Fly by T.A. Foster Spotlight & Excerpt

Not everyone’s good at one-night stands.

 Skye Stephens has the worst day of her professional career, and all she wants to do is shed her power suit and get lost in the sheets with the hot guy she met at the bar. The problem is, this uptight ad exec doesn’t know how to do one-night stands. She has strict rules about dating and when to let a man in her bedroom.

Fighter pilot Ben “Bolt” Hardcastle is used to lovin’ and leavin’. But, after he meets Skye, one night doesn’t seem to be enough.

When these two crash-land into each other, a connection strong enough to make the loner pilot and the sexy businesswoman shed their rules about love and relationships begins to burn deeper than either of them ever expected.

EXCERPT 

The ballpark was built on the water, so depending on your seats the wind could rip right through the concourse tunnels and chill you to the bone. Bolt happened to have those gusty seats. He wrapped an arm around Skye, pulling her against his chest while keeping a firm grip on his beer with the other.

“You know I was surprised you called.” Skye sipped on the large beverage in her hand.

“Really? I said I would.”

“Yeah, I bet you say a lot of things.”

“Ouch. That hurt.”

“Do not pretend with me that you don’t get a lot of numbers. I know your type.”

“Type, huh? I might get a few numbers here and there. But I called, didn’t I? Anyway, I was kind of surprised you agreed to go.” He liked the feisty side of her.

“Why do you say that?” she taunted.

He wondered if he should be so blunt with her, but she seemed like she could take it. “Because you seem a little uptight at times. I figured you were done with the fun.”

Skye wiggled out of his wind-bracing hold. “Uptight? You sure know how to compliment a girl.”

“I don’t mean uptight, uptight, just a little rigid.” He shook his head as soon as he saw Skye’s expression. “Ok, rigid was definitely the wrong word to use. Dammit. I’m going to stop talking now.”

She giggled. “No, I think you should keep going. You’re proving my exact point.”

“And what’s that?” He was glad she wasn’t genuinely mad with him.

“That you are the kind of guy who likes to have fun and that’s it.”

Bolt scanned her eyes. “Are you saying I’m not deep?”

“I didn’t say that. You think I’m uptight and I don’t think you’re serious enough. How about that?”

He touched the beer to his lips and tried not to smile. “I guess that’s calling it fair.”

It was only the bottom of the fourth inning and Bolt was already ready to start making his way back to Skye’s apartment. In truth, from the second she opened the door he didn’t want to leave. Something about her tapped into his more primal side, and it took more self-restraint than he wanted to admit to keep his hands off her. He was freezing and if he had to stare at the chill bumps on her breasts another second he would probably pounce on her right in the ballpark. He couldn’t stop thinking of all the ways he wanted to warm her up.

“Are you enjoying the game?” He wrapped his arm around her and felt her ease into his shoulder.

“I’m not much of a baseball fan, but yeah it’s good. Just wish we weren’t in a freaking wind tunnel.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I guess there was a reason these tickets were up on the board at work. How about we head back to your place and watch the rest of it on TV and neither one of us will have to freeze?”

She eyed him suspiciously. “My place?”

He put his hands up. “I know the rule, don’t worry. But please, I think my hand is frozen to the plastic cup.”

She giggled. “Ok, let’s go.”

Bolt smiled, knowing he could probably at least make it to third base tonight.

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T.A. Foster met, fell in love with, and married her own Marine fighter pilot. Through deployments, trainings, and sometimes living oceans apart, their own love story continues every day.  

She grew up catching rays and waves along the North Carolina Outer Banks and now resides in the state with her husband, two children, and two canine kiddos.

T.A. has an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a graduate degree in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University.  When she’s not chasing her two-legged and four-legged children or trying to escape for date night, you can find her reading, writing, or planning her next beach trip.

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Review: Slow Satisfaction by Cecilia Tan

This week Cecilia Tan's final installment in the Struck by Lightning series, Slow Satisfaction, will be released. If you aren't familiar with this series, let me give you a quick recap. The first book, Slow Seduction, introduces us to Karina and James. Karina is a down-on-her-luck art history student when she meets the elusive James. She knows he is rich, artistic, and a mystery. He introduces her to a world of passion and seduction. She is definitely over her head as James drags her into a world of bondage. She immediately starts falling for him, but does she even know who he is?

As the series progresses, James and Karina have their ups and downs. He is not use to letting someone close to him and Karina refuses to be pushed away.

