WICKED BURN
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
ISBN-10: 0425224376
ISBN-13: 978-0425224373
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: December 2, 2008
Format: Trade Paperback
Read an Excerpt

Thank you Selena — once again — for inviting me to take over your blog for a while. :-)

I’m proud as punch to announce that Boys Down Under is now available from Aspen Mountain Press. The Anthology features five novellas from five Aussie authors, and yep, all the stories are based in Australia. We have a touch of everything for you: Romantic suspense, futuristic romance, fantasy, contemporary and erotic romance.

I’ve included the blurbs and excerpts of three of the novellas. I hope you enjoy them.

If you’d like to get your copy of Boys Down Under, you can go to:

http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/new-releases/boys-down-under/prod_189.html

Jess



Visiting Paradise — Jess Dee

BLURB

Beth Brown needs a holiday. She’s burnt out, single, and madly in love with the man who pays her salary, Joe Bastion. Much as she’d like to act on her feelings, Beth’s learned the hard way not to sleep with men she works for. Far as she’s concerned, Joe is off limits.

Sometimes, to get what you want, you have to chase hard. And Joe wants Beth. He’s organised a trip of a lifetime for her. Beth’s about to set sail into paradise, and she has no idea that Joe’s the one who’ll be taking her there.

A SHORT, HOT EXCERPT

En route to the galley to get a drink, Joe heard her call his name. He turned towards her cabin. The door was slightly ajar and he hesitated as he lifted his hand to knock. When he heard her call out again, he cautiously pushed the door open a couple of inches and stuck his head inside to answer. Whatever words he was about to say died on his lips.

Beth lay there on the bed with her eyes closed. She’d pushed her nightgown up above her chest, leaving the rest of her body exposed. He froze, convinced he’d burst a major blood vessel. If the actual sight of Beth masturbating hadn’t given him the hugest erection in the history of mankind, the purely erotic sigh that escaped her lips would have. Beth fingering herself was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

God praise the thirst that forced me out of bed.

He’d known all along her cool, aloof act at work was just that—an act. The woman on the bed was on fire, so hot she was practically smoking. She had him smoking too.

He knew he should reveal himself, should cough or something. If Beth opened her eyes now… However, at that moment, he would have chosen seven years of torture over disturbing his sweet Bethy.

Jess Dee

Dee-liciously Sexy Romance

http://www.jessdee.com

http://jessdee.wordpress.com

The Executioner - Maggie Nash

BLURB:

A team building exercise at a remote location reignites the heat between former lovers Madeleine Smith and Nicholas Garabaldi. When team members start dying they must learn to trust again so they can outwit whoever is killing off the group one by one. Is this the “Executioner” from the indigenous Dream Time legend of the local Bilbulmun tribe? Or is someone closer to home responsible?

EXCERPT:

Nick breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the sound of the taxi driving into camp. She was here. Thank Christ! Flicking open the blind just a tad, his heart leapt at the sight of her climbing out of the car. If it was possible, she was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her dark, glossy curls hung down almost to her waist, and those long, tanned, shapely legs… Like a pre-programmed reaction, his cock swelled in remembrance of how she used to hook those muscular calves around his thighs as he pumped into her.

Down boy. There’s lots of work to do yet, focus on the prize at the end. Running his hand through his hair, he sighed. Oh yeah, and what a prize. Staying out of sight until at least tomorrow night so she would realize the camp actually was legitimate would be a challenge, but since Gary was taking the group out in the bush for most of the activities, he should be free to get ready for the evening. He planned to leave Maddie in no doubt that his feelings were real, and give her no choice but to let him back into her life.

