Welcome to Steam Hop, a monthly offering by members of Marketing For Romance Writers for readers who like their scenes hot and spicy. Click on the links at the end to travel to other Steam Hop posts, and enjoy!
Today’s excerpt is from The Diary, first released at Extasy Books in 2007.
All our back list releases at Extasy Books are on sale!
40% off, now through November 30
Forty erotic titles, and you can find them all HERE
Set up:
Kate has just stumbled upon her sister’s diary and dared to read it…
EXCERPT
June 3
Splendid. Absolutely glorious. A wildfire continues raging across my body with the professor’s cock still buried deep in my ass. His panting breaths of aftermath warm my neck. It is so much better being a woman when it comes to lovemaking. He is so quickly finished and I am still burning bright. He is consumed by our mutual heat and I—I am fed by it.
Will I ever get enough?
I am moist with the remembering, with the writing of this entry. I greatly doubt and sincerely hope that my thirst for sex will never be quenched.
“Luci, how could you?” Kate Noble slammed her sister’s diary shut. Kate tried to breathe normally, but how could she do that when she’d just discovered that her baby sister was some kind of nymphomaniac?
BLURB
A rakish professor, a flaming redhead, her petite younger sister, and the redhead’s bi Italian girlfriend in a blistering transcontinental tale of revenge gone awry.
Lust, revenge, dark sexual escapades and the mysterious disappearance of her younger half sister, Luci, will take art curator Kate Noble on a whirlwind transcontinental journey. The diary Luci’s left behind paints vivid images of shameless erotic exploits with a rake named only as G.C.
Can Kate learn enough under the delightful hands of her bisexual best friend, Gina, to ensnare the sensual and elusive Professor Grayson Cosgrove into a marriage proposal of her making? Can she find Luci before it’s too late? If only she could read between the lines.
The Diary ~ never have the secrets of another been so electrifying!
Welcome to Steam Hop, a monthly offering by members of Marketing For Romance Writers for readers who like their scenes hot and spicy. Click on the links at the end to travel to other Steam Hop posts, and enjoy!
All our back list releases at Extasy Books are on sale!
40% off, now through November 30
Forty erotic titles, and you can find them all HERE
The Merry Widow is the steamy story of a mid-life widow’s sexual awakening. Following a prologue to set the stage, it opens with an erotic scene between two women – the first ever in our heroine’s life. If this isn’t your cup of tea, no problem – you might prefer our Romantic Suspense books, all of which deliver one man, one woman, hot sex, and perilous danger.
But if this appeals to you – hang on for the ride! Recently widowed and in her early forties, Merry Delany is about to plunge into a self-discovery journey that takes her places she’s never imagined, much less hoped for. Once passion is unleashed, can it be stopped?
In today’s scene, Jim and Merry have just completed a thorough search of her house to make sure it isn’t bugged. They’re on her patio, where she now knows he’s previously spied on her…
“Oh, yeah. I’d just learned about the computer hacking and I was suspicious of your phones. So I’d raced over here to protect you—only you weren’t here, so I waited.”
“I see.” Merry bit into an orange, which squirted in Jim’s direction. He reached for a napkin and wiped the table. “So from where you sat”—she motioned toward the numerous bushes ringing her yard—“did it look like I needed protecting last night?”
“Not really. You’re damn good at asking questions, Merry. Now I have a few for you. Did you think I was out there last night? That I was watching?”
Merry tapped her lips with a napkin. “It did occur to me to wonder.”
“And did that turn you on—wondering if I was watching?”
“Maybe. Did watching me turn you on?”
BLURB
The millennium arrived with such promise—will it deliver for recently widowed Merry Delaney?
So much for all the anticipation about the new millennium. Merry Delaney’s life is still in a rut and shows no signs of changing. Sex? A fading memory, gone long before her husband actually died. Excitement? Hardly the hallmark of an accountant’s life. At forty-two, what can she look forward to?
Until her best friend takes Merry’s predicament into her practiced hands. One passionate kiss unleashes possibilities Merry never dreamed of—and she wants to sample them all. Men? Women? Young? Old? Ménage? Toys? Yes, to all, to pleasure, to making up for lost time.
Enter Chicago Detective Jim Barnes, who solicits Merry’s help with a mob funds-skimming case. Can the scorching passion that soon smolders between Merry and Jim survive the escalating mob threats of exposure? Having discovered a zest for sex, will Merry ever again be satisfied with one man?