In Slow Satisfaction, James has finally pushed Karina beyond her limit--not her limit for kinky sex play, but for his extreme secrecy. She has had enough and breaks things off. But James won't give up on Karina and will do whatever it takes to get her back. He's ready to share his deepest, darkest secrets, but is Karina ready to hear them? 

Will Karina and James's love be strong enough to withstand the many obstacles being thrown their way?

Fans of Jamie McGuire, Samantha Young, Kristen Ashley, and Sylvian Reynard will enjoy Cecilia Tan's Struck by Lightning series. This series is full of angst and kinky sex. If interested, be sure to check out Slow Seduction

Spotlight: Slow Satisfaction by @CeciliaTan #puyb #vbt

The sizzling conclusion of the Struck by Lightning trilogy! The story that began with the RT Award-winning Slow Surrender finally brings us all satisfaction. James has finally pushed Karina beyond her limit–not her limit for kinky sex play, but for his extreme secrecy. She has had enough and breaks things off.

But James won’t give up on Karina and he will do whatever it takes to get her back. He’s ready to share his deepest, darkest secrets, but is Karina ready to hear them? When James is blackmailed by an unscrupulous music industry executive, he must give in to unreasonable demands or risk exposure of his and Karina’s secret sex life… a sex life that keeps getting hotter!

Will Karina and James’s love be strong enough to withstand the many obstacles being thrown their way?

SLOW SATISFACTION EVENT PAGE

Amazon * Goodreads* Barnes & Noble 

Book Excerpt: 

James's eyes were serious, even as his face and body were relaxed and languid post-orgasm. “Did I convince you to give me another chance?”

I considered. “You at least earned the chance to tell me what I don’t know.”

He took my hand in his, like he had so many times before. This time he kissed my fingertips, his eyes closing as he did. “I have a lot to tell you. More than any single interrogation might reveal.”

I squeezed his hand. “I shouldn’t have to interrogate you for the answers.”

He sucked in a breath. “No. Of course you shouldn’t. There’s so much I need to tell you if you’re really going to get to know me.” He reached up and traced the curve of my cheek with his fingertip. “Yet I feel like you know me better than anyone.”

“I do know you,” I said. “I just don’t know the facts about you.”

His gaze shied away from mine. “Many of the facts are sordid.”

“Says the man who put a six-inch dildo into me and walked me around the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

“I mean much more sordid than that.” Now his face had completely clouded over.

“I want to know, James. I need to know. I have a right to, if we’re going to be together.”

He nodded, though his eyes were closed. “I know. I agree. That still doesn’t make it easy for me to open up.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Except during sex.”

“As you well know. Were you serious about what you said before? I would sincerely give you a piece of my past for every time you give me…” He kissed my fingertips again. “Anything. Sex. Your body. Your submission.”

Even though we’d just had sex, I felt a thrill go through my loins. “I wasn’t suggesting it lightly.”

“I want to be sure. Sometimes we say things in the heat of passion that seem less than wise afterward.”

“But sometimes we get inspired.” This could be the perfect solution, I realized. “I know the time you’re the most open is when we have sex. That’s the time your answers will be the best. Of course, if we do this, I could still revoke my forgiveness at any time.”

“Of course. Just as you can revoke your consent at any time. I understand, Karina. It’s the Thousand and One Nights, only this time I’m Scheherazade, telling the stories.”

I touched his face with my fingers, feeling like a weight was slowly lifting from my back. Maybe we were going to make this work after all. The fact that he was willing to try so hard made a huge difference in how I felt. And I wanted him. The part of me that had been needing him and pining for him all summer was quelled by the knowledge we could do this.

I sat up and discovered I’d been lying on something. In the dim light I could still recognize what it was. “These look a lot like a pair of panties I used to have.”

“That’s because they are.”

“You’ve been carrying around my underwear?” I turned to look at him.

Lying beside me on the pillow, he wore a familiar expression: serene and a bit bemused. “You left them in the limo once. Did you think I’d throw them away?”

“I never really thought about it before.”

“If I left a pair of my underwear behind with you, what would you do?”

“Yeah, I see your point. I’ve got a handkerchief of yours I keep in the—”

His expression changed suddenly, his eyes widening and his lips parting in slight surprise. “That’s it, isn’t it?”

I felt myself blush even though I wasn’t keeping anything a secret. “Um, partly anyway. My roommate—”

“I know. I met her at the spa that day. Becky. She knew the Lord’s Ladies.”