Looking out the window again, he saw Maddie lean over to pick up her backpack. Three other team members raced to her side to help and he laughed softly. She always did have that effect on men, even though she never saw it herself. He didn’t feel any jealousy, though. He knew her well enough to know she wasn’t easily impressed by fawning males. She felt things deeply, which meant she probably still had feelings for him, although at the moment, the closest feeling to the surface was probably anger. After the weekend, if he had anything to say about it, that would radically change.
One last look showed her leading a procession along the fifty meters to her tent with the three adoring sycophants tripping over themselves to follow her in the faint hope she’d grace them with a gorgeous smile. He knew how they felt. He chuckled again as she shooed them away, entering her tent and closing the flap. Looking at his watch he thought about how exhausted she must be; the trip from Victoria to WA could be very tiring. She was probably too tired to join the group for dinner. He made a mental note to ask Gary to organize a tray for her. Just for tonight she could get the royal treatment. Come tomorrow, Sweetheart, you’re going to learn all about survival of the fittest. A vision of her in tight shorts and t-shirt, swinging on a rope from one obstacle to another, got him hot all over again. He was going to enjoy every minute of watching her progress from the sidelines.

Maggie Nash

http://www.maggienash.com

Operation Seduction—Angela Verdenius

BLURB

The future is sizzling good fun…

The United Air Medics…health professionals to society, 'bonzer people' to the populations living in the outback in need of medical attention. However, behind the scenes is a whole different story.

Generously-proportioned nurse Reg, and the hunky medic Digby, are having an all-out private war...throw in some cattle duffers and a wild ride through the skies, and life is going to get a whole lot more interesting…and hot.

EXCERPT
Christ, what have I been missing all these years? In that one moment, he registered Regan as a complete woman—soft, curvaceous, welcoming, utterly feminine.
The slap on his cheek was, however, anything but soft. Flabbergasted, he jerked back, releasing her. “What the hell—?”

Those fantasy breasts were heaving as Reg glared up at him. “What are you playing at?”

“I’m not playing.” He rubbed his stinging cheek. “Geez, you pack a wallop.”
“I don’t like being played with!”

His gaze ran hotly over her. “I’d like to play with you.”
“My feelings, you wally!” Stepping back, Reg’s ample bottom came up against the desk. “Don’t play with me, don’t make fun of me. I’m not your diversion to laugh about later with your friends.”

Hearing the hurt deep within her voice, Digby took a deep breath. “Regan, I promise you, I’m not playing with you, nor am I going to hurt you. What’s wrong with me proving you’re wrong?”

“You’re out to prove a point and then you’ll walk away.”

“Says who?”

“Says me.”

Digby smiled slightly. “You intrigue me, Regan. I’m going to get to know you a little more.”

“Bugger off.”

“Are you afraid I’ll prove you wrong?”

“I think you’re the one who should be afraid.”

The deep, hot thrill of the chase unexpectedly coiled inside Digby and he smiled. Wolfishly. “Then let’s see who proves whom wrong. We’re alone aboard this ship for the next week, Regan. Challenge up.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. ”Licking her lips, her gaze darted over him.

“Not up to the challenge?”

Watching the expressions flitter across her face was fascinating.

Bewilderment, uncertainty, a flash of anger and then the resolution. “You can try, Dickie, but you won’t win me over.”

He didn’t bother to hide the gleam of satisfaction in his eyes…or the flash of heat. And boy, did that throw Regan off, for now she looked flustered. “Oh, I will. And you’ll be the prize.”

Regan threw her shoulders back. “We’ll see how long you last in the next town, boyo. I guarantee you’ll crumble in no time.”

Anticipation unfurling, his gaze slid down her body once again. “Care to place a bet on that?”

“No need. I know men like you.”

The words bit a little, but he was made of sterner stuff. Leaning down, he locked their gazes together. “You don’t know me as well as you think, Regan. I guarantee that by the end of this trip, we’ll know each other real well.” Giving her cheek a flick with his finger, he straightened and strode for the door. Leaving her in a state of uncertainty was a fine way to get the juices stirring. Even better, leave her with something to really stew over.

“No holds barred, Regan. This is war, and the winner takes all.”

Angela
Angela Verdenius sci-fi/futuristicromance

www.angelaverdenius.com

Howdy!

