I’ve been reading for what feels like forever. I love, love, love it. Love. And I love reading romance in particular because, no matter what kind of mood I’m in, there’s a story out there for me. They come in all genres: contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, historical, and when I get tired of those, I can look for the mash-ups of genres. I have more of a love/hate relationship with writing, however. Confession time – I never wanted to be a writer. It looked like a lot of hard work, and hard work makes me sweat. I don’t like to sweat. So that’s what I’m less than enthusiastic about. Now let me give you five reasons why I love writing fantasy romance so much. I love to make people think. If my story resonates with even one person, then I feel I’ve done okay. I try to include a lesson. In DEMON CREED, and really the entire Demon Outlaws series, it’s about acceptance and prejudice. FYI, the demons in my stories aren’t necessarily the bad guys.  Two of the heroines and one of the heroes are half demons. They’re also very human at heart.   I love to make people feel….

Fresh Pick for Thursday, June 5th, 2014 is GRIM SHADOWS by Jenn Bennett #SupernaturalThursday the Roaring 20s Berkley June 2014 On Sale: June 3, 2014 352 pages ISBN: 0425269582 EAN: 9780425269589 Kindle: B00GMWZHQM Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List Romance Historical Buy A Copy Amazon.com Kindle BN.com Powell’s Books Indiebound Grim Shadows by Jenn Bennett Roaring Twenties It’s the Roaring Twenties in foggy San Francisco. Prohibition is on, inhibitions are low, and dark magic is rolling into town… Archaeologist Lowe Magnusson is packing something everyone wants. The djed amulet, a priceless Egyptian artifact, will fetch Lowe a hefty paycheck from one of San Francisco’s wealthiest. But when the handsome Swede runs into his patron’s uptight daughter, what he once considered easy money becomes maddeningly complicated… Cursed with deadly spirits as her constant companions, curator Hadley Bacall must keep calm to hold her dangerous specters at bay and prevent them from lashing out at anything—or anyone. Trouble is, Lowe is driving her crazy, but her father needs the artifact he’s transporting. While Hadley can feel the amulet’s power, she can’t fathom the destruction—or the desire—it’s about to stir up. A colorful tale of the Prohibition Era with a paranormal twist……

“Do not pay attention to my cousins. Every family needs a couple idiots and we keep them around for entertainment.” – Rory MacGregor, LOVE POTIONS To me, family is one of the most important things in my life. So, it only makes sense that I love writing stories where families are a big part of the character’s life. With the MacGregor clan, family is everything—so much so that many of them live in the same mansion. These guys (and woman, sorry Malina) bring a lot of fun elements to the table. Yes, they are sexy Scottish warlocks who are practically immortal. I mean, how can a writer resist a hot guy in a kilt with a knee-weakening accent? The MacGregors will literally die, or kill, to protect each other. Add to that familial bond magickal abilities and centuries worth of mischievous history, and you have some very funny situations. “Ya were going to turn me into a rat? Had I known that I wouldn’t have tried to turn ya into a snake.”- Iain MacGregor, LOVE POTIONS The MacGregor siblings and cousins have been using their magick to prank each other since they were children. I won’t give everything away, but…

I love novellas as a reader and a writer. As a reader I don’t always have time, or the focus, to read a novel and yet I love dipping into other worlds and a novella gives a little bit more than a short story. Over the years I’ve written quite a few novellas (that became really apparent when I recently redid my website and re categorized everything). And it was novellas that got me my first break into publishing. Since then I’ve also written half a dozen novels in 3 different series and I have a few more waiting in the wings. While I’d written novella series (like the SFR Decadent Moon and the erotic paranormal series Sex with Strings) I’d never written a mid-series novella. My Annwyn books are all around 80,000 words, and there is a definite progression of events even though each book stands alone. And yet I had this idea that wouldn’t be shaken even though it didn’t fit with the other three books. The Changeling Soldier occurs after Lord of the Hunt and over the first half of To Love a King—but it entirely set in our world not Annwyn. I also knew that the…

Fresh Pick for Wednesday, June 4th, 2014 is THE DARKEST JOY by Marata Eros Gallery Books February 2014 On Sale: February 18, 2014 320 pages ISBN: 1476752214 EAN: 9781476752211 Kindle: B00DPM7RSS Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List Romance Buy A Copy Amazon.com Kindle BN.com Powell’s Books Indiebound The Darkest Joy by Marata Eros “I don’t want my broken fixed. . . .” Six months ago, Brooke Starr was one impeccable piano performance away from Juilliard. Now, she is lonely, devastated, orphaned . . . seeking solace in a place where the sun never sets and trying to make sense of the dark tragedy that clouds her shattered heart. There are no coincidences. . . . Deep-sea fisherman Chance Taylor can’t imagine what his life would be if he’d never taken that midnight stroll to the pier. Had never seen the intriguing, raven-haired girl swan dive into the Alaskan sea. Had never plunged into the icy waters to rescue her . . . and finally felt her electric charge. As their blazing chemistry consumes them, Chance is determined to save Brooke from her demons. But Brooke knows she must find her own footing. She thinks she’s already lost everything—until the…