“Yeah. And she got one of the handkerchiefs you threw from the stage at Madison Square Garden. It matched one I got from you.”

To my surprise, James smiled. He sat up and kissed me softly. “If I believed in fate, I’d say that was a sign. What are the odds?”

“And are they better or worse than the odds of being struck by lightning?”

His smile turned into a laugh. “Was that a pun?” In a flash he pulled my legs onto his lap, spanking me playfully several times. I couldn’t help it, it was like being ambushed by tickling. I kicked and giggled and shrieked.

I wriggled free, hug-tackled him, and ended up on top of him in the center of the bed, kissing him all over his face. “I’m still mad at you, you know.”

“If you say so,” he said. “By the way, I agree with your mother. This is a nice dress.”

“She bought it for me today. She wants to meet you.”

“What have you told her about me?”

“That you’re rich and good-looking which is what she cares about most. My sister wants to meet you, too. They know you’re an art world type but that’s all.” I was coming to my senses a little, now that the intense pleasure of the orgasm was receding and the play-spanking had woken me up. “And if you’d really put the rock star stuff behind you, that’d be all they need to know. But that sounds like a big if.”

“A very big if.” He nodded slowly, his face sobering again into his usual mask.

That would not do. The biggest question he still hadn’t answered for me was the story of Ferrara Huntington. It was the biggest thing that I thought could still be a deal-breaker and send me out of here a single woman. I leaned down and nuzzled his neck, as if the subject were closed for now. He smelled delicious, igniting all my cravings again. I nibbled behind his ear. He arched under me, his cock not yet ready to harden again, but the rest of him responding just fine. He pulled me down beside him, kissing me back and exploring my neck with his mouth.

Hadn’t we just finished having sex? I felt my insides melting again though, my desire rising like a tide. Maybe my body felt we should make up for lost time.

Making out was nice and I enjoyed the feeling that we were in no hurry. When had we ever done this, kissed for the sake of kissing? I lost track of time. Minutes ticked by in my haze of affection, pleasure, and relief. Yes. We needed this kind of connection, too. Affection, exploring each other, letting chemistry take over.

My hands roamed his back, his sides, his hips, until one of them strayed between his legs and I sucked in a breath as I met the scorching hot stiffness there.

There was no reason to wait. There was so much we had to talk about. “You’re ready for more?” I teased.

“With you, Karina, I always am.”

Cecilia Tan is "simply one of the most important writers, editors, and innovators in contemporary American erotic literature," according to Susie Bright. Her BDSM romance novel Slow Surrender (Hachette/Forever, 2013) won the RT Reviewers Choice Award in Erotic Romance.

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

She lives in the Boston area with her lifelong partner Corwin and three cats.

Find out more at www.ceciliatan.com

The Enchanted Land by Jude Deveraux Review

Last Summer I stumbled across a box of old Jude Deveraux books at a yardsale. I ended up paying a few bucks for the whole box and I’ve been slowly working my way through them. I love old historical romance novels, especially Julie Garwood and Johanna Lindsey (but you already know this). Deveraux is another favorite, but sometimes Deveraux can take extreme directions with the storyline, which I do not appreciate.

One of the ones I read this was The Enchanted Land, which I thought had a great premise. Morgan must marry and live in New Mexico for one year or she will never receive her inheritance. She meets the rugged Seth Colter at a local dance and proposes a business arrangement: one year of marriage for $25,000. Seth accepts, but not because of the money – he can’t help be fascinated with the tiny woman.

The story starts out wonderfully. Seth and Morgan are full of chemistry as their friendship and love grows. There is humor in their banter and I couldn’t wait for their marriage to start working. If you haven’t read The Enchanted Land then I suggest you stop reading because I’m about to reveal some major spoilers.

As Morgan and Seth head to New Mexico they encounter a lot of misfortunes – mainly Morgan getting kidnapped. Add in Seth’s raging jealousy and you have the works of a classic old school romance. As Morgan and Seth finally reach their New Mexico home (about 30% through the book) I realize that Deveraux is probably going to start throwing curveballs into the story. Boy, was I right. Add in another kidnapping and when Morgan is sold into white slavery by a devious and dastardly neighbor I give up…seriously. I put the book down and decided to move on. Why? At the point the Morgan is sold into white slavery, the story is 50% done. That leaves 200 or so pages for Deveraux to throw any random kink into the story. Who knows…maybe a sharknado!