Welcome to the MFRW Steam Hop – where authors of erotic romance share their spicy excerpts to entertain and entice. Don’t forget to click on the links at the bottom to travel to the other marvelous participating authors!
About Our Story
Does your family history contain scandal? Ours does, as recently as my mother’s grandfather, who was born a bastard in an era when that status carried far more stigma than now. His mother – a logger’s daughter who served as a camp cook – was shunned and shamed for much of her life. On the other side, my husband’s grandfather was a bigamist. A threshing crew foreman in the early 1900s, he married and had children in Missouri, then married again in Kansas. My husband’s grandmother divorced him when she learned of the other family; their son, my husband’s father, was ten years old.
We blessed—or perhaps cursed—our Through the Lens heroine with elements of these scandals. Naturally, she’s heard some of the stories. Through the Lens chronicles her struggle with these long-forgotten roots. Will she claim them, or run the other way?
Blurb
Prairie roots can be deceptive. Will Ellen Jeffers cling to the sedate past that’s familiar, or will she embrace a different version of her history—one that includes tragedy, scandal, fortitude, and freedom?
It’s 2002, and South Dakota third grade teacher Ellen Jeffers has signed up for a photography summer course and assistantship at an art academy in Minneapolis. Thirty-three, divorced for nearly a decade from her college boyfriend, she’s not seeking major change. She just hopes the course will enhance her teaching skills and her resume.
Aaron Brewster comes from privilege, and he has used that status to flaunt his family’s values and carve out a successful career as a photographer specializing in black and white erotic portraiture. Has he ever loved? His love is for beauty, sensuality, eroticism. His new uptight teaching assistant will never fit that vision. Should he send her packing? For reasons he cannot fathom, he takes her on as a challenge.
Aaron’s frontal assault shocks Ellen, but it also triggers something deep inside she’s never been willing to acknowledge. Is her beloved prairie a safe refuge, or will it become a crucible for transformation? The choice is not merely Ellen’s.
Wow, what an incredible book! Not only is The Merry Widow a gripping, romantic suspense but the heat level is hotter than Death Valley… The ending took me by surprise and I was a little sad to see it end. I grew attached to the characters and wanted to stay in their world a little bit longer. The Merry Widow will be on my keeper shelf and one I will be re-reading again and again. Highly recommend! N. N. Light
Their romance is hot in all the right places…If you love romance with more than two people, you’re going to love this book! Seducing Cat is a must read! The TBR Pile
Filled with warmth, blazing hot sex, well-developed characters and an interesting plot…not for the faint of heart. If you are looking for an interesting story filled with scorching hot erotica, author Adriana Kraft’s novel Vegas Gambler is the book for you. Romance Junkies
Ms. Kraft has a gift for pleasing the reader with vivid imagery and erotic language. Fasten your seat belts – Cherry Tune-Up is one hot ride that you don’t want to miss. Romance Junkies
Definitely recommended The Reunion sizzled as two incredibly sexy women and one gorgeous guy form a super hot triad, eventually. These three are by far and away the best smoldering trio I have read about. Oh, bring on more of this, but read this one first! Rainbow Reviews
Excerpt
Tina never spoke a word. She half perched on the stool and raised her arms above her head with a fan in each hand, then held that pose and pouted at the class.
“Remember to look through your cameras,” Aaron said. “This isn’t a strip show.”
Ellen gasped and ducked behind her camera. By the time she had Tina in focus, Tina had placed the fans in one hand by her side, and her other hand was tucked in under her robe, probably covering a breast. Ellen swallowed as she heard cameras clicking around her. Tina smiled at her as she snapped a picture.
Ellen tried to breathe as Tina worked through a series of poses showing leg, lifting her long black hair above her head, sliding a hand suggestively under the robe and up a thigh.
Tina’s eyes sparkled. She stuck her tongue out at the group before turning to face away from them. Slowly the robe slid down to her waist. Tina held that pose as cameras clicked, and then the robe fell to the floor.
Ellen inhaled sharply as Tina bent over the stool, showing off a tight rump and sculpted thighs and legs. Before she could focus, Tina had moved a fan to shield her butt from view. There was a groan from the class.
“Sometimes subtle is more erotic,” Aaron pointed out. “And sometimes not.”
Tina turned around to face the group with the fan hiding her loins. Her long hair hid one breast. The other stood free and open to view. Its nipple stood at attention. Tina teased it with a strand of hair.
Ellen focused her lens on the nipple until it nearly filled her viewfinder.