Today celebrates the release of Taking Tara! WOO HOO! Break out the bubbly!

Taking Tara is my first Ellora’s Cave release since…wow, over a year ago! I’m really thrilled to have something new out with EC and even happier to have more stories contracted and in their line up.

So of course, I’m excited to be blogging and sharing about this novella today. And what, you’re probably wondering, is the topic?

Appearances. Not all they’re cracked up to be!

Our hair, our clothes, the cars we drive and the houses we live in. How we look at others.

If you’ve got long hair and love tie-dye, you’re a hippy, right? (Shout out to my crit partner, Larissa Lyons!) Have blond hair and dress provocatively? Probably a bimbo. Thick glasses and a polo shirt? Total geek.

(Hair a mess, sitting in front of the computer in your jammies? Lazy? Not so—I’m working!)

Nothing sexy about a geek, right? But think about it…couldn’t that geek be the real bimbo? That bimbo a genius? Or that hippy a successful go-getter?

Let’s face it, it’s easy to slap labels on people we don’t know.

But as Tara and Ayden learn in Taking Tara, what’s on the outside doesn’t always reflect what’s on the inside. See, Ayden is naturally predisposed to saving money and wearing sandals with socks. Ack! His idea of fashion is a Hawaiian print shirt with plenty of pineapples.

And Tara? Well, judging appearances comes in mighty handy when you’re completely avoiding intimacy. She’s been known to dump guys over the size of their hand. The kind of underwear they wore. Even for eating a salad. (Naughty Tara needs a spanking, eh?) So it’s a no-brainer when some nerdy type helps her carry her laundry and maybe flirts just a little. After all, he just isn’t her type. Even though…

Tara completely ignores the niggling intrigue that makes her want to hop on the washer and spread her legs. And so does Ayden, confidently unconfident in himself.

But Ayden wants his spitfire neighbor so much, he makes himself into a new man. And score one for him, he’s fulfilling both their fantasies and proving to Tara the alpha dog he really is. A dorky, dominant dog that completely steals her heart.

So next time you’re walking down the street and see some guy in a Polo and flip-flops, take the time to mentally undress him. Give him the time of day, because you never know what you might be missing…

Like being taken. Tied up, kidnapped, and whisked away to spankings, threesomes and more!

One thing I definitely hope you’re not missing is Taking Tara! Be sure to check out the excerpt for this novella on my website at http://www.alyssabrooks.com/. Or just buy the book at http://www.ellorascave.com/.

And if you have a real-life story to share about falling in love with the last person you ever expected, please do! I’m a sucker for romance!

Thanks for having me blog, Selena! It was fun! :-) Alyssa




Taking Tara
Ellora's Cave
ISBN: 9781419918933
Genre: Contemporary
Release date: November 5th, 2008
Length: Novella

Blurb:
Six months he’s been watching her. Wanting her. And now he’ll finally claim her…
Despite her penchant for bad singing and bad breakups, Ayden’s non-too-private neighbor Tara is everything he desires—strong, sexy, wild. Just the type of woman a geeky guy like him could never get. Never, that is, unless he becomes someone else. The kind of man she’ll say yes to. The alpha dog buried deep inside, ready to claim his woman and prove she’s his, forever.
Tell me your fantasies…

Still on the hunt for that perfect guy, Tara goes through men like water but never quenches her thirst. Then the hot new neighbor corners her in the elevator. Mother always said not to talk to strangers…but kissing them? Totally explainable. Revealing her innermost fantasies? Totally irrelevant. It’s not as if he’s actually going to take her, tie her up, kidnap her and whisk her away to spankings, threesomes and more.
But as Ayden warns… Careful, Tara, some fantasies do come true.
Excerpt:


Tara couldn’t believe her good luck. This morning, she’d practically been mouth-fucked by an erotic stranger, but even after being late to work, she’d still found herself able to leave early. Her best friend Sara had called to tell her that tonight ladies were drinking free at Beat Town and Tara’s normally frizzy hair had actually curled and looked freakin’ fabulous—for once. Plus, Mrs. Logan had kindly taken the roses off her hands.
Smacking her lips, Tara pressed them to toilet paper, leaving a crimson imprint. Then she applied gloss and checked her makeup in the mirror. Perfect.
She walked into the bedroom, grabbed her purse, tossed in a couple of condoms—after all, she was hoping to run into her elevator stud again—and headed out of the apartment.
Pulling her door shut behind her, she turned to lock the bolt. Suddenly, someone clamped a hand over her mouth. What the—
She squealed, her cry muffled by the gloved palm as she tried to pull free. Unyielding strength pinned her against a solid body.
Oh God…
Fear assaulted Tara. Her mind whirled and her feet kicked, but for all the flailing in the world, she was being held. What the hell was happening? Was she being robbed? Attacked?
Was it her ex gone crazy and desperate to get her back?
She dropped her purse, letting it fall freely to the floor, wanting to scream, “Take it! Take everything!” Screw the cash! Don’t hurt me!
But she couldn’t offer her attacker a dime. She was suffocating under his hand. Becoming dizzy with panic.
Please God…
She never prayed. Would He listen now? Probably ready to hit her with a lightning bolt.
The stranger pulled her backward into the stairwell. She whimpered against moist leather, dragging her heels and twisting against her assailant’s strong hold.
Whipping her around, the masked man dressed in all black forced her face first into a corner and momentarily abandoned her mouth to drag her arms behind her. Tara let loose a desperate scream, which was promptly cut of by the slap of his gloved palm while his sole free hand aptly secured both her wrists. Terror rushed through her, flooding her veins with useless adrenaline as he held her in place, smothered and frantically trying to scream.
Why had she dropped her purse? Why?
Her mace was in it.
Again Tara squealed against moist leather, struggling with everything in her for her life, then she realized he’d never stop as long as she kept fighting.
Going limp, she waited, ready to catch him off guard.
“Shhh!” The scent of cinnamon wafted in her face as he cautiously lowered his hand. Cinnamon. “Shhh. Your fantasy is about to come true.”
Holy shit! Her stranger! Her stranger? Her mouth-fucking, elevator-kissing stranger?
She ought to slap his face off. Matter of fact, she would, soon as she got her hands free and could turn around.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“What do you think?” he rumbled in a low voice. “I’m making your dreams a reality.”
The asshole! Number 2089, as a matter of fact!
“I take it you’re kidnapping me? This some kind of sick sex game you dreamt up?” God, what had she gotten herself into? The bulge of his cock pressed threateningly against her butt cheeks, answering her question quite thoroughly. She asked for this—and he’d delivered. But still! “You scared the shit out of me, you son of a bitch!”
Oh, she couldn’t wait to knock him flat.
He chuckled. Bastard. “You said you wanted to be taken.”

Of the Tartan Werewolves Series. The wonderful Alyssa Brooks interviewed Katherine and Iain. Stop by and check out what they had to say. *Grin*

http://www.alyssabrooks.com/slipbetweenthesheetswith_SelenaIllyria.html

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=114015164&blogID=444512047

Selena

Halloween every day?

In the past, Halloween has always been a time for horror tales. Witches, ghosts, werewolves and vampires have been the creatures used to frighten children and adults alike. Halloween has always been a time where a good scare is what it's all about, a time for “tricks” or “treats”, or any combination of the two.

This “scary” holiday has undergone a radical shift over the past few years with the rising popularity of the paranormal romance genre. Halloween has become a time for deliciously naughty tales involving heroes and heroines who are witches, vampires, shifters, ghosts, or any number of otherworldly creatures.

Luckily for fans, Halloween isn't the only time we get to indulge our love of the paranormal. New books are released each week featuring hot heroes who happen to be totally dependent upon the blood of others, or sexy heroines who can shift into a beautiful wolf or sleek cat. The combinations for pairings are as endless as the imaginations of the writers.