This weekend HarperCollins will be running their first ever digital Romance Festival, in conjunction with some of the world’s best known publishers of romance, to bring you two days of discussions, tips and giveaways for writers of romance and fans – all focused around some of our best loved women’s fiction authors! The line-up has now been announced on the festival blog here, authors include J. Lynn/Jennifer L. Armentrout, Lori Wilde, Eloisa James, Jay Crownover, Kerrelyn Sparks, Molly McAdams, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips,among many others, but for full timings and schedules of discussions, please register for free at the link below: Register for FREE

WICKED TEMPTATION is the latest and final book in my Nemesis Unlimited series.  If you’re unfamiliar with Nemesis, I like to describe it as “Leverage/old school A-Team in Victorian England.”  It’s a secret organization dedicated to righting wrongs in the highly stratified world of late 19th century England. In WICKED TEMPTATION, Nemesis’s spymaster, Marco Black, is reluctantly assigned to the case of Bronwyn Parrish.  Bronwyn is a young society widow who has been cheated out of her fortune.  Though nemesis usually assists the underclasses, Bronwyn’s case is special, and both she and Marco find themselves quickly enmeshed in a dangerous intrigue that takes them to Paris, and from Paris to points beyond, all the while fighting an explosive attraction. I’m particularly proud of WICKED TEMPTATION because it’s my twentieth published work.  My first romance novel, LADY X’S COWBOY, came out in 2006, and I’ve been writing and publishing fairly consistently ever since.  My work has spanned from straight historical, to literary fiction (written under my real name—Ami Silber), to paranormal historical adventure, to sci-fi, to steampunk, and now, with WICKED TEMPTATION, back to straight historical.  People ask me if I find it difficult to cross so many genres, to which…

I’m so excited! We’re less than a month away from the launch of the second book in my New Jersey Ice Cats series. Yes, the wait is nearly over. On July 1st, you’ll be able to read A PERFECT TRADE – which, for those of you following the series, is Tru and Jenny’s story. In A PERFECT DISTRACTION, readers met Tru Jelinek and Jenny Martin. Tru is a defenceman for the Ice Cats, who — along with his three brothers — grew up with Jake ‘Bad Boy’ Badoletti. Jenny went to school with the boys and played hockey with them, until she gave it up to become Queen of the Puck Bunnies. Jenny and Tru clearly have a past together; one that has created a bitter rift between them. In A PERFECT TRADE, you’ll finally find out what happened. Here is the blurb: A win-win negotiation?  Truman “Tru” Jelinek’s life is pretty much off the rails. With his professional hockey career on thin ice, and his personal life falling apart, he’s ready to implement some serious changes. Helping Jenny Martin—the only girl he’s ever loved—make her dreams a reality is a good place to start.  There’s just one problem: Jenny…

It helps if they’re hot, let’s just be honest. Even the flawed heroes—the ones with physical or emotional scars—they need to be hot. If a guy doesn’t get your motor running, you’re less willing to take the journey of reading about his mating. These days, the romance genre has broadened bunches. Readers can enjoy heroes from long past, from far into the future and from today. In paranormal romances, heroes often have special powers (although some would say that romance heroes have always known their heroines’ hearts more than any real guy). We love heroes who love their heroine. No matter if the woman is less than gorgeous—or just feels less than gorgeous—the hero needs to see her inner beauty. Let’s be honest, we all feel squishy with a guy who sees a woman’s inner beauty. Heroes are more real to us, and more loveable, if they aren’t terribly hung up on supermodels. Even supermodels get pimples and worry about their thighs being too big. We want a hero who is above all that. I sometimes watch the romances on The Hallmark Channel and I’ve noticed again and again that the heroes and heroines—while not ugly—often look like regular people….

Fresh Pick for Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014 is THE GIVEN by Vicki Pettersson #WhatsNewTuesday Harper Voyager June 2014 On Sale: May 27, 2014 384 pages ISBN: 006206620X EAN: 9780062066206 Kindle: B00FJ2YTOM Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List Fantasy Urban, Romance Suspense, Romance Paranormal Buy A Copy Amazon.com Kindle BN.com Powell’s Books Indiebound The Given by Vicki Pettersson The dramatic conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Vicki Pettersson’s critically acclaimed Celestial Blues series—an inventive blend of paranormal romance, noir mystery, and urban fantasy—involving a fallen angel and a flesh-and-blood rockabilly reporter. After learning his wife survived the attack that killed him fifty years earlier, angel/PI Griffin Shaw is determined to find Evelyn Shaw, no matter the cost. Yet his obsession comes at a price. Grif has had to give up his burgeoning love for reporter Katherine “Kit” Craig, the woman who made life worth living again, and dedicate himself to finding one he no longer knows. Yet when Grif is attacked again, it becomes clear that there are forces in both the mortal and heavenly realm who’d rather see him dead than unearth the well-buried secrets of his past. If he’s to survive his second go-round on the Surface,…