“Goodness,” she muttered under her breath. It was as if the nipple winked at her. It was still tightening. Did that fleshy nodule know it had her entire attention? She clicked off several shots. Her own nipples were straining.
“You doing okay?”
She didn’t trust herself to take her attention off the camera to look at Aaron.
Molly Delavine thinks she’s in heaven spending an idyllic summer getaway on a secluded cove on the English coast, and when she spots a gorgeous Adonis walking naked on the beach, she knows she is. But what is this gorgeous guy doing on her private beach?
Coastal Ranger Julian Keswick is on conservation duty when he finds a woman shacked up in his favorite cove. He’s fuming, and confronts her, but his natural instinct to protect comes to the forefront during an incoming storm.
As the wild summer storm brings these two opposites together, the natural elements take charge of their mutual destinies. But Molly has to return to her business world in London, and her wild holiday romance with a ranger is soon to become a memory. Opposites attract, but for two people so very different, is destiny one week, or forever?
Molly hadn’t seen another soul on the beach during the whole time she’d been there. The cottage had been advertised as having a private beach, and –so far—that’s exactly what it had been. Who the hell was he?
Annoyed, she reached for her T-shirt and held it against her boobs, still lying close against the ground. The clumps of beach grass lining the top of the dunes gave her cover, but she wanted her T-shirt to hand in case she needed it.
It really was a man, and he seemed to be alone.
A very attractive man.
He was tall and well built, with closely shorn hair, left longer on top. He wore loud shorts and a threadbare, faded T-shirt. He had the look of a beachcomber, but this was England and the only beachcombers Molly had ever seen were on TV, on Australian soap operas. His legs were corded with strong muscles, and she eyed them as an artist, and more, as a woman—a woman subconsciously hungry for such a sight.
Perhaps she’d been away from people too long. A few trips to the local village for supplies obviously wasn’t enough to keep her in touch with the real world.
Torn between the urge to march over there and ask what the bloody hell he was doing on her beach, and the equally compelling urge to continue secretly observing him, she tried to figure out what to do.
Glued to the spot, the desire to continue observing took the lead.
As the moments passed she noticed again how supremely well built and attractive he was. She smiled to herself, watching as he kicked off his sports shoes and walked barefoot toward the edge of the shore.
As she watched, he walked into the water and dipped a long plastic tube into the surf. He lifted it and looked at it in the light, then sealed it with a plastic cap. She wondered what he was doing. He walked back to where he’d left his shoes and deposited the tube.
She could hardly drag her attention away, but it was her beach, it said so in the advert. Private, secluded beach, the perfect getaway. So what was he doing here? Who did he think he was? She had to remind herself she was from a city and things were different here. Along the wild coast in Northumberland roaming beachcomber types might be the norm. She was enjoying the privacy of the place though, and felt provoked to defend it.
Then he began to strip off.
Molly’s eyebrows lifted, astonished as she was by his actions.
He pulled his T-shirt over his head, giving her a look at his perfectly shaped torso as he did so.
“Wow,” she whispered approvingly.
If she was looking for inspiration, she’d surely found it today. He was a handsome specimen all right, gorgeous looking, and with a very impressive physique. The guy worked out, that much was obvious. He had amazing, powerful shoulders and a six-pack to match. He stood on the edge of the surf as if he owned it—it was as if Neptune himself had just walked out of the waves.
Molly’s eyebrows shot up when she realized he wasn’t stopping at the T-shirt.
He was busy undoing the tie at his waistband and was about to drop his shorts.
She glanced around, half expecting to see somebody else running over to accompany him. But, no, he appeared to be alone. And she was trapped there, clutching her T-shirt to her chest as she observed him, unseen…
AUTHOR BIO
Saskia walker is a British author of erotic romance, an award winning writer and a USA Today bestseller. Saskia’s short stories and novellas have appeared in over one hundred international anthologies and magazines including COSMO, PENTHOUSE and BUST.
After writing shorts for several years Saskia moved into novel-length projects. Fascinated with seduction, Saskia loves to explore how and why we get from saying “hello” to sharing our most intimate selves in moments of extreme passion. Her novels DOUBLE DARE and RAMPANT both won Passionate Plume awards and her writing has twice been nominated for a Romantic Times Magazine Reviewers’ Choice Award. She has lots more stories in the pipeline! Saskia lives in the north of England, close to the beautiful Yorkshire moors, with her partner, Mark, and a houseful of felines. Visit her website for more info: www.saskiawalker.com
“a highly entertaining and delightfully steamy tale of a lusty holiday romance… opposites can attract and electrically so! 5 Angels and a Recommended Read! Fallen Angel Reviews.