For instance, Selena Illyria has an amazing series of books about a family of vampires. One of the brothers is paired with a normal human; another with a dragon shifter. Her terrific Tartan werewolf books have taken her sexy, furry men to the Highlands of Scotland, where they meet their feisty, strong-willed heroines. The sparks fly and the sex scenes are scorching, yet underneath it all are stories about two people finding one another and falling in love. No matter whether one or both of the partners is not human, the love story is what it all boils down to.

There are even paranormal romances where one of the main characters is a ghost. It would appear on the surface that a romance with a ghost would be impossible, yet there are wonderful stories where the author has created a reasonable, in the world of paranormal entities, resolution and even a happily ever after. I never would have thought this possible if I hadn't read some of these for myself. Lacey Savage has an excellent Halloween romance where the hero is a ghost, Ghostly Awakening from Ellora's Cave. Selena has a great one coming soon with a ghost as her hero as well. Both of these books have happy endings, even with a main character who is a ghost.

Another prime example of how the creatures of Halloween have entered our everyday reading lives are the books of such authors as Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan, Nina Bangs, Dakota Cassidy, Lynn Viehl, MaryJanice Davidson, and Michelle Bardsley, just to name a few. Whether the stories are scary or sexy or a little bit of both, Halloween has made its presence known 365 days a year.

Personally, I'm happy with this turn of events as I am a huge paranormal romance fan. I grew up reading horror stories but found as I got older I wanted more than just a good scare. I wanted more depth to the characters, relationships, and a romance with a happily ever after ending. Authors today are giving me that in spades and I couldn't be happier.

As an aspiring author, I find myself drawn to writing paranormals since that is my favorite reading material. I have written books with witches, shifters, and sorcerers just to name a few. Each of these types of characters can be found in scary Halloween tales passed down through the ages. The great thing about the stories today is the addition of romance to spice things up and keep it all fresh.

I'm happy to see that Halloween isn't just an October holiday anymore and that we can enjoy a little bit of it any time we want to in the pages of great books. To all the authors out there who delve into the paranormal genre, keep up the great work!

Hey guys!

Today I'll be chatting over at the wonderful Mary Winter's Loop

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marywinterchat/

Also, I just heard, Blood Claim: Trapped's release date has been moved up to Dec. 23rd. *Big Grin* I'm so excited.

Selena

In addition to writing, I will be chatting today at:

Oct 22nd:
Treasure Trove Charity Chat at Talking Two Lips from 6pm- 9pm EST

Oct 22nd:
Savannah Chase’s Yahoo Loop from 7pm-9pmEST.

Hope to see you there.

Selena

P.S. Please note, the Talking Two Lips chat is a free promo opt for authors. So stop by and post.

Witches and Werewolves and Hot Sex—Oh, my!

Hi everyone, Evangeline Anderson here and I just wanted to have a naughty little chat with you about some erotic Halloween tricks and treats to heat up your Friday night.
First I want to thank Selena for having me on her blog. Looks like she’s got some very naughty reading material here so I should feel right at home. I’ve been writing erotic fiction for years for my own enjoyment and I started publishing around 2004. Since then I’ve written somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 books. (Those are the ones that got finished. I’m terrible about stopping one story in the middle to write something else.) Anyway, writing is one of the great loves of my life along with my DH, our son, and chocolate.
Today I’d like to talk about my latest release which happens to have a Halloween theme but if you’re interested in checking out my other books you can find them here www.evangelineanderson.com Come on by and join my newsletter to find out the latest news on new releases or just check out the book covers in my coming soon section. (There are some awful ones, I can tell you. I seem to have been visited by the bad book cover fairy lately so you can have a laugh on me.) In fact, I have to say that I really don’t feel like the guy on the cover of my latest release, Red and the Wolf, looks at all like the hero I wrote in my head. There is one scene especially where the hero is in the bath and gets out dripping wet. This is how he looked in my head.