I know it sounds like I’m complaining, but I started out falling madly in love with Morgan and Seth. Their friendship flowed easily and they seemed to be really developing genuine feelings for each other. This is how I like my romances. I’m not a big fan of “every single thing that goes wrong does “ storylines. So I gave up….for an hour.

I wanted to see how Deveraux wrapped it all up. The separation of Morgan and Seth lasts for 3 years with one meeting that results in their son Adam. When Seth finally realized that Morgan never betrayed him and that she wasn’t willing working as a prostitute (he was mistaken about that as well), he is determined to seek her forgiveness. But first he must conceal his identity and get a job on her ranch. Sigh.

I’m glad I finished this novel because I wanted to see how Deveraux wrapped up the story. If you are determined to read The Enchanted Land I suggest you read the first hundred pages and then the last hundred pages…trust me and skip everything in the middle. I think you will find yourself just as aggravated at all the crap that is thrown into this story.

@Jeaniene_Frost Giveaway! Win an ARC of Beautiful Ashes

If you follow this blog then you know that I'm a big fan of Jeaniene Frost, who writes sizzling paranormal romances. I'm very excited to be giving away her new book, Beautiful Ashes. This one is a little different than her normal work, because it is her first venture into New Adult. I'm very excited about the first installment in the Broken Destiny series.

In a world of shadows, anything is possible. Except escaping your fate. 

Ever since she was a child, Ivy has been gripped by visions of strange realms just beyond her own. But when her sister goes missing, Ivy discovers the truth is far worse—her hallucinations are real, and her sister is trapped in a parallel realm. And the one person who believes her is the dangerously attractive guy who's bound by an ancient legacy to betray her. 

Adrian might have turned his back on those who raised him, but that doesn't mean he can change his fate…no matter how strong a pull he feels toward Ivy. Together they search for the powerful relic that can save her sister, but Adrian knows what Ivy doesn't: that every step brings Ivy closer to the truth about her own destiny, and a war that could doom the world. Sooner or later, it will be Ivy on one side and Adrian on the other. And nothing but ashes in between…

Eeek! Beautiful Ashes is set to be released on August 26th, so I'm making this a short giveaway. There are plenty of ways to enter and you can enter multiple times per day. Good luck! 

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First to Burn by Anna Richland Spotlight & Giveaway!

Enter to Win

$10.00 Starbucks eGift Card

A Soldier with Secrets.

Immortal
Viking Wulf Wardsen once battled alongside Beowulf, and now serves in
Afghanistan. He's trusted the mortal men on his elite special operations team
to protect his secret, until an explosion lands Wulf in a place more dangerous
to him than a battlefield: a medevac helicopter.

A Doctor with Questions.

Army
captain Theresa Chiesa follows the rules and expects the same from others, even
special forces hotshots like Sergeant Wardsen. She's determined to discover the
secret behind his supernaturally fast healing, and she won't allow his sexy
smile to distract her.

An Enemy with Nothing to Lose.

Even as
Theresa's investigation threatens to expose him, Wulf dreams of love and a
normal life with her. But the lost Viking relic needed to reverse his
immortality is being hunted by another—an ancient enemy who won't hesitate to
hurt Theresa to strike back at Wulf.

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Anna Richland lives with her quietly funny Canadian husband and two less quiet
children in a century-old house in Seattle. Like the heroine of FIRST TO BURN,
she joined the army to pay tuition, a decision that led to an adventurous career
on four continents (if standing on the bridge in Panama that divides North and
South America counts as two).

She donates a portion of her book proceeds to the Fisher House Foundation, which provides
housing for families of wounded soldiers in the US and Great Britain, and
Doctors Without Borders, which delivers emergency medical care in more than
sixty crisis zones world-wide.

To find out about her October novella, HIS ROAD HOME, and the next Immortal Vikings romance, THE SECOND LIE, visit her website at annarichland.com and sign up for her newsletter.

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The Internship Movie Review

            When I first saw the trailer for The Internship, starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, you know what I thought? “That movie is going to be dumb and there is no way I’m going to watch it.”  I did like Wedding Crashers but other than that movie I am not fans of Vaughn or Wilson – separate or together. The movie is about two middle aged men who are let go from their sales job. They somehow manage to score internships at Google, with the promise of a fulltime job if their internship team succeeds and wins the intern competition.

