considering how many times he's been shot and the amount of blood he's lost. Forced to leave his brother, Luke, lying dead, Jake hurts both inside and out. As soon as he's up to it, he's going to avenge Luke's death and he knows just where to start. Ebenezer Franklin is a big fish in a little pond and has everyone in the town in his back pocket, but that won't deter Jake. As he sees it, Ebenezer is responsible for the shoot and the $5,000 taken from Luke in a rigged card game. But when Jake finally executes his plan, he didn't expect to run into a beautiful woman. Or to kidnap her. Now he has an even bigger problem—she doesn't seem too upset at being kidnapped!

Talking with Author Annie Nicholas

Ever have a high school crush, which you obsessed over but never did anything about? If yes, then you have something in common with my hero, Eric.

BLURB:

Someone is about to get some Spice in his life.

Spice has nothing but the clothes on her back when she returns to Chicago. She's looking for a better life, and that means reuniting with her estranged twin sister, Sugar. She isn't thrilled to find out Sugar's boyfriend is a vampire. But then she meets Eric, once the bottle-cap-glasses wearing nerd next door - now grown into the kind of man she'd love to snuggle with on this cold winter night...and he’s offered her his room in Sugar’s house.

Eric can’t believe Spice has returned. He’d given up hope of ever seeing her again, let alone having her stare at him as if he’s sex on a stick. But now that all of his fantasies for them are coming true, reality rears her ugly head and Eric must tell Spice his intimate secret; he’s actually an Alpha werewolf looking for his mate and he thinks he’s found her.

Link:  www.lyricalpress.com/the_alpha

Excerpt:

Excerpt :
Warm yellow light streamed from behind her. “Forget your keys, Sugar?” a male voice asked from the doorway.

She stopped and glanced over her shoulder but saw only his silhouette.

“Oh my God, you cut your hair. Daedalus is going to freak.” The laughter in his comforting voice disappeared and he moved closer. “Don’t cry.” He wiped a tear from her face. “It looks great.” With a grin, he ruffled her short blond curls.

She couldn’t help but smile back.

He thought she was Sugar, her twin sister. Something in his voice sounded familiar. The face didn’t ring a bell though, but shaggy brown hair fell around most of it. He had a nice, easy-going smile. It would be wonderful to come home to a smile like that every night, but it belonged to her sister.

Her grin faded.

He wrapped his strong, thick arm around her shoulders and pulled her inside. Laughter drifted from the living room where three men and an oriental woman were setting up a board game.

One of the men, who had short cropped red hair, looked up. “Where’s the food? You were supposed to grab some grub on the way home from work.”
“We’ll order pizza.” The guy next to her squeezed one more time before walking into the next room, a huge kitchen.

“You cut your hair.” The woman spoke with a thick accent and sprung across the room to run her fingers through her hair.

Spice retreated and bumped against the entrance wall. This game of pretending to be Sugar used to be fun as kids but not anymore. With her hands raised, she kept the strangers at bay as they surrounded her like a pack of wolves. None of them looked dangerous, but what were they doing in her sister’s house while she was at work?

The way they grinned at her and each other, she concluded they were all good friends.
Sugar had everything she wanted; a loving man, friends, and a home.

“Daedalus let you cut your hair?” A short man built like a bodybuilder approached her.
The awe in his voice snapped Spice out of her self-pity and the protector inside reared its head. This was the second reference to someone allowing her little sister to do something. “What do you mean ‘let me’?”

What kind of relationship did Sugar have? She needed permission to cut her hair? Maybe destiny brought her back to Chicago to save her little sister from some monster. Again. All those bad things happening to drive her here couldn’t be coincidental.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Where is my sister, and what are you doing in her house?”
They glanced at each other, confusion apparent on their faces. “What?”

The man in the kitchen stuck his head out of the door, chocolate brown eyes wide as he stared at her. “Spice?” The smile he’d given to her when he thought she was Sugar returned but wider.

Her heart skipped a beat. In the light his face seemed familiar as well. “I know you.”

“You should, we were only neighbors forever as kids.”

“Eric!” He had grown. Stupid, of course he’s changed. But she never expected that the skinny, lanky bottle-cap-glasses-wearing nerd would develop into a charming, handsome I-wanna-snuggle-you-on-a-cold-night kind of man. “Hi.” The jobs as a hostess, a bartender, and the most recent, a stripper taught her how to talk to men the way they liked. But with him grinning at her like a happy puppy, her mind went blank.

He swept her into his arms in a bone-cracking hug.

