Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Olivia Dade | Top Ten Erotic Romance Favorites
Author Guest / January 27, 2016

The heroine of MY RECKLESS VALENTINE, Angie, wrote this annotated guide to some of her favorite erotic romances before meeting straitlaced Grant Peterson, her hero. I think she was planning to use the list in one of her library displays, but then changed her mind after— Well, I don’t want to spoil the book. Never mind about that. Enjoy the list! Olivia Dade P.S. While MY RECKLESS VALENTINE is a bawdy romantic comedy, rather than an erotic romance, I still thought my readers might enjoy this glimpse into Angie’s fevered brain. P.P.S. Presumably, she would have censored some of her saltier language before using the list, but…really, there’s no telling when it comes to Angie. So I redacted a few choice words on her behalf, substituting gentler alternatives in brackets. P.P.P.S. These are all real books, by the way. I didn’t make up a single title! Not even the one with horny blue aliens! * * * ANGIE’S LIST OF KICKASS SMUT Ruby Dixon’s ICE PLANET BARBARIANS I’m starting strong, people. This series boasts giant, mate-hungry blue alien heroes with horns and enormous, ridged [manly protuberances]. Let me repeat that, in case you didn’t catch it. ENORMOUS, RIDGED [MANLY PROTUBERANCES]….

Victoria Vane | Capturing the Urban Cowboy
Author Guest / January 27, 2016

Many readers by now are familiar with my transition from historical romance to contemporary western romance a little over a year ago. In all of my books to date, I have endeavored to put a whole new twist on the cowboy archetype. Wade Knowlton, the hero of SLOW HAND was a small town Montana lawyer and part time rancher. Dirk Knowlton, Wade’s brother who is a former pro bull rider and injured vet is the hero of ROUGH RIDER. Reid Everett, the hero of the third book, SHARP SHOOTIN’ COWBOY is a former Marine scout sniper and Wyoming hunting guide. All of these stories are set in Wyoming and Montana. My hero Ty Morgan in HELL ON HEELS and TWO TO WRANGLE is a departure from my more traditional cowboys. Ty is a flawed character. He’s a divorced playboy who loves woman—in single serving sizes. He also has an alcohol problem that he’s mostly overcome. He’s got a smart mouth and talks a lot of smack about his ex-wife, but deep down takes responsibility for the failed marriage. He has countless “friends” but doesn’t let anyone get too close, with the exception of Oklahoma billionaire, Tom Brandt, his father’s business…

Fresh Pick | FORBIDDEN by Beverly Jenkins
Fresh Pick / January 27, 2016

Fresh Pick for Wednesday, January 27th, 2016 is FORBIDDEN by Beverly Jenkins #RomanceWednesday – classic love! About FORBIDDEN USA Today bestselling author Beverly Jenkins returns with the first book in a breathtaking new series set in the Old West Rhine Fontaine is building the successful life he’s always dreamed of—one that depends upon him passing for White. But for the first time in years, he wishes he could step out from behind the façade. The reason: Eddy Carmichael, the young woman he rescued in the desert. Outspoken, defiant, and beautiful, Eddy tempts Rhine in ways that could cost him everything . . . and the price seems worth paying. Eddy owes her life to Rhine, but she won’t risk her heart for him. As soon as she’s saved enough money from her cooking, she’ll leave this Nevada town and move to California. No matter how handsome he is, no matter how fiery the heat between them, Rhine will never be hers. Giving in for just one night might quench this longing. Or it might ignite an affair as reckless and irresistible as it is forbidden . . . Buy FORBIDDEN: Amazon.com | Kindle| BN.com| iTunes/iBooks | Kobo | Google Play…

Cindi Madsen | Crush-Worthy Professional Athletes
Author Guest / January 27, 2016

Let’s face it, there’s something hot about sports players. From the way they handle the ball/hockey stick/bat to all the muscles it takes to play competitively. In ANATOMY OF A PLAYER, Whitney goes undercover as a sports reporter, her assignment to expose all the unfair perks the college championship hockey team receives. But she’s completely unprepared for Hudson Decker, the bad boy of the hockey team, and once he turns his charms on her, she has a hard time not falling for the guy. Since we’re talking about irresistible athletes, I thought I’d talk about the professional athletes who make me swoon. The ones I’ve sometimes wished didn’t have to cover their pretty faces with helmets while they played. I mean, safety first and all, but would it kill the cameramen to show them without them on a little more? My five most crush-worthy sports guys. Eric Decker – As a Broncos fan, I was especially proud hottie was part of my team. When he was traded, it was a sad day, and the games have had a little less eye candy ever since. Gabriel Landeskog – Hockey player for the Colorado Avalanche. Another guy who plays for the home…

Cecilia Tan | Sex Has To Mean Something: Five Ways To Improve A Sex Scene
Author Guest / January 27, 2016

It’s no secret I write a lot of sex scenes. My muse is erotic and I assume when people buy one of my books they consider the sex scenes “the good bits.” But some comments from readers recently made me realize this isn’t true of all books or all readers. I was intrigued to hear some readers regularly skip sex scenes. When I asked why, the answers varied, but often it seems the “good bits” are nothing but–well–sex. It isn’t that the sex depicted isn’t good, but that it’s too often the equivalent of stock film footage, like a montage that you can just fast forward over until the plot starts again. To me that’s a waste of a scene. Here are five things that sex scenes can do in a novel besides “be sexy.” Sex is a catalyst Stories are about change. If characters don’t grow and change in the course of a book, something’s wrong. Sex is one of the events that can change a person’s inner landscape, one of the things that can start the avalanche of change that a character might go through. In a romance that might be because it’s sex with the right person;…

Jodi Thomas | A Texas Adventure
Author Guest / January 27, 2016

In this second book of the RANSOM CANYON series called RUSTLER’S MOON, I wanted to add a mystery whispering through my story. Angela Harold is running for her life after her father is killed. She has no family she can trust and no close friends she wants involved. Applying for a job as a curator for a small museum in Crossroads, Texas seems her only way out. It was great fun to bring someone to Texas for the first time. Angela is surprised how fast the whole community takes her in as one of their own. The setting for RUSTLER’S MOON is a ranch called the Devil’s Fork and a museum set on the edge of Ransom Canyon. Since I grew up going to the Panhandle Plains Museum in Canyon, Texas, it was easy to build a museum in my mind. I had one character, Carter, who really brought my museum and the canyon alive in my story .He’s long retired and comes to Crossroads, Texas, every summer to walk the canyon and search for a childhood memory. One rainy night when Carter was five, he and his father found a cave that had drawings of stickmen on the walls….