Yeah—that’s how he looked in my head. And you’re welcome for the man candy.
Okay, got a little distracted there, sorry. I’m also on MySpace and facebook under Evangeline Anderson so you can check me there too, if you want. Friend me and send me some love and chocolate. I love talking to readers and other writers too.
Okay, so enough chit chat. The book I’d like to tell you about is called Red and the Wolf and it just came out from Ellora’s Cave today. It’s about a witch who uses her powers only for good and how she winds up binding the man she loves to her accidentally through hot sex and a fidelity spell gone wrong. So here’s a blurb and an excerpt you won’t find on the Ellora’s Cave site—very naughty I might add but since you’re all regular Selena readers you probably expected that. ; )

Red and the Wolf Blurb:
Sara Jensen is the local town witch in Buck Lake, Tennessee. More than anything she misses her older brother and his best friend Reeve who are overseas in the Marine Corps. But when her brother is killed in action, Reeve comes back with a secret—an ancient crone laid a curse on him that turns him into a ravening wolf every full moon.
Sara has a secret of her own—she’s head over heels for Reeve and has been since they were kids. When he comes to her house on Halloween night asking for help, she inadvertently lays a fidelity spell on him while trying to keep him in his human form. Sara knows she must undertake the difficult and dangerous task of lifting his curse. But when the wolf within him is banished, the fidelity spell will be lifted too and his love for her will disappear.
Now Sara must choose between keeping the love of her life, and lifting the curse that threatens his very existence.



Red and the Wolf: EXCERPT

But apparently Reeve had other things in mind. Just when she was getting ready to swallow, he pulled her gently but firmly off and dragged her to her feet.
“Hey, what…?” Sara’s lips felt swollen from sucking him and she could barely make her mouth form the words.
“Bedroom.” Reeve’s eyes still glowed the inhuman gold and he was still having trouble expressing himself.
“I…I can finish you here just as well,” Sara offered weakly. But Reeve shook his head violently.
“Not in your mouth. Need…need to be inside you.”
“Inside me?” Sara asked in a voice so low she could barely hear it herself. While she had been sucking him, she had come to the conclusion that it was better that she get him off that way instead of by fucking him. And not just because she didn’t want to bind him to her unfairly—because he was so fricking huge she didn’t see how he could get into her tight, only used twice, pussy. Over and over the words in Arailia’s book echoed in her head, But beware! The beast will take out its hunger on the one who is given to the cursed one and the sacrifice will not be an easy one.
“Need to fuck you. Need to come in your pussy.” He gripped her shoulders tightly in his big, hard hands. “Bedroom, Sara. Or do you want…want me to take you here. Against the wall.”
“No, no—the bedroom’s this way,” Sara said hastily. He was right—if they were going to have rough sex at least it would be better to have it on the nice soft surface of the queen-sized pillow top bed than against the hard, tiled bathroom wall.
She attempted to lead the way but he wasn’t going to let go of her again. The most she could manage was a fast shuffle down the hallway since he had molded his front to her back. Through the silk robe which was still half clinging to her arms she could feel the heat and hardness of his erection pressing against her ass and inner thighs. Goddess, how was she going to get through this?
The minute the bed came into view, Reeve steered her toward it but when she tried to turn around and face him again, he didn’t let her. Instead he pressed her against the high side of the bed, her waist right at the top level of the mattress, her feet still planted on the hardwood floor.
“Now,” he growled and ripped the red silk robe from her completely. Sara shivered, feeling exposed and put on display. This time she didn’t try to turn around because she was afraid of what she’d see. Was he a monster now? Had he turned completely in the time it took them to walk from the bathroom to the bed room?
Was she about to be fucked by a real live werewolf?

****Well, that’s all for now. I want to say thanks to Selena again for having me on her blog. And remember, Halloween is just around the corner so buy a dirty book and have some fun because erotica isn’t as fattening as candy!

Hugs to all, Evangeline Anderson