“SUMMER LIGHTNING is an excellent book that takes readers away to their own deserted island. The love scenes are sensual, passionate and readers will find themselves glued to the pages. SUMMER LIGHTNING is the first story that I have read by Saskia Walker, but I can definitely say that I will be on the lookout for more of her work in the future.” 4.5 blue ribbon rating. Angel, Romance Junkies.
“I really recommend this book if you like steamy scenes and romance thrown into the mix. I can’t wait for the next one.” Fresh Fiction.
“a heat rating out the charts.” 4.5 star rating. Fantastic keeper. A top pick at Romantic Times Magazine.
When love is forbidden, the whole world’s a prison.
BLURB
Dylan Moore will do anything for freedom. Seven years ago, a gay plague spread to heterosexuals, killing millions and sparking brutal anti-gay riots. The Guardians rounded up men who tested positive for the homogene and imprisoned them in remote quarantine centers like desolate Camp Malheur. Since then, Dylan has hacked the camp’s security systems and hoarded spare bits of electronics, seeking some way to escape. He has concluded the human guards are the only weakness in the facility’s defenses.
Camp guard Rafe Cowell is H-negative. He figures the lust he feels watching prisoner 3218 masturbate on the surveillance cameras must be due to his loneliness and isolation. When he finally meets the young queer, he discovers that Dylan is brilliant, brave, sexy as hell — and claims to be in love with Rafe. Despite his qualms, Rafe finds he can’t resist the other man’s charm. By the time Dylan asks for his help in escaping, Rafe cares too much for Dylan to refuse.
Dylan’s plan goes awry and Rafe comes to his rescue. Soon they’re both fugitives, fleeing from militant survivalists, murderous androids, homophobic ideologues and a powerful man who wants Dylan as his sexual toy. Hiding in the Plague-ravaged city of Sanfran, Dylan and Rafe learn there’s far more than their own safety at stake. Can they help prevent the deaths of millions more people? And can Rafe trust the love of a man who deliberately seduced him in order to escape from quarantine?
Note: This novel was previously released by Pride Publishing under the title Quarantine. It has been revised and re-edited for this release.
Rafe read the conflict in Dylan’s face. Pleasure versus responsibility. Instant gratification balanced against long-term risk. Lust versus love.
The ex-guard held his breath. His pulse pounded in his temples. If Dylan chose this anonymous fuck, that was the end for the two of them. He couldn’t share—he didn’t have it in him. Anger leached away, replaced by fear and a vision of future sorrow—a life on the run, an empty existence, without the one thing that he cared about…
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to lead you on.” Dylan sidled up to Rafe and slipped his arm around the black man’s waist. “We don’t play outside our relationship. I hope you can understand.”
Rafe relaxed slightly. Relief flooded through him. He hugged Dylan to his side, noticing the damp heat of the other man’s skin even in the midst of the drama.
Something flickered in the stranger’s eyes, some strong emotion Rafe couldn’t identify. “Are you certain?” His rampant prick swayed back and forth, tempting them both. “I guarantee I’ll give you a fuck you’ll remember for the rest of your life.” He peered at Rafe, obviously judging him. “I’ll do you both, if you like.”
“Sounds fabulous, but I’m afraid I have to refuse.” Dylan favored the man with one of his winning smiles. “I’m sure you’ll find someone else here to take you up on your offer.”
“You’re the one I want.” He stabbed at the air with one finger. “And I’m used to getting what I want.”
“Sorry, not this time,” said Rafe, letting some smugness into his voice.
The stranger ignored him. He reached out to stroke Dylan’s cheek. “If you change your mind, gorgeous, I’ll be in the steam room.” He turned on his heel and strode out, not waiting for a response.
Rafe released a long, slow breath. His muscles were in knots. “What a bastard!” he muttered.
“Oh, I don’t know. He struck me as very civilized. Quite attractive, too.” Dylan grinned up at him. “I’m teasing, silly! I’d never choose him over you.” He pulled Rafe’s mouth to his and gave his a solid kiss.
“Oh, yeah? You looked tempted.” Rafe was still on edge.
“Only a little. Honestly, when he started rimming me, I was so confused and horny I didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t a decision. It just happened.”
“Don’t let it happen again.” Rafe realized he sounded like a bastard himself. He softened his tone. “Please, Dylan. The thought of you with somebody else—I can’t take it. I’m sorry, that’s just the way I feel.”