     First off, let me state that I’m not a huge fan of comedies. I rarely see them in movie theatre because I never know if it will be absolutely terrible…and then I feel like an idiot for wasting my money. I don’t actively hate comedies…I just don’t seek them out. That being said…I have a boyfriend who absolutely loves them. The dumber the better. We rarely watch movies together due to our opposite schedules but he decided to investigate the new free movies that were on the On Demand feature. He selected The Internship and I grimaced. I remembered the premise from the trailer and knew I would soon be going to bed.

      Surprisingly, I actually paid attention. Yes, there were plenty of moment of Wilson and Vaughn shouting out random words which can be mistaken for comedy. Underneath that was an underlining problem of adults who think they cannot compete with today’s youth in the job market. I see this every day. I’m constantly assisting seniors or middle-age new unemployed patrons fill out job applications. Sometimes I find myself thinking that there isn’t a way that they can compete with the 20-something year olds that are entering the job market. Hell, those 20-somethnig year olds scare me and I am one of them.

    While this movie isn’t much to write home about, it is not that bad…which surprised the hell out of me. I expected the lowest of the low (I’m talking about you, Year One!) so I will admit that I enjoyed the movie. I thought the scenes where they are working on their internship with Google were entertaining. Yes, the typical banter between Wilson and Vaughn, which they are known for, is there and if you don’t like that…it can be overlooked…or fast forwarded through. Overall, if you are looking for something lighthearted then I would say give The Internship a shot. Remember, don’t expect much and you’ll find that its not that bad! 

Oh, patrons.

A patron came in one morning right after we opened to return some DVDs. As I started checking them in I noticed that they were all a day late...

Me: Sir, these were due yesterday so there will be an overdue charge for them.

Patron: They aren't late. I was in the parking lot at 9:00am.

Me: We don't open until 10:00am though.

Patron: I know that, but since I was here before you opened, they aren't late.

Review: The Swift Boys & Me by @Kody_Keplinger

I have been looking forward to Kody Keplinger’s new middle grade book for a while now. I discovered Keplinger when I picked up her first book (written while she was a teenager!) DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend. I instantly loved it and all its truth. From then on I have anxiously waited each of her new novels. When I read that her 4^th novel, The Swift Boys & Me, was going going to be a middle grade story about 12-year-old Nola’s friendship with her next door neighbors, the 3 Swift brothers, I was definitely intrigued.

The story starts off with the boys’ dad leaving them. This completely destroys their world and ultimately Nola’s. Their days of carefree friendship are gone as the boys are thrust into a world of complete chaos. As the boys go down different paths, Nola desperately tries to keep everything the same. It seems without the Swift boys she is equally lost.

Keplinger does a wonderful job of taking you down memory lane. I was instantly thrown back to my days as a 6^th grader and all the fun that was had from sleepovers, jumping on trampolines, bike riding, and causing mayhem in my local neighborhood. I often caught myself smiling and reminiscing of the good ole days when life was much simpler with the exception of friend drama…just like for Nola. Whether or not this life is still typical for today’s 12-year-old I do not know. The age of technology has thrust today’s preteen into a whole new atmosphere that I couldn’t imagine.

All the characters in The Swift Boys & Me are impossible not to love and grow attached to. I would totally be okay if Keplinger decided to turn this stand alone novel into a series or come back later on as the characters have gotten older. If you are looking for a sweet story of friendship and growing up then I would recommend that you check out The Swift Boys & Me (and while you’re at it – get The Duff because it is fabulous!) 

Project Read All The Books: July Recap

It’s that time again!

July was a busy reading month with me knocking out 30 books (3 were pictures books, plus 2 novellas).

From the 30 books I read in July, 7 came from my To-Be-Read (TBR) Bookcase. Remember the whole goal of this project is to cut down on the number of books that I own, but haven’t read. I have an entire bookcase dedicated to these books! And with the number of books I keep acquiring, I really need to free up this bookcase for other books.

As of June 2014, I had 124 books on my TBR bookcase.

My goal for July was 8 books.

Even though I read 30, only 7 were from the TBR bookcase. I started the 8th one last night, Magic Slays, but fell asleep. I would have finished it (and finally hit my monthly goal), but BF found an early showing of The Guardians of the Galaxy, so we rushed to see that.

Here are the 7 books for July:

Castles by Julie Garwood
Seduction of a Highland Lass by Maya Banks
No Good Duke Goes Unpunished by Sarah MacLean
A Knight in Shining Amour by Jude Deveraux
Up from the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Mistress by Tiffany Reisz
Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

Current Count: 117

Goal for August: 5 Books

What did you read in July?