“Wow, I’d forgotten Sugar had a twin.” The redhead scratched his chin. “You look exactly alike, except your hair is short.”

Eric set her back on her feet. “Let me take your coat.” He tugged on the belt and untied it. To her surprise, the small action sparked warmth between her thighs. Not like he took off her clothes but she began to wonder what it would feel like if he did.

Their eyes met. His pupils dilated, the chocolate brown faded to amber, and something feral peeked at her.

She gasped and stepped back.

The pretty oriental girl took her arm and dragged her into the living room. She chattered about making tea, but Spice’s attention riveted on Eric as he stood with the men surrounding him.

What the heck? She’d seen need in men’s eyes before but this was darker, deeper, and so much more alluring.

Book Trailer Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u7ZlO9f24I

Thanks for letting me share my new release with you! It’s available June 21 and I’ll be giving away a copy of my book at my blog www.paranormalromantics.blogspot.com that day so come enter.

Annie Nicholas  www.annienicholas.com

Meet Author Jennifer Linforth

Face it; there are a lot of women out there who want to get into Mr. Darcy's pants. There are a few authors out there who have dared to do it. I personally wanted to crawl into the lap of a black-masked Phantom in a certain French opera house and ask him why everyone thinks his mask is white and he has six pack abs...

Crawling into the heads of our characters is challenging enough. Expanding classic literature and diving in the heads of characters not originally ours is a whole other ball game. I have the richly rewarding experience of being contracted to expand Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera in a three book series. (Madrigal, Abendlied and Elegy which is forthcoming).

Many readers are curious as to what this involves and many more want to know why there are such broad interpretations on their favorite characters. Whatever happened to the original author's vision? If you are continuing classic literature, shouldn't your hero or heroine be as they were in original? Fans of Pride and Prejudice or Phantom of the Opera are passionate about the characters in their fandom. My reply is that one must understand the changing shape of canon and works in the public domain. Canon: from the Latin canon or "rule" is a standard of judgment based upon a determined body of text, like the Bible. Works in the public domain are copyright free-allowing an author the ability to shape a story, or character, to their imagination. We have Mr. Darcy as a vampire and zombie out there now, and love affairs between male leads.... the sky is the limit!

Personally, I side with those fans that prefer their characters to remain true to the original book. I adhere to Gaston Leroux's vision with slight changes to suit the limits of  my imagination. Partly due to the requests of my publishing house but, for me, I wanted to stick to Leroux because I appreciate what he did with the characters to begin with. I have seen Erik (for those of you unaware, that was the Phantom's name as given by Leroux) in various progeny with killer abs, green eyes, thick hair, only half his face deformed and a sex drive that doesn't end.  Quite different from the monster Leroux created.  Erik was described as a "living corpse"; a murderously vengeful madman at the center of a Death and the Maiden story, who Leroux wrote, "would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar."

I started questioning this shift in canon and began wondering what reader expectation would be when this series launched, very early on.  A few agents told me a continuation of Leroux's novel may be hard to sell. Why? So many identify with the wildly popular vision of Andrew Lloyd Webber and may not know the roots of the original story. Webbed did an excellent job of introducing his idea of the character and his idea of the canon for the story.

  So what do you do when you come across a book that expands your beloved favorite novel? I suppose a reader must have an open mind and the authors must understand that their vision may not be that of everyone else's and opinions will vary. Rejoice in them! So long as the author writes a solid, believable story readers will embrace it-good or bad-thus  allowing those classic characters to live on .

MADRIGAL blurb:

Years earlier Erik faked his death and vowed the Phantom would never again haunt the Opera Garnier. But strange packages left by Anna, an unwanted Samaritan turned unlikely friend, cause him to desire the unattainable-love. Battling the nobleman determined to lock him away, Erik must control his demons and tame a heart unexpectedly beating for two opposite women: Christine, who he longs to love, and Anna the woman who saw beyond his bitter soul to the man beneath the mask. In the midst of a brutal manhunt, can he be loved for himself or is he condemned to be The Phantom of the Opera? Murderer, Maestro, Magician, Mastermind.

MADRIGAL excerpt:

Erik's blood coursed so hard the pulse pounded in his throat. He caught himself before he leaned too far out of his shadow. Caressing the velvet of the armchair, he imagined stroking her sensuous form, whispering his adoration into her ear, and proclaiming his love for her in ways he only dreamed.

Yes, I gave you it all, Christine. I would have lassoed the moon for you.

"And you gave nothing in return?" Anna said incredulously. "He loved you."