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I should have warned you about the rules and conventions here. I could see you were nervous. We should have found a private room.” They seated themselves on the tiled shelf. Dylan rubbed his cheek against Rafe’s shoulder like a cat marking his territory, then licked his way across Rafe’s chest to his nipple.
ABOUT LISABET
Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, GLBT, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.
When her husband complains about her constant sexual demands, MILF Lauren Gordon is shocked and hurt – and determined to act on his instructions.
Lauren has never strayed outside the bounds of her marriage, but now that she has permission, she unleashes her voracious libido on her gorgeous girlfriend next door, the UPS delivery man, and anyone else who strikes her fancy.
Her husband called her a slut in order to shame her. Lauren wears the title with pride. When he comes home to find her gang banging her son’s buddies from the college wrestling team, he realizes he’s made a huge mistake. He wants his slutty wife back. But once you’ve freed the genie, you can’t put it back in the bottle.
If you love wild adventures of wanton women, you’ll love The Slut Strikes Back.
They huddled together, laughing and chatting, obviously good friends. She couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, but the lovely, rolling cadence of their speech made her shiver. Shades of Michael Caine and Sean Connery! She’d always found an English accent devastatingly sexy. She squirmed on her leather seat, aware that her minuscule silken panties were well on their way to being soaked.
Nikki set down their single malts, in sparkling crystal glasses. Lauren couldn’t see how much of a tip they gave her, but her broad smile suggested they’d been magnanimous. Crossing one leg over the other, Lauren gave the barkeeper a come-hither gesture. “Another daiquiri, please,” she called.
The two men gazed in her direction, seeming to notice her for the first time. The dark one’s eyebrows shot up as he took in her generous curves, trim thighs and shapely calves. The red-head gave her a wolfish grin. She reached for her glass to drain the last bit of tartness, knowing that the gesture made her breasts shift under her form-fitting dress. Then she leaned over to fiddle with the buckle on her shoe, giving them both a clear view of her sun-tanned cleavage.
None of this was calculated. She wasn’t consciously trying to turn them on. They were watching her; it seemed natural to put on a bit of a show.
The shorter guy waved at Nikki. “Add her drink to our bill, please,” he said, staring straight into Lauren’s eyes.
She liked his boldness. “Why, thank you!” Slipping off her stool, she made her way down the bar, swinging her hips and flipping her long hair back over her shoulder. She settled her butt on the tall chair next to the man with glasses and set her purse on the polished wood surface. “That’s very kind of you.”
“It’s our pleasure.” The dark-haired member of the pair held out his hand. “I’m James.” He had big hands and a powerful grip.
Lauren couldn’t help wondering if he was big everywhere. The erotic potential of this encounter was already clear to her. Her mind running fast-forward, she saw herself sandwiched between these two delightful males. Her pulse jumped and new moisture dampened her already sodden thong.
“Lauren,” she replied, then stopped herself. Should she be using a false name? But why bother? Elliott had called her a slut, and he’d been right. She wasn’t ashamed of who she was. Far from it.
The shorter man licked his lips. “Phillip Worthington,” he said. “At your service.”
She liked that notion. Her vigorous nod caused her unfettered breasts to bounce. Their eyes followed every movement. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I gather you’re visiting LA.”
“We’re here for the IPI conference,” James replied, obviously struggling to look at her face rather than her tits. “Indie Publishers International.”
“Oh! You’re authors?” Brains as well as beauty!
“Phil’s the author.”
“Mysteries and thrillers, mostly,” Phillip added. “As P.J. Worthington.”
“I own a small press in London,” James continued. “Haversham Books. But I don’t imagine you’ve ever heard of us.” He drained his Scotch and signaled to Nikki. “Another round, please.”
“Meanwhile, why don’t you sit between us, Lauren?” Phillip suggested. “That way we can share you.”
Even with the subdued lighting, Lauren caught the devilish twinkle in his eye. “Lovely idea,” she agreed. They shuffled about, until the two Englishmen bracketed her chair. She gazed from one handsome man to the other, then lifted her third cocktail. “Cheers!”
AboutLisabet
Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, GLBT, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.
Welcome to the MFRW Steam Hop! If you like your romance hot and spicy, this is the place for you. Click on the graphic to link to all the steamy posts.
