In the book I’m finishing now, BAND OF BACHELORS: ALEX, my heroine is a very different kind of lady. She’s a tall, strikingly beautiful and in-your-face-kind of gal, who plays beach volleyball and can spike a ball within the 5’ line so hard it will break a person’s nose if they don’t dig it properly. She likes to lead when she dances slow, and she’s used to having guys dump her after a few dates, which is fine with her, because she’s easily bored. Her name is Sydney. She’s the perfect match-up for my adrenaline-junkie Navy SEAL, Alex Kowicki, who skydives to ease his nerves and prides himself on his self-control. He’s had a string of blind dates, arranged by his bachelor friends, all with disastrous results. Trained to protect women and children and the innocent, he isn’t quite sure how to react when Sydney sets her sights on him. Sydney always gets what she wants. Alex will get way more than he bargained for, until it’s too late for either of them. Love finds a way, but what a journey! BAND OF BACHELORS: ALEX goes on sale June 14th. Pre-order it now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks…

1 The King of Fuck Even by Southampton standards, the party at the nine-­thousand-­square-­foot mansion on Meadow Lane reeked of extravagance. Grammy Award–­winning artists performed on an outdoor stage that had been set up on the lush lawn that flowed from the main house to the tennis courts. Celebrities hobnobbed with models who flirted with Wall Street tycoons who discussed stock prices with tech gurus and old-­money academics, all while sampling fine scotch and the season’s chicest gin. Colored lights illuminated the grotto-style pool, upon which nude models floated lazily on air mattresses, their bodies used by artisan sushi chefs as presentation platters for epicurean delights. Each female guest received a Hermès Birkin bag and each male received a limited edition Hublot watch, and the exclamations of delight—­from both the men and the women—­rivaled the boom of the fireworks that exploded over Shinnecock Bay at precisely ten P.M., perfectly timed to distract the guests from the bustle of the staff switching out the dinner buffet for the spread of desserts, coffee, and liqueurs. No expense had been spared, no desire or craving or indulgence overlooked. Nothing had been left to chance, and every person in attendance agreed that the party…

Blake spotted her the moment she returned. Hell, every man in the room had either craned his neck or swiveled his head. As she walked up the aisle, she looked familiar but he couldn’t place her. Now, away from the other women, he figured it out. Black Opal was a beauty. Dressed in lavender or her usual black, it didn’t matter. He’d often wondered if her off-stage persona was anything like the on-stage one. Over the top in everything: her hair, too black to be natural and too long to be real, would fall to her ass. He’d seen her dance, seen her use that mane as a cloak, teasing the audience with silky sweeps over creamy white skin, revealing only hints of what lay beneath. The old cliché fit. The woman put the tease in striptease. He’d been in the club a couple of times under the guise of private investigator. When clients wanted to be entertained in Vegas, it usually involved a show, a stage and beautiful women, clothes optional. He had nothing against women seductively taking their clothes off, but he preferred them to do it in the privacy of his bedroom, for him alone. He’d spent…

As a confirmed book addict, who marks the calendar when my favorite authors come out with new books, I was taken aback by just how many long-awaited books had April release dates. After being sufficiently wowed, I decided to undertake a month-long book odyssey. Crucial TV-viewing was interrupted, proper tribute to the family cat was put on hold, and other highly important daily activity came to a screeching halt while I wallowed in romantic literary delicacies. It was hard, but somebody had to do it. My all-time favorite romance writers, Cynthia Eden and Jennifer Ashley, are both very versatile authors who tackle stories in a wide array of genres and sub-genres. Both authors are also very prolific without sacrificing quality for the sake of quantity. Both BITTER BLOOD by Cynthia Eden and WHITE TIGER by Jennifer Ashley feature shape shifter heroes but the settings and journey that both sets of characters take differ. I love Cynthia Eden’s shadowy New Orleans noir with a paranormal twist. Eden’s “Blood and Moonlight” trilogy has an exciting mix of dangers around every corner, characters that experience a constantly changing reality, and paranormal villains in all their fangy glory. However, in spite of that turmoil,…