The memory of how he'd shunned Anna wrapped around his heart like a rope of thorns. The raw passion he felt for her tightened those binds until he swore his heart would puncture. He forced such passion away. He didn't want it. Not now. He clamped his teeth in an attempt to govern the thoughts tumbling drunkenly in his mind. The velvet shredded beneath his fingers.

Damn it, you little minx. Stay out of my mind.

Christine wandered the empty stage staring out across the seats. "There was nothing I could give. Least of all love."

Ridges plowed into Anna's brow. "Why?""He was horrifically deformed. He frightened me. I was put through so much horror."

"Then why did you continue with the lessons?" Anna demanded sharply. "If you knew he loved you and you couldn't give that in return, why torment him?"

"I wanted to know the music for I had never experienced anything like it. I deeply respected the Angel of Music and cared for him, but I could never truly love him. Not in the way he wanted. His affections were so powerful-they frightened me." Christine shook her head. "A woman such as you could never comprehend the situation. He was a distorted soul, a madman. I couldn't be expected to look on that with love. No one could."

No one could? That? Respected? Rejected!

Erik tensed as he shook from head to toe. His hands crushed to his mask. He cursed his ugliness. Looking at the two women, he recognized the confusion Anna had mentioned. With all his being, he tried to control his demons. His inability to do so was not his fault. Man made him this way.

 He turned his attention to the woman beside her. Erik leaned forward avoiding the urge to fold himself over the velvet railing and scream to the women below.

Anna, make her understand me

*~*

ABENDLIED Blurb

Desiring normalcy is difficult enough with a price on his head, but when Erik is falsely accused of killing Philippe de Chagny, brother of his nemesis Raoul, he is launched toward madness.

Anna is an unlikely companion, sharing Erik's heart and the bounty on his head. As the manhunt heats, Erik's mysterious relationship with Philippe spurs the campaign against them forward, and exposes her darkest secret: defending her honor ended in murder.

Plagued by his past as The Phantom of the Opera, Erik's memories enslave his heart to Raoul's wife Christine, whose shocking confession brings a ruthless bounty hunter into the fray and blackmail to the Chagny bloodline. Blackmail from a hunter who cares little about the Phantom or Philippe, and everything about the one he has lusted for: Anna.

With the past weeping like an open wound, can love endure or will it take memories of one unlikely man to heal them all?

Memories of Philippe Georges Marie, Comte de Chagny...

ABENDLIED excerpt:

He thought to lean to one side and be done with it. The exhaustion over fighting his desires for Christine, the constant tug of war with madness coupled with fearing he would destroy the one woman who made him feel alive, was unbearable punishment.

"I never believed in Your sincerity of bringing Anna to me. Shocked are we? Surprised for a brief moment I believed?" Erik rolled his head toward the side and pressed his cheek to the stone. His accusatory eyes could have shattered the pinpricks of light across the heavens. "Congratulations, Oh Merciful God, You failed again. Anna can have You and Your Son." He yanked himself upright, his body going rigid with his anger. "I am pleased Philippe is dead!"

Spittle flew from sob soaked lips. His mouth spread upward. He may be alone for now, but not forever. There was to be an heir to his kingdom, a child with his mind and his madness. Erik spoke to the shattered stone below with an unblinking stare.

"I will have my child, in all his hideous imperfections. I will need no one but him and my music. I will need only his love. As for Christine?" Erik leapt to his feet. The wind flapped his cloak behind him. He leaned into the gust and taunted the streets below like a great yellow-eyed bird ready to swoop on unsuspecting prey. "Our character becomes our destiny. Music, like life, is inexpressible silence without its instrument. Am I not its master? I hold the baton. I will conduct what I want. I will have what I want. What is Erik without Christine?" Leaping back to the roof he retrieved his mask and turned to the opera house, his boots drumming a cadence so the ferryman could dutifully follow. A haunting whisper carried his sadness forward on the wind.

"What is Erik without the Phantom?"

REVIEWS

"Ms. Linforth's prose is phenomenally beautiful and hauntingly breathtaking." ~Coffee Time Romance

"... a sumptuous feast for any fan of The Phantom of the Opera." ~ Night Owl Romance

Jennifer Linforth
author, historical fiction
MADRIGAL-A novel of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera Highland Press Publishing
ABENDLIED: A novel of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera-book two of The Madrigals October 2009
ELEGY--book three of The Madrigals forthcoming 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpU_H43_1PY
http://www.jenniferlinforth.com
http://jenniferlinforth.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/jenniferlinforthauthor
http://www.facebook.com/comtessdechagny