Through the Lens by Adriana Kraft
~ Erotic Menage Romance ~
We thought we’d share a little about how this book came to be. Are you a fan of Impressionist art? We are, and when we lived in Minnesota, we spent a day at the Minneapolis Institute of Art exploring its collection.
We want you to put yourself in the mind of our character, Ellen Jeffers – a third grade teacher from the plains of South Dakota – when she walks into one of the exhibit rooms and sees this painting, Caillebotte’s Nude on a Couch – six feet wide and a little over four feet tall.
You’re right, she freaks. Not a good thing. She’s in the middle of a tour conducted by the art academy teacher she’s assisting for the summer. And she doesn’t keep her mouth shut. In front of him and their students. Here’s the scene:
EXCERPT
“Isn’t that the most lewd, despicable painting you’ve ever seen?”
Aaron looked up sharply from his notes. He hadn’t even begun to talk about one of his favorite Impressionist paintings—Caillebotte’s Nude on a Couch.
Ellen was standing with her arms crossed under her breasts, glaring with disdain at the painting.
“What’s your problem, Ms. Jeffers?” He’d purposely called her Ms. Jeffers to try to snap her out of her tirade, but with little success.
“It’s so huge. The woman is begging for attention, for sex. The painting must be life size. No wonder it’s under glass. Someone might claw it to pieces.”
Aaron gulped, trying to hold himself in check. Who would even think of such a thing happening? “This is one of Caillebotte’s most famous paintings. We’re quite fortunate to have it here.”
“I’ve never heard of Caillebotte. He must be a third rank Impressionist.”
“Well, you’re wrong, Ms. Jeffers.” Aaron saw Tina grab Ellen’s arm to warn her, but Ellen pulled away. “Caillebotte was not only an impressionist of the first rank—it was through his financial support and considerable influence that the group was able to attain recognition and stature in its own time. What is your problem? We looked at other nudes in the last corridor, and you didn’t begin to flip out.”
Looking at least somewhat chastened, Ellen sniffed, seemingly unable or unwilling to let it drop. “The others weren’t in our face. She’s too bold. Good grief, she’s playing with a nipple. She’s trying to seduce us.” Her eyes widened. “She must’ve been a prostitute. Only such women would’ve posed like that during that era of French history.”
“And you know that for a fact?”
“It was the custom of the time. Upper-class women wouldn’t go out unchaperoned.”
“Do tell.” He gathered himself as best he could. “That might’ve been the norm at the time, but even the upper class of the Victorian era had its libertine members. There are plenty of accounts in England and France of upper-class ladies being escorted to a rendezvous with a paramour by a maid or manservant. After successfully completing her liaison, the woman would be escorted back to her house to await her husband as he returned from another lover’s arms. Does that upset your sensibilities, Ms. Jeffers?”
To her credit, Ellen kept her lips tightly sealed and this time did not shake off Tina’s supporting hand. She shook her head, but he knew everyone knew she was lying. According to what he knew, the woman in the portrait had become Caillebotte’s mistress. There remained some debate whether she’d been a prostitute. Many models of that period were, but he wasn’t about to let Ellen know he was aware of that. “Our reclining nude might’ve been a woman of the working class trying to put food on the table. Had you thought of that possibility?”
Prairie roots can be deceptive. Will Ellen Jeffers cling to the sedate past that’s familiar, or will she embrace a different version of her history—one that includes tragedy, scandal, fortitude, and freedom?
It’s 2002, and South Dakota third grade teacher Ellen Jeffers has signed up for a photography summer course and assistantship at an art academy in Minneapolis. Thirty-three, divorced from her college boyfriend for nearly a decade, she’s not seeking major change. She just hopes the course will enhance her teaching skills and her resume.
Aaron Brewster comes from privilege, and he has used that status to flaunt his family’s values and carve out a successful career as a photographer specializing in black and white erotic portraiture. Has he ever loved? His love is for beauty, sensuality, eroticism. His new uptight teaching assistant will never fit that vision. Should he send her packing? For reasons he cannot fathom, he takes her on as a challenge.
Aaron’s frontal assault shocks Ellen, but it also triggers something deep inside she’s never been willing to acknowledge. Is her beloved prairie a safe refuge, or will it become a crucible for transformation? The choice is not merely Ellen’s.
What do you think of when you see the word prairie? Wide open spaces? Tall grasses? Early prairie settlers and their sod houses? All this and more are wrapped into our heroine, Ellen Jeffers, but she’s about to undergo a seismic shift.
We spent time in the Dakota prairie researching this book long before we began writing it. Here’s an excerpt from a blog I posted then:
I’m writing this from South Dakota, where we’re currently in the early research stages of two new WIP’s set in the tall grass prairie. I love this stage of the work. Even before we’ve developed character sketches and plot outlines, we talk over the places we’d like to set our next works and share what draws us to them. We like to ground our work in its geography, so we get to know our setting intimately and deeply. We’ve never set a work in a place we haven’t been.
Prairie speaks to me. I can hardly find words for the visceral response I felt when we crossed into South Dakota last week and I saw the tall tipi skeleton that decorates each Dakota rest area on I-90—but I’ll have to try. Our job will be to set that feeling on the page in a character’s body, to pull that feeling into the reader’s direct experience.
BLURB
Prairie roots can be deceptive. Will Ellen Jeffers cling to the sedate past that’s familiar, or will she embrace a different version of her history—one that includes tragedy, scandal, fortitude, and freedom?
It’s 2002, and South Dakota third grade teacher Ellen Jeffers has signed up for a photography summer course and assistantship at an art academy in Minneapolis. Thirty-three, divorced from her college boyfriend for nearly a decade, she’s not seeking major change. She just hopes the course will enhance her teaching skills and her resume.
Aaron Brewster comes from privilege, and he has used that status to flaunt his family’s values and carve out a successful career as a photographer specializing in black and white erotic portraiture. Has he ever loved? His love is for beauty, sensuality, eroticism. His new uptight teaching assistant will never fit that vision. Should he send her packing? For reasons he cannot fathom, he takes her on as a challenge.
Aaron’s frontal assault shocks Ellen, but it also triggers something deep inside she’s never been willing to acknowledge. Is her beloved prairie a safe refuge, or will it become a crucible for transformation? The choice is not merely Ellen’s.
Ellen has arranged a photo shoot with Aaron on the open prairie, where her ancestors homesteaded. The original sod house still stands.
“Uncle Jim asked that we not try to go in,” Ellen said, walking around the old soddy. “I can understand why. He’s looking into how he can shore it up without damaging the walls more.”
“It’s an amazing structure,” Aaron said. “Baked by wind and sun, I guess. I’ve seen adobe of the southwest, but I’ve never seen anything like this. Looks like caked mud, grasses, and I don’t know what else.”
“Anything that might stick together. I know the roof has undergone repair, probably several times. I don’t know about the walls. They’re very thick.”
“You’ve been in the house?”
“When I was a little girl, and then my mother brought me out here when I was fourteen to explain Clarissa to me.”
“That must’ve been fascinating.”
“It was. I already knew much of the story, but not all of it.”
“And this is her place.”
“The original soddy. The wood house she and Hazel built didn’t last, but this structure did. Ironic, huh?”
“Amazing. And she would’ve used most of these things your mother collected for the shoot.”
“That’s right. These, or others like them.” Ellen ran fingers over the spinning wheel. “This wheel was hers. The flail comes down from her. The hurricane lamps probably don’t. There’s an old butter churn. I don’t know its history. But they’re all authentic pieces. None of them are replicas.”
“Very good.”
“You do have a passion for authenticity.” She stepped across the baked ground to squeeze his arm. “That must go along with trying to be original and wanting to be first.” She studied him thoughtfully.
He held her gaze.
“Neither one of us seems eager to talk about last night.”
He shrugged. “Maybe we’re afraid if we do, it will evaporate like a mirage.”
Our autographed print giveaway for June is a two-for-one: The Diary and its sequel, Writing Skin, in a single print volume.
For a peek into The Diary, head over to this blog post, How Could You, Luci? for an excerpt and a special link to the Diary Kate found at her sister’s apartment…
Without giving away the ending of The Diary, here’s more about Writing Skin:
What would it be like to be romanced by not one but two potential partners, simultaneously?
BLURB
Luci Parker has finally achieved the career of her dreams as an erotic author – but the only romance in her life these days is in the books she writes. Long attracted to both men and women, Luci despairs of ever finding just one person to settle down with.
Owners of a South Side Chicago bookstore, Chai and Frank Ferguson eagerly devour Luci’s books as fast as she can write them, and now they wonder if she might be the woman they’ve been looking for.
Frank is deeply in love with Chai but knows she’ll never be complete without a woman to love as well. Can he match the passion of not one but two exquisite and complicated women at the same time? Will Luci even want him? And if Chai truly falls in love with Luci, will there be room for him?
EXCERPT
“How long has it been since you’ve even been out with a man?” Kate asked.
“Not long enough.” Luci hugged herself against a shiver. “I don’t seem to have what it takes for a guy to hang around.”
“Nonsense, you probably intimidate the hell out of them. I don’t think I’ve ever known a slip of a woman like you who intimidates so easily. I know, I know.” Kate held up her palm. “You don’t try to intimidate. Most guys probably aren’t accustomed to dating women who write erotica.”
“So true,” Luci grinned. “Had a man ask me to take a taxi home once he heard about my writing. Another wanted me to crawl under the restaurant table and give him head as soon as I told him I wrote erotica.”
“Sounds like something you’d do.”
“In my college days, but even then I finished my drink before taking on an appetizer.”
Kate blinked. “I’m not sure I needed to hear that. I still have moments wondering how we could ever be sisters.”
“Half sisters.” Luci stretched and yawned. “But you may be right. I think I’ve mellowed with age.”
“That’s not all bad. You need to find a partner to mellow out with.”
“You don’t give up, do you?” Luci rose from her desk. “I really do have a deadline to meet.”
“All right, I’ll go leave you to your fantasy world. You sure you don’t want me to introduce you to our new assistant?”
Luci shook her head and hugged her sister tight. “No. And I won’t change my mind.” She stepped back and winked. “Maybe I should add a toy to my collection. It’s been too long.”
Do you ever fantasize about the perfect bad boy? We packed all his most desirable characteristics into Jared Jacobs for this erotic romance. Then we gave him a woman to match—take-no-prisoners Kitty Paige. We loved playing with dominance/submission, power and control as the sparks begin to fly between these two characters. You might also fantasize about all the many ways a yellow Thai silk scarf might be put to use…
Our Rafflecopter giveaway for the month of May is an autographed print copy of The Best Man – The Rafflecopter is at the end of this blog post.
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Bad boy meets bad girl – is that all there is?
Passionate, hard working and every inch a business woman, Chicago realtor Kitty Paige likes her sex raw and edgy, and sees no reason to limit herself to just one man. Never married and not quite forty, the striking blonde has successfully raised her daughter, Susan, and is already pushing her new-found freedom to the limits.
Wealthy commodities middle-man and race horse owner Jared Jacobs is father of the best man at Susan’s wedding. He is smitten by the vision in yellow who exudes sex as she escorts her daughter down the aisle. Also single, the handsome mustached California ranch owner with mischievous eyes views his sex life as a series of splendid love affairs, and sets out to make Kitty next on the list.
Together and apart, their chemistry is explosive, and their sparkling repartee and steamy sex catch both partners by surprise. Jared is first to recognize he’s fallen in love. When Kitty panics, can Jared finesse his every move and reel her in?
EXCERPT
“Oh, God. Have mercy.”
“Not this time, babe.” Jared easily lifted Kitty’s butt and slid one end of the scarf under it. Quickly, he had her loins encased in silk and handed the ends of the scarf to her care. “I won’t be needing these for awhile. You may find a use for them.”
Her fingers curled around the scarf and he settled between her legs. He laved the silk around the edges of her pussy and then looked up with a grin. “Isn’t it amazing how silk feels when it gets wet—your juices and my tongue.”
She tugged on the silk scarf, increasing the pressure against her loins, and nodded jerkily. “Make me come, Jared.”
“Like this?” He tongued the silk covering her pussy and pushed a little inside her folds.
“Oh, yeah. That’ll do it. A little more.”
He lifted his head and shook it when he saw her distressed glower. “Not yet,” he whispered, retrieving the scarf. “Not nearly yet. You won’t come until I’m ready for you to come.” He laughed as her gaze burned into him. He grabbed her wrist and tied one end of the scarf loosely around it.
Her eyes rounded with awareness. Her lower lip trembled slightly when he tied the overlap of the knot around a bedpost. She didn’t move when he reached for her other wrist.
This is a story about what happens when a takes no prisoners, makes no apologies, adventurous mom, Kitty, meets Jared, the father of the best man. The mating game starts and the pursuit begins. There is giving and taking, catching and falling into love. Boundaries are pushed and it’s a race to see who wins. But falling in love lets everyone win, as Kitty and Jared find out. Lorrie
Five Stars: I loved Kitty and Jared. Both are strong willed characters who will not run from their attraction. Both expect a short but passionate affair, but their plans are upset when their emotions become involved. Watching them both fight their feelings made their capitulation so much sweeter… THE BEST MAN is excellent. Sheila, Amazon
